June 19, 2013

Weeden: Last Week Shows I can Play at This Level

September 19, 2012 by 34 Comments

I think [this past Sunday] just shows me that I can play at this level. The Bengals have a good defense, they were a playoff team last year. It gives you that self confidence that you can make all of those throws, you can do things to put your team in position to score points. We scored more points in that game than we probably scored offensively as ones the entire preseason so confidence-wise it was good for me. Now, I just have to build off of it, be consistent and do it two weeks in a row. [...] There’s so much football to be played, but you don’t want to put yourself into a hole where you’re digging yourself out. Even though it isn’t a conference game, I think it’s still nice to get on the right track. You’ve got to kind of build some momentum before we go to Baltimore on a short week. I was talking to someone about it, you want to win them all, but I think playing right at the right time is what’s most important in this league. If you can get to the eighth or ninth week and you’re 6-2 or 5-3, you’re putting yourself into position. Then you start playing well, look at the Giants last year, they played right at that time and they ended up winning the Super Bowl. We’ve got to start winning games and that’s all there is to it and there’s no better week to start that than this week.

– Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden, Wednesday, who bounced back from a poor Week 1 outing to complete 26-of-37 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

[Related: Cleveland Browns Game 2: Winners and Losers]

Related Posts

Zemanta
Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: ,
  • http://www.facebook.com/lnicholas2 Lee Nicholas

    It’s hard to not admire his ethic and attitude, regardless of what you feel about the pick/potential. If he doesn’t end up a star, it won’t be from lack of effort. Granted the Browns have had plenty of “hard-working, good guy” QBs who lacked the talent to get it done. I think Weeden can be that guy with the talent. I think it will take time like any rookie, but that he’s got the potential to be good enough. Maybe not great. Maybe not the best quarterback in the league. Teams win the superbowl very frequently without having the best quarterback in the league. See every year the Colts didn’t win.

  • Steve

    Sure, him talking about hard work is nice, but I’d guess that the vast majority of NFL players had to work their butts off to make the league and would talk about how much effort it takes just to win a game, much less make the playoffs.

    Weeden doesn’t have much time left to reach his potential. He can’t be like any rookie.

    Teams win the super bowl with elite talent all over the field. We pin it too closely to the QB. I still don’t see how that makes the Browns look any better going forward.

  • clevefan74

    I believe he does have the time though, yes he’s 29 but hes a young NFL 29, not much of a physical toll on his body.

  • Tired

    Oh my God…..Steve, we get it….you think he’s too old. How many more times do we have to read a post from you about it?

  • co811809

    Doesn’t have much time left to reach his potential?! hes played two games!!! And his second one was good…. Browns fans are unreal. Hes 29 which means he has 7 or 8 years. We have had about 10 quarterbacks in 7 or 8 years; you don’t wanna give a guy with potential even one year to mature??

  • Kildawg

    The question is ‘Can he play consistently at the NFL level?’ Weeden has established the first step with a very solid game after an abysmal one. His results must resemble more Week 2 numbers than Week 1 numbers though.

  • Steve

    Alright, I’ll let everyone get on their merry way pretending that 29 year old QBs make huge strides and have long careers left. I’ll see you at the top of the draft in a couple years when we’re talking ourselves into the next QB of the future.

  • Steve

    How many non-HoF talents play QB at 36 or 37? If you want to argue that we have another Brees/Brady/Manning, I’ll listen. If you want to pretend that Cassell or Orton are going to stick around this league much longer, I won’t.

  • Steve

    Plenty of toll on that arm from playing baseball though.

  • Steve

    Honestly though, as long as people are saying things like ‘give this guy time’ and ‘he has plenty of potential left’, why can’t I point out what the actual aging curve of QBs looks like? Sure, it’s repetitive, but the spread of facts and knowledge trumps all.

  • http://www.facebook.com/cb.everett.9 CB Everett

    I think you’re missing some bigger points. Forget about HOFers or 10 year vets like those guys. Even if Weeden is a “pretty good” QB for the next 3-4 years, that’s infinitely better than anyone we’ve had in the past 20 years. His age of 28 (particularly something no one can do anything about) is a silly thing to complain about at this point. The Browns have got much bigger fish to fry than Weeden age complaints.

  • Steve

    If all we’re asking for is a couple years of competent QB play while this roster is still rebuilding, then fine, we might be able to get that. But does that really excite anyone, or even make sense for this team going forward?

    His age is important because it doesn’t align with everything else they seem to be doing. Half the roster is 1st and 2nd year players. They are clearly building for a few years down the road. Except a few years down the road, they will be in need of a new QB. The organization seems to just be throwing stuff at the wall and hoping it sticks, and the Weeden pick is just the most glaring sign.

  • WFNY_DP

    Rich Gannon was in the league for 12 years before finding a home in Oakland where he was able to excel. He played until he was 39.

  • Natedawg86

    When I was watching the game I kept saying one one thousand two one thousand three one thousand THROW! Needs to develop better pocket pressence

  • porckchopexpress

    So lets say that 36 is the official first year of decline for QBs. Obviously nothing is set in stone, but you are right its a pretty good baseline. Year 3 is generally when you figure out what tier a QB is going to fit into. Even if he doesn’t reach “elite” status, if he only becomes – say – a less whiny Joe Flacco, that still gives you 3 years of him playing at his best to take a shot at winning a title. Are you so busy polishing all of our other championship trophies that you wouldnt take that?

