I don’t think you can stack the box unless the QB really has a poor throwing arm. A team would be stupid to stack the box when we have a WR in Edwards who is a legitimate downfield threat. I am confident Quinn can make completions over 15 yards to Braylon if given the opportunity.

Ultimately I want the QB who will make fewer mistakes, complete passes at a higher rate, and move the offense. Anderson has tantalizing abilities as a passer, but appears to be wildly inconsistent. His underneath accuracy is quite poor, something I value more than the ability to complete the downfield pass since plays are successful underneath more often than they are downfield.

I also think option 2 is clearly what is going on here, the idea that a QB competition is a charade, if true, would make me lose all faith in Mangini. Of course, I do not think that is the case here, he wanted to come in as a new coach, and be completely objective by giving them both an equal shot. I also think this means once he chooses one over the other, he will be sticking with them for at least this season barring injury.

i don’t look at it as this was Quinn’s job to win. if anything, i think it was his job to LOSE. anderson has already shown he lacks the ability to lead this team to the promised land, even in 2007 when he collapsed against cincinnati while holding a playoff ticket in his hand. when quinn got the chance, he at least showed a spark of leadership and an ability to lead the team. i think the job is his to lose, until he shows that he doesn’t have the aforementioned qualities. anderson is good, but we’ve seen his best, and frankly it isn’t quite good enough.

Naming Anderson does not really have negative, immediate implications on Quinn’s future. He just returns to backup as the newer, junior QB should.

it absolutely has negative implications for quinn’s future if he can’t win this job after 2 seasons and 3 training camps. anderson isn’t consistently good enough that he should hold off a good player. and on that point, being newer or “junior” should have nothing to do with anything … the best guy should play.

Adding to options 1. and 2….

1. By getting both guys 1st team reps, you do prep for an injury situation. Ideally, in our situation I think you’d give the starter more reps, but there are some positives to splitting the reps.

You also increase the potential value of either guy in a trade by not tipping your hand. By naming one guy the starter, you automatically name one guy the backup: you state your preference for one over the other. Publicly stating this weakens your bargaining position in a potential trade. It is almost always the case that keeping your mouth shut (when you are given that option) is the best option for a coach. This is Mangini’s philosophy and he will stick by it. What good would publicly announcing the starter do?

2. I think that true indecision is not necessarily an indication of a lack of ability to evaluate talent. First, the two could be doing equally well (or at least one not clearly outplaying the other), and there could be split decisions among the coaching staff. Maybe Daboll likes that DA can throw deep because it makes game planning easier, while Mangini likes that Quinn doesn’t turn it over as much, etc. It could be less evaluating which one is better, and more evaluating which one of the equally strong candidates would be the best choice in the context of the rest of the team, how the team will be built in the future, what the philosophies will be, etc.

Also, in every scouting situation, scouts/GMs/etc. usually take in every available piece of information before making a final decision. Even if you really like a guy’s senior season film, you still want to see him validate his speed/strength/agility/quickness at the combine. Then, you want to see him validate your feelings on him at his pro day. Then, you want to work him out at your own facility, and maybe give him a test like Mangini did to see how well he can take coaching on the spot. You usually don’t want to see a guy flash his senior year and say “that’s our guy”—even if he is your guy—because you want all the information that you can get on him….

…so, why would that change on your own team? You want to get every piece of information you can on DA and BQ, every piece of film of every practice throw, every interview, etc. Why cut the process short before the combine if you don’t have to? Maybe you get a feeling for a guy’s weaknesses and you can exploit them if you see him in the future (here’s hoping we can do that to Favre). Get both of them all the chances you can to make plays, to prove their worth, and then make your decision. Don’t call Florida before all the votes are in.

Lastly, if you don’t think Quinn has the arm strength to throw the ball over 20 yards, you are crazy. Didn’t he just throw a ball 55 yards in the air to Leggett in the scrimmage? Its not the arm strength that worries me, its the reasons why he doesn’t go deep more often. He has also zipped some short balls in to tight spaces to Furrey, especially. Physically, the kid can throw the deep routes. Why doesn’t he? Coaching? Lack of confidence? Lack of accuracy? Lack of vision? Lack of open guys? Lack of defensive play recognition? I don’t think anyone outside of the Browns organization can answer that definitively.

Quinn can keep guys out of the box, I am pretty sure of that.

i think we have quinn back long enough lets see him grow a bit when the game is on the line.