Quinn starting against porus Broncos defense

By Neal Coolong  |   Wednesday, November 05, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Cleveland Browns
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Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel said in Wednesday's Cleveland Plain-Dealer he is responsible for making the decision to start quarterback Brady Quinn over Derek Anderson Thursday night against the Denver Broncos.

With that settled, the bigger question is: Why start him in the short week?

It's customary for teams to plan to play their rookie or young QBs the week after a bye. It gives the youngster two weeks to prepare for it. Cleveland is putting Quinn under center just over four days after the Browns were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens. Then again, they are starting Quinn against the Broncos, the league's 29th-ranked defense. What's more, Denver will be without cornerback Champ Bailey and linebacker D.J. Williams.

Commentary: Is the fact the Browns are giving Quinn the start in a short week a slap to the face of the Broncos? It seems sensible the Broncos would see it that way, but it is objectively more like the inevitable result of an inconsistent Browns offensive attack all season. The quarterback will be the one blamed, ultimately, and executive adviser Jim Brown even said that they can always put Anderson back in if Quinn isn't pulling his weight.

There is something to be said about throwing Quinn in the pool and making him swim, though. For instance, the Buffalo Bills' Trent Edwards, a member of the 2007 draft class like Quinn, took over for J.P. Losman in 2007 and showed flashes of success as a rookie. Edwards' first appearance was against the New England Patriots in Week 3. Now, Edwards is one of the league's top young signal-callers.

The Broncos are not the 2007 Patriots. Perhaps Crennel sees an advantage in starting Quinn against the Broncos, short week or otherwise.

Fan Pulse: Fans posting on the new Browns Board are actively discussing Quinn's first start.

Fantasy Football Impact: Considering Denver's defensive struggles this season, it may not be a terrible idea to look for Quinn for an injury start in Week 10. With the Chicago Bears' Kyle Orton and the Houston Texans' Matt Schaub out with injuries, not to mention the injury to Ben Roethlisberger, fantasy owners are going to be scraping for help under center this week.

Injury Watch: Cleveland hasn't announced any players who won't play Thursday, but defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, defensive end Corey Williams and guard Eric Steinbach did not practice Wednesday.
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one ...
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