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Chances are Anderson stays
Jeff Schudel, Morning Journal Writer
01/06/2008


IF the Browns offer Derek Anderson the high tender of $2.562 million next month, chances are very good he won't be going anywhere.

A team signing a player who receives a high tender must compensate the player's former team with a first-round and a third-round draft choice if the former team does not match the offer.

Since the process started in 1994, 28 restricted free agents (players with three years in the league) have received the high tender. Only once was a team willing to sacrifice a first-round and a third-round pick to get the player it wanted, according to research done by the NFL office.

In 1998, the Jets signed Curtis Martin, a restricted free agent from the Patriots, to a six-year, $36 million offer sheet. The Patriots did not match, so the Jets had to cough up a first-round and a third-round draft choice.

The situation with the rival Jets and Patriots is very rare because general managers guard draft picks like they guard their own children. Teams have worked out trades, but the team getting the player has never given up what the Jets paid the Patriots.

This is good for the Browns if the pattern holds; they would get Anderson for one more season for a little more than $2.5 million. By the end of 2008, they would be in a better position to choose between Anderson and Brady Quinn.

The list of teams needing quarterbacks is long, starting with the 1-15 Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have John Beck, but he proved nothing in three starts to show passing up Quinn was the right thing to do.

The Chiefs, Falcons, Bears and, of course, the Ravens need a quarterback. The Vikings, Jets and 49ers are not as desperate, but they need help.

The 2008 draft is not considered a strong one for quarterbacks. Brian Brohm of Louisville, Matt Ryan from Boston College, Erik Ainge from Tennessee and John David Booty from USC are considered the best, though some scouts have none of them ranked among the top 10.

On that note, let us pause to give Browns general manager Phil Savage credit for getting his quarterback last year, even though he spent his first-round choice this year to get him.

The Browns took Quinn with the 22nd pick in the first round last year after getting the pick from the Cowboys for Cleveland's first-round pick in 2008. The Browns, coincidentally, would be picking 22nd in the first round this year. Now the Cowboys have that pick. There is no way a quarterback of Quinn's caliber would be available at 22 this year. Savage knew that.

But back to Anderson.

The Dolphins have the first pick. Atlanta, Oakland and Kansas City were each 4-12. Their draft order will be determined by a coin flip. The Raiders don't need a quarterback because they drafted JaMarcus Russell with the first overall pick last year.

The Jets pick sixth. The 49ers are in the seventh slot, but they traded their top pick to the Patriots last year. The Ravens pick eighth, the Bears 14th and the Vikings 17th.

''Miami and Atlanta need so much, they're not going to give up a first and a third for Anderson,'' a source close to both teams said. ''He had a good season, but the last thing GMs are going to remember is him throwing four interceptions in Cincinnati. I'd be shocked if Cleveland got a first and a third for him.''

Report card time

The 10-6 record was the Browns best in 13 years and by far the best of the Romeo Crennel era. He totaled 10 victories in his first two seasons. Grades are necessarily high.

COACHES -- B+: Crennel gets an A just for pulling Charlie Frye as soon as he did. After a quarter and a half of the first game he decided once and for all Frye was not going to take the Browns anywhere. Had Crennel waited for five or six games to make a switch it might have been too late to save his job.

Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski gets an A- for awakening a moribund offense. Points did not come as easily at the end of the season, though. Still, to raise the point total from 238 to 402 in one season was enough to get the attention of teams looking for a head coach; the Ravens and Dolphins have interest in Chud.

Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham gets a C+. It took 10 games for the defense to mount a pass rush. The secondary looked better once the opposing quarterback felt pressure. Run defense is an ongoing problem, but that isn't Grantham's fault.

QUARTERBACK -- B: Derek Anderson was the surprise of 2007, but he was mediocre over the last seven games. He threw nine touchdown passes and 10 interceptions starting with the game in Baltimore Nov. 18. If he is going to be the quarterback of the future, or even the quarterback of 2008, he must develop a touch when he throws short passes over the middle. His completion percentage of 56.5 has to improve.

