Well, that was quick. The Browns have at least started if not finished this off-season's process of resolving their QB situation. Hopefully this isn't it, though. Make no mistake about it - this is not the Browns plans for the future. They are still in the hunt for their franchise QB. There's just not one available this year in reach. Winston and Mariota are the only consensus two who have a shot at becoming franchise guys, but there are serious doubts about both.
I suspect that the Browns will try to take a QB in the draft who they think could become their franchise guy in a couple of years, which means they probably won't take Petty in the first round. If he's available in the second or third round, they could still take him and I hope they do. They'll probably take a QB by the fifth round, though.
If you're one of those fans who doesn't like the move, what would you do? Is there someone else out there who's better? Would you rather stick with Brian Hoyer again and/or Johnny Rehab?! Let's look at the amazing (sarcasm) list of free agent quarterbacks available:
Michael Vick... He's never been a great QB. Now, aside from not being able to throw the ball, he's 34 and slow.
Brian Hoyer... I had hopes that he would work out in his hometown, but it doesn't look that way.
Matt Hasselbeck... He's even older than McCown, so would he be a better choice at age 39?
Shaun Hill... Another perennial backup, he will probably stay in St. Louis to back up the always-injured Sam Bradford.
Jason Campbell... I actually would have been okay with him if he hadn't already played here. I don't think he'd want to come back. Also not a franchise guy.
Christian Ponder... Please. I live with Vikings fans. They would have paid the Browns to take him he's that bad.
Colt McCoy... See a pattern? This is the third former Browns QB on the list. Not a franchise guy.
Tarvaris Jackson... Backup everywhere he's gone. Horrible accuracy.
Matt Flynn... Backup. Very rich backup, though.
Blaine Gabbert... Backup. It's a shame he had to start his career earlier than he should have rather than take a back seat to a good player to learn.
Matt Moore... Not a franchise guy. Good backup, though.
Ryan Mallett... This is the only guy who I think a small argument could be made for taking. His upside is really unknown, although he didn't completely win the starting job in Houston: a good team who's also just a QB away from being really good again. As a Browns fan, I'd rather not take someone who can't beat out other backups. He's got a big arm but a ton of question marks.
Jake Locker... No thanks. If the Titans are giving up on him, that's saying something.
Mark Sanchez... The Sanchize. He's not as bad as he showed in New York under the QB-killer, Rex Ryan, but he's not the answer, either. Especially as a California kid playing in Cleveland's weather conditions.
So in looking at this list, is there anyone who you'd say is head and shoulders above Josh McCown? Not that I see. The draft is still coming up, so depending on what they do there, we can judge how solving the QB problem went this off-season. The signing of McCown means that Brian Hoyer is probably not coming back and they've given up on Manziel (the best news to come out of this signing) and Shaw. They may keep Shaw and Manziel for the time being, but Manziel may be a trade piece to someone like Oakland who thinks that he'll be a great QB in the league.
There's always the thought, too, that since Manziel is in rehab (are you kidding me?! How many great QB's have spent their rookie year in rehab?), signing Josh McCown will give him some time to get his act together if the Browns want to keep him as their main guy down the road. Senior ESPN reporter has said that the Browns really don't know what to do with him at this point. If he is able to turn things around and show he can play in the NFL, sitting behind a veteran would be very helpful.
It's a three year deal, but he may not be the starter for all three years. He's a really good backup to have, and a great locker room guy. While he's not the answer at QB, in a year where there doesn't seem to be an answer for anyone who's looking for a QB, hes a good stop-gap. The Browns haven't done this before; sign an interim QB. They've always taken chances on who they think the guy is: Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, Colt McCoy, Brandon Weeden, Johnny Manziel. I like that they're not rushing to go out and get the wrong guy; it seems like they're waiting for the right guy. Even if that doesn't pan out, they're not doing the same things as former Browns regimes. THAT is something to be applauded for. Let's not try to solve the same problems by doing the same things.
I really believe that for an organization to be great, they need greatness (or at least really good) at the following positions: owner, GM, head coach, and quarterback. The Patriots, Ravens, Steelers, and Seahawks are all great examples of this. Look at the dysfunctional organizations aside from our own: Raiders, Jaguars, Titans, Cowboys, Jets. There's at least one, usually more, person in those positions who creates the chaos for the team. We have an owner, Jimmy Haslem, who is committed to winning, who comes from good football pedigree in Pittsburgh. Our GM, Ray Farmer, has done a great job at a few things. Last season, he was great when it came to free agency. He may prove to have hit some gems towards the end of the draft along with the second round. He's also not afraid to make some moves, to shake things up. In the draft, the Browns had the most trades. I didn't agree with all of them, but the fact that he's willing to go out and get what he thinks would be best done, that's a good sign for the team. Mike Pettine fits the culture of the city of Cleveland and I think is a good coach. He improved the Browns dramatically without having a solid QB and recognizes that's what the team is missing.
At this point, I don't care who our franchise QB is. I really don't; I just want one. Once we get our franchise QB, if we ever do, then and only then can the Browns be a great team. We have a ton of other pro bowl pieces, we just need the main entree. This looks like it could be a step in the right direction at a time where there aren't any obvious answers. Keep up the good work, Browns. Fans, it's a lot to ask of you, but let's be patient and give these guys the benefit of the doubt. Throwing management under the bus when we don't become a great team overnight, as we continually do, won't get us to where we say we want to be: tops in the NFL.
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