DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Romeo Sandbagging the QB Situation

Opening day QB could be a secret
Zac Jackson, Staff Writer
08.21.2007

If you're still asking and wondering about the Browns' quarterback situation, you might still be asking and wondering in two weeks.

And because "you" includes the Steelers, Romeo Crennel might be content to keep his thoughts to himself.

A day after he announced Charlie Frye as the starter for this week's preseason game -- at least for now, just this week -- Crennel said there are two possibilities to start the Sept. 9 season opener.

Frye is one. He didn't give up the other. And he apparently doesn't plan to.

"With the competition we've had, which has been good, not announcing a starter is a possibility," Crennel said. "Our first opponent might have to wonder who the quarterback is going to be. They might have to prepare for two guys which could be an advantage for us."

Derek Anderson was second behind Frye in the preseason opener, started last week and is slated to be second again this week. Ken Dorsey has been the third quarterback both weeks. Brady Quinn made his debut last week and led two touchdown drives, but was playing with third and fourth-teamers against the Lions third and fourth-teamers.

It was generally assumed the Quinn missing the first 12 days of training camp before he signed would take him out of the running to be the opening day starter. He's still behind, but he's not ruling anything out.

"Never say never," Quinn said Tuesday. "I think it's still somewhat of a competition. Even though the starter has been announced for this game, I think guys are still competing, still trying to show what they can do. The roster hasn't been set and this isn't Week One yet for the NFL. We have two weeks left of hard work in our camp and we'll see where things go from there."

Monday, Crennel left open at least a small possibility that Quinn could still win the job.

"I don't know if he can catch up or not," he said. "We'll just have to see. We're going to give him chances. We'll work with him and if he shows us he can do it, the more we'll give him to do.

"When he's ready to play, we'll play him."

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=7147

To me, it looks like Romeo hasn't seen much from Frye or Anderson (Neither have we for that matter).
It looks as if Anderson is on his way out, or thats the feel I get from this article (and from everyone else on the board). Romeo named Frye as one competitor and didn't mention the other. Does this mean that he could be considering Quinn? Romeo seems to be warming up to Quinn just a little through his comments in some of these articles. It seems that there now is at least a possibility that he could start for us come Sept 9th. Of course, he still has to preform well in the last two preseason games for that to remain a possibility.

good read... I was just about to post this article

Personally i think it means that if Frye doesn't move the team very well in the next 2 pre-season games that Dorsey will be the opening day starter. Dorsey has been able to move the team when he has been in there, hasn't made the mental mistakes Frye and Anderson have and from the reports he has a better grasp of the offense. I don't think Quinn will be the starter unless he gets serious playing time in a game against an opponents first-string defense and he really WOWS Romeo.

*LOL* .... RAC's just trying to be slick and hold his cards close to the vest ...

unless #9 gets hurt he will be starting against the Stilers and RIGHTFULLY SO ....

smart move by RAC if we had TWO QB'S that SCARE anyone much less even one .... no ones gonna be fooled by it ... but its a good try ...

The competition has all been about Quinn. Make no mistake about it. RAC believes in BQ he is referred to as "The Quarterback" or "The Young Quarterback" by RAC. He respects his good friend Charlie Weiss who has sold him head n heels on BQ.

But RAC has his system - His system is not to play a rookie unless he is ready...This goes double for QBs who miss the installation of our system.

JMHO

IMO, Frye is the opening day starter. His starting this weekend is indication as this is the third preseason game is the final game most teams prepare their first teamers before the season starts. Unless Frye just really stinks it up horribly. Anderson likely lost his chance already.

I wouldn't be upset if Dorsey is the starter. I would be really really surprised if that happens though..

People would be wondering why Romeo is starting the 3rd string QB from a year ago over Quinn, the guy we gave our first rounder for next year.

The whole point investing in Quinn was to get that extra year of development. Now, that year doesn't have to be on the field, but QB is our weakest position by far and Quinn has too much potential to be sitting on the bench for long. Just IMO.

I think it means that Savage has contacted Tim Couch's agent, and they are just working out the numbers. Maybe he'll be in camp tomorrow, but don't expect him to get into Saturday's game. Maybe he'll get to hand it off a couple times.

If Romeo names anyone other than Frye as the starter for week 1, then I will be disappointed. I truly believe Frye can get it done with the group of guys that we have around him this year.

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But RAC has his system - His system is not to play a rookie unless he is ready...This goes double for QBs who miss the installation of our system.

