The Cleveland Browns cleaned house yesterday, firing Head Coach Romeo Crennel a day after firing GM Phil Savage. With a new team coming into Cleveland, the biggest fantasy football question for the Browns is now "Who will start at quarterback next season"?
Romeo Crennel was a horrible judge of quarterbacks. He would start guys, then bench them, then start them again and even replace guys during a game for reasons that were invisible to most people. He managed to destroy the confidence of pretty much every QB who was unfortunate enough to have to play for him. He made fantasy football owners pull their hair out.
However, the new coach, whoever it turns out to be, will have a tough decision to make. The Browns had a total of 11 passing touchdowns this season so something needs to change and needs to change quickly. The Browns are paying a ton of money (and lost draft picks) for former first round draft pick Brady Quinn so they don't want to see him sitting on the bench. On the other hand, they signed Derek Anderson to a long-term contract extension last year (thanks Phil Savage!) so they don't want to pay him to stand around holding a clipboard either. What to do, what to do....
Will the new head coach get to make that decision? Will the new GM (or worse, owner Randy Lerner) make the decision and tell the new coach "If you take this job, you're starting X at quarterback"?
My bet is on Brady Quinn being the new starting QB for the Browns in 2009. It will obviously be a rebuilding year so Quinn will get time to go through his growing pains. In fact, with Winslow and Edwards around, Quinn could even have a decent year. On the other hand, it could (and likely will) work the opposite way -- that a struggling Quinn drags down the value of Winslow and Edwards. Quinn as the new starter means Derek Anderson is on the bench, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise if the Browns trade him.
If the Browns really want to clean house, maybe they trade Quinn and bring in a big name at QB. Donovan McNabb? Matt Cassel? Jon Kitna? That would crank up the old Dog Pound, wouldn't it?
It will be interesting to see how (or if) this is resolved by the time fantasy football drafts roll around next summer. .