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Brandon Weeden one of Browns biggest disappointments

The Cleveland Browns continued cleaning house on Wednesday, releasing quarterbacks Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell.

“First and foremost, the Browns would like to thank Brandon and his agent for being true professionals,” general manager Ray Farmer said in a statement. “The circumstances in which he found himself were not easy for him or the team. After discussions with Brandon and his agent, we’d like to give him the ability to pursue other opportunities.”

The moves were not unexpected as neither quarterback is very good. Things went downhill quickly for Campbell after he posted a “moral victory” in his first start and he eventually finished the season with a 1-7 record.

Things were even worse for Weeden, but his demise is more disappointing.

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Rob Chudzinski confirms Brandon Weeden is the man

We first started talking about this in January, when we proposed the idea that Brandon Weeden should be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in 2013.

We reiterated the point in February, when we noted that the Weeden in ’13 campaign was picking up momentum and that the Browns should turn their focus to filling other positions on the roster.

In March, the signing of backup quarterback Jason Campbell helped to solidify the campaign.

The Browns resisted the urge to do anything crazy in April’s NFL Draft.

At the start of training camp, we noted that having Norv Turner as offensive coordinator is a pretty good way to settle down the quarterback position.

In the first two preseason friendlies, Weeden has done everything you would expect an NFL starting quarterback to do.

So it was no surprise, really, when Browns coach Rob Chudzinski announced that Weeden will be the starting quarterback for the Browns this fall.

“It was important for me and for us to go through the process … that started in April in the meetings, carried out into OTAs on the field, the multiple minicamps that we had, the number of weeks in training camp that we had, as well as the first two preseason games so that we could get these guys and see them react to a lot of different situations that would come up and how they would handle them and so forth,” Chudzinski said in announcing the decision.

“Based on this process, Brandon has earned this job.  That’s extremely important to me that he did.  He has gained my complete trust.  He has gained his teammates complete trust and this organization’s trust.  We are all behind him and we will all be there to support him.”

Good job, coach. But next time, save yourself a lot of time and headaches and just ask us. We’re here for you.

Weeden in ’13 campaign gaining steam

The Cleveland Browns moved one step closer on Wednesday to having Brandon Weeden be the starting quarterback when the 2013 NFL season kicks off in September.

Just like presidential candidates dropping off the board during campaign season, another potential threat to Weeden was taken out of the picture when Kansas City reportedly made a deal for San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith.

The Chiefs will reportedly give up their second-round pick in this year’s draft and a future conditional pick (that could be as high as a second-round selection) to acquire Smith, a quarterback who was the first overall selection in the 2005 draft and one that has posted only one solid season in his career.

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Just as we started to get comfortable …

… about the quarterback situation for the Cleveland Browns, the team has a day like today.

The off-season was moving along OK and it looked like the Browns were going to be able to focus on filling some important holes on defense, rather than worry about the quarterback position. And that’s saying something for a franchise that has seen 11 different players start at the quarterback position in Week 1 since the franchise returned in 1999.

Over the weekend, CEO Joe Banner, while not coming out and saying that incumbent starter Brandon Weeden will be the guy under center when the season starts this fall, sure made it sound as if the Browns were willing to see what Weeden can do in Norv Turner’s NFL-caliber offense.

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Browns should keep Weeden as starter in 2013

As a new regime and a new coaching staff in Berea face the same old questions during yet another off-season of change for the Cleveland Browns, there is one eternal question that stands above all the rest:

What should the Browns do about the quarterback position?

But unlike years past, where fans were forced to debate the merits of Tim Couch vs. Kelly Holcomb, Trent Dilfer vs. Charlie Frye or Derek Anderson vs. Brady Quinn, this time the answer is as simple as it is obvious.

Brandon Weeden should be the Browns starting quarterback in 2013.

To find out why, visit The Cleveland Fan.

Weeden ready to let it rip

With two games to go in the Cleveland Browns season, quarterback Brandon Weeden may have finally realized that freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.

Coming off a disappointing game in the home finale against Washington – and with rumors swirling that the Browns may want to replace Weeden next season with Ryan Mallett (career stats: four pass attempts, one completion and one interception ) – the rookie is ready to let it fly.

“If you get in the mindset of thinking about being too cautious with throws, that’s when you’re a little more errant,” Weeden said. “You’re not as accurate; you’re not as aggressive, but there’s times where you’ve got to be smart. Whether it’s in the red zone or after a big play, you have to pick your spots. At this point, I’ve just got to let it fly. From here on out, just let it rip and be aggressive to take shots.”

To that we say: what took you so long?

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