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Cleveland Browns Quarterback Position

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Phills14

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We have threads dedicated to the specific QBs the Browns have but this thread is to talk about the position and the team's options at that position. So here we go

On the roster
:
Johnny Manziel
Connor Shaw

Team's Free Agent:
Brian Hoyer

NFL Free Agents (Possible)
Jake Locker, Tennessee
Christian Ponder, Minnesota
Blane Gabbert, San Francisco
Michael Vick, New York Jets
Matt Moore, Miami
Matt Hasselbeck, Indianapolis
Mark Sanchez, Philadelphia
Shaun Hill, St Louis
Tavaris Jackson, Seattle
Matt Flynn, Green Bay
Jason Campbell, Cincinnati
Ryan Mallet, Houston
Jimmy Clausen, Chicago
Colt McCoy, Washington
Austin Davis, St Louis

Potential Trade Targets:
EJ Manuel, Buffalo
Sam Bradford, St Louis
Geno Smith, New York Jets
Chase Daniel, Kansas City
Nick Foles, Philadelphia
Kirk Cousins, Washington
Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay


Draft Options (Draftable grades by CBS Sports):
Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Jameis Winston, Florida State
Brett Hundley, UCLA
Bryce Petty, Baylor
Garrett Grayson, Colorado State
Shane Carden, East Carolina
Brandon Bridge, South Alabama
Cody Fajardo, Nevada
Sean Mannion, Oregon State
Bo Wallace, Ole Miss
Blake Sims, Alabama
Jake Waters, Kansas State


As you can see, the options are not very good at all.

Draft
I don't think drafting Winston or Mariota is realistic. I like Hundley in the 2nd round and Petty a little after that. Grayson is a project and ok to take later in the draft if you want a shot in the dark. The rest of them are a waste of time.

Trades
All of those guys are hypothetically available because there is either a regime change and/or they just haven't shown enough to keep their job. I wouldn't be opposed to taking a flyer on someone like Geno Smith or EJ Manuel. Maybe we get lucky but most likely we won't.

Free Agents
Jake Locker's name has been thrown around a bit. He's mobile and his game is in line with what Manziel does so for offensive game planning that's a plus. However; that's about it for pluses in my opinion. Locker was never an accurate passer at any level and like Hoyer, will never magically become one. I think he's a poor option in a list of poor options. I'm reasonably intrigued by Christian Ponder. He's shown he was not the answer in Minnesota but he's a west coast kind of QB who can get out of the pocket. He's a hard worker with good athleticism and he's a very smart guy. All are pluses. He has some trouble with accuracy, not to Locker's extent but it's still not great and his pocket awareness is not very good either. The rest of this crop is pretty bad.

Brian Hoyer
He is what he is, a backup QB. But given some weapons and a strong running game he's proven he can get you a respectable record. Of all the options, he's near the top but again that's not saying much.

Currently on the roster:
Connor Shaw is a backup at best. Good leader, mature and well prepared. Great qualities for a QB, problem is he physically doesn't have anything to go on at this level. Johnny Manziel is showing all of my fears about him. He will most likely be on this team next year and will have an opportunity to prove me and all the naysayers wrong. I don't think he has it in him to do it.

Anyway, I thought we needed a centralized location to talk about the position regardless of the name of the QB. Fire away.
 
More on Hundley and Petty from the guys who watched them, please.

I watched exactly two college football games this year and they were bowl games.
 
We are looking yet again at why drafting two duds in three years in the first round has crippled the franchise. There are other needs besides quarterback that will yield more immediate impact on wins and losses. As I hear names like Petty or Hundley, I see more quarterbacks who will ideally need a year to learn how to lead an offense. What do you do with Manziel? Do you give up the development? Do you try to develop two young QBs? That never works.
 
IMO, if you are drafting another QB to develop into a starter sooner rather than later then Manziel has to go. To Key's point, you can't develop 2 young QBs at the same time. I don't know if that has ever worked.
 
More on Hundley and Petty from the guys who watched them, please.

I watched exactly two college football games this year and they were bowl games.

CBS Sports
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2015/QB

Brett Hundley
6'3 227lbs
#3 rated QB, 29th rated prospect overall, fringe 1st rounder


STRENGTHS: Looks the part with a tall, well-built frame and has the arm to unleash passes all over the field. Easy throwing motion with a strong, accurate arm. Noel Mazzone's offense asks him to make aggressive downfield throws and his quarterback shows the courage to attempt these passes even with defenders in close proximity to his targets.
Quick set-up and release, and possesses the velocity and touch to make any throw.

Even more impressive than Hundley's elusiveness and acceleration, however, is his vision and poise while buying time in the pocket. Hundley feels pressure well and is willing to step up and re-set while keeping his passing options open, critical for long-term success in the NFL.

Hundley has the physical traits to explode as a dual-threat passer in the NFL, and the mental toughness so critical for success at the next level.

WEAKNESSES: Takes virtually every snap from the shotgun and typically relies upon pre-snap reads in a relatively simple offense. Scouts want to see him operate better from the pocket, especially under duress.

Has a tendency to drop his eyes and look to run in the face of pressure, even when able to elude the initial defender. Good, but not great straight-line speed in the mold of elite dual-threat QBs.

Hundley's ball placement is a work-in-progress. Like most young quarterbacks, he needs to develop his anticipation as a passer and show better rhythm with his weapons, but he has the qualities that can't be coached.

