This is another one of those tidbits that I look at with a love/hate type of opinion. On ESPN Hashmarks, writer James Walker states that Cleveland Browns QB Derek Anderson has been working on his mobility:
Anderson, coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2007, is currently working out at a SPARQ (speed, power, agility, reaction, quickness) training facility in Oregon that focuses on improving his mobility. He also watches a lot of game film and is spending a little time on the links playing golf as training camp practices begin in Cleveland on July 24.
As the Browns' high-powered offense continues to evolve, second-year offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski is installing more rollouts and screens into the playbook this season to give opponents different looks. That will require Anderson, a traditional pocket passer, to be more fleet of foot to execute the additional plays. He also has to work on his touch on short throws.
The part I love: The fact that Anderson is making an effort to be more fluent in terms of mobility, despite the fact that he doesn't have above average speed for a quarterback.
The part I hate: This is just like us hearing about Jerome Harrison working on his blocking skills. Just because somebody works on it, I can't get excited about it until I see the results pay dividends on the field. Heck, I probably read "x" number of stories about Charlie Frye's improved mobility prior to last season, and look how well that turned out.
On another note, this excerpt from a user over at the OBR forums fiddled my curiosity:
The guy can't run and has no touch in the short game so we are adding more plays with him running and short passes. They are setting him up to fail. Also it sounds like he is working on the wrong short game. At least we know what BQ is up to this year, and it's not dicking around in the backwoods of Oregon.
I almost brought out the monkey-scratching-image for this one. Almost. However, because I know a lot of fans are on different sides of the fence between Anderson and backup QB Brady Quinn, I better maintain some diplomacy here.
Still, in no circumstances should Anderson's training be deemed as "setting him up to fail". We're not turning Anderson into a mobile quarterback. We're opening our options, and with as solid of an offensive line that we have, Anderson has the luxury of being able to roll out, even at turtle's speed, without hitting a weakness. On top of that, I trust Rob Chudzinski to call out the plays appropriately: if he doesn't feel Anderson will be effective in rollout situations against a Steelers defense, then he'll simply keep Anderson in the pocket throughout the game.
If exploring more options is a setup for failure, then...what the heck, I'll do it anyway...
Side note: Where the heck is the Browns' 2008 training camp schedule already? Last year, it was released at the end of June (unless I've somehow missed it).