Cleveland Browns Quarterback Woes Continue

Now we know why Eric Mangini hesitates when asked who his starting quarterback is. It turns out the Cleveland Browns don't have anyone who fits the description. That's bad. Real bad. And it's beginning to sound awful familiar which is even worse. The good news is it may become easier to get Cleveland Browns tickets.

Brady Quinn, the former darling of Notre Dame, is listed on the roster as a quarterback. But is he the quarterback? The Browns' starting quarterback? Or is he just the quarterback who started Sunday's game? They may sound like the same thing but there's a big difference. It was a big 31 point difference in the 34-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Quinn played with all the football athleticism of Quasimodo. That might have been good enough if he were still playing for the Fighting Irish but it didn't work at all playing for the Browns. To paraphrase Hemingway, do not ask for whom the bell tolls, Quasi...

Thank God for halftime.

It was no real surprise -- except to Derek Anderson apparently -- when Quinn was benched to start the second half. Quinn's stats were underwhelming and that's being extremely kind. He had 34 passing yards for the entire first half (a pathetic 6 of a pathetic 8), no TDs and 1 interception. That explains why Anderson took the snaps as of the 3rd quarter.

Too bad things didn't work out for him either.

Derek went 11 of 19 for 92 yards, no TDs and 3 interceptions. But, hey, he did get the Browns into field goal range which kept them from being held scoreless -- as if it really matters. While the quarterback situation has been the big story for quite a while, the truth is the rest of the team is a mess too. So much so, it makes you wonder if they're all using the same play books. But let's fix the quarterback situation first. There are only so many hours in a day.

Now the winless Browns head into week 4 of the 2009 season and guess who the starting quarterback is? Seriously, guess. That's the best any of us can do. And now we can't even complain about Coach Mangini not announcing who'll start the game because we know why he can't.

Just be sure to get down to Cleveland Browns stadium in time for the coin toss. I have a feeling that's what will determine who'll start the game at QB for the 0-3 Browns when they face the 2-1 Cincinnati Bengals. Call it in the air.