Brady Quinn entered to a standing ovation from the home crowd and made his debut for the Cleveland Browns Sunday, playing one series while Derek Anderson was sidelined with a hand injury. Quinn played for only one series, the Browns final possession of the first half. He was 3-8, for 45 yards.
Quinn’s first pass was tipped at the line and fell short of his intended receiver. His second pass was also short, but could have been caught if the running back was able to make a good play. Quinn then completed his next three passes for 15, 12 and 18 - all for first downs. With first and goal from the 49ers six yard line, Quinn passed three times. His first was thrown away to the right corner after good coverage negated a fade route. He threw a strike to Braylon Edwards in the back of the endzone. The pass went through Edwards hands as the combination of excellent coverage with a possible drop negated Quinn’s first opportunity at a touchdown. On third and goal, Quinn found Kellen Winslow Jr. wide open in the short center of the endzone, but his pass bounced off Winslow’s chest as Brady’s final chance at his first career touchdown pass, instead lead to a field goal by Phil Dawson.
In a postgame interview that can be viewed on the Browns multimedia site, Quinn was asked if he was disappointed only being in for one series. Quinn again showed the maturity of a team player that has been raved about by Cleveland teammates and columnists alike.
I’ve said this all year long. Every quarterback wants to be in there as much as possible until the end of a game. Of course going in there for one series was a little bit of a tease, but it was great just to get in there and have the experience. It keeps you hungry.
The Browns defeated the 49ers 20-7 to finish a 10-6 season. They missed the playoffs when the Titans beat the Colts late Sunday.
After the game, CBS cameras caught a midfield embrace between former Irish players Quinn (Browns QB), Arnaz Battle (49ers WR) and Bryant Young (49ers DT). Young had played the final game of his 14 year career.
After last week’s impressive preseason debut for Brady Quinn, critics brushed off the strong performance because it came in mop up time against the Lions’ 3rd string defense. This week Quinn was equally impressive against the first and second team defenses of the Denver Broncos. Quinn was 7 of 11 for 81 yards and a touchdown - his third of the preseason. Against the first team defense Quinn threw a beautiful 39 yard pass to Joe Jurevicius that was ruled out of bounds while his touchdown came against the second team defense.
Quinn’s impressive performance has people talking for a second week in a row. Here are some reactions to his performance.
It was one thing for Cleveland Browns coach Romeo Crennel to claim there was no quarterback controversy before Saturday’s preseason game with the Broncos. It is going to be quite another for him to still make that claim, after another strong showing by highly touted rookie Brady Quinn.
Cleveland’s other two quarterbacks ahead of Quinn on the depth chart also played well, however, but Quinn was arguably the best of the three and has Notre Dame and first-round NFL draftee pedigree behind him.
Quinn, the former Notre Dame star selected 22nd overall in the draft, played his second game as a pro and marched the Browns down the field on his first two series, one of which resulted in a 20-yard scoring pass in Cleveland’s 17-16 victory at Invesco Field at Mile High.
In his second pro game, Quinn was impressive again. This meant more because he faced many of the Denver Broncos’ first-team defenders when he took the field early in the third quarter as opposed to the Detroit Lions’ third-stringers a week earlier.
Quinn led the Browns to a touchdown. By far, Frye and Quinn had better command of the team than Anderson.
Quinn was efficient and effective for the second straight game, leading the Cleveland Browns past the Denver Broncos 17-16, although it probably wasn’t enough to win him the starting job over Charlie Frye.
Quinn threw a pass in the left flat that Joshua Cribbs turned into a nifty 20-yard touchdown to break a 10-10 tie in the third quarter, but the rookie from Notre Dame was robbed of another apparent TD toss on Cleveland’s previous possession.
Although Joe Jurevicius hauled in Quinn’s perfectly thrown 39-yard pass in the end zone, the nearest official ruled he didn’t get both feet down before going out of bounds - replays showed otherwise, but Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel didn’t challenge the call.
The rookie was a stunner a second straight Saturday.
After Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson got two full series, the rookie hit the field with 11 minutes left in the third quarter.
A dink pass and Jason Wright’s run yielded a quick first down. Fancy footwork on a reverse pivot allowed Quinn to find running back Jerome Harrison open for a 17-yard catch and run.
On second and 11, Kellen Winslow made a spectacular 24-yard catch over the middle. It wouldn’t have happened without a QB who has enough arm and a lot of guts.
For those of you who missed Brady Quinn’s NFL pre-season debut Saturday night, the Browns rookie was pretty impressive. Quinn entered the game down 23-7 with just a shade over 9 minutes remaining and ended up rallying his troops to two fourth quarter scores. Quinn’s performance wasn’t enough to secure a win for the Browns, but his play has received a lot of praise from around the NFL.
Quinn’s final stats were 13 of 20 (including 3 spikes to stop the clock) for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Now, before you say, “yeah, but it was against guys who won’t have a job in a couple weeks”, remember that the guys blocking for Quinn and the guys Quinn was throwing too are likely in that same boat.
