Derek Anderson - Since the 2nd Steeler game (1 Viewer)

[BigSteelThrill]

Was disecting some keeper/trade options and thought I would pass it along.

After performing at a high level (especially fantasy wise) for the first half the season: Anderson has been having serious problems since the second half of the 2nd Steeler game (game #9). Looking at what has happend after he took a 21-9 lead over the Steelers into half time...

234 attempts

129 completetions

55.1%

1404 yards

8 TDs

9 Ints

A QB rating of 68.4

Now of course some will claim these are skewed. Of course they are skewed.

The moment you take it from the half time of a game, it's skewed. Its also appropriate.

It may also be worth mentioning that the Browns are 4-2 in this time and the schedule consisted of

Arizona, Houston, Baltimore, NYJets, Buffalo(snowstorm) , Cincinnati. A combined 34-52.

If you compared those second half stats against the seasons NFL quarterbacking stats ... it is very poor indeed.

 

[Pai Mei]

That's pretty good stuff there.

 

[428143]

The NFL has obviously adjusted to Anderson's tendencies, and now it's up to Anderson to adjust. I think he has earned the starting job for next season, and if he fails, so be it, the Browns have a fine back-up.

 

[Revo]

It's a good point. Since Anderson is an RFA, the Browns will make the highest tender on him -- which would be a 1st and a 3rd -- and hope that another team decides he's worth the high cost since there won't be too many quality QBs on the market.

 

[Couch Potato]

After a hot start, I think it became clear later that Anderson is what he is -- a substandard QB with questionable decision making ability. He has a low completion % and forces too many balls. If not for the skills of Winslow and Braylon he wouldn't have looked as good as he did. People hanging their hat on Anderson for the future will pay for it. He's a 1/2 year wonder and that's all.

 

[RoosterScott]

Quinn is the golden boy for 08.

 

[EBF]

 

[cmv5]

I would give Derek Anderson a free pass for the last two games. They were both in some pretty bad weather.

 

[Todem]

2008 will tell a better story with him going in as the unquestioned starter, and also I think they need to resign Jamal Lewis who quitely had a very solid year.

I hope the Brown get into the post season because that can also be a great stage to evaluate Anderson's poise under pressure.

 

[Floyd The Barber]

Couch Potato wrote:

After a hot start, I think it became clear later that Anderson is what he is -- a substandard QB with questionable decision making ability. He has a low completion % and forces too many balls. If not for the skills of Winslow and Braylon he wouldn't have looked as good as he did. People hanging their hat on Anderson for the future will pay for it. He's a 1/2 year wonder and that's all.

What a crock. While you may ultimately be right, it's WAY too premature to draw any definitive conclusions one way or the other. The full story will be known after next season, not before. He seems to have all the tools to be a good one, so he's a nice FF prospect moving forward.

Most keeper owners, no doubt, scooped him for a song and likely have him as their 2nd/developmental QB anyway, so I hardly think anyone is "hanging their hat" on him at this point.

 

[Couch Potato]

Couch Potato wrote:After a hot start, I think it became clear later that Anderson is what he is -- a substandard QB with questionable decision making ability. He has a low completion % and forces too many balls. If not for the skills of Winslow and Braylon he wouldn't have looked as good as he did. People hanging their hat on Anderson for the future will pay for it. He's a 1/2 year wonder and that's all. What a crock. While you may ultimately be right, it's WAY too premature to draw any definitive conclusions one way or the other. The full story will be known after next season, not before. He seems to have all the tools to be a good one, so he's a nice FF prospect moving forward.Most keeper owners, no doubt, scooped him for a song and likely have him as their 2nd/developmental QB anyway, so I hardly think anyone is "hanging their hat" on him at this point.

What a crock? Because I disagree with you? Sure guy. I'll stand by what I said. Anderson will disappoint as a fantasy QB in 2008 and I for one won't be the guy owning him when it happens.

