Fans: Anderson won't be a Brown in '09
Posted February 17th, 2009 by Dan
We asked, and you told us. More than 1,100 of you voted on whether or not Browns quarterback Derek Anderson will be with the team for the 2009 football season.
A resounding 82 percent of you said he would not.
In 2008, Anderson threw for 1,615 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. That came following a season in which Anderson threw for 29 touchdowns and almost 3,000 yards on his way to the Pro Bowl.
So, following a season of resounding disappointment, let's assume the Browns trade Anderson in favor of Brady Quinn. What exactly could Anderson bring the team in a trade?
At one point in the season, Peter King of Sports Illustrated said the Browns could get a second round pick.
One reader, "jusayin," thinks the Browns could get much more.
"A reasonable exchange for DA," he wrote, "would be to Tampa for a two, three and Brian Griese, the type of limited-arm vet QB who should make an excellent mentor and backup for Brady Quinn."
That wouldn't be bad, but it's unlikely the Browns could get that much.
Tony Grossi of the Plain Dealer practically wrote off Anderson's trade value. He thinks the Browns would also have to eat a lot of Anderson's $5 million roster bonus due in March.
If new general manager George Kokinis gets the feeling that will increase Anderson's trade value, expect owner Randy Lerner to open the checkbook. Anderson then could be held onto until the draft where the Browns could set his value against where the top three quarterbacks, Matt Stafford, Josh Freeman and Mark Sanchez, are falling in the draft. That would also mean the Browns will have to pay Anderson's entire roster bonus.
But who could be the teams in play for Anderson?
The Vikings could be a choice, but many expect them to go after the recently released Jeff Garcia. Conversely, with the Buccaneers releasing Garcia, they could be a player for Anderson's services. The Jets seem to be after a veteran quarterback. San Francisco could theoretically need one with Shaun Hill just being average. Kansas City is also somewhat up in the air at quarterback. New coach Todd Haley uses the vertical passing game a lot, which fits Anderson perfectly.
So, for now, we're still left with plenty of questions. Help us find the answers. In the comments, tell us who you think will trade for Anderson and what the Browns could get for him.
Notes…
The Browns hired two more assistant coaches today. Steve Hagen is back with the Browns to coach tight ends. He held the same position with the team from 2001 to '03 and was quarterbacks coach in 2004. Hagen was on Butch Davis' coaching staff at the University of North Carolina.
The team also hired Gary Brown as its running backs coach. Brown, an eight-year NFL running back, held the same position with Rutgers University in 2008.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:53 am
Jeff Garcia will no longer hold up for a full NFL season.The Jets learned that with Brett Favre.I know, look at Kurt Warner and Kerry Collins.Garcia hasn't been able to play a whole season since even before the Browns signed him.Derek Anderson is the quarterback that the Vikings want.Here's why,First he's a young quarterback with game experience.His resume has a 29 touchdown season and a Pro Bowl.He's cheap,1.5 million in 09 and 7.5 million in 2010.Derek's contract allows the Vikings to take a little risk but not be burdened with a long term deal.The Vikings are a team that believes it's a Super Bowl contender.Their a good team in a weak division.They have a premiere running back in Adrian Peterson,a deep threat at receiver in Bernard Berrian and one of the best defenses in the NFL.Brad Chidress is fighting for his job and the Vikings owner wants a new stadium.The window for teams as contenders is short.Most teams have a 1 to 3 year shot depending on your roster.The pressure to win now will cause teams to give up a little extra.Derek is a big strong quarterback with a big arm.He's only 26 years old but has the maturity and experience to win football games.Anderson will benefit from playing 9 of 16 games in a dome. But will allow the Vikings to still have the ability to throw the ball in places like Chicago and Green Bay late in the season.It doesn't matter if Derek isn't a prototypical west coast quarterback.They don't need to run the offense through Derek just put some plays in to utilize his ability.Their running game and defense will control the tempo of the game.Matt Cassel would not fit the Vikings because of the risk of giving up a high draft pick.Then having to sign him to a long term deal.If he fails to deliver Cha-Ching it will cost them.No city wants to watch their Super Bowl champion team pack up and head somewhere else.The risk is worth the reward.If it doesn't work out for Derek and the Vikings.His contract ends after 2010 and Vikings might be looking for a new home and a new quarterback plus a new coach.The Browns stand to gain a lot in trading Anderson.GO BROWNS!!!
February 18th, 2009 at 5:15 am
Don't be surprised if the Browns hang on to Anderson until even after the draft. Mankok is correct in not chomping at the bit to move him immediately. If he stays with the team, great for us in having a familiar backup; if they wait until after the draft we could potentially see a bigger trade when some other GM looks at his own roster and then panics.
On a hunch only, I would project any of these three teams to eventually wind up with DA:
Lions
Bears
Niners
February 18th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Remember that the people voting are the same people who would've been happy to dump Cliff Lee prior to last season. Browns fans are the most bipolar in the country becomig overly optimistic when things are good and becoming suicidal when thinks go a little wrong. We need to let the new coach and GM do their jobs and evaluate he players and plot a course of action. Articles like this just fuel the fire aver the QB situation and make the backlash even worse if management chooses DA or to go in a completely different direction than either DA or BQ. We ran the last coach out of town that picked against the fan favorite at QB and all he did was win super bowls after leaving here. That being said I probably would consider trading a QB to get more draft picks but I'd wait until I'm damn sure I trade the right one. DA's contract is going to count against our salary cap even if we trade him. If we do trade him the money we will have to pay a quality experienced backup wil be as much or more than we will have to pay a quality free agent that might fill a gap elsewhere. Let the new guys do their jobs and have patience.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
That poll figure is crazy… until you consider how nonsensical Cleveland fans are about their quarterbacks. The new GM should consider what happened this year (and most years) with injuries to the QB. One lineman falling on a knee is all it takes for your season goes down the toilet — if you're relying on Brian Griese, that is. Having DA as the backup ensures that the season can continue. Don't trade DA unless you're blown away. And no, a 2nd rounder does not qualify.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
It's assuring to see some Browns fans who recognize the QB derby doesn't help the situation. What ever happend to good ole competition if one QB does better than the other put that QB in. It wasn't to DA advantage that linemen got hurt, and the WR can't catch. These were the same linemen and WR that got BQ hurt, then DA once again.