NFL Trade News: Brady Quinn traded to Denver, Kamerion Wimbley to Oakland
March 14, 2010Blog Sports Ohio: WFNY’s Scott a Finalist!
March 15, 2010So, one day we get the signing of an older gentleman quarterback, and the timing leads a few people (The OBR and Cleveland Frowns) to guess that the move was made at 6:00 PM on Saturday as a way of potentially avoiding the news cycle. Now, at the same time a day later, the Browns unleash some more moves on the sports news scrolls all over the nation. If you haven’t heard, the Browns traded both Brady Quinn and Kamerion Wimbley today. Let’s try to make some sense of this. At this point, I am not going to try and convince anyone that these moves are good or bad. Instead, I want to try and get inside the heads of the Browns’ front office and coaching staff.
First, let’s talk about Kamerion Wimbley because it might be a bit easier. After a year of coaching Kamerion Wimbley and after checking tape on Wimbley’s improved play this season, the Browns still felt like it wasn’t worth keeping Wimbley around. Maybe it has something to do with the depth of the draft. Maybe it has to do with the acquisition of Matt Roth a year ago. Maybe it is the fact that Wimbley has failed to prove himself to be more than just a physical freak with only one pass rushing move and a general inability to play in coverage and that he was in the midst of a 6 year $24 million contract. Probably a combination of all of these factors. So, the Browns get the 6th pick in the third round of this year’s draft. Wimbley was a first round pick, but it is easy to see that he hasn’t lived up to his draft slot. Some of that is Wimbley’s fault and some of that is probably the Browns’ coaches over the years.
Now, for the move that everyone will be talking about for years to come. The Browns traded Brady Quinn to the Denver Broncos for third year fullback Peyton Hillis, a 2011 6th round pick, and a conditional pick in 2012. Obviously we won’t know whether the Browns got enough for Quinn for some time. Anyone who says they know today is guessing. In order to see, we will have to see the results of Peyton Hillis’ career in Cleveland and Brady Quinn’s career in Denver, not to mention the conditional picks. The bottom line is this. Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert, and probably Eric Mangini and staff all must have been in relative agreement that Brady Quinn doesn’t have it and never will have it. How else can you explain all the moves?
You could argue that maybe the new regime just believes Brady Quinn is the wrong style quarterback for this team going forward, but the drastic amount of changes that have taken place with so little playing time for Quinn as a Cleveland Brown really leads me to believe that this group of NFL evaluators just think Quinn doesn’t have “it.”
So, now we know the fate of the team. We know that the Browns are taking a flyer that Jake Delhomme might be able to regain some of his previous form with another year of healing under his belt from surgery. They are betting that if he fails, they are in a better position with backup QB Seneca Wallace. I can almost guarantee that they have a few names in mind in this year’s draft that they think are good bets to guide this team forward beyond the next season. Who knows? Maybe the Browns see their guy with the #7 pick?
Jake Delhomme is a gamble to be sure. Don’t judge the Browns’ new regime too harshly on their talent evaluation based on the fact that they signed Jake Delhomme. Just remember that he is a veteran, he was available and he probably wasn’t this regime’s first choice. The Browns are hoping they can get Delhomme back to form for a year or two as a stop-gap. If they could have gotten Kolb out of Philly, I am guessing they would have. Delhomme isn’t our ideal choice to play QB knowing what we know today. I am assuming it is the same with Holmgren and Heckert.
Also keep in mind that the Browns have already attempted to upgrade their run blocking with Tony Pashos.  In trading Quinn they acquired a fullback that is capable of running the ball in Peyton Hillis. Also keep in mind that his running as a larger back will be in striking contrast to that of Jerome Harrison. I don’t expect him to be a pure blocking back like Vickers. The point is that I think the Browns are going to really work on building a balanced attack with the running game.
You know how I said before I wasn’t going to try to tell you how to think about these deals right now? That is kind of true, but I am still going to provide a few other things that I think are important as we enter the draft period. First of all, for example, as I have said before, arguing against Jimmy Clausen because he went to Notre Dame and so did Brady Quinn is intellectually lazy. It is pretty meaningless and an invalid argument. You can say that Jimmy Clausen is garbage and you don’t want him as a Cleveland Brown, but the school he attended is not a valid argument. Brady Quinn went to Notre Dame and was from Ohio and had mild amounts of success at Notre Dame. Jimmy Clausen is from California and is known for his rocket arm. They are two completely different players.
Also try to remember that very little about this Browns offense worked last season. We all sat around blaming Mangini and Brian Daboll, both of whom deserved some of the blame. At the same time, we were looking at the talent on the field and wondering why they couldn’t get anything more out of them. Well, now a completely new set of eyes in Holmgren and Heckert are here looking at the game tape and making drastic moves. Aren’t you kind of happy that they looked at Browns game tape from this past season (as bad as it was) and decided to make drastic changes? Just think about that for a while.
I know change is painful, but this team needs a lot of it. Every move that Holmgren and Heckert make won’t be right, obviously. Let’s just hope that the philosophy is correct and each move propels the team in a direction that will lead to overall cohesive team development.
