Seneca Wallace Will Start Against Arizona, Ben Watson Placed on Injured Reserve

by Chris Pokorny on Dec 16, 2011 8:42 PM EST

Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur ruled out three players for this Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. The "biggest" name to be out is starting quarterback Colt McCoy. McCoy has not practiced all week as he continues to recover from a concussion. Seneca Wallace will make his first start of the season, so we won't get a full 16-game slate of McCoy under center.

Also ruled out for this Sunday's game are fullback Owen Marecic and tight end Benjamin Watson. Watson will actually miss the final three games because the team placed him on the injured reserve, ending his season. With the free roster spot, the Browns promoted fullback Eddie Williams from the practice squad. He is expected to start this week.

Lastly, safety T.J. Ward will make the trip to Arizona on Sunday but it doesn't sound like he'll be playing. Shurmur's full press conference transcript can be read here.

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Wallace looked good in his brief stint in relief against the Steelers. As unfortunate as circumstances may be that led to it, I’m glad to see him get his chance to show what he’s got. I hope he makes the most of it.

That was my understanding.

by burntorangeandbrown on Dec 16, 2011 9:35 PM EST reply actions

RE: Browns moves

Seneca Wallace should have been allowed to complete that drive in Pitts. Had he done so, I think the game might have been won. It’ll be interesting to see how he does in Arizona. I’m also interested in seeing how this kid Williams does at fullback. I really wanted Vickers back this year, but Cleveland chose to go a different way and it hasn’t worked well yet. As Obogonnaya has proven, you never know about these young, hungry guys. Sometimes all it takes is an opportunity.

by Wyoming Chas on Dec 16, 2011 10:28 PM EST reply actions

Now well potentially get to see if it’s a quarterback problem. If Seneca significantly outperforms colt, 12’s days are numbered.

"It is unlikely that anyone has ever read Nietzsche or Derrida and has been inspired to open a soup kitchen"

by troy145 on Dec 16, 2011 11:24 PM EST reply actions

I don’t know if I agree. I’ve seen Colt have bad games, but I’ve also seen his supporting cast have lots of bad games. If Little all of sudden starts catching balls, I can’t credit Seneca with making that happen. I know Colt has made some poor throws, but I’ve also seen to many Browns drop easy ones this year. If they lose the drops for one game, is Seneca or is it the supporting cast playing well? I think I am just tired of QB drama with Browns. I hope Seneca has a great game.

by BiggieBrown on Dec 17, 2011 12:28 AM EST up reply actions

I’m tired of making excuses for Colt. His supporting cast is lacking but so is he

"It is unlikely that anyone has ever read Nietzsche or Derrida and has been inspired to open a soup kitchen"

by troy145 on Dec 17, 2011 4:13 AM EST up reply actions

That second sentence pretty much sums it up.

"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway

by notthatnoise on Dec 17, 2011 7:54 AM EST up reply actions

hey at least hillis is playing

https://twitter.com/#!/JesusChristCoy

by CoyG Biv on Dec 16, 2011 11:49 PM EST reply actions

If by playing you mean watching because Shurmur only calls like twelve running plays.

by BiggieBrown on Dec 17, 2011 12:24 AM EST up reply actions

I can’t make a fair judgement on Shurmur’s coaching since I missed the first half of the season, but I’ll be glad that we’ll pick up an OC this offseason which should help Shurmur focus more on the team as a whole.

Honor. Courage. Commitment.

by Brownsbacker488 on Dec 17, 2011 1:01 AM EST up reply actions

I’m really disappointed. I was really hoping Colt could have some good games to close the season so we wouldn’t have to draft a QB high this year, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.

by tr1betime on Dec 16, 2011 11:54 PM EST reply actions

You never know, it all depends on Wallace. And the rest of the offense, too. Personally, I don’t see him performing much better, if at all, than Colt. We will see. I was hoping they wouldn’t have to draft a QB, too. I’m still hanging on to a thread of hope, but it isn’t looking good.

by OldTimeDawg on Dec 17, 2011 12:13 AM EST up reply actions

i hate talking about draft talk before the end of the season, but do you think we would ever be willing to trade up to get blackmon? say a first and a 2nd?

by THEbrownsfan on Dec 17, 2011 12:52 PM EST up reply actions

With all the holes we have, and as deep as this WR class is, that’d be very foolish IMO.