 

[kupcho1]

2008 will tell a better story with him going in as the unquestioned starter, and also I think they need to resign Jamal Lewis who quitely had a very solid year.

As a Steeler fan, all I can say is very I'd like nothing more than for the Browns to go into 2008 with Anderson given the job and resigning 29 year old Jamal Lewis after a great season (that's sure to be a bargain ).

 

[Chickenwang]

Very good thread.

I had this discussion with my father-in-law tonight. He thinks DA has been playing pretty decent of late.

I'm like.... Have you been watching the games!?!?

The guy has looked so bad since the 2nd steeler game. His throws are totally off target. The wind from the last two games didn't help, but before that his throws were bad. The guy knows how to make his receivers prepare for the unknown. The unknown of balls flying at their feet, ground, 2 feet above their heads, behind them... etc. He does make a good pass every now and then. They are very far in between however.

You stat readers need to actually watch this guy play. He's not as good as you think. I've been desperately waiting for Quinn all season. I said it 8 weeks ago and i'll stick to it -- The browns could have a special team this year that could go far in the playoffs, but not with DA at the helm.

Guy is a turd

 

[Irish]

I wish that I had never acquired Derek Anderson. Started him over BenRoeth in week 15 and it cost me the title in my money league.

I had this same decision, but went with Ben against bad Rams team in the dome vs Anderson playing in bad weather. No brainer and it won me a title. It was one of the easiest decisions all yr.

 

[Interseptopus]

In the other DA thread about him getting the franchise tag I said this... instead of rewriting it to fit the topic I will paste it:

I think a first and a third might be resonable. Of course depending on where the team giving up the first picks. I think he is a better prospect than Schaub, so at a minimal the Browns should look to get 3 first day picks over the next two years.

I can't see any team giving up 3 first day picks for Anderson. He's had a nice year but I think you are over estimating what DA will fetch in a trade.

I completely agree here.Does anyone remember the last time a team gave up a 1 and 3 for a player? Was it when the Redskins signed Coles from the Jets? Not sure what his tender was, but that's the biggest name RFA signing in as long as I can remember, and that didn't work out so well did it?A 1 and 3 is WAY overestimating his value. There are teams that need a QB, yes, but those teams also have high draft picks to waste on their own franchise QB. Anderson is a serviceable QB, but in no way a franchise QB. I equate him to a Phillip Rivers, Jay Cutler type QB.... a QB that will manage a game okay for you, but will never reach the probowl unless they pick up their play more. If the Browns wanted to trade Anderson, I say they get no more than a 2nd round pick for him, or a 3rd and 4th round pick. However, I actually like that offer for Anderson. Get what you can for him! Look at what SD got for Brees- nothing! They put all their eggs in one basket by drafting Quinn. Admitting that was a mistake and committing that much money to the QB position when your defense could use some upgrades is not really a way to win over your owner. Not to mention, as it's been said much earlier in this thread, the Browns will be a "win now" team next season, and anything less than a playoff trip and round 1 win would be grounds to put Crenell on the hot seat. Not to mention they already don't have their first round draft pick (I don't think they traded for anyone else's first round pick for 2008?), which means they will have an even tougher time building that DQuinn's a good QB with a year of watching now. Edwards/Winslow are great offensive threats, and any average QB could look as good as Anderson with both of them healthy.Bottom line, I don't see them winning a superbowl with Anderson as their QB. So might as well get what you can while you can. If it's a 3rd round pick, take it and say thank you and look for a solid defensive player. Whatever you get, be happy you got something, because the Chargers tried to play this game and ended up with nothing

