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Change at Quarterback For Cleveland?

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OSUBasketballJunkie

OSUBasketballJunkie

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scout.com

10/25/05

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Berea Report: Charlie Time - Or Not?

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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Fred Greetham

Date: Oct 24, 2005

Whether the team wants a quarterback controversy or not, the hot topic of the morning in Berea surrounded the possible ascension of Charlie Frye to the starting job. Fred Greetham offers our report from Berea, first and free for all Browns fans...
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BEREA – The hot topic of conversation in Berea on Monday was whether it was time to make the switch from Trent Dilfer at quarterback to rookie Charlie Frye.

The Browns offense was held without a touchdown in the last two games and the quarterback usually gets the blame. Dilfer had a QB rating of just 22.4 in Sunday’s loss to the Lions.

“Any time you’re in a position of leadership the problems get left at your feet,” Romeo Crennel said. “In his case, the buck stops at his desk.

“However, there are a lot of things involved in the quarterback position,” he said. “Generally, when things go bad the quarterback usually gets the blame. Trent’s been a stand up guy and has taken the responsibility. But, when guys are open and we don’t hit them, those things need to be fixed.”

Dilfer says he hopes to get Sunday’s game behind him as soon as possible.
“As a competitor, you can’t wait for the next opportunity to redeem yourself,” Dilfer said. “I just have to play better on Sundays, as does the entire offense.”

Frye said he’ll do what he’s asked to do, if called upon.

“My job is to be Trent’s backup,” Frye said. “He’s the starter.”
Frye said he’s supportive of Dilfer.

“I’m Trent’s biggest supporter,” Frye said. “We’re very close on and off the field. We just need to hold together as a team. The quarterback position isn’t just one guy. It’s everybody on offense, including me.”
Braylon Edwards cast his support to Dilfer, as well.

“Our goal is to stick together,” Edwards said. “We don’t feel there’s a need for a change at quarterback. We’re behind Trent.”

In the final preseason game against the Bears, Frye was told he was going to start just prior to the game to see how he would react to the role. He responded with a good performance. He hasn’t played yet in a regular season game.

“That was in the preseason,” Frye said. “As the backup, I prepare all week to be ready to play.

“I’m a professional football player,” he said. “My job is to go out and perform if called upon.”

Crennel concurred with Frye.

“That’s always hard to say,” Crennel said. “If you look at what Charlie did in the preseason, you’ve got be encouraged. But you have to look at the preseason with a jaded eye. I think he’s made progress and he’s been able to study game film and he’s further along than he was five weeks ago.”

Similar to last week, Crennel said the coaches will talk about the quarterback position and make a decision, but he wasn’t ready to make any announcements on Monday.

“We’ll look at our situation and see what gives us the best chance,” Crennel said. “If that involves changing personnel. At this point, I’m not ready to make any changes. Not to say I might tomorrow, but not right now.”

Crennel said the decision to go with a rookie at quarterback is different from playing a rookie at another position because of the magnitude of the position.

“I think any time you’re dealing with a rookie, they haven’t seen as much,” Crennel said. “Generally, they’re going to make some mistakes and sometimes you might be a little reluctant to make the switch as opposed to if it was at the outside linebacker spot.”

Crennel said the quarterback position will be a big topic in the coaches meetings today and tomorrow.

“I think we’re going to talk about it and see what we can do to help this team,” Crennel said. “Hopefully, what we do is show improvement.

“You want your starter time to get the reps in practice,” he said. “With a young guy you might want to let him know ahead of time so he can get ready. In the preseason, we had a chance to test the young guy without any notice because this is the NFL and sometimes you don’t have time to get ready.

“At the quarterback position all of that is part of the equation,” Crennel said. “The quarterback being the leader, you try to give him the benefit of doubt. You don’t want a knee jerk reaction. It’s a judgment call.”
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Win Win situation IMO, Even if Frye has some trouble you still get him experience, plus if Dilfer keeps playing like he has theres not much chance Frye will be worse. We have really good WR we just need to get them the ball.
 
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No, No, No, No, No, No!!!!!! Throwing a promising rookie in not even halfway through the season is not the answer. The risk far outweighs the reward. Continue to let him watch and learn, maybe get some reps. Let him compete for the job next season. Patience, please! Remember, Brett Favre didn't even see playing time until his second season in the league.
 