Small update courtesy of @MikeAmmo on Twitter… Peyton Hillis highlight tapes… maybe this will make you feel good about acquiring him.
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48 Comments
Rational thought?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, MR. CRAIG?!
Very excited for draft day
1 thing I am starting to question is what type of offense we are bringing in. We bring in “West Coast” QBs (or QBs of the WCO system). We also bring in a good TE and a power RB. Are we trying a hybrid WCO/power run game O again? I like Hillis as a player, now if he was enough to get for Quinn, as you say, will be judged with time. I think he can be effective combined with Harrison to give us a running game. Vickers lead blocking for Hillis, who can bowl a guy or 2 over would be pretty cool to see.
Kam is still shocking me. We got decent value for him, and maybe will package one of our 3rd rounders and 6th to move into the 2nd rounf perhaps. We also may be looking at signing Morrison… maybe give up the NYJ 3rd rounder for him?
Overall I have more questions then answers right now, and want to see more of what happens.
Craig,
First off, I love the blog and great article. I agree with most of what you wrote, but the one thing I don’t get is regardless how the trade is judged in three years, it’s obvious the Browns did not get the better end of the deal NOW . Even if WE know that Quinn can’t play, you have to make them pay for what they think he will be. Also, at least we could have waited for some QB to go down for the year and juiced a little more out of them.
Now with all of our later-round picks surely we will see a move for Troy Smith.
/crosses fingers
Update… check the bottom of the post for a video of Peyton Hillis’ highlights as a Bronco… maybe it will make you feel better about the trade. Seems like he might be a player.
no one ever thought Quinn would be a quality nfl qb. theres a reason he went undrafted for so long, the browns were able to take a shot and make a move w/o giving up too much and i still like that they made the trade to get him. but 20 some teams didn’t think he’s got ‘it’. he couldn’t beat out DA over 3 years. and qb master holmgren obviously agrees he just isn’t franchise material, let alone quality backup
Quick thoughts:
-re Wimbley, how refreshing to trade a guy when his value is highest. It’s a beautiful thing.
-re Quinn, weird to feel a little sad when I’m not a fan of his. But maybe this was also the moment his value will be highest from here out.
– re Holmgren, he said one mistake in Seattle was waiting to implement inevitable changes. Well, here we go. We are at this moment so smack in the middle of the ensuing chaos it’s impossible to tell yet what is forming here. Exciting, scary times.
Another update… PFT is reporting out of Denver that Quinn will not start or get the opportunity to start over Kyle Orton. At least that is the prevailing thought right now.
@6 yeah, craig i was just going to say that. i vaguely remember that hillis had his coming out party against us a couple years ago. to call him just a FB is a tad unfair… likely that he was the key to the deal, not the late draft picks.
as to wimbley, sure he had a 1/2 less sacks than terrell suggs over that last three years (thanks @mortreport). but the most common theme in any browns forum during the game was how invisible he was.
hey we were 5-11 last year and won four in a row at the end with like five practice team and/or waiver pickups carrying the load. i’m good with not being married to first round picks.
still trusting the czar.
Its not only sacks. Its the run D. Kam could not produce against the run and that is a problem.
Its not only sacks. Its the run D. Kam could not produce against the run and that is a problem.
This is a little picky…but as an ND student…there’s only one S in Clausen…sorry.
Thanks, sir. I actually did it both ways and then decided that two was the way to go. Should have looked it up.
-#5 Give it up, Smith isn’t coming.
-#13 That’s true, but there are two s in Claussen pickles and they are awesome.
Browns fans have to stop complaining. This team has done close to absolutely nothing since coming back to the league. We finally have a guy who seems unafraid to do things and the good thing about him is is that he has done it before. We as Cleveland fans are so used to failure that even in a case like this where we may be starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel there are people complaining. Face it, Quinn regardless of what he does elsewhere was never going to amount to anything here and getting something for him instead of releasing him was a great move. Chill out people because success is alot closer then you think.
Also from the ESPN article…
“Hillis will also be getting a fresh start.
He went from starting tailback under coach Mike Shanahan in 2008 to forgotten fullback under McDaniels, who adamantly refused to use him even though rookie running back Knowshon Moreno frequently came up short in short-yardage situations.”
@16 we are going to hold you to that at the browns 20TH anniversary of sucktitude since coming back into the league
DirtyAlaskan FTW
I’ll take it back if it ends up that I’m wrong; but these were some terrible moves.
Somehow, we got worse when we were already bottom of the barrel.
I really like Hillis’ center of gravity in those videos. Low enough to plow with moving feet, but not so low that he’s just falling over. Really good balance.
Browns fans you always love draft time well this upcoming draft should be your viagra because you’ll have plenty to watch and probably scrutinize. Holmgren and Heckert are shedding players who have been subpar and I’m sure there is a rhyme to their reason especially when it comes to the lateral move of an Anderson/Quinn QB combination to a Delhomme/Wallace one. I’m guessing when all is said and done perhaps in a year neither of these two QBs will be your starter, at least I hope not anyways.
Now with all that said I pray they don’t draft a QB at #7 or worse yet anyone associated with the Browns utters the words Jimmy Claussen because that would be a disaster. If they take another rookie QB I hope it’s in a later round with one of their extra picks.
