Cleveland Browns QB Colt McCoy’s concussion improving, but status for Baltimore uncertain
Follow-on: H H understood that the end of 2009 Browns were so depleted that a shiny new ‘franchise’ QB would get killed. That’s why they got Delhomme: they did NOT want to pay for a franchise QB then, they wanted to start plugging holes and getting their system in place.
Delhomme was supposed to be smart enough, good enough, patient enough to last two more years, and Wallace was the insurance. McCoy was drafted to see if he would work out, in the expectation that he would play little, if at all.
So now the Browns, end of 2011, have a pile of draft choices because H H correctly understood that the end of 2009 Browns were not ready for a franchise QB (and one wasn’t really out there in the draft).
Don’t misunderstand: Holmgren has made plenty of mistakes, but he’s clearly of the mindset that first you fix the team, then you get your QB. He also has a history of scouring the league for QBs rather than paying for one in the first round. For whatever reason, he doesn’t like paying big, big money for guys who have less than a 50/50 chance of being a ‘franchise’.
But whether you pay in 2009 or pay in 2011, you pay (according to H H, apparently) when your team is far enough along in the rebuild to make drafting a top QB prospect a worthwhile investment.
Doubt the wisdom of that? See Browns, 1999, Tim Couch.
With that happy thought in mind, one potential strategy is to do the same thing again for 2012 as for 2010: find a project QB in the 3rd or 4th round, and then sign a free agent decent QB to lead the team. Use the 1st – 3rd round picks to build up the offense (that’s what you’d have to do to convince a FA QB to come here now). Draft a receiver, a couple of monsters for the O-line, and maybe a new RB prospect. If McCoy can stick around fine, but don’t be afraid to let him go if it’s not going to work. Keep Wallace as the backup (where else will he go?).
One could further that strategy by trading the top 1st round pick (#4 or #6, whatever) down for more picks — then you might really have an opportunity to fix the many problems. Hello FA QB, I have a team that’s suddenly interesting for you.
And if it doesn’t work, you’ll have a top pick in 2013.