Some say that Cleveland Browns quarterback, Brandon Weeden‘s rookie year was a failed experiment. You could also say that Weeden wasn’t in the absolute best situation for him to succeed. Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
Drafted by the old regime in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Weeden had many ups and many downs last season. At times, you had to have been watching and screaming at the TV saying, “Why did you throw that ball Weeden?” or “Who was that to?” However, there was also times where you probably said, “What a great ball!” or “That was an awesome throw!” Based off of last season, my grade on Weeden is incomplete and completely deserves this year to earn his keep.
Many fans as well as myself believe that Weeden was not used to his full abilities. The fact that Weeden was used in shot-gun less than forty percent of the time to rank near the bottom of the league, will attest to that. At Oklahoma State, Weeden played in the shotgun over ninety percent of the time. Pat Shurmur‘s poor version of the west coast offense that consisted mostly of slant patterns, was not meant for Weeden or any other tall, rocket-armed quarterback.
Throw the overrated QB rating out the window. Numbers don’t lie and Weeden did throw for a Browns rookie record 3,385 yards. While the 29 year old did throw 17 interceptions (some completely ill-advised throws), Weeden did also throw 14 touchdowns and very easily could have had two or three more if not for dropped passes. Weeden was sacked 28 times because lack-of protection and poor pocket presence. The Oklahoma native must improve pocket presence and ability to find open passing lanes.
With a new offensive coordinator that specializes in Weeden’s strengths, there is no reason to believe that Weeden could not break through in 2013. By simpling adding the veteran receivers in Davone Bess and big target, David Nelson, Weeden should strive. While it’s nice to have a quality back-up veteran quarterback named Jason Campbell, Weeden is the starter for the Browns.
Everyone in Cleveland and the nation know that is Weeden’s job to lose. Hopefully, he has put in all the necessary time and effort this off-season. It’s time for Weeden to prove the nay-sayers wrong and play some quality football we all know he can play.
Ryan Ruiz is the Cleveland Browns Beat Writer for The Inscriber. You can follow him on Twitter @ryanpruiz24 and Facebook: Ryan (BrownsWriter) Ruiz.