  • NamedMyKidPrice

    I thought he stood in the pocket well this last week. Huge difference from week 1 to week 2 in that category. The TD pass to Little was with guys in his face and he stepped up and threw a bullet on the money and on time. Pocket pressence is fine.

  • mgbode

    charlie batch is still kicking around (38yo)

    mark brunell played until he was 40, as did:
    steve deberg, vinny testeverde, doug flutie, brad johnson, dave krieg, and wade wilson

    let me know when they get into the HOF.

  • JK

    ….& the week before shows you can’t play at this level, easy there Mr Weeden.

  • Harv 21

    None of us can be certain how good or bad he’ll be, but I love everything about this quote. Don’t remember our last first-round QB saying anything like this to the press. Sounds like a guy who deep down knows he’s good enough and is relieved to see the first on-field validation: “I do know where to throw, my arm is plenty good enough, I can stand in the pocket against a NFL rush.” You want your QB confident early, and to already be thinking about his next step in development. It will rub off on his teammates and be a hedge against the rough Sundays surely approaching for him this season. Love this.

  • maxfnmloans

    Rich Gannon got hooked up with an innovative offensive coach who was able to tailor his system to Gannon’s strengths. Weeden got Fritz’s nephew and a guy who couldn’t break .500 in consecutive years with Brett Favre, who had only run this exact offense for his entire career. Plus Gannon had Tim Brown and Jerry Rice, not Greg Little and Mo Mass

  • maxfnmloans

    Agreed. It seems as his head is in the right place for this job, so far at least. People should be more careful not to take the little things like this for granted, even if they are convinced it can’t last long.

  • JK

    Not when he’s throwing the ball 30x a game instead of 100+

  • BigDigg

    While acknowledging that he played well last week and that this could be a sign of promising career – i recall the time Kelly Holcomb threw for 400yds and 5TDs. The “Battle of Ohio” tends to produce some weird results. Let’s see how he does first with the Bills this weekend and then the Ravens…

  • mgbode

    Favre did go 12-4 w/ Childress their 1st year together and made the NFC Champ game which is now the infamous “Saint Bounty Game”

    His ankle wasn’t right after that game and he struggled to 5-8 before shutting it down and calling it a career.

    Worth noting: Brett Favres best statistical year came at age 40 with Brad Childress as his Head Coach. really only ’95 & ’96 even come close and that was with Favre throwing too many INTs.

  • mgbode

    and Tim Brown and Jerry Rice were in their mid-to-late 30s.

    ok, i’d still take them at that age too :)

  • Garry_Owen

    I’d like to jump in here . . .

  • maxfnmloans

    How much of Favre’s success in that first year had to do with a guy named Adrian Peterson opening up the passing game for him? (We all hope TR is that good).

    And what I’m saying is it took Favre, who had run that offense forever, to get Childress to be a “success”…Brandon Weeden does not have the luxury of taking even 3 or 4 years to learn it that well, and it doesn’t look like (and, I could be very wrong), but it doesnt look like Shurmur is tailoring anything for anyone.

    Gannon had been in the NFL for 12 years, and was able to pick up Gruden’s offense and execute it almost perfectly. Weeden spent the last 12 years in High School, the minor leagues and the Big 12. When Gannon was 28, he was in his 7th NFL season. Little different

    I hope Weeden does that well, but Gannon fell into the right place, with the right coach, at he right time. And really, I was comparing Gruden to Shurmur/Childress, and I’d take Gruden in a heartbeat

  • maxfnmloans

    lolz…I think Jerry Rice might be better today than some of our receivers

  • eldaveablo

    Totally agree, and he is infinitely better than McCoy in terms of getting the ball out on time.

  • mgbode

    well, Childress went 6-10,8-8,10-6 before Favre (and made the playoffs). yes, he needed better QB play than Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels to win a playoff game. Not sure that is an indictment on Childress.

    i agree that Weeden’s situation is completely different. but his age is what it is and it shouldn’t be a major factor for a few years. he’s a rookie learning like any other rookie.

  • mgbode

    he wouldn’t drop the ball or be in the wrong place, i’d guarantee that

  • BenRM

    This is where being 29 and a former professional athlete shows. Good quote.

    (Secretly, I hate it, b/c I feel like he jinxed it!)

  • BenRM

    Did you just reply to yourself?

  • Toddyus

    May I offer a different perspective to the age haters? Okay, well I’m going to anyway: Weeden’s window to prove himself is limited because he is a starting quarterback for the Browns. NOT because of his age.

    Outside of Tim Couch, how many quarterbacks have been give 2-3 years to ease into the job and show progress? If he was 22, 23 and didn’t perform THIS year, we would be looking to replace him. Just ask Colt McCoy or Brady Quinn or Kelly Holcomb or… (and for those of you who say, this is different because those guys didn’t have Weeden’s arm, I ask, is that a bad thing)

    In a convoluted way, his age works to the organization’s and the fans’ advantage because one day after the draft, he knew his window was limited. He has urgency. And, in his quote above, he shows it’s positive urgency, not scared, hands-shaking, what-if-I-fail urgency. I like this gamble more and more.