I think it's about time someone did this footwork to show what his true colors are- in that other thread people are signing his praises... He isn't that great of a QB... he is a serviceable starter for a mediocre team. Perhaps I was too kind when I equated him to Phillip Rivers and Jay Cutler. Cutler, as Rivers kindly put it, is a pretty big baby, but both of them have the talent to succeed in the NFL. Neither of them will be a Tom Brady, P. Manning, B. Favre... those QBs are so rare (look how common it is to see them). But, they could be SB winners, while I do not see DA winning a SB in his career.A more fair comparison would be to that of Trent Dilfer. A serviceable QB while you groom your young rookie, or while you're in transition between QBs. He won't be much more than that. (Yes I know Dilfer won a SB, but he was more along the lines of a stand in while the D did all the work... if DA can put himself in that situation, sure, he could win, but he will never LEAD his team)It would be interesting to see if an teams make a run for him. Miami would be a good destination as they have zero QBs and could use a serviceable QB until they can get on their feet and draft/sign someone. Unless they go for a McNabb type QB released this offseason (McNabb is the only one I see that happening to), then DA may be their best option... It'll be interesting to say the least what CLE does this offseason and next season for their QB situation

 

[My Hope Street Alias]

Still can't believe that the Browns won't give Quinn some PT in their last, almost meaningless game.

 

[Fallerjw]

Still can't believe that the Browns won't give Quinn some PT in their last, almost meaningless game.

Signed a five-year, $9.2 million contract. The deal includes $7.75 million in guarantees.

Another $11 million is available though escalators in 2010 and 2011 based on Quinn taking at least 55% of the snaps in each of the first two years or at least 70 percent in his third season. Another $9.8 million is available, but is unlikely to be earned.

2007: $285,000 (+ $862,000 roster bonus)

2008: $1.43 million

2009: $1.72 million

2010: $2.08 million



It looks like they could be trying to keep his snap count down.

Also, I just noticed that they extended Dorsey.

 

[AtomicDogg97]

I think you guys are being overly critical of Andersen. Remember, he is only 24 years old and is in his first year as a starter. When you take that into consideration, he has been pretty darn good.

 

[Unlucky]

I think you guys are being overly critical of Andersen. Remember, he is only 24 years old and is in his first year as a starter. When you take that into consideration, he has been pretty darn good.

Or, he's played crappy competition and his WRs and TE have made a lot of plays that make him look good. Meanwhile, his D is so bad that they've been in a few shootouts, inflating his fantasy stats and making many of us think he's really good. The guy couldn't clearly beat out Charlie Frye in the preseason. That has to say something about his abilities.

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

I think you guys are being overly critical of Andersen. Remember, he is only 24 years old and is in his first year as a starter. When you take that into consideration, he has been pretty darn good.

Or, he's played crappy competition and his WRs and TE have made a lot of plays that make him look good. Meanwhile, his D is so bad that they've been in a few shootouts, inflating his fantasy stats and making many of us think he's really good. The guy couldn't clearly beat out Charlie Frye in the preseason. That has to say something about his abilities.

The guy is 9-5 as a starter. That has to say something about his abilities as well. Young QBs usually have one of two problems: a tentativeness to err too far on the side of conservatism (Frye- taking WAY too many sacks), or overconfidence leading to trying to make every play a big play (Anderson forcing balls into coverage instead of taking what the defense gives). Ignoring physical attributes (arm strength, mobility, height which is not an issue here), if the QB shows at least flashes of brilliance (which Anderson has done), striking a balance between conservative and the gunslinger mentality should come with time. How much time is the issue.

That said, if Atlanta can flip-flop 1st rounders and get two second rounders for an unproven Matt Schaub, Cleveland should get at least that for Derek Anderson, even with his recent poor play.

Me: I take the best offer there, whatever it is, before the draft and roll with Quinn.

 

[thayman]

I think you guys are being overly critical of Andersen. Remember, he is only 24 years old and is in his first year as a starter. When you take that into consideration, he has been pretty darn good.

Or, he's played crappy competition and his WRs and TE have made a lot of plays that make him look good. Meanwhile, his D is so bad that they've been in a few shootouts, inflating his fantasy stats and making many of us think he's really good. The guy couldn't clearly beat out Charlie Frye in the preseason. That has to say something about his abilities.

