Some seem to indicate that the main reason or only reason the Browns didn't re-sign Flacco is to avoid a QB controversy. Or that somehow a QB who has had very limited success in years in the NFL is a better mentor for DW than a SB winning QB with far more playoff experience. I would most certainly hope they're wrong on both those counts. Winston lacks the level of success in the NFL that Flacco has achieved and it isn't even close.

If you're signing a QB you think is inferior to one you aren't making an offer to return, you're allowing the fan base and to make your decisions to the detriment of the team. Football teams are supposed to get the best talent they can at every position. Doing what some claim this team is doing would be an egregious error in doing their jobs.

I don't put any stock into either of those scenarios at all. I think the reasoning is far more simplistic than that. At almost 40 Flacco would be hard pressed to be a backup for an extended length of time. That's not saying or predicting that DW will get some season ending injury early in the saeson, but a HC and FO should be prepared for a worst case scenario. He's no Tom Brady in the longevity department. Even Flacco himself made it clear his coming in fresh made all the difference. Enduring an entire season including training camp and preseason would be a big question mark for Flacco. I believe that is a huge part of why he wasn't asked to return.

Then there's that fact that yes, Flacco won games and played well for the most part. But Flacco's game is as different from DW'a game as day is to night. I'm sure all of the plays that both use are in the playbook. Where the issue arises is that the portion of the playbook Flacco can use is a fraction of it. There are a number of plays DW can execute that Flacco simply doesn't have the same skill set to accomplish.

Winston has a much closer skill set to DW. It allows Stefanski to keep the playbook open and far less limited than with Flacco. That makes for a much easier transition if Winston is called into service. Winston is so much younger they don't have to be concerned about the rigors of an entire season regiment. For me those are solid reasons with which to base the decision to go with Winston over Flacco.

Hopefully I'm correct about that. Because if this FO is allowing the opinions of the fans and the media to dictate their football decisions, we're in big trouble. And I for one don't believe we are.