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February 11, 2010Buckeyes Smash Hoosiers 69-52
February 11, 2010The Cleveland Browns currently have a quarterback in Brady Quinn that has played in 14 games through his three-year tenure with the team. He has completed 184 of his 353 pass attempts while throwing for 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Browns president Mike Holmgren has stated that he is undecided on the future of the Browns quarterback situation and the team continues to be linked to a handful of players within the Philadelphia Eagles organization. While the team will know what they are getting in Donovan McNabb, the bigger question mark is his back-up for the last three seasons.
Given this, what do Browns see in Kevin Kolb? More importantly, what is his perceived value?
Kolb was drafted 36th overall in 2007. While this is the same year that Quinn was drafted – just 14 players earlier – the irony falls on the fact that the 36th overall selection was actually the place which the Browns were supposed to draft in the second round prior to trading that pick away to select Quinn. Since entering the league, Kolb has seen the field even less than his Cleveland peer. The Houston product has only started twice among his 12 appearances. He has completed 79 of his 130 pass attempts (60.8 percent), throwing four touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Not exactly a sample that would be considered successful, but also one that is also not of scale. If we pick the numbers apart, 2008 was not a good year for Kolb as he only completed half of his passes and threw four interceptions. Fast forward to 2009 and Kolb saw his completion percentage reach 64.6 with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Both starts saw Kolb throw for over 300 yards, becoming the first quarterback in the history of the NFL to eclipse the 300-yard mark in each of his first two starts. Donovan McNabbwould then resume his position as starting quarterback after missing those two weeks with an injury.
Our friends at The 700 Level agree that McNabb would be move-in ready, to the point where his experience would allow him to run an offense right out of the gate. But it is Kolb, however, that has upside and would possibly be more suited for the style of offense that Mike Holmgren has been familar with through his time in the NFL.
“Kolb is probably the more likely of the two if either were to wind up in Cleveland,” said The 700 Level’s Kulp. “Obviously youth is on his side, Heckertis familiar with his body of work, and we’ve seen the Holmgren model before, which is go out and steal a young quarterback from somebody else’s bench. He’s not as physically gifted [as McNabb], but he may be better suited for the West Coast Offense because he’s more accurate, particularly on shorter passes.”
Which leads us to, what would it take to pry Kolb away from Philadelphia if in fact Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert believe that he could be the next Matt Hasselbeck or Brett Favre?
“The main thing I could see holding a deal up is the Eagles probably also want at minimum a second for Kolb,” said Kulp. “But if he’s their guy, I suppose that’s a small price to pay for a franchise QB.”
For a team that is looking to rebuild, some may be a little uneasy about losing a second-round draft selection this year – especially considering that the Browns select sixth in that round. Kulp later hinted that the Eagles may entertain the idea of accepting draft selections for nextseason. This way, the Browns would have a year to improve their current standing, thus bumping the draft spot down in each round. The New Orelans Saints, Cleveland’s defacto hurdle for their attempt at rebuilding the franchise, were not opposed to moving future draft selections to acquire players who they felt would instantly improve the team’s standing. And as mentioned by Lake Erie Warriors, Mike Holmgren has been no stranger to trading first-round draft selections to acquire the quarterback for his team, regardless of where said player was drafted.
Mike Lombardi of the National Football Post has tossed around the idea of trading veteran and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Shaun Rogers to the Eagles to acquire Kolb’s services. This gives an instant boost to Philadelphia’s pass-rush, while helping the Browns under center. Trent Cole aside, the front seven of the Eagles could use an improvement. And as we have debated since the beginning of time, as could the Browns situation at quarterback. Rogers did not exactly perform at a Pro Bowl level through the duration of last season – aside from his Undertaker slam of Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer. The improvement of the defensive unit upon Rogers’ absence has raised eyebrows as to how important No. 92 is to their overall success.
While this is all pure speculation at this stage, it is tough to ignore rumors that continue to swirl regarding specific players. What Holmgren and Heckert would consider parting with at this stage is uncertain. What remains certain is that the two men in charge of rebuilding the Cleveland Browns franchise are starting at the very top of their list.
52 Comments
I remember DA had a fairly good year in 2007, before Ryan Tucker went on injured reserve at the end of the season… Why, when Tucker was actually in the line-up, DA had time to perform Pro Bowl quarterbacking skills like: Looking Off the Safety, and Pump Fake. When Ryan Tucker left the line-up, Cleveland QBs had no time for such nonsense. Quinn has never played behind Ryan Tucker. He has endured Schaefer and St. Clair! Instead of going off half-cocked wasting talent and draft resourses on more risky Quarterback/Wide Receiver/Tight End deals, why not score another Joe Thomas to replace Ryan Tucker at the Right Tackle position, and give Anderson and Quinn a real chance to play the quarterback position with the support of a competent offensive line to enable the QB time to execute the play? You know, time for DA to “look off” the safety and help Mohammod “get open”. “Pump-Fakes” also are effective in helping getting receivers open in the secondary, but the QB needs the “time” to execute the play, which they have not had since the 2007 season! It’s also been long past due to fix the defensive secondary, and that first pick should be used for a top OT, if available, or presuming Holmgren’s scouts have knowledge of a sleeper OT from a smaller college, get the safety or the cornerback with pick #7.. No more risky offensive glamour picks, PLEASE!!! With another “Joe Thomas” at RT, the Browns will be a powerful offense in 2010! It’s now time to fix the defense!
I don’t understand the hype. 130 passes thrown with 7 interceptions ? Are we forgetting that statistic ?