Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
The Cleveland Browns did what was necessary this season by giving former first-round pick Brady Quinn a chance to prove he's a starting quarterback.
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But before ending his season with a broken finger, did Quinn do enough to instill confidence in the Browns moving forward?
The three starts for Quinn have been average at best. Shaky may be a more accurate description, especially in the final two games when he combined for 279 yards, two interceptions and a 40.7 completion percentage. Quinn was even benched in his most recent outing Sunday in a loss to the Houston Texans.
Now the Browns have another quarterback quandary on their hands, and it's even more confusing than before.
Does Cleveland assume Quinn will play better in 2009 and trade former starter Derek Anderson, who is owed a $5 million roster bonus in March?
What if Anderson, as the new starter, lights it up these last five games? Does he become Cleveland's new leader in the clubhouse going into next year?
If so, will Quinn ask for a trade, which league insiders predicted if Quinn never got a fair chance to start by his third NFL season?
What about Browns head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage? How are their futures tied into the decision with the quarterbacks?
Savage may want to trade Anderson. But if the team fires Savage and Crennel and brings in new leadership, their replacements may opt to keep both signal callers and evaluate them with their own eyes.
Wow.
So many variables. So many possibilities. And similar to the entire 2008 season, the Browns have no easy answers for their problems.
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after three seasons covering the Cleveland Browns for the Columbus Dispatch. He also covered the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Cavaliers at the Dispatch. Walker grew up in Hyattsville, Md., before attending Temple University, graduating in 2001 with a B.A. in communications and mass media. He resides in the Cleveland area.
