FREE BRADY QUINN!

by wwtb?, Pacifist Viking

When teams must make a decision at quarterback between a young recent draft pick with no experience, or a productive veteran that's a bit of a surprise, they usually go with the inexperienced young quarterback. And that actually seems to be a good decision.

In 2004 and 2005, Drew Brees led the San Diego Chargers to 21 wins. They replaced Brees with inexperienced Philip Rivers, and in 2006 and 2007 Rivers led the Chargers to 25 regular season wins, and the Chargers also won a couple of playoff games. The Chargers didn't suffer the loss of Brees.

In 2003, Jon Kitna was a productive QB for the 8-8 Cincinnati Bengals. They benched Kitna the next year, turning the job over to Carson Palmer. Since then the Bengals are 34-30, showing little improvement. But Kitna has done little in his career to suggest he'd ever be a stud quarterback, but Palmer has occasionally been spectacular (he's a 64% passer averaged 244 yards and 1.7 touchdown passes per game).

Now the Cleveland Browns seem to have a different plan.

They've re-signed surprise hit Derek Anderson, leaving Brady Quinn to sit around and get accused of slurring gay people. But before Brown fans get excited about the QB that threw 29 touchdown passes and led the Browns to 10 wins, they also have to know they're watching the QB that completed 56.5% of his passes (the league average is around 61%) that threw 19 interceptions. Anderson looks pretty good and he definitely deserves the starting job in '08.

But what about Brady Quinn? Is he as good as Philip Rivers and Carson Palmer have been? Is Derek Anderson two years away from being considered the equivalent of Jon Kitna among quarterbacks? Or is he more like Drew Brees, who was successful after leaving the Chargers?

Someday, when the oppressed hero is liberated, we will find these things out.