The Case for Mike Brown’s “Adjustments”
May 11, 2010Tribe Off Day Update – A Look at the Rotation
May 11, 2010
This morning in Scott’s WWW post, he linked to the news that Seneca Wallace might just have a shot at becoming the Browns’ quarterback this season. Of course there is also the story where Mangini attempts coyness in saying Wallace will have a role in the offense, maybe alongside Josh Cribbs. I know that as Browns fans we are really gun shy about quarterback controversies, especially after the “battle” between Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, neither of whom as of this writing are a bona fide NFL starter. I am sure a lot of you will automatically say that the same should be said for the career backup, Seneca Wallace and the new Mr. “Diminished Skills,” Jake Delhomme. I can make the argument that maybe the Browns will need a bit of QB controversy this season.
First off, I would prefer that this controversy not include Colt McCoy unless we are 10 weeks into the season and everyone else is hurt. Under those circumstances, I guess I would be OK with letting McCoy play. Even at that point though, I would be interested to see what kinds of veterans are sitting on the top of the scrap heap not named Bruce Gradkowski.
Back to the Seneca Wallace story, wouldn’t you be disappointed if Wallace was brought in here and he wasn’t given a chance to compete with 35 year-old Jake Delhomme? This is the same Delhomme who has acknowledged that he needs to find a way to resurrect himself after a simply horrendous year in Carolina that saw the team dump him in the midst of an extension that was supposed to keep him there until 2014 with $20 million in guarantees and a max possible of $42 million. It isn’t a big surprise to me that there would be some competition for the quarterback position this year with Delhomme being first on the depth chart at the beginning.
It isn’t a bad thing. The Browns don’t have a bona fide top of the line starter right now. Consider Delhomme this way. He could easily become the next Kerry Collins from the Tennessee Titans. Kerry Collins gave the Titans a solid season in 2008 before faltering and yielding to a more prepared Vince Young. I don’t think the Browns have a good enough team that Jake Delhomme can put up 13 wins like Collins did. The Browns probably don’t have the receivers to catch 242 balls for over 2600 yards either, but still. Delhomme could potentially solidify the QB position for a year or two.
If Delhomme falters again, tell me you aren’t happy to have a 29 year-old, seven year veteran named Seneca Wallace sitting behind him. Sometimes career backups step up and become one or two year wonders. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Seneca Wallace could be just good enough for two years so the Browns can figure out who will become their starter in the long run. I don’t think Seneca Wallace will become Kurt Warner, although Warner didn’t become good in the NFL until he was 27. Think more along the lines of the two year stint that Tommy Maddox had with the Steelers.
Those are the two scenarios that Browns fans should be hopeful for with Delhomme and Wallace. I don’t think I have set the bar too high either. All I ask for is competency at the position for a year and the two guys should compete for the job without the trouble we ran into with DA and BQ.
Ultimately, the story will be how the coaching staff deals with it. A year after dealing with Quinn and D.A. you have to think Eric Mangini and company want a clearer picture heading into the beginning of the season. For their sake, I hope either Delhomme or Wallace steps up and takes the job as opposed to having two guys fail on top of each other the way Quinn and Anderson did a year ago. In the end, it is apparently all the coach’s fault if players fail to take advantage of opportunities they are given in Cleveland.
15 Comments
I can’t help but believe that, knowing what we know now about last years QB’s, we are in a much better shape at QB this year. Much better.
An on-field combination of Wallace/Cribbs could be very intriguing. With a blatant lack of WR talent, a strong running game plus some creative wildcat-type package could make up for a lack of an air attack.
Jake will be the QB unless he is awful in training camp and the preseason, in which case Seneca will be given the reigns. I don’t think it will really be a competition as much as it will be Jake’s job to lose.
“All I ask for is competency at the position for a year and the two guys should compete for the job without the trouble we ran into with DA and BQ.”
AMEN. Nobody’s ready to predict a SB in Cleveland, but Wallace and Delhomme can’t possibly be as bad as Anderson/Quinn. The Browns’ offense was vividly pathetic last year. Personally, I don’t think Wallace came to Cleveland to sit behind Delhomme and would be a bit disappointed if Wallace wasn’t at least given the opportunity to challenge Delhomme…unless Delhomme leads us to 10-11 wins..
I like the thought of getting two guys who are hungry to start. Not that Quinn/DA weren’t but, Delhomme is out to prove the doubters wrong and Seneca is going to do his darndest to prove he’s not just a career backup. Whoever ends up with the job will be on their A game. Now it’s just a matter of how good their A game is.
This is really the first time we’ve had any sort of stability at the QB position since the return. I don’t think there is going to be much of a competition, but that it will be Delhomme’s job to lose. It will be nice to have an actual NFL starting QB under center…
Im not going to talk in gaurantees, because as we’ve seen anything and everything happen in cleveland (well- if its bad that is). But I do think Wallace would be a good qb for another 3-5 years. He doesnt really have any mileage, and when he has played its been good. If Delhomme pulls off a Kerry Collins of 2 years ago I would not be dispointed either.
BRETT RATLIFF
what? no more controversy please. if mangini can’t help himself, for the love of god lets not encourage him by chanting mccoy/wallace/ratlif.
Let’s trade for either Ronnie Brown or Michael Vick, so that we can have a “flash” package controversy.
Been so long since we’ve seen competent quarterbacking that this town will crown the first guy that can read a defense and hit an open receiver in stride as our very own Peyton Manning.
I will never understand the Delhomme signing. In no universe does it make sense.
cant they sign Jake Locker or Ryan Mallet as undrafted free agents?
@Max – I cant figure out why we didnt draft one of those guys?
The only question will be which QB this season is worse. I have some hope
Delhomme will bring some veteran stability to a position
that hasn’t had it for years. It’s a slim hope though.