Despite being on the other end of the chants, Frye said he was happy for Quinn, who completed 13 of 20 attempts for 155 yards and two touchdowns. What’s more, four of his incompletions were spikes.
“When [the fans chanted for] me when I was on the field, I was excited,” Frye said. “For his first game for the crowd to be excited that he’s in there, I think that’s good for him.”
He said Quinn showed good poise.
“He took what the defense gave him and showed a little bit of his athleticism when he got out of the pocket and hit Efrem Hill on the sideline,” Frye said.
“I think Brady came in, and with the plays he had to execute, he did a good job,” Coach Romeo Crennel said.
Quinn did something neither of the other two quarterbacks was able to do. He reached the end zone.
He might be lagging behind the others in his coach’s eyes because of his prolonged holdout. But it’s only a matter of time before he plays. He appears to have more talent, composure and leadership qualities than the other two. Anderson and Frye are simply keeping the position warm for Quinn.
The first-round pick from Notre Dame could do no wrong.
“It was nice to be back on the field again, but the end result was we lost,” Quinn said. “You’re never happy when you lose.”
A 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions couldn’t dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm. A number of fans wore No. 10 jerseys and many stayed through a dreadful first half just to catch a glimpse of Quinn in the fourth quarter.
Yes, this was mop-up time against several players who won’t make Detroit’s roster. And, yes, the Lions played a “prevent defense” that allowed Quinn to pick up easy completions underneath their deep coverage.
But there was a discernible energy brought by Quinn. You could feel it as flashbulbs lighted Cleveland Browns Stadium like fireflies as Quinn’s career as the franchise’s hopeful savior got under way.
The “frisky colt” whose reins have been so tightened by coach Romeo Crennel made the derby contenders look like mules by comparison.
Afterward, Crennel poured cold water on the inevitable calls for Quinn to start ahead of Frye and Anderson.
“I can sit here and say he had a limited offense, but they’re going to be encouraged by what they saw,” Crennel said of fans. “Their best guys weren’t in there, but ours weren’t either. Let them get excited, but we still will do what we feel is best for this team.”
“I think my timing could have been better,” Quinn said. “There were a lot of things, detailed things that I can work on - technical, fundamental things.”
Even if Quinn was not ready to praise his own performance, he was relieved just to see game action following his tumultuous 16-day holdout.
“I’ve been holding a clipboard now for about a game and three quarters, so you get excited when you know you are going to get in and you’re just not sure when,” Quinn said. “You kind of get writer’s cramp over there taking down all those plays.”
Sure, many Lions on the field during Quinn’s exposure soon will embark on other careers and the coverage was rather loose, but the crowd unapologetically seized the moment, painfully aware of how much had gone wrong earlier.
Rhema McKnight found himself out of work Thursday when he was released by the New Orleans Saints who have a crowded wide receiver corps.
“The Saints made two roster moves on Thursday afternoon. They signed receiver Chris Jackson and guard Tim Duckworth, while waiving receiver Rhema McKnight and guard Wes Sims.” ( NOLA )
McKnight, however, was not out of work very long. On Friday, the Chargers found out that Eric Parker would be out for 10 weeks and signed McKnight.
In roster moves today, the club cut running back Reggie Merriweather and signed receiver Rhema McKnight, an undrafted free agent signed by New Orleans, but recently released.
The 6-1, 211 pound McKnight was one of the most productive receivers in Notre Dame history, and is known as an outstanding blocker with an excellent work ethic and intangibles. As a senior, he had 67 catches for 907 yards and 15 touchdowns. (Chargers Football Extra)
The Chargers aren’t particularly deep at receiver. They have, for the most part, a group of young and inexperienced receivers so there is a chance that McKnight could catch on here if he can show some consistency in camp. McKnight’s big knock last year were his hands - something that wasn’t as big of an issue prior for the 2006 season.
It’s crazy to think that a guy who scored 15 touchdowns in a single season for Notre Dame will have to fight for a roster spot in the NFL, but such seems to be the case with McKnight who went undrafted back in April. McKnight’s situation also makes the argument used against Brady Quinn leading up to the draft of his receivers making him look better than he was seem a bit silly. If his receivers were the ones making him look good why is it that one of them is already on his second NFL team one week into training camp?
Regardless, I’d love to see McKnight catch on with the Chargers if for no other reason than for giving me an excuse to buy one of those sweet powder blue Chargers jerseys. San Diego…. Super Chargers… San Diego Chargers… CHARGE! (second best team fight song in the NFL behind Fly Eagles Fly)
Walker was fortunate it was only a week. He was released July 23, then re-signed Saturday after Chris Taylor suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The team that didn’t think he was worth taking to training camp didn’t have to convince him to return for another shot.
“All you could look forward to is just a chance somewhere, so when Houston called me back, I was thrilled,” Walker said. “I was like a kid at a candy store.”
Walker described the call from Texans general manager Rick Smith as “almost like a call from God.” The question now: Does Walker have a prayer of making the team?
According to the same Houston Chronicle article, Walker is taking advantage of his second chance with the Texans.
