FanPost

Cynicism and Cleveland QBs


I want to offer a counter argument to the posters who compare Colt McCoy's start in preseason vs. Jake Delhomme's 2010 preseason. You know who you are, and I am here to tell you that cynicism is the true death of the human soul. It is ok and even logical to be excited by the start of this offense, this HC, and this QB. First of all, let me give the cynics their due:

  • You are factually correct. Jake Delhomme's 2010 preseason was in the ballpark of what Colt McCoy is doing in the 2011 preseason.
  • The fact is that the performance of Jake did not translate to the regular season.
  • The fact is that the Browns have really sucked at about an 85% clip since the return. Many of those seasons had been stoked with optimism from preseason performance.

But here is where that jaded view of cynicism gets you - the logic dictates that this is different. The reality is there are much more differences in Colt vs. Jake than there are similiarities. The reality is our DBN poster is correct that statistics are like bikinis - what they don't reveal are critical. Here is why it is ok to be optimistic about the Colt and the Browns' offense:

  • Jake was a struggling, washed up veteran with a recent history of throwing just WTF interceptions. He panicked under pressure and made poor decisions. The vanilla of preseason football was a perfect tonic for him. Colt is younger, and did not display this characteristic as a rookie and he should improve from there.
  • Colt is operating under an offensive HC, in an established, strategically proven offensive system. If you have an accurate QB, that can make quick reads, the WCO is just a bitch to stop. Just ask Pittsburgh. Jake, and all the other QBs were operating in an offense that 1 year later, I still cannot tell you what they were trying to do.
  • Jake had a full complement of OTAs and practice in the 2010 season. Colt was basically like Bill Murray after Sgt Hulka was blown up in the movie "Stripes". The offense and him were learning on their own. He invested significant time coordinating practices, and talking with WCO QB Gurus. BTW - that is the way winners are born. They just flat out "out work you".
  • What is more amazing for Colt and Shurmur is not the numbers. Throw the statistics out. What is amazing is the progress the offense has made in 2-3 weeks without the OTAs, without the practices. There are very few miscommunications between QB and WR - that is very impressive.

Terry Pluto stated that he is ready to conclude that we have finally established a perfect marriage of a QBs abilities suited to the coach, the WCO, and the front office. That prolly is over optimistic. From my perspective, I was expecting a huge learning curve due to the lack of OTAs and practices. I was thinking that we were the leader in the clubhouse for the number 1 overall pick. After this preseason, I am ratcheting up my take:

  • I see an exciting young team, in the top 12-15 in offense that will win around 7-8 games. Too many depth and defensive issues to be a playoff contender.
  • I was really down on WRs - and now see the cynicism and error in my ways. I am really excited that Robo and MoMass may now be the 3rd and 4th WRs on the team. Cribbs has been the best in camp, Norwood shows serious promise in the slot and I don't think you can keep him off the team. Add to that a guy I really didn't like in Greg Little - has definitely exceeded expectations.

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