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Unless CF steps it up a notch or two in his performance, RAC might be forced to give the BQ the reins sooner than expected or planned, if he wants to retain his job. JMHO

I'm really pulling hard for CF to start to show he's going to be the QB we had hoped he would be, but, his peformance so far has been lacking. Next game will be a very big one for Charlie and unless Anderson has a tremendous 2nd half, he can forget about being our starter and even might be released for a more veteran FA QB. JMHO

I almost wish we could just get rid of Anderson right now.

He is taking reps from the QB's who need them most. Frye, who will more than likely will be our starter.. and Quinn, who is 100% our future starter...

I am still hoping for a Brees/Rivers situation of which we can reap the benefits.

Anyone else get the idea that Crennel is in way over his head and has no idea what he's doing?

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was saying. I was hoping after the first game they'd name Frye the starter to keep the first team together. Dorsey would make a better back up, as he's the smarter guy to hold the clipboard. I wouldn't mind seeing Anderson moved to the back of the pack.

Pretty simple really. You have a new O system being installed. That takes a lot of reps IN pre season with your starter so your team is game ready under this new system.

So,you either do that so your team IS prepared to compete as best as possible during the regular season,or you don't.

If you do,the oposing team knows who your starter is.

If you don't,you've made some damned poor coaching decisions.

Playing hide and go seek WHILE trying to install a new offensive scheme at the same time? How smart does combining the two really sound when you think about that logicly for just a minute?

Something tells me the steelers aren't going to do anything differently no matter who starts.

Romeo needs to stop making his QB decision a soap opera... just pick one already!

That is how I read it to be too when all that was going down.

Could not find a spot to post this in all the QB threads so bear with me here a second.
I do not see where there is any thing misleading going on on RAC's part.
The QB's have been shakey in goaline situations and he was having a hard time deciding between CFand DA.
Until he named Charlie the starter for this weeks game.
And I believe the starter over all until around week 8.
My personal opinion,I think CF is the better leader on the field and DA has the much better arm IMHO.
CF's passes kinda flutter like a thrown stick of butter.
DA throws a pretty pass but does not make decisions quickly enough.
Dorsey has more of a grasp on what to look for from defenses from what I have seen of him college and Pro.
I am most definitely no talent scout but IMO Dorsey gets squirly quickly and put's the ball into too tight of coverages.
I personally think Bernie was campaigning for Dorsey during the Lions game.
No wonder RAC is confused. Now I am too.
Good thing they do not listen to all of us fans opinions then the team would be a real mess.

This article should fit nicely in this thread.

Browns QB race rolls on with no finish in sight

Associated Press

BEREA, Ohio -- From flipping a coin to filling in blanks. Cleveland's starting quarterback drama has turned again.

During his post-practice news briefing on Tuesday, Browns coach Romeo Crennel said he may delay naming a starter until the week before his club's Sept. 9 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He has narrowed his choice to two candidates: Charlie Frye and a mystery man.
Browns QB derby
A look at how the four Cleveland signal callers have fared so far:

Charlie Frye
Rating: 69.4
TD/INT: 0/1
Yards: 164
Comp. Pct.: 68


Brady Quinn
Rating: 121.9
TD/INT: 2/0
Yards: 155
Comp. Pct.: 65


Derek Anderson
Rating: 54.3
TD/INT: 0/1
Yards: 155
Comp. Pct.: 54.2


Ken Dorsey
Rating: 90
TD/INT: 0/0
Yards: 141
Comp. Pct.: 72.2

* www.clevelandbrowns.com
*

"It's Charlie ... and Yes," teased Crennel, who has Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn and Ken Dorsey to choose from.

"Who's the other one?" he was asked.

"Who do you want it to be?" Crennel said with a laugh.

"Brady," a reporter said.

"If you want it to be that, then it can be that for you," Crennel said.

Who knows. It could be that for the Browns soon, too.

Crennel's obscure reply came one day after he named Frye as his starter for Saturday's game at Denver, the club's third exhibition game and another chance for any of Cleveland's QBs to step up and prove their worthy of being a No. 1.

So far, Frye and Anderson have failed to impress their coaches or Browns fans, who are clamoring to see more of Quinn.

The rookie from Notre Dame threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes against Detroit in his NFL debut on Saturday night. Quinn went 13-of-20 for 155 yards and played with poise and confidence, something neither Frye nor Anderson has shown much of during the past two weeks of their ongoing derby.

Crennel said Quinn will get more playing time against the Broncos, but wouldn't specify when or how much. But another strong showing could move Quinn past Anderson on the depth chart -- if he hasn't passed him already.

