DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Backup QB

We need a much better backup QB. Sunday was a trainwreck.

Right now I would be more than glad to take Carson Wentz over DTR. (Hell, I'd even take Colin Kaepernick, but that's stretching things more than a bit here.)

DTR should probably be placed on the practice squad if we get someone new who can take care of business.

Thoughts?

DTR was atrocious, and so was our plan with him. We didn't tailor ONE thing to simplify it or make it easier for him. IMO, we DID expect Watson to play and he kinda blindsided us by saying he couldn't go ... but STILL, we had to make it easier for DTR (and I'm not excusing his performance because it was embarrassing).

I think the problem we face is trying to have a backup who has a similar skillset to DeShaun and our offensive approach. Dobbs was honestly probably our best shot at having that.

DTR played like a rookie that had 1 day to prepare. It is what it is.

If there's a finger to be pointed, it's the fact that DTR is our 1 and only option for backup. Teams with actual playoff aspirations make sure that what happened Sunday doesn't.

[quote=3rd_and_20]DTR should probably be placed on the practice squad..../quote]

Not in my opinion. That would surely destroy any confidence he has left...

DTR was atrocious BECAUSE of our lunacy of a game plan. He was never given a chance to succeed....

A lot of me wonders about Watson because reports were that we were shocked he wasn't going to play. Just a typical cluster by our FO and coaching staff

He was 50/50 to play this week and the Browns knew that. No reason to let the cat out of the bag early and let the Ravens know.

Well, as long as there were reports.

I don't know. DTR pretty much performed like bad Carson Wentz. I expect that's what we would have gotten from him as well.

OL needs to play better. I think we might miss Conklin for his effect on the psyche of the OL (and offense as a whole) more than his play. They just all seem kind of out of it. Lacking some fire, something.

Without Conklin, Chubb, and Watson that's quite a leadership drain on the field.

I just want to say something, and I am not really making the comparison a dead fact, but when Nick Chubb was a rookie, and he blew a pass pro in that first game, there was a very vocal segment of the fanbase that wanted him cut immediately.

It was the first game of DTR's career ..... and much of the rest of the team played like they forgot to show up. I am not willing to pillary and destroy him over that 1st game against a tough opponent., who always gives us trouble.

lol, no... there wasnt a single person ever ask for nick chubb to get cut, and chubb as a rookie never sucked as bad as DTR did yesterday. Chubb has been top of the class since his first snap. Bottom line is we need a different QB to backup watson this season, DTR ain't the guy for now. He needs alot more reps and preferably when the games don't matter. PJ Walker would have been a better option if no other reason than he's played in games at this level

I was hoping DTR would look a tad more prepared, but it was just bad on all fronts. Coaching, execution, etc.

I wanted to see us use his legs a little more than we use Watson's

I suggest you go back and read the thread from his 1st game. You will find that you are grossly mistaken.

They signed Brissett to start while Watson was out. That's not exactly depth. It was a rather unique circumstance.

What teams are consistently winning with backup QBs?

Tough decisions have to be made at every position and for every roster spot. If they were easy, so many GMs wouldn't fail.

We were hoping to develop DTR into a consistent, affordable backup. Unfortunately, he got called up sooner than expected.

This is the Browns. Are you not used to weird, bad... stuff happening? There's always something new to go wrong.

Lolz.

You all are forgetting that he had all of 1 day to prep to be the starter. That's a really rough draw even for the vewts we're casually throwing around on here.

Again, if we're going to Monday Morning QB this one, it's on the decision made in the off-season that made DTR our only real option.

You are correct. Chubb missed a block on a punt that was then blocked. There were those labeling him a bust then. A few weeks later he had his breakout performance vs the Raiders.

I love the purple text, even after all of these years lol

I'm somewhat of a traditionalist.

you and Coach B

I lack the back story to be paced in that category.

haha very true

What's with the attitude? You (should) know as well as anyone, that there were things we could do help DTR....he was literally getting killed out there. Yes, I believe we should have run more, grind it out, keep the game close and let our defense win it for us. Easy to criticize but not offer your insight...

Not many weeks ago people were wanting to make him the starter. Glad that thought is gone.

So, some thoughts...

First, Josh Dobbs was re-signed with the intent to dangle him as trade bait from the get go. I don't think there was ever any intention to keep him for any length of time.

I also think there was a distinct attempt to not have a real good back-up. I am not saying I agree with that, but with all the whirlwind around Watson last year the last thing the Browns needed was a QB controversy, and I agree with that. Watson is our qb for at least the next 2 years. After that we could conceivably move on to someone else if needed.

Also, good back-up QB's don't come cheaply. They are usually vets and demand a good deal of money. When you are already paying your main guy top dollar, you aren't looking to pay a back-up who might play a few quarters a year. At least everybody hopes that's the case. If you are going to pay a top level back-up QB, then you are going to have to skimp somewhere else. QB isn't a rotational position where DL as an example is a rotational position. If you want to be good on the defensive front, you need at least 6 starting quality guys every game.