Tom Brady coudln't beat out Drew Bledsoe in the preseason once upon a time. I don't think Anderson is the next Brady, but he is young has a good arm, and has some impressive weapons. If he improves his accuracy, like a lot of young QBs do, he could be very good in a year or two.

 

[hauser42]

I think you guys are being overly critical of Andersen. Remember, he is only 24 years old and is in his first year as a starter. When you take that into consideration, he has been pretty darn good.

Or, he's played crappy competition and his WRs and TE have made a lot of plays that make him look good. Meanwhile, his D is so bad that they've been in a few shootouts, inflating his fantasy stats and making many of us think he's really good. The guy couldn't clearly beat out Charlie Frye in the preseason. That has to say something about his abilities.

The guy is 9-5 as a starter. That has to say something about his abilities as well. Young QBs usually have one of two problems: a tentativeness to err too far on the side of conservatism (Frye- taking WAY too many sacks), or overconfidence leading to trying to make every play a big play (Anderson forcing balls into coverage instead of taking what the defense gives). Ignoring physical attributes (arm strength, mobility, height which is not an issue here), if the QB shows at least flashes of brilliance (which Anderson has done), striking a balance between conservative and the gunslinger mentality should come with time. How much time is the issue.

That said, if Atlanta can flip-flop 1st rounders and get two second rounders for an unproven Matt Schaub, Cleveland should get at least that for Derek Anderson, even with his recent poor play.

Me: I take the best offer there, whatever it is, before the draft and roll with Quinn.

You need a team that is desperate for a QB to get that kind of load back. Houston needed to do something since Carr was done in that town. I dont see Miami going and gettting DA because they have Lemon and Beck to run the ball control offensive that Tuna's type coach will run.

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

I think you guys are being overly critical of Andersen. Remember, he is only 24 years old and is in his first year as a starter. When you take that into consideration, he has been pretty darn good.

Or, he's played crappy competition and his WRs and TE have made a lot of plays that make him look good. Meanwhile, his D is so bad that they've been in a few shootouts, inflating his fantasy stats and making many of us think he's really good. The guy couldn't clearly beat out Charlie Frye in the preseason. That has to say something about his abilities.

The guy is 9-5 as a starter. That has to say something about his abilities as well. Young QBs usually have one of two problems: a tentativeness to err too far on the side of conservatism (Frye- taking WAY too many sacks), or overconfidence leading to trying to make every play a big play (Anderson forcing balls into coverage instead of taking what the defense gives). Ignoring physical attributes (arm strength, mobility, height which is not an issue here), if the QB shows at least flashes of brilliance (which Anderson has done), striking a balance between conservative and the gunslinger mentality should come with time. How much time is the issue.

That said, if Atlanta can flip-flop 1st rounders and get two second rounders for an unproven Matt Schaub, Cleveland should get at least that for Derek Anderson, even with his recent poor play.

Me: I take the best offer there, whatever it is, before the draft and roll with Quinn.

You need a team that is desperate for a QB to get that kind of load back. Houston needed to do something since Carr was done in that town. I dont see Miami going and gettting DA because they have Lemon and Beck to run the ball control offensive that Tuna's type coach will run.

There are teams desperate for a QB. San Fran may be done with Alex Smith, Chicago needs one, Atlanta needs one, the Jets may need one if they aren't confident with Clemens, heck the Panthers may need one if Jake has setbacks. And that's just off the top of my head.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

There are teams desperate for a QB. San Fran may be done with Alex Smith, Chicago needs one, Atlanta needs one, the Jets may need one if they aren't confident with Clemens, heck the Panthers may need one if Jake has setbacks. And that's just off the top of my head.

I agree with this.I have a couple friends that are Viking fans that are totally willing/wanting/hoping the team will pay the 1st round (+other) cost(s) to take a shot on Anderson.

