The 11 Year QB Controversy

[TheClevelandSound]

1. Ty Detmer

 

Background info and reason for demise: Had a brilliant college career at BYU where he won the heisman trophy. Was a constant journeyman after it didn't work out for him in Green Bay due to Brett Favre being the starter. His best days were in Philadelphia. He played for six teams in the NFL including the Cleveland Browns, where he only started 2 games.

 

2. Tim Couch

 

Background info and reason for demise: Was drafted as the first overall draft pick in the 1999 expansion draft. He was a star QB at Kentucky but some critisized him because he did not use a playbook in college. Had a few decent years in Cleveland but lack of coaching and personnel stunted his growth as the franchise QB and was later forced out of football due to injury and speculation of drug and steroid use.

 

3. Kevin Thompson

 

Background info and reason for demise: Thompson went unselected in the 2000 NFL Draft. Later he signed with the Cleveland Browns. Following training camp, he earned a roster spot as a backup to quarterback Tim Couch. He played in the Browns' Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but a December 2000 ankle injury ended his season, and he was placed on Injured Reserve. The following spring the Browns allocated Thompson to NFL Europe, where he played for the Frankfurt Galaxy. He returned to the team for the 2001 training camp, but a knee injury sustained during camp required arthroscopic surgery forced him to spend the season on injured reserve. On December 18, 2001 he was signed to Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad for the last three weeks of the regular season. In January 2003, Thompson had rejoined with Browns and listed as the Brown's third quarterback for the AFC Wild-Card game due to an injury to Couch. When he was not given a tender offer by the Browns the following spring, he a signed one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings on March 31, only to be released during training camp. In short he didn't have good opportunities to play.

 

4. Spergon Wynn

 

Background info and reason for demise: Wynn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 6th round (183rd overall) in 2000. He was one of six (Wynn, Giovanni Carmazzi, Tee Martin, Chad Pennington, Marc Bulger, and Chris Redman) quarterbacks selected ahead of 2-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL draft. Wynn proceeded to play for the Browns in 2000, seeing action in 7 games and starting in only one of them, in which he lost. In those 7 games, Wynn went 22 for 54 (40.7%) passing, for 167 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 41.2.

 

5. Doug Pederson

 

Background info and reason for demise: Served as a backup for Couch and only started one game. Currently coaches as the offensive quality control coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.

 

6. Kelly Holcomb

 

Background info and reason for demise: A backup to Peyton Manning of Indianapolis, Holcomb was cut in the 2000 off-season to be allowed to compete for the starting job with the Cleveland Browns, following Bruce Arians who left as the QB coach of the Colts to become the offensive coordinator of the Browns. The Browns had drafted Tim Couch with the number 1 pick in the 1999 draft. During their time in Cleveland, Holcomb occasionally outshined the former number one pick. In his first season as a Brown, Holcomb played in only one game which he completed seven of twelve passes for 114 yards and a passing touchdown. In Holcomb's second season he played in four games and started two games in which he threw eight touchdowns and four interceptions with 790 passing yards and a strong play-off performance in a loss to the Steelers where he threw for 429 yards and three touchdowns. In 2003, his third season, he had more playing time playing ten games and starting eight of them. He replaced Tim Couch as starting quarterback during that season. In that season he threw ten touchdowns and twelve interceptions. In his final season as a Brown Jeff Garcia replaced him as starting quarterback. Holcomb only played in four games and started two of them in which he threw seven touchdowns and five interceptions with 737 yards passing.

 

7. Luke McCown

 

Background info and reason for demise: Played in a few consecutive games briefly for the Cleveland Browns before being shipped off to Jacksonville and later Tampa Bay where he started almost a full season before the drafting of Josh Freeman.

 

8. Jeff Garcia

 

Background info and reason for demise: was a Probowl QB in San Fransisco after the Steve Young era and helped bring WR Terrell Owens to his prime. Garcia signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns on March 9, 2004. Garcia was released by the Browns after the 2004 season, in which he struggled to find any consistency and battled with injuries. On Sept. 19, 2004, Garcia complete 8 of 27 passes for only 71 yards and 3 interceptions in a 19-12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, resulting in a career-low passer rating of 0.

 

9. Trent Dilfer

 

Background info and reason for demise: He was drafted by the Buccaneers in 1994. In March 2005 Dilfer was traded to the Cleveland Browns where it was hoped he would mentor rookie quarterback Charlie Frye. Naming Dilfer the starting quarterback for the 2005 NFL season, the idea was to work Frye into the lineup under the veteran's tutelage, but a behind-the-scenes dispute with then-offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon resulted in Dilfer's wanting out of Cleveland almost immediately. In his lone season for the Browns, Dilfer passed for 2,321 yards and 11 touchdowns, throwing 12 interceptions and fumbling 9 times (losing 7 of those). His passer rating was 76.9. He did however have the highest completion percentage of his career at 59.8 percent. He finished up his career in 2007 with the 49ers.