It's easy to say we need a better back-up QB, and I don't disagree, but where do you want to weaken the team to get that? No team is going to have excellent starters and good back-ups at every position. Somewhere you are just going to have to decide you are going to be a little thin at this or that position. I am sure the plan/hope was we would never have to play DTR this season other than a few plays here and there.

Salary cap just doesn't allow that.

Considering what happened maybe they should have announced it earlier.

Why? Game time decisions are made every week around the NFL.

I am not putting you comment down, I just don't follow why it would have made any difference? I am sure behind closed doors they told DTR to be prepared to start.

I think it is pretty simple. You lost Chubb and Watson. What play-calling strategy are you expecting to overcome the loss of two-thirds of your offensive playmakers?

If you were the Ravens and facing DTR without Chubb, what would you do? Load the box stopping all run plays forcing Cleveland to become one-dimensional.

Hmm, what chance does any QB have with a one-dimensional offense?

Let's face it Watson and Stefanski need to do a better job protecting the QB position. Dobbs or DTR wasn't going to beat the Ravens without a lot of luck.

When you learned Watson was out, what odds were you giving Cleveland will beat the Ravens? It's not like the Ravens are average.

It sucks but it is what it is. It could be worse and Cleveland is 1-3. Bye week and on to San Fransico.

It might have been a difficult position to be in but as a HC, do you give your team a chance to win or is there confidence in you by the players that you can adjust? The purpose of the game was to win. No one gave a sh_t about how they won. Though running the ball would have been extremely difficult, why wasn't the run game used to play a game of field position? You had one of the best defenses in football through the first 3-weeks of the season. Why wouldn't you want to put it on their backs to make something happen? Using 12 and 13 personnel should have been the trend. The passing game would have consisted of slants and flat passes with an occasional deep sideline pattern where either your player catches it or it goes out of bounds. Don't give DTR an opportunity to make a mistake. Run the dang ball. Continue to punt for field position and be patient. Wait for your defense to make the play to help out the offense. The Browns were winning the field position game in the 1st qtr before DTR threw the interception intended for Cooper. Come on man, it was a 3rd and 3 from the Cleveland 45 and they threw a 17-yard pass that was intercepted and returned to the Browns 10. If you throw a flat pass, slant or run and don't make the 3-yards you punt and pin the Ravens deep. Instead, poor play calling gave the Ravens a 10-yard short field and the route was on.

DTR had a bad game, but the HC didn't put him in a position to be successful or win. Having DTR throw 36 passes is an absolute joke. Only running the ball 25 times with a struggling rookie QB is an even bigger joke. Hell, the Ravens ran the ball 33 times for 143 yards compared to 19 passes (thought our run defense was fixed). Face it, Stefanski got schooled. Sad part is DTR is the one who took the blows for Stefanski being outcoached, again!

The more I think about it, the more I think you have a good point. He's got to be given a little longer rope.

There are a good number of people in here that act like those fans on a current commercial...they start knocking food off the counter, a guy starts burning his gear in the backyard. Ranting how the seasons over..then someone reminds them that is only the 1st play of the new season.

I think a good number of them were the ones calling for DTR to start over Watson and now they see how foolish that thought was and now want nothing to do with the guy.

Things change. For me, the best back-up is a guy who can run. A QB running is different than defending a RB. I would have liked to see DTR run the ball more. QB draws, RPO's, roll-outs

I am not sure Chubb would have made a big difference in that game. With DTR in, the ravens dictated that he was going to have to beat us with his arm. I don't think having Chubb in the game would have made a 24 point difference. If teams want to stop the run, they can stop the run.

Nick may have broken a long gainer, maybe helped score a TD more and maybe a fieldgoal, but no, the QB was the big problem Stefanski faced. Stefanski needed to change the plan, and didn't.

The things you can ask of Watson aren't the same things you can ask of a 5th round rookie in his first game action. You have to be able to pivot when the circumstances dictate.

That was my thing Peen ... I was really hoping to let DTR run 10-12 times ... keep us ahead of the chains, put pressure on their defense in a different way

IMO, the moment the Ravens had the INT returned to our 5 yard line the game was over ... we had to do ANYTHING possible to avoid turnovers. We needed to play the field position game and let our D win it

The insight was obvious. Do you think the Ravens didn't know that DTR was starting? That they have been in the same system for as very long time now? That they weren't stacking the box against the run and that we don't have Chubb?

So it seems to be your opinion, as well as many others that the Browns should have attacked them with what they were prepared to stop. That they run the ball which would have been an exercise in futility.

Honestly, after closer examination, I think DTR kinda tried to be the hero too much instead of just taking the open checkdowns.

That can be a hard lesson for young QBs to learn.

Can't try to get it all back in one play if that play really isn't there.