CLEVELAND- The image of the unsuccessful small/mid-major school quarterback should be laid to rest.
In the AFC North, three dominant small/mid-major school quarterbacks experienced a lot of success straight out of the gate; Ben Roethlisberger from the University of Miami (Ohio), Andy Dalton from Texas Christian University (TCU) and Joe Flacco from the University of Delaware.
Many fans of all the Steelers, Bengals and Ravens may have been irate at first, even yelling at their televisions as their teams selected these quarterbacks from humble beginnings. In the case of Dalton, he notched a win in the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin.
Can the Browns repeat the success of their division foes by employing the same strategy for the second time by selecting Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson?
After more analysis of his game tape and pro day, he is obviously a success story in the making.
Browns fans may shiver at the thought as flashbacks to Charlie Frye out of the University of Akron will enter their minds. It is neither fair nor valid to judge the idea based on one failed quarterback.
After all, quarterbacks like Matt Leinart out of the University Of Southern California (USC), Vince Young out of the University of Texas, Mark Sanchez out USC, and Blaine Gabbert out of the University of Missouri all serve as examples to prove the point that big school quarterbacks do not always get the job done consistently.
Some big name quarterbacks get off to fast starts with a winning rookie season before being hit with the reality that they can’t win in the NFL year after year. The epidemic of losing can be attributed to devastating injuries or a simple matter of defenses figuring out the weaknesses of these quarterbacks; perhaps even a combination of both.