Browns Coach Pat Shurmur Has No Reason To Be Upset With Weeden, They Got What They Drafted

Written By Larry M. Glicken "LG"

By now the Cleveland fans are seeing the Browns solution to the problems the team faced last season may not all be solved. Pat Shumur looked very upset when the team played the Eagles, sure this is preseason and sure the game doesn't count. For Pat Shurmur he can see the writing on the wall as to what will happen to his Browns when they face teams with great defenses. Shurmur didn't like the fact Brandon Weedden turned the ball over a couple of times, he knows turnovers cost you wins in the NFL. Pat Shurmur has no right to be upset with Brandon Weeden because of what took place in the Eagles game.
This is the Brandon Weeden the Browns drafted, he is a guy that is a pocket passer. It doesn't mean I think Weeden is a bad quarterback, it means I don't think he is the quarterback that can get it done for the Cleveland Browns. Weeden needs protection, the Browns offensive line is young and can't offer Brandon Weeden the kind of protection he needs to play the kind of football Weeden plays. His game is throwing laser type passes down the field, sometimes his throws are questionable but nonetheless he gets away with some of them. I think Weeden could be a great quarterback in the NFL, I just don't think he is going to be able to do it with the Cleveland Browns and it has nothing to do with Weeden at all.
People respond to these articles and leave replies saying things like, "Oh you know more about coaching than the Browns Coaches right". Believe me when I tell you this, I don't think I am a pro football coach, however I do wonder what in the hell these guys were thinking when they named Brandon Weeden the starting Q.B. before he ever took one snap in a game time situation. Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder could have seen the Cleveland Browns were putting the cart before the horse. The Browns offensive line just isn't there yet. Brandon Weeden can't come in and save the day when he is getting hammered and fumbling the football, NO ONE can.
The Cleveland Browns played a tough football team last night, the Cleveland Browns are going to play three tough football teams two times this season, their division rivals. The way the Eagles defense played the Browns was about the best test they faced this preseason, the Eagles defense is a lot like Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The Browns drafted a stationary q.b. and now they expect him to go in there and get his butt kicked hold onto the football and win games.
The Browns have been through 17 quarterbacks since 1999, not all of these guys could have stunk. Each quarterback the Browns took were winners somewhere, just as Brandon Weeden won in College, each of the 17 won somewhere too. When the Browns had glory days back in 1980 or 1986 or 87 they had offensive linemen who were household names. These guys were the Un-spoken warriors who went into battle each week with one thing on their mind, protect the quarterback. These guys had the talent to turn average quarterbacks like Brian Sipe into winners. On Today's Cleveland Browns offensive line you have two guys in Alex Mack and Joe Thomas who are household names, some people have no idea who the others on the line are.
It is going to be difficult to win in the NFL with just 2 great lineman trying to protect a pocket passer like Brandon Weeden. I am not a hater of Weeden, I think he has lots of potential in the NFL, just not yet with this team. The Browns need a roll out quarterback who can throw on the run. Or they need an offensive line that can protect their quarterback at all costs. Right now the Browns have one but not the other.
By now people should see the Browns problems last season were not all Colt's fault. As easy as it would have been to just replace McCoy, it is not going to help the Browns because 12 losses were not all McCoy's doing. If the team can't protect Brandon Weeden better than we saw last night he will become the 17th guy to get blamed since 1999. And that isn't right!!!

Larry Glicken is the owner of www.clevelandsports360.com and the host of the Cleveland Sports 360 Show, an online streaming sports video show at www.streamingsportstalk.com