Written by Jeff Rich

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Unless he’s traded to Tennessee or Pittsburgh before kickoff on Thursday, Brandon Weeden has played his last game as a 28-year-old rookie quarterback.  I’m not sure if everyone was aware that the Browns rookie starting quarterback was 28 years-old, but Dan Dierdorf may have brought it up once or twice during the broadcast of the Browns 41-27 defeat in New Jersey on Sunday.  Fortunately, Weeden’s age will increment by one next Sunday, so he will no longer be the 28-year-old rookie quarterback the day the Browns play their next game at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Let’s not pick on Dierdorf too much for assaulting Weeden’s age since his counterpart in color analysis, Matt Millen was putting an exclamation point on Weeden’s 28 years over 11 months ago.  You can’t really fault these guys too much for having fun; they hadn’t had an old man’s age to assault since Chris Weinke was a 29-year-old rookie for the Carolina Panthers in 2001.  Weinke made it easy on himself though; he won his first game as an NFL rookie, and never carried that 0-fer burden.  Of course, that was Carolina’s lone victory of the 2001 season, and there’s still hope for Brandon Weeden to win multiple games as a rookie, but the ship has now sailed on him getting a victory as a 28-year-old rookie.

His first start as a 29-year-old comes under much different circumstances than his first start after his 28^th birthday, though there are some parallels.  His Oklahoma State Cowboys were 5-0, traveling to nearby Austin, Texas to take on a division rival in a battle of Orange versus Orange.  In all likelihood, we can probably count on zero snaps going to anyone named McCoy; barring injury to Weeden, Colt will carry the clipboard just like his kid brother Case did in favor of David Ash, a year ago.  Weeden led Oklahoma State to a 38-26 victory at the precise age of 28 years and 1 day, in more of a “game manager” role.  His 23 completions for 218 yards and a score were good enough, but it was Jeremy Smith’s rushing that led Oklahoma State to their sixth straight victory of the year.

A week later, Weeden got some support from the running game, Joseph Randle’s 138 yards and 3 TDs, but the gun-slinger had 3 scoring throws of his own in a 45-24 victory in their very last Big XII game against the Missouri Tigers.  He hit his bona fide receiver Justin Blackmon once in the first half, but had to manage without the Junior, who was held out after a head injury, in the second half.  Having been in the world, 28 years and 8 days, Weeden was a senior at the school in Stillwater, Oklahoma with a 7-0 record, and National Championship aspirations.  Even without Blackmon on the field, Weeden had a selection of players that could catch the football, an option that seems few and far between for him at the NFL level.

On his 29^th birthday, Brandon Weeden will be going toe-to-toe with a young quarterback from a previously un-heralded school in Texas, in TCU’s Andy Dalton.  At 28 years, plus two weeks and a day, that un-heralded Texas school was Baylor, and that quarterback was eventual Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffin Junior Jr.  Mister Heisman may have gotten the upper hand at the Downtown Athletic Club in December and at Radio City Music Hall in April, but on the football field in late October, it was all Weeden and the Cowboys.  The old man called it a day in third quarter with his team up 49-0, turning in an individual effort that included 24 completions on 36 attempts, 274 yards, and 3 TDs.  The Cowboys hung on to win 59-24, and up their record to 8-0.  Results might be much different when the Browns play the 22-year-old Griffin Part III on December 16.

You know it’s a big game if Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit are involved, and the shoot out that saw Brandon Weeden go up against Collin Klein just 22 days after Weeden’s 28^th birthday did not disappoint.  Oklahoma State got out in front 14-0 against Kansas State, but we all know that a 14-0 lead may not represent the nail in the coffin for Brandon Weeden football teams.  OSU Head Coach needed every bit of Weeden’s famed arm-strength in this one, and he got it, to the tune of 502 yards and 4 touchdowns.  13 of Weeden’s 36 completions went to the aforementioned Blackmon for 205 yards and two of those scores.  The second, a 54-yard strike and subsequent conversion to Blackmon erased a 38-37 deficit, making it 45-38 with 4:47 to go.  The Cowboys would win the game 52-45, and were just three wins from a legitimate title shot.

"I'm sure that one was pretty fun as well.  To come out on top in this one feels really, really good."

- Brandon Weeden (all about having fun)

 

At 28 years and 29 days of age, Brandon Weeden put on a show in Lubbock, Texas.  He hit Browns eventual practice squad player Josh Cooper and Blackmon six times each, both for over 100 yards in 66-6 win over Texas Tech.  Weeden was 31 of 37 passing with 5 TD, and yardage that would be impressive if measured in meters instead of yards.  He rested his old soul for the 4^th quarter of this one as well with a short week ahead.