"It is unlikely that anyone has ever read Nietzsche or Derrida and has been inspired to open a soup kitchen"

by troy145 on Dec 17, 2011 2:08 PM EST up reply actions

I hate this. I feel like we are going to get suckered into another Derek Anderson experience. Seneca going to have an awesome game against the Cardinals, than Colt will be back getting smashed by the Ravens and Steelers. Then we will have another controversy based on hypothetical future performances. That being griped, I hope Seneca does really well.

P.S. I still don’t want to draft a quarterback.

by BiggieBrown on Dec 17, 2011 12:24 AM EST reply actions

All I know is that Colt has a lot more potential to be great compared to any of the young QBs we’ve had in recent memory. It’s pretty similar to what we had with TIm Couch. Here’s another young kid who could develop really well, but is being asked to do a whole lot with real little. Draft Matt Barkley all you want, but our problems won’t go away until we get some talented WRs. I honestly miss the likes of Dennis Northcutt, Kevin Johnson, Quincy Morgan, and Andre Davis. None of them were ever Pro-Bowl material, but at least they had defined roles on the team and produced pretty well for us.

Honor. Courage. Commitment.

by Brownsbacker488 on Dec 17, 2011 1:07 AM EST up reply actions

I think this is what I am worried about. I keep apologizing or defending Colt because I don’t think any QB we draft will be able succeed until we fix the supporting cast problems.

by BiggieBrown on Dec 17, 2011 11:23 AM EST up reply actions

I don’t think anyone is in danger of calling for Wallace to be our starter next year. He’s a career backup, and pretty much everyone is aware of that.

"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway

by notthatnoise on Dec 17, 2011 7:55 AM EST up reply actions

Agreed. I’m calling for colt to be our career backup.

by tribe71 on Dec 17, 2011 9:19 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

If Colt doesn’t make it as a starter, I do believe he would be the kind of guy you’d like to be able to call on if your starter gets injured. Hell he’d probably come out in relief and kill it a couple of times and the Browns would find themselves with a valuable trade commodity on their hands.

That was my understanding.

by burntorangeandbrown on Dec 17, 2011 9:26 AM EST up reply actions

The only good browns QB that I remember earning a position as a rookie or near rookie was Bernie. I remember that dolphins game and thinking Wow! Colt didn’t do that. From what I’ve read, and assuming colt is serviceable, this is playing out like sipe who was in and out. That is frustrating to me because I want the Wow! Again

by tribe71 on Dec 17, 2011 9:37 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

you forget that often among Browns fans, the backup QB is often the most popular player on the roster.

I teach good life choices. That's why I almost didn't graduate high school.
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by bross09 on Dec 18, 2011 6:15 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

that’s any team with a chitty starter

Mangini apologist by default.

I’m speaking about his innate accuracy, not how well that innate accuracy is translating on the field.

by Villeslgr on Dec 18, 2011 12:10 PM EST up reply actions

I feel bad for colt, all he wants to do is win, an he has tried his hardest but he just keeos getting knocked down. I love the heart od the kid.

by lightninmcqueen on Dec 17, 2011 2:20 AM EST via mobile reply actions

To bad he doesn’t suck enough to win like Tebow

by The Licensed Pessimist on Dec 17, 2011 3:04 AM EST up reply actions

I’m coming around on Tebow. He’s an awful quarterback, but that’s not really the position he’s being asked to play. I will be real interested to see if their strategy there in Denver lasts.

