In A Qb League, Mccoy Is Not The Man Yet

[DaBrowns]

As the Browns were giving away yet another chance to win Thursday in Pittsburgh, I thought about my son.

 

Connor turns six on Monday. His mother and I, both Browns fans since we were his age, are bringing him up a Browns fan.

 

I'm starting to wonder if it makes us mean parents.

 

I am allowing my kindergartener to learn to root for a team that has provided too few happy moments since its premature return in 1999.

 

Let's not allow the most recent loss to the Steelers get us too down. Yes, they have won 16 of the last 17 meetings between the teams. But, heck, anyone can have a lucky decade.

 

What the Browns are facing is much more daunting.

 

After beating the Patriots and Saints on consecutive weeks last season with rookie quarterback Colt McCoy running the show, the Browns were seen as the future in the AFC North. The Steelers and Ravens are getting old. The time to make a move was upon us.

 

Then, the draft day deal with Atlanta that allowed the Falcons to draft Julio Jones and the Browns to stockpile picks and take Phil Taylor happened. I don't have an issue with that. The Browns clearly weren't going to the playoffs this year. Building through the draft is a good way to go. The positives were big. In two seasons, general manager Tom Heckert has a sterling draft record.

 

While we were watching the 2011 version of the Browns' season-long debacle, we missed something. The Bengals became the team of the future in the division. They are better than the Browns at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. With quarterback Andy Dalton and receiver A.J. Green as rookies and two picks in the first round of next year's draft, the Bengals are in the position the Browns hoped to find. Dalton is the biggest reason.

 

The NFL is a quarterback league now. Anyone who doubts that should check out the Colts without Peyton Manning. Dalton gives the Bengals a guy they can build around.

 

In McCoy, the Browns currently have a guy who might not start for more than five other teams in the league when everyone's starter is healthy. I've been willing to listen to the argument that the skill position talent around him is poor. (It's epically bad.) But, I'm not buying that any more.

 

Yes, he is better with a running game. But, it doesn't explain decisions Tim Couch wouldn't have made and throws so bad they look like Spergon Wynn chucking one up for grabs.

 

Surrounding talent is an issue, for sure. The Browns should use all three of their picks in the top 40 next season on skill position players. But, McCoy has to be better than this.

 

Let's rid ourselves of our bias for a moment.

 

In New Orleans, the No. 1 wide receiver was a tight end at Hofstra. The No. 2 receiving option is a tight end who played basketball at Miami. The other receivers have pedigrees worse than Cleveland's Greg Little and Mohammed Massaquoi.

 

In New England, the best receiver is a guy almost no one wanted. The tight ends are special talents and the rest of the receiving options are retreads.

 

Drew Brees and Tom Brady are vastly better than McCoy. No one's trying to make that comparison. But he's showing no signs of improvement and he's not making his teammates better. Heck, Tim Tebow can't complete a 10-yard out route. But, he has something that has made the Broncos a better team.

 

I like McCoy. I think he is a good guy and might some day be a decent starting quarterback in this league. This is not that time. If the Browns want to avoid seeing the Bengals zoom past even more, they have to think long this offseason about a possible replacement. You could argue his best performance was the 23-33 for 281 yards in his first start last season in Pittsburgh.

 

On a positive side, Heckert has the three picks in the top 40 for April's draft. He has brought a significant defensive talent upgrade to town in the last two years. Joe Haden, Taylor, T.J. Ward and Jabaal Sheard are going to be very good pros for a long time.

 

Now, it's time to fix the offense. Now, more than ever, that needs to start with the quarterback.

 

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20111211/SPORTS/112110339

[VaporTrail]

I'd say that the coaching is as horrendous as I've seen since I remember watching the Browns. I think that's just as significant an issue as McCoy.

[jrb12711]

Good post man, solid argument and I was planning on writing a similar write up here soon. I like Colt as a football player and a guy. I feel he's passionate about winning and on occasion shows flashes of being a good QB (take the first drive against the steelers for example). But you couldn't be more spot on about the NFL being a passing, offensive league. I'd only like to add that this is more becoming the case because like it or not Goodell and the league has basically taken away all the rights for a defensive back and gives WR's free reign to do whatever they want down the field. This was probably done to make games more exciting and frankly I hate it but this is just the universal truth. The days of being able to have a so called "game manager" QB are over. No team is going to win in the NFL without a franchise QB at the helm. Part of me feels bad for McCoy because we all know that at times we could suit up and make better plays than the rest of the offense out there. But frankly as you stated too great QB's just get it done even if the talent around them is minimal to start.

 

Bottom line: If Barkley or Luck could be drafted by the Browns, IMO we shouldn't hesitate. I know we need a lot of talent in other areas but Luck would turn this all but sunk ship of an organization on its head.

[Bob806]

I'd say that the coaching is as horrendous as I've seen since I remember watching the Browns. I think that's just as significant an issue as McCoy.

 

Yep...I can't defend Un-Shurmer anymore. I will eat my words if he actually is credible next year, with hopefully, more talent.

 

I have never despised a coaching staff so quickly in my 40+ years of Browns addiction.