Btw Eric Mangini will be on “More Sports and Les Levine” this Tuesday along with Terry Pluto. Should be a very interesting show.
I don’t think we got worse…This team was full of losers, and it is a good idea to clean house…
@20 you gotta be kidding me—the browns are taking out the trash, in no way does getting rid of DA and Quinn make the browns worse
I just heard on ESPN from the Professor that he thinks the Browns will be looking at drafting a young QB and guess the name he mentioned: Jimmy Claussen. (Cold shivvers)
Btw anyone wanna do a WFNY NCAA bracket? I usually do some on Yahoo, just curious.
Man lets hope we play Miami….god knows Payton Hillis sure can churn the highlights against them. I will freely admit I was a Brady supporter BUT the Delhomme signing is a head scratcher for me….I will eat my words if this guy turns it around here but this team is gonna be terrible with him at the helm….coupled with Daboll’s play calling…I’m getting headaches just thinking about it. Payton Hillis isn’t a bad pickup but I don’t think we got fair value for Quinn and I do think he’ll be a legit QB in this league, but that’s just my humble opinion.
It looks like we got the lower pick from Oakland according to
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/20096/oakland-hopes-new-pass-rusher-pays-off
From reading all the reports they were saying that we chose to ship Wimbley to Oaktown was because they offered the best pick. Hmm, I wouldve thought that they would give up their own pick (#69) – instead we got New England’s pick (#85)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_NFL_Draft
@boogey I’ll do one!
Honestly, a 3rd round pick sounds good for Wimbley. Then again, it’s the Raiders, couldn’t we have gotten multiple 1st round picks out of them ?
new name.
Hey we got a white running back with a high motor and lunch pail attitude (please feel free to add any missed superlatives) out of the deal. My biggest beef is the Delhomme is not as cute as BQ.
metcalf and mack – same first initial.
harrison and hillis – same first initial.
coincidence??? i think not!
p.s. davis will end up being our best back.
Del-homm-e’ is Norwegian for “Ugly as my spirals”
Browns and beers Jenna and Jamison The first initial gods have smiled.
Minus the 2007 aberration, the fact is the teams over the last several years (like ten or so) haven’t won consistently. So despite liking some of the players that are gone and wondering about some of the moves that were made, there really is only room for improvement. Now if we slide into 3 or more years of the same abject misery then that is a different story, but for now I will patiently observe the the new New Browns, look forward to seeing who they draft, will enjoy the games, and hopefully have something to cheer about. It is like some sort of new Browns zen vow I am taking up to not let my energy be pulled too far into the darkness nor too far into the light. I will just be a Browns fan.
Get your #15 tebow Jerseys Pre-ordered. Clearing out the QB position and bringing in Jake Delhomme buys Holmgren one or two seasons so he can take on his ultimate project: Developing Tebow’s talent.
Sure thats not Toby Gerhardt in that film?
Hooray Boogeyman hates ND QBs b/c they’re from ND!
Build up a running attack when a potentially elite quarterback isn’t available? Sign me up.
A strong running game will take you farther than a mediocre quarterback can. The way I read between the lines makes me feel a little better about next year.
I’m actually feeling better about the draft now…should be exciting to see what Holmgren and Heckert have in store for us.
I lived in Arkansas while Hillis was playing there and if he hadn’t been on the same team as McFadden and Felix Jones he would have been a big deal. Granted, that doesn’t mean anything when it comes to playing in the NFL, but I think he could give the Browns a boost. I don’t think we got any worse at QB, but I’m not confident we got any better…
The best QB after the first round is Skelton.
Colt McCoy
oribiasi hit the nail on the head, Colt McCoy will continue to wear Orange.
I don’t think we’ll be done either in moves. I can see the Shaun Rogers move, along with moving down in the first round to go after a Kindle, Witherspoon, Graham type player.
Everyone is knocking Delhomme and I understand that, but everyone thought Kurt Warner’s career was over, five years ago and that worked out pretty well. Yes, he had the benefit of Fitz and Bouldin, but as long as he completes passes it will be an upgrade.
Dont need a rocket arm if we can run and pick up the short ones with some accuacy……….. Maybe now we can at least learn to throw a screen pass…. U think?
@38 Yea you caught me or maybe I was saying just what the Cleveland Browns need to do is draft another rookie QB especially from Notre Dame seeing as how they never gave the last one any real shot. Oh and perhaps if you read more you’d know I’ve said countless times that I hope they don’t draft another rookie QB but I guess not. Have a nice day and thank you for visiting! 🙂
What a great time to be a Browns fan! It has been a long time since we have been able to say that. Go Holmgren and Heckert you guys rock! Cant wait for the draft I think thats when we really see Heckert in all his glory. We always say next year, I say this year is the year we have something to cheer about. It would be crazy to say playoff but respectable… ABSOLUTLY. GO BROWNS
[…] until after season-three” philosophy. And, in his response to those trades, Craig made the ultimately correct diagnosis for the Quinn trade: The Browns traded Brady Quinn to the Denver Broncos for third year fullback Peyton Hillis, a 2011 […]