"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway

by notthatnoise on Dec 17, 2011 7:56 AM EST up reply actions

Their strategy might “last” a while, but it will never get them to a Super Bowl.

That was my understanding.

by burntorangeandbrown on Dec 17, 2011 8:05 AM EST up reply actions

I mean it could, but I think the thing that has to last is Tebow’s health.

He basically has to be a threat to run the football. He also clearly brings something intangible to the table. If he gets hurt, they’re screwed. And I know you could say the same for Rodgers, Brady, etc. but they are protected by a bevy of league rules while in the pocket and they don’t have to take the pounding that Tebow will.

Even some of the most optimistic about the success of a spread-to-run running QB team appearing in the NFL have included “2 QBs” in their plan to make it work.

"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." - Aaron Levenstein

by rufio on Dec 17, 2011 11:43 AM EST up reply actions

Tebow is being credited with wining, when in reality every team that would normally easily beat the broncos have been riddled with injury. Do you think Chicago wouldn’t have easily beaten the tebows if they didn’t lose their starting RB and QB? Would Tebow have beaten SD and Oakland if Rivers and Palmer didn’t throw 3 Ints?

Tebow is literally not doing anything a dozen other QB’s couldn’t in these situations. I don’t think he should get credit for sucking against everything but prevent defenses.

by The Licensed Pessimist on Dec 17, 2011 7:22 PM EST up reply actions

I think we all know who’s doing the work here.

by HenryDawg on Dec 17, 2011 8:46 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Exactly.

Tebow’s fish is just closer to the camera.

Mangini apologist by default.

I’m speaking about his innate accuracy, not how well that innate accuracy is translating on the field.

by Villeslgr on Dec 17, 2011 11:35 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

I am very interested to see if Denver’s strategy works, but it could end up being able to be schemed fairly easily like the wildcat.

I teach good life choices. That's why I almost didn't graduate high school.
Follow @BRoss2013

by bross09 on Dec 18, 2011 6:16 AM EST up reply actions

To bad we don’t have there defense either.

by Grockcubs on Dec 17, 2011 12:49 PM EST up reply actions

No Alex Smith starting at FB? I thought for sure it would be him. Then we would have Moore and Cameron as our TEs.

Even Doug Dieken admits Joe Thomas is the real #73

by Doc's Kid on Dec 17, 2011 9:47 AM EST reply actions

I’ll watch every Browns game but the game loses so much if Colt isn’t playing. We need him to play every snap for himself but also for the passing judgment part too. It’s a waste of a game in a few ways if he sits.

With or Without the H

by johnf34 on Dec 17, 2011 9:54 AM EST reply actions

agree completely. but ill bet a dollar to a donut that if wallace plays decent, we’ll have another QB controversy.
myself, i hope that colt gets another chance to prove himself. just one game when our receivers actually remember they need to CATCH the ball…

If I hear "wait til next year!" one more time... "&*&^$%#@()*%*&()%#$^*()%$"

by elee62652 on Dec 17, 2011 11:06 AM EST up reply actions

It could also tell us a lot. If Wallace plays as well or better than Colt, then we’ll know that the problem really is the QB and not the supporting cast.

"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway

by notthatnoise on Dec 17, 2011 11:16 AM EST up reply actions

yeah, but if the receivers catch it and dont drop it, how would that show us that wallace is better? plain and simple its the QB’s job to place the ball where it’s catchable. from what ive seen, many many times mccoy has and the receiver has dropped it. i saw a couple where the ball actually hit the guy in the face mask and he couldn’t catch it… i know he’s made a lot of bad throws too, that’s where he needs to improve. experience will take care of that. i believe that if our receivers had done their job, we would have won a couple more games…
i think that if possible at all, we need to have a couple of seasons with the same skill players in place. exception of course, a couple better receivers. just look at it this way, if our receivers had caught 70% of those dropped passes, we would ALL be singing the praises of mccoy.