Be thankful that the Browns never play on Friday night, and that Joe Tessitore will likely never call any game they play in, let alone one where they’re heavily favored on the road.  Having aged a total of 28 years 1 month 4 days, Weeden took his team and their 10-0 record to Ames, Iowa on November 18, 2011.  The 5-4 Cyclones of Iowa State were the only ones that stood between the Cowboys and their in-state rival Sooners at “Bedlam”.  Weeden completed 42 passes for 476 yards, but he also completed 3 passes to Iowa State, and the last one proved to be the dagger.  Oklahoma State had a chance to prevent being “Tessitore’d” at the end of regulation, but a man named Quinn let them down, a sentiment all too familiar in Cleveland football lore. 

Quinn Sharp’s 37 yard attempt with 1:17 remaining in the 4^th quarter went wide right, and the score remained 24-24, setting the events that would give the Cyclones the 37-31 upset in motion.  After trading TDs in the first OT period, going on offense first in the second stanza, Weeden’s first throw was picked off by Ter’Ran Benton, meaning any Iowa State score would blemish the Cowboys perfect season.  Three plays later, Oklahoma State was officially 10-1, and Weeden had his first loss as a 28-year-old.

Back home in Stillwater a week later, Weeden didn’t throw any touchdowns or interceptions, but his team played the role of the rude host at T. Boone Pickens Stadium with a 44-10 victory, a statement to the BCS.  He threw for just 217 yards, but matriculated the ball down the field, putting his running backs in good position to score.  With 28 years, 1 month, and 12 days of life experience under his belt, the former minor league baseball player was a Conference Champion with no prospect of being a National Champion.

The 2012 Fiesta Bowl featured a quarterback that would unquestionably be selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and that quarterback’s name was…not Brandon Weeden.  It was Stanford’s Andrew Luck, who did end up going to the Colts with the first overall pick, but good ol’ Matt Millen thought both QBs would be good at the next level, and reminded anyone who forgot about the Oklahoma City native, who was 28 years, 2 months, and 19 days old on January 2.

 

"They'll both do well at the next level. BRANDON WEEDEN IS 28 YEARS OLD!"

- Matt Millen (missed his calling as the "Guess Your Age/Weight" Guy at Cedar Point)

 

 

In their collegiate finale, Weeden hooked up with Blackmon 8 times for 186 yards, 3 of those connections went for TDs, and it was Weeden’s 399 yard performance that stole the show.  Luck was 27 of 37 passing , with 347 yards and two scores, but it was Oklahoma State and Weeden who wore the Nacho Victory t-shirts with a 41-38 OT victory.  Most Browns fans probably turned off the television thinking they’d never think about Weeden again…but that Blackmon kid could have caught that ball that Greg Little dropped for the win against the Steelers a day earlier.

Weeden would age almost another 3 months before the April draft, but the Browns were apparently not interested in youth.  With the 22^nd pick, they acquired the Oklahoma State quarterback 6 months and 8 days after he turned 28.  Tim Couch played his last game as a Brown 150 days after his 26^th birthday.  Brayden Tyler Quinn’s Browns career expired just 56 days after he turned 25.  Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson did play after the age of 28, but threw very few passes in their old age.  What was Cleveland going to do with this old man?  Why not just bring Bernie out of the pre-season radio booth?

Speaking of the pre-season, Weeden played so well in his first three exhibition outings that Pat Shurmur deemed there was no need to have him play a fourth.  The move paid off.  Starting his first game 28 years 10 months, and 16 days after coming into the world, Weeden completed 16 passes; 75% of them went to his teammates even.  Truthfully, it was one of the most miserable games at the quarterback position, but the Golden Buckeye card applicant was just happy to escape from 5000 square yards of pure patriotism.  The Browns lost 17-16 to the Eagles miserable offense, but Old Man River had a lot of fun.

His second game was better by default, but it looked good on paper and passed the eyeball test.  He threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns against a bad Bengals defense.  He threw no interceptions, but also came away with no victory.  What could we really expect from a man 338 days after his 28^th birthday?

Then came regression; it was the counter-productive outing that you don’t expect from a man that’s 28 years 11 months and 9 days old, but the overall numbers didn’t matter as much as the back-breaking interception that spelled six points the other way in a 24-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, who aren’t very good.

Now, no one, save maybe the insanely optimistic fan, expected Brandon Weeden to go into Baltimore or East Rutherford, and walk away with victories against the Ravens or Giants.  In the final weeks before the final birthday of his twenties, the not-so-youngster has looked promising, but bad choices continue to haunt him.  He’s throwing for a lot of yards against some relaxed defenses, and getting a lot out of his running game, just as he did at Oklahoma State, but it isn’t enough.

A year ago, he was 5-0, playing for a man, and looking to be the best team ever to wear that uniform.  Approaching the age of 29, he is staring down the barrel of an 0-5 season that could be 0-16 in a few months.  As he quickly approaches 30, which comes right after 29, maybe we can hope for some wisdom in his years.  Maybe, he will stop worrying about having fun being a pro, and recall how much winning added to the fun for him as an amateur.

The clock is ticking; 28 years 11 months 24 days.  And, this season is on its eleventh hour; let’s hope the old man can blow out the candles on Detroit Lions type of futility this Sunday.