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Dilfer should be the starting quarterback this week. But, I would like to see Frye possibly get a series or two sometime during the game. I do not think we can compare Frye's situation to Couch's situation. Couch's offensive line was absolutely HORRIBLE. Although this year's line is not great, it has protected Dilfer pretty well in the first five games. Couch was running for his life every play, Dilfer has not had to do that most of the time this year. Because of that, I say give the rookie a series or two this week.
 
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If you go with Frye, you gotta let him take some bumps and bruises til he matures. He won't be Big Ben right out of the gate. If he's indeed the future of QB in Cleve, I say get him game reps now. But, again, you gotta stick with him or he'll end up a head case.
 
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Dilfer is horrible, I was at the Lions game and when he wasnt throwing interceptions he was missing a wide open wide reciever, and if he did throw it the ball was off target every time. Frye couldnt do any worse, it would not even be humanly possible.
 
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I'd agree that the couch analogy isn't all that valid, as the protection has been alot better this year than any year since 99 and the running game has the potential to be better. But there's no reason that dilfer or frye couldn't be given the benefit of a little more punishing running game down the road. Bottom line, if the browns can use Terrelle smith and rueben droughns a little more wisely, the QB position as a whole would benefit. Not to say that dilfer has been anything but terrible during the baltimore and lions games, but if it's not working through the air, you're going to have to either 1.) look more to the run or 2.) go with frye. Judging from romeo's comments alluding to his reluctance to put a rook in at QB, and the general attitude of "these mistakes are something we'll have to look at and correct" I'd think they stay the course but maybe slightly change the focus of the offense to keep it on the ground a little more.

If they get a little more persistant with the run, and dilfer still continues to struggle, you can afford to give frye a shot. Hopefully at that point, the team (both players and carthon, who seems pretty unwilling to call running plays in borderline situations ie. 3rd and 3) will have more confidence in the running game and frye will be in a situation more like that of ben roethliserger and less like that of couch.

This weekend though, dilfer will play the whole game,and hopefully shred an overmatched texans secondary.

Does anybody know if frye has been turning heads in practice, though? That might change what they look to do.
 
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<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Passan: Stick with Dilfer

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Berea – Romeo Crennel said he didn’t expect to be more worried about the " src="http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/26/263521.jpg" width=220 border=0>


</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Rich Passan

Date: Oct 25, 2005

As he has all year, Rich Passan maintains that the Browns should not leap to start Charlie Frye...
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It would be so easy to rip on the Browns after that disaster Sunday at CBS against the Detroit Lions. Too easy.
So many things went wrong against the Lions, it would be futile to dwell on them. From the quarterbacking of Trent Dilfer to the punting of Kyle Richardson to the play calling of Maurice Carthon (a reverse on first-and-10 at the Detroit 12 on the opening drive?) to the red-zone blues to the defense’s inability to nail Jeff Garcia to another late-in-the-game brain cramp by Romeo Crennel (punting with 90 seconds left in the game and down by three points) to a total meltdown by the offense.
It would be way too easy to say something like “this was a winnable game.” Of course, it was. Only problem is the Browns just might not be good enough to win those kinds of games.
If the Lions walk away from this repulsive and malodorous facsimile of a National Football League game with a sense of accomplishment, they are in for a rude awakening. They weren’t that much better than the Browns.
In retrospect, how the Browns beat Green Bay and Chicago is somewhat mind-boggling given what has transpired since then.
Maybe the rest of the league has caught up with them and knows how to shut down their offense. Maybe, just maybe, this team is worse than some of us thought on that side of the ball.
Instead of dwelling on the abysmal offensive performance against Detroit, let us focus on the one issue that smolders inside the minds of Browns fans everywhere: Who should quarterback the Browns this Sunday in Houston.
It had better be Dilfer.
If he is not the quarterback against the Texans – and every other game so long as he remains vertical – then Crennel is making a big mistake.
Why make the change? What good would it do?
Many of you cry out for Charlie Frye. Most likely cried out – and in some cases screamed – for Frye during the second half of the Lions game. No doubt a few started even earlier than that.
Putting a raw rookie in now would be disastrous. If Crennel does that, he will repeat history. He will make the same mistake Chris Palmer made when he hoisted Tim Couch into the spotlight after the first game of the 1999 season. What a colossal error that was.
Crennel risks doing the same thing. There is no need – barring a Dilfer injury – to thrust Frye into the fire. No one expected this team to do well this season.
And if Randy Lerner or Phil Savage or Bill Rees thought the turnaround would come so quickly, shame on them. This team, despite protestations to the contrary by the players, is no better than last year’s.
Placing Frye in that scenario would be harmful. The game played in the regular season differs greatly than the one played during the exhibition season when Frye looked decent.
Ask Crennel what he would do as a defensive coordinator against a rookie quarterback. He might tell you he would blitz the kid into next week. Throw every blitz package in the playbook at him. Then he would try to confuse him with multiple coverages and disguised coverages.
We all saw last season what happened to Luke McCown when that rookie quarterback got his first taste of NFL action. What makes you think it will be any different for Frye?
Ben Roethlisberger, you say? C’mon, now, you’re smarter than that.
Do the Browns have a defense that chokes opponents? Or one of the best offensive lines in the league? Or a running game that ranks among the best?
No, no and no. The Steelers do. And that’s why Roethlisberger was able to do what he did last season as a rookie. Clearly the exception to the rule.
Dilfer needs to be the quarterback from here on out. He’s the guy Savage brought in here to shepherd Frye through the baby-steps stage of his career. Most applauded the move when it was made.
Live with it. The future is not now.
Dilfer’s performance should not come as a surprise to those who are devoted followers of the NFL. His history suggests he throws more interceptions than touchdown passes, is as mobile as a slug and has met more with failure than success.
It also suggests he talks a very good game, but does not back it up. Where are all those “best receivers I ever worked with” now? Looking to get open?
Savage had the opportunity to bring in a Drew Bledsoe (who was released by Buffalo) or a Vinny Testaverde (a free agent), but opted for Dilfer. Perhaps thoughts of their 2000 season together in Baltimore danced in his head. Super Bowl titles can cloud good judgment.
He might not like it, but Crennel has to stay with Dilfer. He and Carthon must find a way to get the overrated offensive line to pass block better for him (15 sacks in the last four games) and give him better opportunities to make plays. If that means maximum protection on every passing play, so be it.
Just keep Frye on the sideline with a clipboard in his hand. This ain’t Akron anymore, Dorothy.

