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Spotlight - QB Charlie Frye, Cleveland Browns

Posted on 8/17, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Jason Wood's Thoughts

NFL rule of thumb; when a team has a 3-horse race for its starting QB, you're better off avoiding the situation entirely. Such is the case for the Cleveland Browns this year as Romeo Crennel has maintained an open competition this preseason between Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson and rookie Brady Quinn.

As soon as Quinn was selected in the April draft, we knew that he would eventually line up under center in Cleveland. But what wasn't clear was how long the Browns would keep him on the bench. At first, many presumed Charlie Frye would keep the seat warm for Quinn; but then Derek Anderson looked so good in OTAs and minicamp that many "pundits" began projecting Anderson as the Week One starter.

Further confusing the situation was an unfortunately lengthy holdout for Quinn. The 22nd overall pick wanted certain incentives in place should he play a major role as the team's starter. He missed the first two weeks of camp during the back and forth negotiations and, as a result, seemed to have lost his chance at opening the season as the Browns starter.

But that was before we got a look at Frye and Anderson in preseason game action. To say that they have struggled would be an understatement. Through two weeks, neither would be confused for an NFL starter as they've looked erratic, indecisive and ultimately fodder for a spot on the bench.

Then, late in the 2nd preseason game, Quinn came in with the 3rd stringers and threw for 2 TDs while completing 13 of 20 passes for 155 yards. When you consider his play came just a week or so after he got into camp, and contrast it with the struggles of Anderson and Frye, and I have a hard time believing the Quinn won't be the Browns starter sooner rather than later.

Regardless of who lines up under center, the Browns offensive supporting cast looks better than many pundits would have you believe:

• Rob Chudzinski, the new offensive coordinator, has a very low bar to hurdle. Does anyone really think it will be all that difficult to get more productivity out of this offense than last year's OC tandem (Davidson and Carthon) did? Chuds hasn't called plays in the NFL, but he did call the plays at the University of Miami, and he spent the last few years coaching tight ends in San Diego
• Braylon Edwards is ready to excel. In my view, Braylon Edwards is on the shortlist of young receivers most likely to break out in a big way. His early career injuries are behind him and we caught glimpses of what kind of playmaker Edwards can/will be last season.
• Kellen Winslow is recovering well from microfracture surgery. KWII led all NFL tight ends with 89 receptions last year, and was the most sure handed to boot. As long as he's healthy (he had offseason knee surgery), he is an elite weapon and can be the Browns' QB safety valve.
• The offensive line appears much improved, on paper -- Joe Thomas at left tackle, Eric Steinbach at LG and either Hank Fraley or LeCharles Bentley at center = a much improved offensive line. Any way you slice it, the Browns have improved their front five markedly from a season ago.

So how do I handicap this race?

• Quinn is head and shoulders better than either Frye or Anderson, in my humble opinion
• Quinn won't start Week One, but he'll see action early and should start at least 10 games
• The race between Frye and Anderson is currently too close to call, but I think it will ultimately be Frye who earns the opening Sunday start
• Frye has the better pedigree and, while mistake prone, is also mobile enough to give the offense an added dimension

Are any of these guys worth fantasy consideration in redraft leagues? Probably not, at least as one of your top 2 QBs. If I were drafting in a 10- or 12-team league, I wouldn't target any of these guys unless my roster was deep enough to warrant 3 QBs. That said, the only one I think is worth drafting is Quinn, because he could play most of the season and has more upside simply because of his skill set. 

Positives

• Frye has the most experience of the trio, and brings mobility to the equation, which may give him the edge if the Browns worry that the new offensive line hasn't quite jelled
• Frye appears to have regained the top spot on the depth chart after possibly giving it up to Derek Anderson during minicamps
• The Browns offensive supporting cast is better than many realize

Negatives

• Frye has struggled with turnovers and inaccuracy
• The offensive line looks improved on paper, but Steinbach has been injured in camp and Thomas wouldn't be the first rookie bust
• The running game remains a question mark, which means Quinn could see far too many 3rd and longs to be productive

Final Thoughts

A month ago, I might have projected Charlie Frye with double the production he's currently projected. But whatever hype and goodwill he and fellow incumbent Derek Anderson built during minicamps and the offseason has been all but erased in early preseason action. While Frye probably gets the nod in Week One, I expect Brady Quinn to start within the first four to six weeks, which puts Frye as undraftable in redraft leagues.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

BigSteelThrill:
The Browns are going to be giving a top 5 selection to the Cowboys for Quinn. Ouch.

Frye is not the answer. But will get 3 starts. Anderson is limited, but they will give him a shot to prove he is not the answer either. Quinn will be thrown to the fire and look terrible... but that won't be all of his fault. He could prove a fine QB, but Cleveland may not help him achieve that. Think Carr or Couch.

Warpig:
I liked what I saw from Anderson in the game against the Chiefs last year. Guy looks like a scrapper...maybe a bigger, Jeff Garcia.

Seriously, from what I've heard and seen, he has a big arm and he's a fiery competitor. Players will tend to gravitate towards guys like him. If he can win the respect of his teammates and show enough in practice to his coaches, he has a legit chance to be the starter this year.

They say he doesn't have great mobility...ask the Chiefs about that. If he can keep his head in games and make better decisions he could be a great value pick!

Frye's days may be numbered in Cleveland and Quinn probably won't see meaningful playing time until next year.

shadyridr:
I honestly think Anderson is the best of the bunch and will win the training camp battle. Has a rocket for an arm but may throw too many INTs. Hes a gunslinger. I don't think Frye is very good at all and I doubt Quinn gets much work this year until maybe week 15 and on.

rzrback77:
I am just not big on Cleveland much in 07. I really hate that too, because I am not a Cowboy fan and I don't want Darren McFadden to wind up in Dallas. But that is another discussion. I think that Brady Quinn is a definite hold-out possibility and that will hamper his progress and could keep him off the field this year. However, as I stated before I am not a big Cleveland fan for 07 so I think that they will be losing often and that may hasten Quinn into the lineup. I too lean to favoring Anderson over Frye, but not by a huge margin. These two could duke it out early on to see who starts the season number one. It is also possible that both could be given an opportunity to play before the Browns throw in the towel in 07 and look to the future. I know that these are three guys that I will most likely not have on my team this year as there are too many other options to guess on a guy that even when you get the right one, you don't get much for your successful prediction. I think that Frye will play the least, Anderson will hold down the fort till the Browns are out of it and Quinn will play the last portion of the year.

Charlie Frye Projections