COMPARES TO: Randall Cunningham, ex-Eagles: Hundley possesses a combination of size, athleticism, grace and arm strength reminiscent of the former Pro Bowler Cunningham.

IN OUR VIEW: On the surface, Hundley's skill-set seems every bit as tantalizing as Oregon's Marcus Mariota or Florida State's Jameis Winston. However, Hundley needs to improve in the critical subtleties of the quarterback position - pocket presence, reading defenses and ball placement.

--Dane Brugler & Rob Rang (11/20/14)

Player Overview
Coming out of Chandler, Ariz., Hundley was the first UCLA quarterback recruit to earn a five-star rating (scout.com). As a senior, he completed 139 of 225 passes for 2,348 yards, 20 touchdowns and two interceptions, while also leading the team in rushing with 856 yards (7.0 avg.) and nine touchdowns.
Hundley redshirted under Rick Neuheisel in 2011, looked the part of a future blue-chip NFL prospect in guiding the Bruins to the Pac-12 South championship last year with coach Jim Mora. Hundley threw for a school-record 3,740 passing yards, including 29 touchdowns against just 11 interceptions in his first season.

Entering the season, Hundley was often mentioned among the top quarterback prospects in the country, but an inconsistent junior year hasn't done much to answer the questions scouts had on the player going into this season.


Bryce Petty
6'3 230lbs
4th rated QB, 94th overall, 3rd round projection

STRENGTHS:
He has a lot of positive throws out there along with size, mobility and resilient toughness to rally the troops. Has more than enough arm strength to make every throw, displaying excellent timing within Baylor's pass-happy, shotgun offense.
When he gets in a rhythm, Petty is highly efficient passing downfield, showing touch, timing and placement, especially when peppering zone coverage with quick throws underneath. Has shown improvement with functional mobility to extend plays outside of the pocket and hit targets downfield for big plays vertically.

WEAKNESSES: Often predetermines his reads and locks in to his primary target, struggling to consistently diagnose the defense to work through his progressions. He is always in shotgun formation and isn't asked to move his feet unless he has to and once he's pressured, Petty is out of his element, struggling to reset his base or eyes.

Petty tests a lot of vertical throws with a lot of bucket tosses, but he doesn't throw for a high percentage downfield and often throws up passes that can be best categorized as 50-50 balls.

NFL teams are already weary about quarterbacks from spread offenses, and some of Petty's 2014 game tape won't help his draft stock.

COMPARES TO: Brandon Weeden, Cowboys -- Petty is reminiscent of a younger, more athletic version of Weeden, coming from a spread offense that relies on a lot of quick, one-read plays that make it easy to identify single match-ups.

--Dane Brugler (11/11/14)

Player Overview
In a weak crop of senior quarterback prospects, Petty was widely believed to be the top senior at the position, but his performance in multiple games has been discouraging to see and sum up several of his issues as he transitions to the next level. He did enjoy an outstanding performance in an Oct. 8 victory at Oklahoma against an aggressive, fast defense.
It has been a long time since a Bruins' quarterback has excited scouts. The last UCLA quarterback drafted, in fact, was Cade McNown, whom the Chicago Bears selected in the first round in 1999.
 
TBH, I think our best option is Sam Bradford. After that, maybe Jake Locker, but both are really unhealthy. I'd take a flier on Mallet or Shaun Hill, too.
 
Fair enough, though this season's list of available QBs is better than any shit gif that this forum could enjoy as a family.
 
Lots of hate toward this class but I actually think it's very good. I would like to go after Blaine Gabbert. Maybe give him a 3 year deal for $10 million. Let Hoyer walk. Keep Johnny but tell him he sucks. Then sign Tavaris Jackson as the back up to Gabbert. Gabbert would be the best QB the Browns have had since their return, and Tavaris would be an extremely solid backup. If Johnny gets it figured out, then that's just icing on the cake and you have 2 franchise QBs.
 
Lots of hate toward this class but I actually think it's very good. I would like to go after Blaine Gabbert. Maybe give him a 3 year deal for $10 million. Let Hoyer walk. Keep Johnny but tell him he sucks. Then sign Tavaris Jackson as the back up to Gabbert. Gabbert would be the best QB the Browns have had since their return, and Tavaris would be an extremely solid backup. If Johnny gets it figured out, then that's just icing on the cake and you have 2 franchise QBs.

jags.gif


I sincerely hope you're joking with Gabbert....
 
Lots of hate toward this class but I actually think it's very good. I would like to go after Blaine Gabbert. Maybe give him a 3 year deal for $10 million. Let Hoyer walk. Keep Johnny but tell him he sucks. Then sign Tavaris Jackson as the back up to Gabbert. Gabbert would be the best QB the Browns have had since their return, and Tavaris would be an extremely solid backup. If Johnny gets it figured out, then that's just icing on the cake and you have 2 franchise QBs.

No, he wouldn't, and that's pretty sad..
 
I am really against the idea of drafting guys that may be no better than Johnny.

For better or worse, I think we are better off using our draft picks improving the overall quality of the roster and then spending next year finding out what we have in Johnny.

It's a shitty position to be in, but I don't see any real options out there that are much better.

At least if he is terrible we will be in a position to get one of the top guys next year.
 
At least if he is terrible we will be in a position to get one of the top guys next year.

Early, but I'm not too thrilled with the possibilities there.
 
Just food for thought surrounding the Shannahan leaving rumors... but if the Browns trade for Cousins, do you think Shannahan stays to coach a familiar face? Let Cousins and Manziel duke it out in OTAs and camp?
 

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