The Cleveland Browns' search for a franchise quarterback started in '99 when they selected Tim Couch with the #1 draft pick. Here's a list of their starting quarterbacks and the number of games each has started since then:
1) Tim Couch: 59 (22-37, .373)
2) Ty Detmer: 2 (0-2, .000)
3) Doug Pederson: 8 (1-7, .125)
4) Spergon Wynn: 1 (0-1, .000)
5) Kelly Holcomb: 12 (4-8, .333)
6) Jeff Garcia: 10 (3-7, .300)
7) Luke McCown: 4 (0-4, .000)
8) Trent Dilfer: 11 (4-7, .364)
9) Charlie Frye: 19 (6-13, .316)
10) Derek Anderson: 34 (16-18, .471)
11) Brady Quinn: 12 (3-9, .250)
12) Ken Dorsey: 3 (0-3, .000)
13) Bruce Gradkowski: 1 (0-1, .000)
14) Colt McCoy: 21 (6-15, .286)
15) Jake Delhomme: 4 (2-2, .500)
16) Seneca Wallace: 7 (1-6, .143)
17) Brandon Weeden: 20 (5-15, .250)
18) Thad Lewis: 1 (0-1, .000)
19) Jason Campbell: 8 (1-7, .125)
20) Brian Hoyer: 16 (10-6, .625)
21) Johnny Manziel: 8 (2-6, .250)
22) Connor Shaw: 1 (0-1, .000)
23) Josh McCown: 11 (1-10, .091)
24) Austin Davis: 2 (0-2, .000)
25) Robert Griffin III: 5 (1-4, .200)
26) Cody Kessler: 8 (0-8, .000)
27) DeShone Kizer: 15 (0-15, .000)
28) Kevin Hogan: 1 (0-1, .000)
That's 28 different starting quarterbacks for the organization over the past 19 seasons. Combined, with these before-mentioned quarterbacks leading the way, the Browns have gone 88-216 (.289) since 1999, with only one man behind center posting a winning record (Brian Hoyer at 10-6). So when Cleveland selected Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield #1 in this past weekend's NFL draft, it brought back memories to a similar pick they made in Tim Couch.
Personally, I don't have anything against the former Sooner gunslinger. While some have called his on-field antics immature and controversial, so long as they're not hurting the team, I really have no problem with it. So the guy is fiery, confident, competitive, and isn't afraid to show it. So what? Most NFL players possess these same traits. They may not exhibit them in the same manner as Mayfield, but if a player lacks passion, confidence, or a competitive streak, he's not going to last long in the league. Having said all this and while I hope I'm wrong, I believe the Cleveland Browns made another draft blunder with Mayfield, as I have a difficult time not seeing him as a bust.
It puzzled me how all the "experts" wouldn't stop talking about how this draft was loaded with quality quarterbacks, particularly the before-mentioned Mayfield, as well as USC's Sam Darnold, UCLA's Josh Rosen, and Wyoming's Josh Allen. While I see potential in all four of these quarterbacks, none of them are a sure thing. They all have question marks entering the league. The most pro-ready of them is likely Rosen, who is the most developmentally sound of the four. His question mark? Health. The guy may be taller than Mayfield, but his body is less capable of taking big hits. Darnold may be the most hyped amongst the four, but let's not forget, the guy threw 13 interceptions and fumbled 12 additional times last year. Josh Allen may be the least accurate of the four, and due to that, will be a project for the Buffalo Bills. When it comes to Mayfield, he put up incredible numbers in college, especially when it came to accuracy. A lot of these throws were based off improvised, backyard football type of plays, however. The guy has 4.86 speed, so he's not going to be able to run around NFL defenders like he did the ones in college. He's not Michael Vick. Given this, he'll need to be more in tune with the system and getting the ball off quickly. This is where his height, or lack there of, may come into play. Sure, the before-mentioned Vick and Russell Wilson, among others, may not be the ideal height of an NFL quarterback, but they also have the speed necessary to drop back a bit further, scramble around, and afford themselves the time necessary to get the proper angle to pass over defenders at the line of scrimmage. Also, Mayfield was involved in a spread-option style of offense in college. He never played directly behind center. Historically speaking, these types of quarterbacks have not transferred well from college to the pros. I hope Mayfield proves me wrong, as I'd like for the Browns to finally be competitive. However, from my vantage point, the guy comes across like a hybrid of Johnny Manziel and Byron Leftwich at this point, and he'll need to evolve quite a bit to break the cycle of such quarterbacks not succeeding at the pro level. Fortunately for him, before he inevitably becomes quarterback #30 for the Browns since the '99 season, he'll have a year to study and learn behind #29, Tyrod Taylor.