 

[thayman]

There are teams desperate for a QB. San Fran may be done with Alex Smith, Chicago needs one, Atlanta needs one, the Jets may need one if they aren't confident with Clemens, heck the Panthers may need one if Jake has setbacks. And that's just off the top of my head.

I agree with this.I have a couple friends that are Viking fans that are totally willing/wanting/hoping the team will pay the 1st round (+other) cost(s) to take a shot on Anderson.

I would say: Bears, Vikings, Falcons, are the three teams in the most need.

 

[moderated]

DA is a joke. Fell into the perfect position to put up stats that masked his lack of talent.

He'll be lucky if he can hold onto the #2 QB job in Cleveland come mid 08'.

There is nothing DA does better than Quinn except throwing interceptions.

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

DA is a joke. Fell into the perfect position to put up stats that masked his lack of talent.He'll be lucky if he can hold onto the #2 QB job in Cleveland come mid 08'.There is nothing DA does better than Quinn except throwing interceptions.

DA isn't perfect, but come on. A joke? The guy is 1st alternate to the Pro Bowl.Are you saying Cleveland's 31st ranked defense won those games?To put things in perspective for you: Derek Anderson's QB rating this year, his first year on the job: 82.7. John Elway's career QB rating: 79.9. Don't believe me? Look it up.

 

[Pai Mei]

I think you guys are being overly critical of Andersen. Remember, he is only 24 years old and is in his first year as a starter. When you take that into consideration, he has been pretty darn good.

This is also a good point. So we definitely see that he is struggling as of late. But he is also young. The question now becomes "How much time do the Browns have to choose between Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn"?

 

[moderated]

DA is a joke. Fell into the perfect position to put up stats that masked his lack of talent.He'll be lucky if he can hold onto the #2 QB job in Cleveland come mid 08'.There is nothing DA does better than Quinn except throwing interceptions.

DA isn't perfect, but come on. A joke? The guy is 1st alternate to the Pro Bowl.Are you saying Cleveland's 31st ranked defense won those games?To put things in perspective for you: Derek Anderson's QB rating this year, his first year on the job: 82.7. John Elway's career QB rating: 79.9. Don't believe me? Look it up.

Your comparing apples to oranges. Elway was one of the best overall athletes to enter the NFL. DA has none of the tools that Elway had to work with.Only time will tell, but i know when i see a lemon.

 

[Pai Mei]

I'll defend Derek Anderson with the comment that even the very best QBs have stretches where they toss more INTs than TDs. They go in slumps once in a while. Where it starts to raise eyebrows is when a player throws more INTs than TDs for a full season, or when he is leading the NFL in INTs.

I can sympathize with the comment that he is a very young kid and to show what he has at his age is actually pretty impressive and a slump at this point in his career is expected.

If you go with Anderson, you are getting someone with the pluses and minues of Bret Favre. On the plus side, he has a strong arm and is not afraid but on the minus side he is a gunslinger and will throw the bad pass to try to make a play that isn't there. Favre was known for having occasional games where he threw a ton of interceptions. He threw 2 TDs and 6 INTs in a playoff game @ STL in 2001 for example. I'm not saying he WILL be Bret Favre. But I am saying the pluses and minues are similar.

If you go with Quinn, you get a great team leader with a quick release and is very smart so he will have no trouble picking up any offense. The question is the deep throws. His arm strength is somewhat questioned as his deep balls will float on occasion. If under heavy pressure he will get sloppy and force the ball. He is more like a young Tom Brady in that the question was the arm strength, which Tom has since put to rest.

It comes down to what you think is more likely to occur:

Will Derek Anderson continue to make more good plays than bad over the course of a season?
Will Brady Quinn develop his deep ball?I think most scouts would select Derek Anderson at this point. He has already developed so much, from a raw chucker to more of a polished pocket passer. He probably just needs more seasoning and good coaching and he can be very good. Why would you not want to continue the process considering the progress he has made? With Brady Quinn, you are going to have to hope that he develops his ability to throw the deep ball, which a lot of passers never do.

