2012 NFL season: Cleveland Browns hope QB Brandon Weeden solves their offence leadership dilemma
The Cleveland Browns have tried 16 quarterbacks at the starting position in almost 13 years since 1999 and they are yet to find the offence leader. The team hopes the dilemma is resolved this season after selection of rookie quarterback
Brandon Weeden.
Irrespective of the question about the rookie’s pro form prospects, almost all analysts agree to the player’s potential and talent. They however are wary of the fact that the college league’s success does not translate into a guarantee
of a superb pro career itself.
The Browns nevertheless have set great expectations of his rookie appearance. From the first day of his landing in Cleveland they are sure to have found the future leader. Not just the head coach Pat Shurmur, President Mike Holmgren and
other staff see him a starter straightaway.
Brandon has received so much attention that even the incumbent Colt McCoy felt the heat of the most-talked-about competition for the first time. Deep down he knows the chances for him to have another coming are very remote. Still he sticks
to the commitment to himself that he will fight until the last moment.
The problem for the incumbent is that he has already been tried too many times at the starting line. He started 13 games last season alone, but failed to impress as much as more than dozen other quarterbacks had done in the past.
Seneca Wallace is another quarterback alongside McCoy waiting his next move. The opportunities look to be more and better for him than McCoy. Again, he is a fresh talent and the team can consider him for the starting role along with Weeden.
He is on even greater prospects to lead regularly if Weeden fails. It is not something new for the Browns, irrespective of the fact that their hopes about Weeden’s success are higher than ever before.
Pat Shurmur has already spoken high of the rookie’s throwing arm strength and his ability to quickly grasp the Cleveland Browns’ distinct western coast offence style. He sees a promise in the rookie’s potential.
Probably it is down to the fact that the coach has not seen the team’s other rookies in the past; they had performed in the college league but never clicked in the pro.
One advantage the Browns have is that they have got nothing at stake. They know how they have been performing all along past many seasons. So the standards in front of them are not very high. If they lose it will be yet another bad season
for them, and next season they might bring in another quarterback and try him out as a starter.
No taunting but this is what has been happening with the team for more than a decade. It seems that the Browns never aimed higher.
Let’s admit for the sake of argument that they did try to move higher in the American Football Conference (AFC) North; it never worked out for them and the problem starts right from their offence. The offence leaders have failed them consistently.
It is to be seen this season if finally they have found a leader in Weeden to help them progress somewhere at a respectable position in the league.
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