1) Tim Couch: 59 (22-37, .373)
2) Ty Detmer: 2 (0-2, .000)
3) Doug Pederson: 8 (1-7, .125)
4) Spergon Wynn: 1 (0-1, .000)
5) Kelly Holcomb: 12 (4-8, .333)
6) Jeff Garcia: 10 (3-7, .300)
7) Luke McCown: 4 (0-4, .000)
8) Trent Dilfer: 11 (4-7, .364)
9) Charlie Frye: 19 (6-13, .316)
10) Derek Anderson: 34 (16-18, .471)
11) Brady Quinn: 12 (3-9, .250)
12) Ken Dorsey: 3 (0-3, .000)
13) Bruce Gradkowski: 1 (0-1, .000)
14) Colt McCoy: 21 (6-15, .286)
15) Jake Delhomme: 4 (2-2, .500)
16) Seneca Wallace: 7 (1-6, .143)
17) Brandon Weeden: 20 (5-15, .250)
18) Thad Lewis: 1 (0-1, .000)
19) Jason Campbell: 8 (1-7, .125)
20) Brian Hoyer: 16 (10-6, .625)
21) Johnny Manziel: 8 (2-6, .250)
22) Connor Shaw: 1 (0-1, .000)
23) Josh McCown: 11 (1-10, .091)
24) Austin Davis: 2 (0-2, .000)
25) Robert Griffin III: 5 (1-4, .200)
26) Cody Kessler: 8 (0-8, .000)
27) DeShone Kizer: 15 (0-15, .000)
28) Kevin Hogan: 1 (0-1, .000)
That's 28 different starting quarterbacks for the organization over the past 19 seasons. Combined, with these before-mentioned quarterbacks leading the way, the Browns have gone 88-216 (.289) since 1999, with only one man behind center posting a winning record (Brian Hoyer at 10-6). So when Cleveland selected Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield #1 in this past weekend's NFL draft, it brought back memories to a similar pick they made in Tim Couch.
Personally, I don't have anything against the former Sooner gunslinger. While some have called his on-field antics immature and controversial, so long as they're not hurting the team, I really have no problem with it. So the guy is fiery, confident, competitive, and isn't afraid to show it. So what? Most NFL players possess these same traits. They may not exhibit them in the same manner as Mayfield, but if a player lacks passion, confidence, or a competitive streak, he's not going to last long in the league. Having said all this and while I hope I'm wrong, I believe the Cleveland Browns made another draft blunder with Mayfield, as I have a difficult time not seeing him as a bust.
It puzzled me how all the "experts" wouldn't stop talking about how this draft was loaded with quality quarterbacks, particularly the before-mentioned Mayfield, as well as USC's Sam Darnold, UCLA's Josh Rosen, and Wyoming's Josh Allen. While I see potential in all four of these quarterbacks, none of them are a sure thing. They all have question marks entering the league. The most pro-ready of them is likely Rosen, who is the most developmentally sound of the four. His question mark? Health. The guy may be taller than Mayfield, but his body is less capable of taking big hits. Darnold may be the most hyped amongst the four, but let's not forget, the guy threw 13 interceptions and fumbled 12 additional times last year. Josh Allen may be the least accurate of the four, and due to that, will be a project for the Buffalo Bills. When it comes to Mayfield, he put up incredible numbers in college, especially when it came to accuracy. A lot of these throws were based off improvised, backyard football type of plays, however. The guy has 4.86 speed, so he's not going to be able to run around NFL defenders like he did the ones in college. He's not Michael Vick. Given this, he'll need to be more in tune with the system and getting the ball off quickly. This is where his height, or lack there of, may come into play. Sure, the before-mentioned Vick and Russell Wilson, among others, may not be the ideal height of an NFL quarterback, but they also have the speed necessary to drop back a bit further, scramble around, and afford themselves the time necessary to get the proper angle to pass over defenders at the line of scrimmage. Also, Mayfield was involved in a spread-option style of offense in college. He never played directly behind center. Historically speaking, these types of quarterbacks have not transferred well from college to the pros. I hope Mayfield proves me wrong, as I'd like for the Browns to finally be competitive. However, from my vantage point, the guy comes across like a hybrid of Johnny Manziel and Byron Leftwich at this point, and he'll need to evolve quite a bit to break the cycle of such quarterbacks not succeeding at the pro level. Fortunately for him, before he inevitably becomes quarterback #30 for the Browns since the '99 season, he'll have a year to study and learn behind #29, Tyrod Taylor.
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