Walking A Thin Line

The NFL Draft is this weekend. I typically look forward to this as it is a rare time in which I feel some hope for my hapless Cleveland Browns.

This year there are some really good prospects out there that could help Cleveland a lot. For instance, Joe Thomas, a great left tackle that could go a long way towards shoring up the offensive line woes that we have been experiencing for years. Also there is Adrian Peterson, a game breaking running back that could really help open up the offense and provide an outlet for short passes. There might not be a more talented player in the draft, arguably. Also there is Jamarcus Russel, a quarterback with the size of Daunte Culpepper and the arm of a Howitzer. Not sure about his mental preparation, but he has a ton of physical talent.

So what are the rumors for my beloved Browns? Who are they thinking about taking? Well naturally they are "in love" with the one guaranteed bust in the draft. The hype machine that is Brady Quinn. As a college football fan I have watched Quinn play many games over the last few years, and here is what I noticed with my untrained eye. That he can put up great numbers against terrible teams but finds any and every way to lose when anything important is on the line or when the other team has the talent level of anything greater than a geriatric bowling team. He didn't just play a tough game and get beat. Most of the time he was the MAIN reason that his team lost. Throwing 5 interceptions in one game earlier this past season for instance.

Why would anyone want this guy on their team? People keep saying that "Peyton Manning lost big games too", which is true but he wasn't the sole reason for those losses, Quinn has been.

To make matters worse, the Browns have shown that their continued ineptitude is still alive and kicking by signing washed up running back Jamaal Lewis from Baltimore. First of all, Brown's fan's can't stand this guy after he ran for 295 yards against us a few years ago, and second of all, he is a retirement waiting to happen. If you have watched any football lately you know that Lewis is washed up and his best years are behind him. We allowed Baltimore to dump a useless player and at the same time gave our team execs an "excuse" to pass on Adrian Peterson, because "we have a running back". Words can't explain how crazy this move appears to me.

So now, armed with the excuse to pass on Peterson and the fact that Russell will almost definitely go to the Raiders at #1 overall, the Browns have set themselves up nicely to pick the next Tim Couch in Quinn. They won't pick Joe Thomas because offensive lineman don't sell tickets (even though good teams tend to and that starts in the trenches, but what do I know).

Then there is the fact that Romeo Crenell is good friends with the Notre Dame coach Charlie Weiss and the fact the Brady Quinn is from Ohio and I'd say it's looking pretty likely that we are doomed to endure another 5 years of horrible quarterback play, assuming he can stay off his back long enough to even try to pass.

Let me just say this. I hope I'm wrong. I hope that they are smarter than I think they are and they take either Peterson or Thomas, because if they take Quinn, I'm done. I'm done wasting my time rooting for a team that can't pick players better than a monkey with a dart board. I'm not wasting another 20 years waiting for them to return to their old glory when a decision like that would prove that they are either incapable or unwilling.

Peyton Manning is easily my favorite player in the league and has been since he came out. I rooted for him in college and still think he is smart and fun to watch. I'm guessing that there is still an open seat on the Colts bandwagon should I need it, and it's looking more and more likely that I will. Might I change my mind? Sure, but I doubt I will need to since the only thing that would change it would be a successful season and I'd say there isn't much danger of that happening any time soon.