Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
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| | AP Photo/Gail Burton |
| | Derek Anderson had perhaps his worst game as a pro on Sunday, completing just 14 of 37 passes and throwing three interceptions. |
It's too difficult to change the No. 1 receiver, who is struggling to get open and catch the football this season.
It's a major undertaking to alter the right side of the offensive line that's being manhandled by opponents.
A team simply cannot overhaul its linebacker corps that's giving up tons of rushing yards or a secondary that's not covering receivers.
So the easiest solution is to yank the starting quarterback.
Such is life in the NFL. Derek Anderson likely will be the first to lose his starting job for the Cleveland Browns because the signal-caller often makes the biggest impact in games.
Already on a short leash, Anderson put himself in this position by having arguably the worst performance of his career, throwing for 125 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions on Sunday. He was the biggest reason the Browns lost 28-10 to the Baltimore Ravens. But there were probably a half-dozen other reasons Cleveland lost the first two games of the season, none of which prompted a lineup change.
Yet bringing in Brady Quinn, or at least considering the move, is the right thing to do at this point because it shakes things up. He would bring confidence and a newfound energy to the position, which is something that Anderson is definitely lacking right now.
But don't expect Quinn to block, catch a pass or play solid defense. Add in a plethora of injuries, and there are just too many leaks on this team for one player to patch up this once-stable ship.
If there is a silver lining, it's that the Browns play a winnable game on the road this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns will not let Anderson lose this game. If he starts and struggles, he won't finish. If Quinn outshines Anderson in practice this week, there's a chance Anderson could hold a clipboard entering Sunday's game.
Cleveland head coach Romeo Crennel says he's looking at all positions, but everyone knows that's not realistic. The Browns don't have a first-round pick on the bench ready to replace Braylon Edwards, or Kevin Shaffer, or Kamerion Wimbley, or Eric Wright, or Brandon McDonald, or any other Brown that's not playing well.
Therefore all eyes go back to the struggling quarterback, who usually gets too much credit in good times and perhaps too much of the blame when things go awry.