I'll end my post with this: a lot of guys with million dollar arms enter the league and never have a clue as to how to be a QB. Derek Anderson isn't one of them. He's got the strong arm and clearly has shown progress in learning the position. That's exciting.

 

[daveR]

I'm a DA fan, but going forward you guys better check out the '08 schedule versus '07!

 

[Pai Mei]

I'm a DA fan, but going forward you guys better check out the '08 schedule versus '07!

The Browns had a soft schedule. The Browns also faced the #1 defense in the Steelers, on the road, and Derek Anderson shredded them with 3 TD passes, 0 INTs, and 28 points. The Browns defense lost that one.

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

We had a tough schedule coming into this year (Just being in the AFC North gives you six tough games). Things change so much with injuries and free agent movement you can't judge now what will be a tough schedule in '08. For example, who on earth expected the Browns to beat the Rams in St. Louis in August? Arizona was expected to make noise, as was San Fran.

 

[fred_1_15301]

I'm a DA fan, but going forward you guys better check out the '08 schedule versus '07!

The Browns had a soft schedule. The Browns also faced the #1 defense in the Steelers, on the road, and the Browns special teams shredded the Steelers special teams unit. Ben won that one for the Steelers.

There I fixed it for you. YWIA....

 

[Pai Mei]

I'm a DA fan, but going forward you guys better check out the '08 schedule versus '07!

The Browns had a soft schedule. The Browns also faced the #1 defense in the Steelers, on the road, and the Browns special teams shredded the Steelers special teams unit. Ben won that one for the Steelers.

There I fixed it for you. YWIA....

DA set the tone of the game with a great first drive going from the CLE 29 into the end zone to make it 7-0. Yes they had some turnovers deep in Steeler territory but give DA credit for turning those into touchdowns. The offense stalled at other times but again I give DA a world of credit for not forcing the ball and throwing picks. He threw zero INTs. Against the #1 defense that is huge. It shows DA's growth as a passer that he is aware of the situation and won't risk things when the situation calls for it. Great game from him, IMO.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

I'm a DA fan, but going forward you guys better check out the '08 schedule versus '07!

The Browns had a soft schedule. The Browns also faced the #1 defense in the Steelers, on the road, and Derek Anderson shredded them with 3 TD passes, 0 INTs, and 28 points. The Browns defense lost that one.

C'mon dude. He didn't shred that defense. He got set up with a short field twice in the first half, and to his credit, was able to convert. In the second half, he looked AWFUL. The special teams kept Cleveland afloat in that game, but the cavernous difference between Roethlisberger's and Anderson's play in the second half was the major difference. Browns did bupkis offensively after the first drive of the game (in which they amassed almost half their offensive yards for the game.)That said, the Steelers' defense has looked eminently shreddable the past few games.

 

[brock]

After a hot start, I think it became clear later that Anderson is what he is -- a substandard QB with questionable decision making ability. He has a low completion % and forces too many balls. If not for the skills of Winslow and Braylon he wouldn't have looked as good as he did. People hanging their hat on Anderson for the future will pay for it. He's a 1/2 year wonder and that's all.

very true

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

After a hot start, I think it became clear later that Anderson is what he is -- a substandard QB with questionable decision making ability. He has a low completion % and forces too many balls. If not for the skills of Winslow and Braylon he wouldn't have looked as good as he did. People hanging their hat on Anderson for the future will pay for it. He's a 1/2 year wonder and that's all.

very true

Winslow and Edwards are having career years. You can also say that they wouldn't have looked as good without the skills of Anderson. Chicken and egg argument there. And to be fair to Anderson, both have had drops in the endzone.

 

[Pai Mei]

I'm a DA fan, but going forward you guys better check out the '08 schedule versus '07!

The Browns had a soft schedule. The Browns also faced the #1 defense in the Steelers, on the road, and Derek Anderson shredded them with 3 TD passes, 0 INTs, and 28 points. The Browns defense lost that one.

