Written by Jerry Roche

---

If Super Bowl XLIV proved anything, it's the importance of a quarterback in the NFL these days -- as Browns president Mike Holmgren was quick to point out during a recent press conference.

Watching MVP Drew Brees of New Orleans and Peyton Manning of Indianapolis throw tight spirals, right on the money, time after time (except Manning's major faux pass, of course), made us Browns fans drool with envy. We haven't seen such unerring accuracy in Cleveland since the days of Bernie Kosar -- certainly nothing even close since Browns Stadium was built.

With unproven Brady Quinn the Browns' incumbent quarterback, our aching hearts eagerly turn to other options that Holmgren might consider before training camp opens in July.

But first, let me take a moment to say something about Quinn. I've always been a staunch supporter. There stands a distinct possibility that he will indeed be the team's No.1 QB in 2010, but he has yet to live up to his advance billing and, perhaps, his potential. His arm strength has always been a question mark, and this past season he would've had a hard time hitting Lake Erie from the bow of the Goodtime III. But he's still only 25, so he may be one of those late bloomers, not unlike Brees, whose QB rating as a 25-year-old was 67.5.

 

If Holmgren doesn't sign a capable free agent or make a trade, chances are that Quinn will indeed open the season under center, simply because the college draft doesn't excite. Experts are quick to point out that the NCAA's quarterback class of 2010 lacks any slam-dunk potential stars. (And, we might add, the heralded Mark Sanchez, first-round choice of the Jets in the 2009 draft, had a QB rating of just 63.0 his rookie year, which doesn't exactly excite, either.)

So ... what are Holmgren's options? If you scroll down, you'll see a complete list of NFL and top college quarterbacks -- Quinn included -- from which the Browns' 2010 starter will almost certainly (99.9%) be culled.

Here are one man's conclusions from that list.

• Let's get this out of the way: the top 10 starters from other teams (from Aaron Rodgers to Brett Favre) are not going anywhere, though Favre has already alluded to another possible retirement.

• Of the free agents, only Daunte Culpepper stands ready to step in as a starting QB. Culpepper's career rating is decent, and he's still young enough that he could be a stop-gap measure until Quinn or a future draftee is ready to take the reins.

• Washington free agent Jason Campbell has a pretty decent rating, and he can be had for the right price. But the Redskins finished just 4-12 with Campbell at the helm, scoring just 1.5 points per game more than the sorry Browns. He's also said to be not much of a leader. So let's pass on him. Please.

• As for the other possible free agents ... Jeff Garcia ain't bad, but he's getting long in the tooth, and we've already been down that road -- unsuccessfully -- one too many times. Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson might be an option, but the Vikings didn't sign Favre last year for no good reason. The well-traveled David Carr is intriguing: a first overall draft choice in 2002, he is still young enough to be developed into a top-flight QB by an astute handler (like, maybe, Holmgren?).

• If Holmgren decides to swing a trade, Carolina's Matt Moore might be a prime target. And what of Baltimore's Troy Smith, all you OSU fans ask? Well, the Ravens didn't draft Joe Flacco for no good reason.

• Much has been made on the TCF message boards of Kevin Kolb, who backed up Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia this past season. But I don't understand this fascination, since Kolb's career rating is in Quinn-Derek Anderson territory -- and he'd be coming to a team with a lack of proven receivers.

• Neither does the "Limited Experience" list show much promise, based on statistics alone. However, Holmgren might go after one of those guys -- or pick a couple off the waiver wire come fall -- if he sees any potential. Two names stand out: Washington's Colt Brennan, who set a raft of NCAA records; and Curtis Painter, who is P. Manning's understudy in Indianapolis.

• As noted earlier, there are no bona fides in the draft -- and the accompanying table lists the top prospects as cumulatively ranked by professional scouts. Jimmy Claussen, Notre Dame: been there, done that. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: delicate as a ceramic vase. Tim Tebow, Florida: couldn't even take a direct snap from center during Senior Bowl practices. Colt McCoy, Texas: undersized "spread" passer with below average arm strength. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan: played in the weak Mid-Am. And on, and on.

• However, if Tebow's still on the board in the second round, he might be worth a flyer. Here's what Bucky Brooks, an analyst for NFL.com had to say about Tebow: "A fiery leader with a magnetic personality, Tebow is a natural leader of men, and his ability to galvanize a team isn't lost on coaches and scouts. Several say Tebow's intangibles are off the charts, and that is why, despite his flaws, it is so hard to completely dismiss his pro prospects. The league has seen quarterbacks with similar warts enjoy success as pros. Bernie Kosar, who was selected in the first round of the 1985 supplemental draft by the Cleveland Browns, enjoyed a successful 13-year career despite possessing a quirky throwing motion and limited arm strength. Although his physical tools would rank as sub-standard in today's game, Kosar's guile and superb decision-making ability allowed him to overcome his deficiencies." (And make no mistake, the Browns could definitely use another Kosar.)