 

10. Charlie Frye

 

Background info and reason for demise: Frye was selected in the third round (67th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Browns. His first NFL start came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 13. He passed for 226 yards with two touchdowns, both to fellow rookie Braylon Edwards, and set a Browns rookie record for a single game with a 136.7 passer rating. Frye started the final five games of the 2005 season for the Browns, compiling a record of 2-3.

Frye was named starting quarterback for the 2006 NFL season. After a battle in the preseason with Derek Anderson and rookie Brady Quinn, Frye won the starting quarterback job for the 2007 season. In the first game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Frye struggled during the first few minutes. Anderson replaced him for the remainder of the game. Anderson remained the starter for the rest of the year and made the Pro Bowl. Frye has since played for the Seahawks and currently remains with the Raiders.

 

11. Derek Anderson

 

Background info and reason for demise: He is an interception machine. I'm not even going to explain this one.

 

12. Brady Quinn

 

Background info and reason for demise: Was supposed to be the Cleveland Browns savior but ruined it with his quick release and lack of capabilities. Was traded to Denver this offseason. Now is the 3rd string QB.

 

13. Ken Dorsey

 

Background info and reason for demise: Was a great QB and Miami (FLA) and played OSU in the national title game. Started in 4 games for the Browns before being injured. Was a decent quarterback with an arm but did not have the accuracy. Is currently backing up Cleo Lemon in the Canadian Football League. Ouch.

 

14. Bruce Gradkowski

 

Background info and reason for demise: Was a 1st team All-MAC at Toledo University. Gradkowski was signed by the Cleveland Browns as their fourth-string quarterback on December 2, 2008 after quarterback Derek Anderson was placed on injured reserve. He was the starter for the Browns' 2008 season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 28, 2008, after injuries to Anderson, Brady Quinn, and Ken Dorsey.

 

15. Jake Delhomme

 

Background info and possible reasons for demise: Went to UL Lafayette and was an undrafted free agent picked up by New Orleans. He was then later traded to the 1-15 Carolina Panthers, and the next year he took them to the Super Bowl. He lost to the New England Patriots. After having rollercoaster years he started to become frail with injuries and was eventually released from the Panthers because of injury and interception problems. He was picked up by the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 offseason. He was injured in week 1 against the Buccaneers and may sit out a majority of the 2010 season, possibly putting his career at a halt.

 

16. Seneca Wallace

 

Background info and possible reason for demise: Was drafted out of Iowa State and was noted for his mobility. Served as a backup in Seattle behind Matt Hasselbeck and started in 14 games during Matt's injuries. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 offseason and started week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He will be the starter indefinitely.

 

Colleges of these QB's:

 

Oregon State (Pac 10)

Kentucky (SEC)

Brigham Young (MWC)

Fresno State (WAC)

Miami (ACC)

Akron (MAC)

San Jose State (WAC)

Toledo (MAC)

Middle Tennessee State (SunBelt)

Louisiana Tech (WAC)

Northeast Louisiana (SunBelt)

Notre Dame (Independent)

Penn State (Big 10)

Southwest Texas State (Southland)

 

Here lies the problem. A majority of these Qb's came from schools where they didn't play anyone. There is only one SEC team and they arent in the same division as the powerhouses. Only one Big 10 team as well. The MAC and WAC flood this list. Hopefully since Colt McCoy was in a legitimate conference, this may help his growth.

 

Some information was taken from Wikipedia.

 

 

[ClevelandFanForLife]

i voted spergon wynn just because i know nobody else would. he was pretty bad.

 

what about kevin johnson? i remember when he came in and threw the ball over 30 yards, everyone cheered. it wasn't a complete pass, but everyone was just happy to have a guy that could do it.

[TheClevelandSound]

i voted spergon wynn just because i know nobody else would. he was pretty bad.

 

what about kevin johnson? i remember when he came in and threw the ball over 30 yards, everyone cheered. it wasn't a complete pass, but everyone was just happy to have a guy that could do it.

 

I missed the days when we settled for less.

 

wait...

[djdawg2010]

I still say that had Tim Couch had the supporting cast around him he probably would have been successful, and perhaps even still with this team. While he wasn't the most talented, he had heart, and proved on a couple of occasions in his short career with the Browns that he could lead the team to a comeback victory. I feel bad that this organization by not giving him an O-Line and a legitimate RB (William Green? Ben Gay? Come on?) which in turn ruined his career. Wasn't he sacked like 56 times in his rookie year? Of course Butch's guuuuuuuuuuttttttttttt feelin' didn't help this kid either. It's too bad, because I actually liked the guy.