If I hear "wait til next year!" one more time... "&*&^$%#@()*%*&()%#$^*()%$"

by elee62652 on Dec 17, 2011 11:48 AM EST up reply actions

What the receivers do is irrelevant to how Seneca plays or how Colt has played. It affects the stats, yeah, but luckily we humans are pretty smart and on a good day we can see past statistics.

"It is unlikely that anyone has ever read Nietzsche or Derrida and has been inspired to open a soup kitchen"

by troy145 on Dec 17, 2011 2:11 PM EST up reply actions

How is what the receivers do irrelevant the the Quarterback? If Colt throws a ball where it is catchable, and the WR’s drop it and if Seneca throws it way off and the receivers make freak catches all game, it doesn’t make Seneca better than Colt. Besides that one game isn’t enough to convince me either way of Senecas talent.

by macdowellm03 on Dec 17, 2011 10:40 PM EST up reply actions

Heckert has already said that they don’t necessarily need the receivers to make the catch to evaluate the QB and they’ve also seen enough of McCoy to make a decision on him. I think they are looking more at how he makes the reads, his timing, accuracy and decision making.

by HenryDawg on Dec 17, 2011 2:57 PM EST up reply actions

it could tell us some, but it’s not like if Wallace is better, that’s an automatic statement that Colt is no better than Wallace. Wallace does come in with a better understanding of the offense we run.

It does make it apparent however if he can do well, that blaming the WRs isn’t targeting the whole problem.

I teach good life choices. That's why I almost didn't graduate high school.
Follow @BRoss2013

by bross09 on Dec 18, 2011 6:27 AM EST up reply actions

sooo, in that case you would say it’s colt’s fault the receivers drop passes?

If I hear "wait til next year!" one more time... "&*&^$%#@()*%*&()%#$^*()%$"

by elee62652 on Dec 18, 2011 10:06 AM EST up reply actions

_________________________________________________________________________]

Mangini apologist by default.

I’m speaking about his innate accuracy, not how well that innate accuracy is translating on the field.

by Villeslgr on Dec 18, 2011 12:11 PM EST up reply actions

It’s harder to catch a knuckle ball than a tight spiral.

by HenryDawg on Dec 18, 2011 12:36 PM EST up reply actions

I’d like to see Cameron get some PT.

"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." - Aaron Levenstein

by rufio on Dec 17, 2011 11:43 AM EST reply actions

Yeah.

Clemson Tigers 2011 ACC Champions!
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by emily522 on Dec 17, 2011 12:35 PM EST up reply actions

Well, Hicks, Lauvao, and Pashos are all listed as questionable for tomorrow. The run game will probably never get off the ground. I hope Wallace has been doing lots of wind sprints.

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened."
— Winston S. Churchill
I have the best wife - ever.

by JustBob on Dec 17, 2011 1:26 PM EST reply actions

I think Pashos has been listed as questionable going into every game this season.

That was my understanding.

by burntorangeandbrown on Dec 17, 2011 1:37 PM EST up reply actions

I thought it was agreed that Pashos will just be listed as “Pashos” going into every game.

Even Doug Dieken admits Joe Thomas is the real #73

by Doc's Kid on Dec 17, 2011 6:37 PM EST up reply actions

DId anyone know our new Fullback played WR in college?

A first-team All-Western Athletic Conference at the University of Idaho, Williams caught 100 passes for 1,205 yards and 11 touchdowns as a wide receiver.

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-1/Williams-ready-for-chance/ed64ec67-17b5-44bf-a095-7bc537f0ca41

by HenryDawg on Dec 17, 2011 3:10 PM EST reply actions

I would love to see Colt succeed. He kinda reminds me of that other kid who was in the CFL and our camp and GB’s. A real winner but not quite NFL material. Patch up the team. Get some LB dawgs that can hunt and a pass rush. Improve coverage. And for God’s sake get the kid a WR that can get open. And lastly, Santa, please shore up the right side of the line. Another second makes completion percentage go up 10%.