There you have it. One fan's opinion, for what it's worth. Any further discussion is welcome on the TCF.com message boards.

2009 STARTERS
Name	Team	Size	Age	College	Rating
Aaron Rodgers	GB	6-2, 220	26	California	97.2
Philip Rivers	SD	6-5, 228	28	N.C. State	96.1
Tony Romo	DAL	6-2, 226	30	E. Illinois	95.6
Peyton Manning	IND	6-5, 230	34	Tennessee	95.2
Tom Brady	NE	6-4, 225	33	Michigan	93.3
Drew Brees	NO	6-0, 209	31	Purdue	91.9
Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	6-5, 241	28	Miami (O.)	91.7
Matt Schaub	HOU	6-5, 239	29	Virginia	91.3
Carson Palmer	CIN	6-5, 235	30	USC	88.6
Brett Favre	MIN	6-2, 222	40	S. Mississippi	86.6
Donovan McNabb	PHIL	6-2, 240	33	Syracuse	86.5
David Garrard	JAC	6-1, 236	32	E. Carolina	84.9
Joe Flacco	BAL	6-6, 230	25	Delaware	84.9
Marc Bulger	STL	6-3, 208	33	W. Virginia	84.4
Matt Ryan	ATL	6-4, 220	25	Boston Coll.	83.3
Jay Cutler	CHI	6-3, 233	27	Vanderbilt	83.8
Matt Hasselbeck	SEA	6-4, 225	34	Boston Coll.	83.3
Jason Campbell	WASH	6-5, 230	28	Auburn	82.3
Jake Delhomme	CAR	6-2, 215	35	La.-Lafayette	82.1
Trent Edwards	BUF	6-4, 231	26	Stanford	80.8
Matt Cassel	KC	6-4, 230	28	USC	79.9
Eli Manning	NYG	6-4, 225	29	Mississippi	79.2
Chad Henne	MIA	6-3, 230	25	Michigan	75.2
Vince Young	TEN	6-5, 233	27	Texas	73.6
Kyle Orton	DEN	6-4, 225	27	Purdue	71.1
Alex Smith	SF	6-4, 217	26	Utah	69.2
Brady Quinn	CLE	6-3, 235	25	Notre Dame	65.8
Mark Sanchez	NYJ	6-2, 225	23	USC	63
Matthew Stafford	DET	6-2, 232	22	Georgia	61
Josh Freeman	TAM	6-6, 248	22	Kansas St.	59.8
JaMarcus Russell	OAK	6-6, 260	25	LSU	58.8
EXPERIENCED VETERANS
Daunte Culpepper	DET	6-4, 260	33	Cent. Fla.	87.8
Jeff Garcia	PHIL	6-1, 205	40	San Jose St.	87.5
Shaun Hill	SF	6-3, 220	30	Maryland	87.3
Matt Moore	CAR	6-3, 202	26	Oregon St.	84.5
Mark Brunell	NO	6-1, 217	39	Washington	83.9
Seneca Wallace	SEA	5-11, 205	30	Iowa St.	83.1
Sage Rosenfels	MIN	6-4, 225	32	Iowa St.	81.2
Troy Smith	BAL	6-0, 215	26	Ohio St.	79.7
Byron Leftwich	TAM	6-5, 250	30	Marshall	79.6
Chris Redman	ATL	6-3, 221	33	Louisville	79.3
Charlie Batch	PIT	6-2, 216	35	E. Michigan	77.9
Tarvaris Jackson	MIN	6-2, 225	27	Alabama St.	77.9
Jon Kitna	DAL	6-2, 208	37	Cent. Wash.	76.6
Chad Pennington	MIA	6-3, 230	34	Marshall	76
Todd Collins	WASH	6-4, 223	38	Michigan	76
Michael Vick	PHIL	6-0, 215	30	Virginia Tech	75.9
David Carr	NYG	6-3, 216	31	Fresno St.	75.2
Patrick Ramsey	DET	6-2, 225	31	Tulane	74.9
Luke McCown	JAC	6-4, 217	29	La. Tech	74.7
Kerry Collins	TEN	6-5, 245	37	Penn St.	73.7
Charlie Frye	OAK	6-4, 220	29	Akron	72.3
Josh McCown	CAR	6-4, 215	31	SamHous.St.	71.3
Kyle Boller	STL	6-3, 218	28	California	70.6
Rex Grossman	HOU	6-1, 217	30	Florida	70.2
Bruce Gradkowski	OAK	6-1, 220	27	Toledo	69.8
Derek Anderson	CLE	6-6, 230	27	Oregon St.	69.7
A.J. Feeley	CAR	6-3, 220	33	Oregon	69.6
Kevin Kolbe	PHIL	6-3, 218	26	Houston	68.9
Kellen Clemens	NYJ	6-2, 221	27	Oregon	59.7
Matt Leinart	ARIZ	6-5, 232	27	USC	57.1