[BrownIndian]

i voted Greadkowski , he is able to do better than Jason Campbell and JR Rusell in the Raiders :lol:

[CantonLegend]

voted frye. struggled for like a quarter and got replaced by DA. he was the best option behind a struggling offensive line. he could run and he could pass but he didnt have the strongest arm. i thought he was more accurate than DA. plus he was a hometown boy

 

i think hes the biggest cleveland player to come out of akron ever right? i cant think of anybody else that came out of akron and played in cleveland that ever manned up and took his beatings

[TheClevelandSound]

voted frye. struggled for like a quarter and got replaced by DA. he was the best option behind a struggling offensive line. he could run and he could pass but he didnt have the strongest arm. i thought he was more accurate than DA. plus he was a hometown boy

 

i think hes the biggest cleveland player to come out of akron ever right? i cant think of anybody else that came out of akron and played in cleveland that ever manned up and took his beatings

 

He was the biggest player in the NFL to come out of Akron except maybe Jason Taylor and Domenick Hixon.

[The Gipper]

He was the biggest player in the NFL to come out of Akron except maybe Jason Taylor and Domenick Hixon.

 

To make up for it, perhaps now the Browns should offer a contract to LeBron to play WR for them. Only good things could come from doing this: A. He becomes really good and helps the team catch passes, or 2. He gets his sorry ass crushed in the process.

[daydawg19]

I still say that had Tim Couch had the supporting cast around him he probably would have been successful, and perhaps even still with this team. While he wasn't the most talented, he had heart, and proved on a couple of occasions in his short career with the Browns that he could lead the team to a comeback victory. I feel bad that this organization by not giving him an O-Line and a legitimate RB (William Green? Ben Gay? Come on?) which in turn ruined his career. Wasn't he sacked like 56 times in his rookie year? Of course Butch's guuuuuuuuuuttttttttttt feelin' didn't help this kid either. It's too bad, because I actually liked the guy.

 

 

Totally agree

[Bob806]

Tim Couch was better than Butch Davis thought.

 

Butch Davis was a moron.

[7moses7]

After 11 years you would think a blind squirel[Clevend Browns] would eventually find a nut [FRANCISE QUARTERBACK].

[miktoxic]

To make up for it, perhaps now the Browns should offer a contract to LeBron to play WR for them. Only good things could come from doing this: A. He becomes really good and helps the team catch passes, or 2. He gets his sorry ass crushed in the process.

 

i think i'd shake off the dust and suit up for a chance to clothesline his ass coming acroos the middle!

 

[ATENEARS]

You are right, and as this poll clearly shows, Zombo was right and Atenears was wrong.

 

Zombo

 

Ahh yes, the old "He had Heart" supporting arguement. Never mind that he was as dumb as Rocky Balboa (with less speaking parts in commericals), and never looked beyond the LB's and always settling for underneith bullshit. We had a veteran O-line in front of him in 1999 but he couldn't get on the same page. He sucked ... and he cried ... and never mind that he didn't make it here, he didn't make it anywhere. I think one off-season the Chicago Bears had two TE's and a Right Tackle playing QB and Couch still got cut.

[rich4eagle]

Ahh yes, the old "He had Heart" supporting arguement. Never mind that he was as dumb as Rocky Balboa (with less speaking parts in commericals), and never looked beyond the LB's and always settling for underneith bullshit. We had a veteran O-line in front of him in 1999 but he couldn't get on the same page. He sucked ... and he cried ... and never mind that he didn't make it here, he didn't make it anywhere. I think one off-season the Chicago Bears had two TE's and a Right Tackle playing QB and Couch still got cut.

 

Couch, was dink and dump with no pocket presence and a slow reader. NOT NFL material, the coach never wanted him, Carmen Policy did.

 

now to answer the question the closest to a franchise QB is Gradkowski, who never has really been given a chance to run a team for a season

 

But the real franchise choice, which I made a huge deal to go get was, Big Ben he was ours for the taking, instead we took a dumb TE. After that I made a overly strong recommendation to get Brees or Rivers whomever SD was making available.

 

As Stan said Couch was also dumber than a brick

[ATENEARS]

I voted for Derek Anderson because he has HorseBalls, and still has upside remaining.

 

"Mr Couch can you pull Golf Cart #27 around for the Epson Party, they will be starting out on the back nine"

[FALCON7]

#17

[samoth]

Couch could have been a very good player. His only weapon was KJ. The rest of his supporting cast was total garbage for his entire career.

 

DA had all the tools but none of the brains. He really could have been something special, but he's about go get unseated by an UDFA rookie in Arizona. He just never seemed to care.

[The Gipper]

#17

 

 

I don't think Brian Sipe was one of the choices in the poll.