C'mon dude. He didn't shred that defense. He got set up with a short field twice in the first half, and to his credit, was able to convert. In the second half, he looked AWFUL. The special teams kept Cleveland afloat in that game, but the cavernous difference between Roethlisberger's and Anderson's play in the second half was the major difference. Browns did bupkis offensively after the first drive of the game (in which they amassed almost half their offensive yards for the game.)That said, the Steelers' defense has looked eminently shreddable the past few games.

I'll stand by statement and I think I backed it up well already. All the concerns about his gunslinger style, about throwing picks, none of it showed up against the #1 defense in the NFL. He tore them apart. And scored 3 TDs with 0 INTs. I don't care if two were short field, he punched it in against the top defense.

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

We've had this argument before. LeBeau outcoached Chudzinski in second half adjustments. Plain and simple.

 

[EBF]

at Anderson "shredding" the Steelers. I watched that game from start to finish. He was not impressive. He made a few nice throws in the first quarter, but was pretty bad otherwise. He missed a lot of open receivers.

 

[fred_1_15301]

I'm a DA fan, but going forward you guys better check out the '08 schedule versus '07!

The Browns had a soft schedule. The Browns also faced the #1 defense in the Steelers, on the road, and Derek Anderson shredded them with 3 TD passes, 0 INTs, and 28 points. The Browns defense lost that one.

C'mon dude. He didn't shred that defense. He got set up with a short field twice in the first half, and to his credit, was able to convert. In the second half, he looked AWFUL. The special teams kept Cleveland afloat in that game, but the cavernous difference between Roethlisberger's and Anderson's play in the second half was the major difference. Browns did bupkis offensively after the first drive of the game (in which they amassed almost half their offensive yards for the game.)That said, the Steelers' defense has looked eminently shreddable the past few games.

I'll stand by statement and I think I backed it up well already. All the concerns about his gunslinger style, about throwing picks, none of it showed up against the #1 defense in the NFL. He tore them apart. And scored 3 TDs with 0 INTs. I don't care if two were short field, he punched it in against the top defense.

You can stand by any statement you want but either you don't know the definition of "shredding" and "tearing apart" or you didn't watch the game and are basing your opinion on statistics alone. Even Browns fans will tell you that he didn't "shred" anyone apart in that game....

 

[hofer]

From what little I have seen from DA, I would say that his biggest problem is checking down from his first option, not only will he tend to force things to Winslow and Edwards, but he also stares the first option down, making it real easy for any safety to read his eyes. That needs to change or he'll be figured out real quickly.

 

[Pai Mei]

I'm a DA fan, but going forward you guys better check out the '08 schedule versus '07!

The Browns had a soft schedule. The Browns also faced the #1 defense in the Steelers, on the road, and Derek Anderson shredded them with 3 TD passes, 0 INTs, and 28 points. The Browns defense lost that one.

C'mon dude. He didn't shred that defense. He got set up with a short field twice in the first half, and to his credit, was able to convert. In the second half, he looked AWFUL. The special teams kept Cleveland afloat in that game, but the cavernous difference between Roethlisberger's and Anderson's play in the second half was the major difference. Browns did bupkis offensively after the first drive of the game (in which they amassed almost half their offensive yards for the game.)That said, the Steelers' defense has looked eminently shreddable the past few games.

I'll stand by statement and I think I backed it up well already. All the concerns about his gunslinger style, about throwing picks, none of it showed up against the #1 defense in the NFL. He tore them apart. And scored 3 TDs with 0 INTs. I don't care if two were short field, he punched it in against the top defense.

You can stand by any statement you want but either you don't know the definition of "shredding" and "tearing apart" or you didn't watch the game and are basing your opinion on statistics alone. Even Browns fans will tell you that he didn't "shred" anyone apart in that game....

Yah I'll stand by my statement. I think you're utterly wrong.

 

[Irish]

I'm a DA fan, but going forward you guys better check out the '08 schedule versus '07!

