Position Recap: Quarterbacks

01.15.2008

Overview: One game into the 2007 season, the Browns quarterback situation couldn't have looked cloudier. The club had benched starter Charlie Frye after just a quarter and a half of play and turned to the young and relatively inexperienced Derek Anderson, who had struggled throughout the training camp and preseason.

Then, Anderson put together one of the most statistically prolific seasons in Browns quarterbacking history, throwing for more than 3,700 yards as well as 29 touchdowns, falling just one short of Brian Sipe's team record set in 1980.

The team traded Frye to Seattle on Sept. 11, just two days after the season opener, leaving the team in the hands of Anderson. Anderson responded with a 328-yard, 5-touchdown performance in a 51-45 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Only 24-years-old, Anderson finished the season with a 10-5 record as a starter, tossing four games with a 100 or better passer rating and 10 games with at least 2 touchdown passes. He threw 2 or more interceptions in only four games.

Meanwhile, with the help of an especially proficient offensive line, he was sacked only 14 times all season.

He finished the year having completed 298-of-527 passes for 3,787 yards with 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions for a 82.5 passer rating.

Anderson was so good all season that first round pick Brady Quinn didn't see the field until the season finale against the San Francisco 49ers only after Anderson left the game with an injured finger. Quinn played on one drive at the close of the first half before Anderson returned to the game.

Quinn completed 3-of-8 passes for 45 yards in his lone action of the season. He would've had his first NFL touchdown pass had it not been for a pair of drops in the end zone by Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow.

Third-string quarterback Ken Dorsey was originally waived from the team after the preseason but was brought back after Frye was traded. He reprised his role as mentor for the young quarterbacks and was signed to a contract extension in December.

MVP: Anderson was probably the MVP of the entire Browns team and might've been the single biggest breakout star in the NFL for the '07 season.

Key Stat: Anderson's '07 season ranks fifth in team history in yards, fifth in attempts, sixth in completions, and tied for second in touchdown passes.

High point: Anderson's big game during his first start of the season against the Bengals on Sept. 16 was memorable, but we'll go with a two-game stretch later in the season. During consecutive wins over Miami and St. Louis in October, Anderson completed a combined 36-of-50 passes for 493 yards with 6 touchdowns and no interceptions for a 142.8 passer rating.

Areas of concern: Anderson provided the team's best quarterback play since it returned to the league in '99 but he didn't play especially well on the road or at the tail end of the season. At home, he threw 14 touchdowns to 6 interceptions for a 93.5 passer rating. On the road, he threw 15 touchdowns to 13 picks for a 73.9 rating. Meanwhile, his December quarterback rating was a mere 66.6 with 7 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.

What's ahead: Phil Savage said during his postseason press conference that he intends to re-sign restricted free agent Anderson and bring him back to be the starter in '08, again making Quinn his backup.