Quinn downplayed his debut, which came against a Lions defense comprised mostly of third and fourth stringers.

"I don't want to make it more than what it was," he said. "I was just a guy out there trying to help his team come back and win. That is really what it was."

But it could be much more if Frye doesn't play better this week and if Quinn, who missed 11 days of training camp in a contract holdout, continues to progress.

Crennel, who resorted to a coin toss to decide whether Frye or Anderson would start the exhibition opener, was asked what conclusions could be made from him not yet naming a Week 1 starter.

"Well, it changes and it can change," he said. "With this competition that we've had -- which has been a good competition -- with Frye being the starter for this game, our first opponent might have to wonder who the quarterback is going to be. They might have to prepare for two guys, which could be an advantage for us."

Quinn has quickly gained ground on Frye and Anderson. Frye has a 69.4 rating, Anderson's is 54.3 and neither of the QBs has led the Browns to a touchdown while Quinn is 2-for-2 on scoring drives.

And while Quinn hasn't had a chance to show if he can make all the throws, he certainly has the other quarterbacking duties down pat. On Tuesday, Quinn deflected praise about his leadership on the two TD drives to his teammates.
Cleveland Browns

* Complete coverage: Video | Schedule | Stats
* Roster | Depth chart | Transactions
* Official team site: ClevelandBrowns.com

"They did a great job of focusing," he said. "I think they knew what they had in front of them. If anything, I just tried to communicate the best I could and tried to be the general out there."

As for who will lead the Browns against the Steelers, Quinn doesn't think his holdout has hurt his chances of starting.

"I would never say never," he said. "I think it is still somewhat of a competition. Even though the starter has been announced for this game, I think guys are still competing, still trying to show what they can do.

"The roster hasn't been set and this isn't week one yet for the NFL. We have two weeks left of hard work in our camp and we'll see where things go from there."
http://www.nfl.com/preseason/story?id=09000d5d801a3517&template=without-video&confirm=true

"If you want it to be that, then it can be that for you," Crennel said.

He Pretty Much Put That To Bed.

I'd be shocked if Frye isn't our opening day starter... Totally shocked,

But as I've made clear,, I don't care which guy starts,, as long as they are gonna give whoever it is a chance to succeed by supporting him to the max....

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And as such,why I see such frivolity by this very pretext.

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He ain't playing with the Steelers. He's playing with the media. He's been doing it all year.

I agree he's been "playing with the media" to an extent.

My comments were about this...........................

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If you're still asking and wondering about the Browns' quarterback situation, you might still be asking and wondering in two weeks.

And because "you" includes the Steelers, Romeo Crennel might be content to keep his thoughts to himself.

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That is a silly idea. Just as you stated it was.


That's "why I see such frivolity by this very pretext."

Through all the talk, I've come to the conclusion that RAC really can't name a starter. Anderson flat out sucks. Frye hasn't shown the ability to step up. Quinn is a rookie and starting him seems to go against what RAC believes in. Dorsey is the biggest question mark in the mix.

Dorsey has shown to be the one QB that can make the reads that are needed to run the offense. The problem is, if RAC's job is revolving around the success of the team, does he lay his job on the line by starting Dorsey.

Dorsey could come in and be successful, as well as flopping. Would RAC be willing to take the chance ?

I don't think he would, and that's where it stands
The funny thing is , I really don't see this team winning any of the first four games with Frye as the QB. Teams will be able to confuse him as easily as they did last year, add in we have a new offense that he hasn't mastered yet, and you can see why I believe that way.

With Dorsey we have a qb that appears to know the offense, now call me a fool, but I would rather see a qb that knows the offense, and what we are trying to accomplish, than put someone out there with a watered down system. Frye hasn't shown he can run the vanilla package we run during pre-season, let alone run the entire package.

Fear not all you Charlie lovers/ OSU lovers/ Any player from Ohio lovers,
RAC will not pull the trigger on Dorsey being the starter, even if he is letting Chud make the decision you can bet he will veto a Dorsey start out of fear.

JMHO

I'm pretty sure RAC knows who will start 9/9. He doesn't need to name the QB because it really doesn't matter (to the fans and media) until that very day. I think a lot of you play him for a fool and the man is not Butch Davis.

And, if in fact he hasn't yet decided (which I still find hard to believe), he's probably got another week and a half until he would want to inform the chosen QB that's starting. The team as a whole could probably keep it from the media for a week.

I think that it is pretty interseting that RAC is keeping the QB competiton open for as long as possible. I am a little disturbed that the Browns have not "rallied around" a starter, or a starter was not named earlier.