The Browns had a soft schedule. The Browns also faced the #1 defense in the Steelers, on the road, and Derek Anderson shredded them with 3 TD passes, 0 INTs, and 28 points. The Browns defense lost that one.

16-35 for 45.7% 123 yds does not constitute shredding a defense.

 

[walkwithme]

D. Anderson isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I say he is playing above average compared to all the QB's in the NFL. For his years of experience and number of actual starts I say he is playing as well as you can expect.

 

[msommer]

D. Anderson isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I say he is playing above average compared to all the QB's in the NFL. For his years of experience and number of actual starts I say he is playing as well as you can expect.

Phil Savage, is that you????

 

[CA_7]

After a hot start, I think it became clear later that Anderson is what he is -- a substandard QB with questionable decision making ability. He has a low completion % and forces too many balls. If not for the skills of Winslow and Braylon he wouldn't have looked as good as he did. People hanging their hat on Anderson for the future will pay for it. He's a 1/2 year wonder and that's all.

Exactly. NFL guys on Sirius talk about this all the time. Look at guys like Vince Young and Leinart last year, hot start and then they come back to reality of dealing with challenge of NFL once teamd get a few games worth of tape to work worth.

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

After a hot start, I think it became clear later that Anderson is what he is -- a substandard QB with questionable decision making ability. He has a low completion % and forces too many balls. If not for the skills of Winslow and Braylon he wouldn't have looked as good as he did. People hanging their hat on Anderson for the future will pay for it. He's a 1/2 year wonder and that's all.

Exactly. NFL guys on Sirius talk about this all the time. Look at guys like Vince Young and Leinart last year, hot start and then they come back to reality of dealing with challenge of NFL once teamd get a few games worth of tape to work worth.

The same guys on Sirius that predicted no more than two wins for the Browns? Anderson may hit, he may miss in the long run. However, almost EVERY young QB/1st year starter goes through a lull as teams learn their weaknesses. One of the most loved QBs in Browns history Bernie Kosar never even came close to 28 TDs in a season, and since a Steeler fan started this thread, Hall of Famer and career 70.9 QB Rating Terry Bradshaw had 28 TDs once, in 1978 where he also had 20 INTs. Anderson has 28 TDs and 18 INTs. Pretty good production for a backup QB going into the season for a team expected to compete for the worst in the league. Now all the sudden they are loaded, with the skills of Braylon, Winslow, Lewis, etc.... But if you want to play both sides, go ahead.

 

[Fallerjw]

After a hot start, I think it became clear later that Anderson is what he is -- a substandard QB with questionable decision making ability. He has a low completion % and forces too many balls. If not for the skills of Winslow and Braylon he wouldn't have looked as good as he did. People hanging their hat on Anderson for the future will pay for it. He's a 1/2 year wonder and that's all.

Exactly. NFL guys on Sirius talk about this all the time. Look at guys like Vince Young and Leinart last year, hot start and then they come back to reality of dealing with challenge of NFL once teamd get a few games worth of tape to work worth.

The same guys on Sirius that predicted no more than two wins for the Browns? Anderson may hit, he may miss in the long run. However, almost EVERY young QB/1st year starter goes through a lull as teams learn their weaknesses. One of the most loved QBs in Browns history Bernie Kosar never even came close to 28 TDs in a season, and since a Steeler fan started this thread, Hall of Famer and career 70.9 QB Rating Terry Bradshaw had 28 TDs once, in 1978 where he also had 20 INTs. Anderson has 28 TDs and 18 INTs. Pretty good production for a backup QB going into the season for a team expected to compete for the worst in the league. Now all the sudden they are loaded, with the skills of Braylon, Winslow, Lewis, etc.... But if you want to play both sides, go ahead.

It's clear that I'm not the biggest Anderson fan on the board, but he has done a heck of a job for a 24 year old who took over a team in the middle of week 1. He has the chance to be really good, but the jury is still out.