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| MiamiDolphins.com |
The quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns has been a revolving door since the team rejoined the league in 1999. In fact, only one team (the Miami Dolphins) has used more starting quarterbacks during the past 13 seasons than the Browns.
When Mike Holmgren stepped into his presidential role with the Browns, the one thing he stressed above all else was stability within the organization and the quarterback position. In order to stabilize the team, he removed Eric Mangini from the head coaching position, and put “his guy” Pat Shurmur in place for the 2011 season, and hopefully well beyond.
In respect to the quarterback situation, Holmgren’s moves have been anything but stabilizing.
In March of 2010, he began with a massive overhaul which saw Derek Anderson released and Brady Quinn traded to Denver. He then traded for his former backup quarterback in Seattle, Seneca Wallace, and signed Carolina Panthers cap casualty, Jake Delhomme. Then one month later, Holmgren drafted the “future” of the Browns organization in round three of the 2010 NFL Draft, Colt McCoy, from the University of Texas—vowing McCoy would not see a snap in 2010.
McCoy’s scouting positives boasted the NCAA record for wins (45), his high accuracy percentage (70.3) and his relentless heart and leadership abilities on the football field. However, the same scouting report showed his height (6’1”), his poor field vision and his poor arm strength on throws more than 15 yards down the field as negatives for the former Longhorn.
In fact, one of the most glaring problems McCoy is still having trouble with in the NFL is highlighted here, “what McCoy lacks is good vision at [times] and there are instances where he might throw to a receiver and not see a more wide open receiver.”
Holmgren and the Browns knew the risks when they drafted McCoy, which is why their intent was to not “throw him to the wolves” and let him sit for a year behind two veterans. However, injuries to both of those quarterbacks forced their hand and McCoy had to step in and be “the man” much earlier than expected.
You won’t hear McCoy complain, and the players instantly talked about his leadership abilities and passion for winning when he took over. In fact, after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, McCoy was the leader for two huge upsets over the likes of New Orleans and New England. The win over New England may have been the “signature” performance of his rookie season, as he went 14-of-19 for 174 yards with a 73.7 completion percentage in the Browns' 34-14 triumph.
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