Savage and RAC invested heavily in Quinn. Both have ties to Wies, and it is only a matter of time until Quinn hits the field.

Frye will most likely be the starter going into the season. I am a bit curious as to why the Browns have soured on his abilities, but we should be able to get a better understanding of his abilities with an improved OL and running game.

If the Browns struggle out of the gate, the door is wide open for Quinn. Depending upon their play and record going into they bye, I can envision a change after the bye. If Frye is productive, and the Browns are competitive, Quinn may sit for a longer period of time.

But it is clear that the Browns are prepared for a change to Quinn, once he is deemed ready.

Nah only somebody who totally has no Respect for RAC would think that...ergo Peen agreeing with ya - there ya go

Camp tour: Browns legends watch Quinn
August 10, 2007


Meanwhile, if Quinn's teammates and coaches are angry with him for holding out 11 days, it doesn't appear to be a big issue. "I'll call him Brady now," says Crennel, who referred to him only as "the quarterback" until Quinn signed.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?p=2284542


I just copied the part germane to this discussion....you can link it to read it all if you like...and you can also find local sources if you wish to dispute that.

Whatever you want.

Maybe Crennel is implying ...... based on pre-season play ...... that he really only has 1 QB on the roster ........

I had a opportunity to listen to Savage speak yesterday on my home station 1460 The Fan..Bruce Fooley(Hooley is his name..I say Fooley cuze he sounds like a fool sometimes) questioned him about the QB situation..
So here's the important stuff, and I hope some of you , yeah you PIT...realize the Browns have a plan..
Lets address Frye/Anderson.
The plan is to get those two to perform better especially in the redzone..
They know Frye has more game experience than Anderson, hence the nod he gets to start against Denver...however they still want to look at DA..
The second part is that one of them (if performing well) gives them value on the open market..
Read between the lines as to WHO that might be.

Fooley's question was since the third preseaon game is really a dress rehersal for the opening game thats when you usually name a starter and he generally plays that first regular season game.

Phil responded thats the norm, but the norm may not apply to the Browns this year.
They do want their opponents wondering who's going to take the snaps...
They could trade one of their QB's or they could go with 4 ...

Next why was there no vet QB brought in?
Phil said they inquired about Green but at that time KC was asking too much for him..
They glanced at Cullpepper but in June they thought that was too much time gone past for him to come in and learn this offense..
So they felt comfortable going ahead with the QB's they have..

Now the BQ parts..
Phil said they had/have NO [PLANS to start him against Pittsburgh..or against any of their first several games..that was never in the plans nor is it.
That was discussed after the schedule came out.
They looked at those first five games and wanted the best chance to win without putting pressure on Quinn.

Fooley asked considering the production of the other two QB's if Quin provides the best chance to win would they consider putting him out there?
He said NO..they want to bring him along slowly.

Fooley asked if the Tim Couch situation played heavily in that.
Phil only to a degree..
This is not the same type of team that '99 team was..
Couch was forced into that situation.
They feel they want to be competitive but mentor Quinn slowly and they WANT THOSE TWO PATHS SEPERATE...
Once they feel the time is right to make a decision to put Quinn on the field , they will run with that.
He will be the starter for the next 7 years or so.
Phil brought up a lot of other QB's who sat(Palmer) and then Worthlessburger SITUATION WAS DIFFERENT, Pitt had a established team..so it was easy for him..

Once BQ is in they DO NOT WANT TO shift QB's in and out..meaning they put Quinn in, then yank him, then put another QB in , then go back to him.
They want him as a FULLTIME STARTER...nothing less.

Soo, those getting a heart attack about Rac's comments are being baited..this is cause turmoil and confusion for those easily taken in by words..

Pit I told U rac is toying with the media, and when he responded to the reporter and asked "WHO DO U WANT IT TO BE?"..WHEN the guys preplied BQ , he said "Thats who it will be for you"..he's playing with them..
He isn't going to budge from what he wants to do..and he's letting the media know they don't control him or dictate otherwise..

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Something tells me the steelers aren't going to do anything differently no matter who starts.


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And as such,why I see such frivolity by this very pretext.



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I agree. This isn't the Strategic Air Command here where things need to be kept top secret.

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I agree with both of you on this matter... you know how coaches are always saying how we WANT to run on a team WHEN they KNOW we are gonna run.

Well, that same thinking should be able to be applied to this whole QB thing,, I want us to get to a point where they know exactly who the QB is gonna be,,, and it just doesn't matter that they know.

I want to be able to make them think,,, "damn, I hate facing (insert QB name here)"

But that's just me