Josh Johnson	TAM	6-3, 205	24	S. Diego St.	50.9
Keith Null	STL	6-4, 219	24	W. Texas A&M	49.9
LIMITED EXPERIENCE
Matt Guiterrez	KC	6-4, 230	26	Idaho St.	104.2
Billy Volek	SD	62, 214	34	Fresno St.	84.9
Brian Hoyer	NE	6-2, 215	24	Michigan St.	82.6
Kevin O'Connell	NYJ	6-5, 225	25	S. Diego St.	73.6
J.T. O'Sullivan	CIN	6-2, 230	31	UC-Davis	71.8
Brodie Croyle	KC	6-2, 206	27	Alabama	71.6
Dan Olrovsky	HOU	6-5, 230	27	Connecticut	71.3
Chris Simms	DEN	6-4, 230	30	Texas	71.2
Ryan Fitzpatrick	BUF	6-2, 225	27	Harvard	69.1
John Beck	BAL	6-2, 216	29	BYU	62
Dennis Dixon	PIT	6-3, 195	25	Oregon	62
Gibran Hamdan	BUF	6-4, 220	29	Indiana	58.3
Brian St. Pierre	ARIZ	6-3, 224	29	Boston Coll.	47.9
Brian Brohm	BUF	6-3, 223	24	Louisville	43.2
Pat White	MIA	6-0, 190	24	W. Virginia	39.6
Matt Flynn	GB	6-2, 225	25	LSU	37.4
Brett Basanez	CHI	6-1, 208	27	Northwestern	30.9
Drew Stanton	DET	6-3, 230	26	Michigan St.	26.1
Jordan Palmer	CIN	6-5, 235	26	UTEP	25.3
Caleb Hanie	CHI	6-2, 225	24	Colorado St.	10.7
Curtis Painter	IND	6-4, 230	25	Purdue	9.8
Erik Ainge	NYJ	6-2, 221	24	Tennessee	0
Richard Bartel	WASH	6-3, 230	27	Tarleton St.	0
John David Booty	HOU	6-3, 215	25	USC	0
Tom Brandstater	DEN	6-5, 223	25	Fresno St.	0
Colt Brennan	WASH	6-3, 212	27	Hawaii	0
Hunter Cantwell	CAR	6-4, 236	24	Louisville	0
Rudy Carpenter	TAM	6-2, 212	24	Arizona St.	0
Chase Daniel	NO	6-0, 225	23	Missouri	0
Nate Davis	SF	6-1, 226	23	Ball St.	0
Stephen McGee	DAL	6-3, 218	24	Texas A&M	0
Chris Pizzotti	GB	6-5,226	24	Harvard	0
Brett Ratliff	CLE	6-4, 224	25	Utah	0
Mike Reilly	STL	6-3, 212	25	Cent. Wash.	0
Tyler Thigpen	MIA	6-1, 224	26	Coastal Car.	0
D.J. Shockley	ATL	6-0, 222	27	Georgia	0
Mike Teel	SEA	6-3, 230	24	Rutgers	0
Charlie Whitehurst	SD	6-4, 220	28	Clemson	0
John Parker Wilson	ATL	6-2, 211	24	Alabama	0
NOTES: Age as of 9/1/2010. QB ratings are for career, not 2009. Current free
agents italicized.
DRAFT PROSPECTS
Jimmy Claussen	Notre Dame	6-3, 217	68.0%, 8.8 ypa, 28-4, 164.2
Sam Bradford	Oklahoma	6-4, 214	INJ 2008 Heisman
Tim Tebow	Florida	6-3, 236	67.8%, 9.2 ypa, 21-5, 161.4
Colt McCoy	Texas	6-2, 210	70.6%, 7.5 ypa, 27-12, 147.4
Tony Pike	Cincinnati	6-6, 212	62.4%, 7.5 ypa, 29-6, 149.8
Dan LeFevour	Cent. Mich.	6-3, 229	69.7%, 7.5 ypa, 28-7, 150.3
Jevan Snead	Mississippi	6-3, 220	54.4%, 7.5 ypa, 15-13, 124.8
Jarrett Brown	W. Virginia	6-3, 219	63.2%, 7.2 ypa, 11-9, 130.2
Zac Robinson	Okla. St.	6-2, 210	59.8%, 6.9 ypa, 15-12, 126.4
Sean Canfield	Oregon St.	6-3, 221	67.9%, 7.3 ypa, 21-7, 141.9
Tim Hiller	W. Michigan	6-5, 234	60.1%, 6.3 ypa, 23-13, 122.9
John Skelton	Fordham	6-5, 245	64.4%, 8.4 ypa, 26-10, 149.9
Bill Stull	Pittsburgh	6-3, 215	65.1%, 8.2 ypa, 21-8, 150.6
Max Hall	BYU	6-1, 201	67.2%, 8.7 ypa, 32-14, 160.1
Jonathan Crompton	Tennessee	6-4, 224	58.3%, 7.3 ypa, 27-13, 136.0
NOTE: Last column shows 2009 stats, in order: % completions, yards per
attempt, touchdowns-interceptions, QB rating.