RUNNING BACK -- A: Jamal Lewis rushed for more yardage, 1,304, than any running back in Browns history not named Jim Brown. He got better as the season progressed. He is a leader in the locker room. Re-signing him seems like a no-brainer as long as Lewis' demands aren't outrageous. Fullback Lawrence Vickers can block and pick up a yard on third-and-one. Backup running back Jason Wright is very dependable.

OFFENSIVE LINE -- A: The Browns gave up 19 sacks in 2007 after giving up 54 in 2006. Joe Thomas received votes for Rookie of the Year. Eric Steinbach is the best free agent signing the Browns have ever made. Ryan Tucker is a better right guard than right tackle and Kevin Shaffer is a better right tackle than left tackle. Center Hank Fraley is steady and under-appreciated, though not by his teammates.

When Steve Marshall was hired as offensive line coach, I thought the Browns were desperate. After all, he was coaching the Texans offensive line when David Carr was sacked 72 times. Marshall proved if he has good players he can be a good coach.

WIDE RECEIVERS -- B+: Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow Jr. and Joe Jurevicius give the Browns a perfect blend. Edwards set a team record with 16 touchdown catches and Winslow caught 82 passes. He played with a sore knee and sore shoulder. Jurevicius is the steadying influence. He caught 29 of his 50 passes on third down. He will be missed if he retires after next season.

DEFENSIVE LINE -- C-: The defensive line has been an issue for nine years. Orpheus Roye has to retire. Shaun Smith is a decent player, but the Browns need a dominant nose tackle to improve run defense and Smith is not the total answer. Right end Robaire Smith got better as the season went along, but no one on the line dominates. Ethan Kelley is a health risk.

LINEBACKERS -- C-: More speed is needed at linebacker. That was evident when the Browns shut out Buffalo 8-0 in a blizzard on Dec. 16. The snow slowed down the Bills and because it did Andra Davis and D'Qwell Jackson played well against the run. Kamerion Wimbley had an invisible season. Willie McGinest whiffing on Ben Roethlisberger is a lasting memory of 2007.

SECONDARY -- B-: Yes, the Browns gave up 29 touchdown passes, but unlike the other segments of the defense the secondary is young and getting better. Cornerback Eric Wright was lost at the beginning of the season but continued to improve. Brandon McDonald, a fifth-round draft choice, played well when he got his chance. Safeties Brodney Pool and Sean Jones were a better tandem in the end than the beginning. Leigh Bodden improved the last month, but was beaten early in the season.

SPECIAL TEAMS -- A: Josh Cribbs might not be the best player to put on a Browns uniform since Jim Brown, but he certainly is the most exciting. And it isn't just that he returned two kicks for a touchdown and one punt for a touchdown. He would routinely haul tacklers to the 40 before being dragged down. He was fearless on punt and kick coverage.

Phil Dawson bounced back from an off-year in 2006 to make 26-of-30 field goal tries. His field goal in Baltimore bouncing off the left upright and then the support, and then making two field goals in swirling snow and wind against the Bills, was as much a part of the success of 2007 as anything.

Special teams coach Ted Daisher is like Steve Marshall. He coached the special teams in Oakland last year, and they were awful. He coached very well with players to coach.

JSchudel@news-herald.com

Very odd thinking I beleive...

First the article says:

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IF the Browns offer Derek Anderson the high tender of $2.562 million next month, chances are very good he won't be going anywhere.

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Then this:

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Since the process started in 1994, 28 restricted free agents (players with three years in the league) have received the high tender. Only once was a team willing to sacrifice a first-round and a third-round pick to get the player it wanted, according to research done by the NFL office.

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Then this;

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The list of teams needing quarterbacks is long, starting with the 1-15 Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have John Beck, but he proved nothing in three starts to show passing up Quinn was the right thing to do.

The Chiefs, Falcons, Bears and, of course, the Ravens need a quarterback. The Vikings, Jets and 49ers are not as desperate, but they need help.