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si.com

10/26/05

BEREA, Ohio (AP) -- Browns quarterback Trent Dilfer will start Sunday's game against winless Houston after getting the "benefit of the doubt" from Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel.

Dilfer has had two straight poor performances for the Browns (2-4), who are a 2-point underdog this week against the Texans. Last Sunday, Dilfer completed 10 of 19 passes for 73 yards and threw three interceptions in a 13-10 loss to the Detroit Lions. His QB rating was just 22.4.

A week earlier, Dilfer went 16-of-30, fumbled twice and threw a pick against Baltimore. He has eight turnovers in his past three games and the Browns have not scored an offensive touchdown in two weeks.

Crennel contemplated personnel moves, but decided to keep his starting units intact for at least another week. His alternative at QB is rookie Charlie Frye, who has yet to take a regular-season snap in the NFL.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Good. That's the smartest move Crennel has made yet. QB is by far the most difficult position to learn in the NFL, and Frye isn't ready. Someday we're all going to get the chance to cheer for the guy and love him in a non-Thump kind of way, but now isn't the time. The Bengals and their fans were patient and gave Carson Palmer the chance to learn and grow into becoming a starter. It's paid huge dividends. Those guys went from suck to hope faster than you can say "Al Gore invented..."

What I'd like to see this season is some development in the running game, pass protection and defense. I'd like to see RC make smart moves in close games, and to see the whole operation gel a little. Charlie Frye isn't going to answer anything this year, so why risk Tim Couching him?
 
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What I'd like to see this season is some development in the running game, pass protection and defense. I'd like to see RC make smart moves in close games, and to see the whole operation gel a little. Charlie Frye isn't going to answer anything this year, so why risk Tim Couching him?
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I agree with the development of the running game and pass protection, but are defense is fine, we have given up just 1 touchdown a week for the past four games, thats good enough to win games.

13 points to Indy
10 points to Chicago
16 points to Baltimore
13 points to Detroit

We should have easily won three of the four in my book.

Dilfer has been absolutely horrible the last two games......

26 of 49 for 220 yards, 0 touchdowns and 4 interceptions...

Could we get less production from this position with Frye in there?

I don't think he could do any worse, I was encouraged by his mobility and his poise in the preseason. I think are offensive line is 100% better than the one Couch was behind, I don't think he would take a beating.

I mean cmon, are we playing to win games or playing for a top draft pick?
 
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