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OK,, I would agree that Anderson might be here on any other year,, or any year that QB's don't seem to be in high need. But given the number of teams that need a QB,,, and the apparent lack of talent in the draft (not to say that the top guys aren't talented, there just isn't a lot of them) it seems to me that this year, it really could happen..

How many times has a First year starting QBs, who put up DA's numbers and W/L Record come available as an UFA? I have a hard time believing there have been a lot of those! (ain't doing the researce to find out either)

So the uniqueness of the situation may be the difference.. I don't know if we get a 1st and 3rd.. maybe someone calls Phil and says,, Hey Phil,, we want DA, we'll give you a 1st this year and a 4th next year.. maybe Phil says,,, Cool,, let's write it up... who knows..

But I think it's very very likely that if we decided to trade DA (and I don't know if that decision has been made) that we at least get a 1st this year and who knows what else....

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I just looked up what Houston gave up for shcaub

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j/c DA has Much More Value now than Schaub had at the time of his trade. Schaub had experience as a backup, where DA has a higher upside with his Starter Resume. JMHO Go Brownies!!!

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Kind of makes you wonder if Quinn was coming out this year; where would he be drafted?? He would be the undisputed number one QB of that bunch.

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He might have been.. Hell, it's way to early to tell, but if you look at the way Russell played the few times he was out there for the Raiders,,, Quinn may have been the best QB in last years draft

Of course, that's terribly unfair to judge Russell on the few times he's played.. especially since the team around him is horrible.. But on the surface, we saw Quinn in for one series against SF.. and outside of a few rough passes to start off, he played pretty darn well.. Russell hasn't looked good at all...

That's one of those "take it for what it's worth" type comments....

Why on earth do you have a picture of a car as an attachment to your post?

I clicked on it thinking it was perhaps something relevant to football......then found I wasted my time........

I think he probably likes that car. I know I do.

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Why on earth do you have a picture of a car as an attachment to your post?

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First off, it was an error,, I've been playing with somethings,,, I put that as an attachement, meant to delete it and just flat out forgot,,

Secondly, I bought that car in oct 2006,, it was a disaster,, I mean a real mess... how's it look now? and to think, I'm only half way done..

The engine is actually out of the car at this moment,, the engine compartment is being repainted and an engine with only about 40,000 miles is being prepped with Headers, Test pipes, Air Intake, EGR Block off, new wiring and lots of chrome and powder coated parts... then it will be dropped in I think next week.

I'll take a car that has stock,, 222 hp (at the flywheel) and probably increase it to the 250 area.. it was fast at 222,, it should screem soon.

Then new wheels, a body kit and BOOM,, I gotta a middle aged mans toy that is fun to drive and fast as hell..

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Where are you going to find a middle aged man to drive it?

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Don't I qualify? I'm 55!

Really I woulda thought you were 40 years younger and still needed training wheels

Now that was funny!

I really can't believe you just said that,,, I can't believe it at all,,,
U can't believe what?

That the Colts who have a franchise QB in Manning wouldn't need to invest heavily in a backup who isn't goin to take several snaps per season?

You actually think the backup should be as good as the starter?
FYI most backup QB's are nothing more than bodies with a mouth..

wow your old

Now lets hope we either keep a certain 24 year old QB here next year, or somebody thinks he is Herschel Walker

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wow your old

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GM...those of us in that age group are not "old"...

we say, we are more "mature" ... ...WOOF....mac

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U can't believe what?

That the Colts who have a franchise QB in Manning wouldn't need to invest heavily in a backup who isn't goin to take several snaps per season?

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Let's see,, the Colts are headed to the playoffs,, Manning is practicing,, hits his hand on one of his linemans helmet,, breaks the thumb on his throwing hand... can't go.. done for the year..

Do you feel good about going into the playoffs with Sorgi?

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GM...those of us in that age group are not "old"...

we say, we are more "mature" ... ...WOOF....mac

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Here's the funny part Mac,,, GM is roughly the same age as me....LOL

or at least he looks it Maybe he's young, but was rode hard and put away wet too often