Walker has hit holes in practice like he believes he can do it. Texans coaches, who didn’t think he had a chance two weeks ago, are impressed and regularly shouting out, “Nice play, (No.) 37!” in practice.
“Whatever he did from the time we let him go before training camp opened till the time we brought him back, some light went on,” Kubiak said. “I think he understands what he’s got to do and the small window there is to become a pro football player. And I see a kid that’s back ready to do it the right way and take advantage of the situation.”
Maybe getting cut before camp served as a wake up call for Walker. One of the knocks against Walker has always been that he didn’t hit holes with authority and he shyed away from contact - maybe getting cut has opened his eyes and let him know that at the NFL level, teams wants backs who fight for the extra yards. Whether that is the case or not remains to be seen, but here’s Walker good luck making the Texans roster - with their stable of running backs he will need it.
According to the Houston Texans’ official website, Darius Walker was released Monday a week before training camps around the the NFL are set to open.
Walker originally was set to sign with the Bears after not being selected in April’s draft, but ended up signing with the Texans who also brought in free agent running back Ahman Green this off-season to compete with Domanick Davis who missed all of 2006 due to injury.
Monday’s news is just another set back for the former Notre Dame running back who left Notre Dame after his junior year to pursue an NFL career. Unfortunately for Walker, things haven’t gone too well for him. Had he come back to Notre Dame for his senior season, he would have challenged for the all time rushing record currently held by Autry Denson.
Walker will have a week to shop around and find a team before camps begin across the league next week.
Victor Abiamiri signed his first NFL contract Sunday when he and the Eagles agreed to terms on a four year deal after Philadelphia drafted him in the second round of April’s NFL Draft. As the Philly Inquirer reported:
Abiamiri, a second-round pick from Notre Dame, and Ilaoa, a seventh-round pick out of Hawaii, received four-year deals. Abiamiri will report to camp competing for playing time at defensive end, where the Eagles have five other players with significant NFL experience: Jevon Kearse, Darren Howard, Trent Cole, Juqua Thomas and Jerome McDougle. Abiamiri’s arrival could make it difficult for McDougle, a former first-round pick, to make the roster.
The Eagles love drafting defensive linemen - they spent first round picks on defensive tackles in 2005 and 2006 (Mike Patterson and Broderick Bunkley) - mainly because defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is a big proponent of using a lot of defensive linemen during a game. Abiamiri should see the field as a rookie if he shows something in camp despite the Eagles depth at the position because of Johnson’s philosophy. At worst he should be the 5th DE in for the Eagles as it is widely speculated that McDougle is all but gone.
I plan on making a couple trips to Eagles training camp this summer and will update his progress with the Birds.
Former Notre Dame standout Dave Duerson has been in the news lately because of a little feud that seems to be brewing between he and Mike Ditka. Ditka has been championing for player’s rights along with Joe DeLamielleure. Duerson, a member of the player union’s pension and disability board, told the Chicago Tribune the other day that Mike Ditka wasn’t too nurturing toward hi injured players.
“Mike was not one who gave a damn about the players or their injuries when he was coaching,” Duerson said in a Tribune interview. “He was very disrespectful of guys who got hurt and now he’s trying to champion for a couple of guys. The fact of the matter is he’s way off base and he’s late in the game.” (Chicago Tribune).
Ditka responded at a lively press conference today stating:
“Whether they were first string, second string, third string, or special teams, that I didn’t worry about them when they were injured, that I didn’t care abut them, that I didn’t try to help them, is an out-and-out outrageous lie,” Ditka said at a news conference at his downtown restaurant. (NBC5).
When Cam Cameron came out to address the Dolphins fans at their draft party after they selected Ted Ginn Jr over Brady Quinn he was met with a chorus of boos from the crowd. His response to calm them down?
“I’ve known this young man for over 10 years. I’ve watched this young man for a long time.’ You will be thrilled every time you watch him as a punt returner.”
Ummm… didn’t Cam Cam just spend a top 10 pick on Ginn? And yet he referred to him as a punt returner when he addressed the Dolphins fans. I’ll put aside my obvious Notre Dame bias for a second and imagine that I was a Dolphins fan.
Ok, I’m a Dolphins fan…. Now my team is about to release Dante Culpepper and only have Miss Cleo and Joey Harrington at quarterback and we already have a pretty good #1 receiver in Chris Chambers and now we drafted a receiver known to have bad hands and poor route running technique.
Hmmmm…. I don’t think i want to hear that this kid is going to be a great punt returner - at least not with the 10th pick. Come on Cam, your fan base is pissed you passed on a quarterback and your response is “You will be thrilled every time you watch him as a punt returner?” How about something like, “We feel we drafted a dynamic receiver who is going to make teams scheme against him because his speed causes a match-up problem every time he steps on the field?”
Wait, I guess that would have made too much sense, just like drafting a potential franchise quarterback over a “punt returner” would have made sense.
Victor Abiamiri was selected 57th overall by my beloved Philadelphia Eagles today. Considering the Eagles have a roster of under-producing and injury prone defensive ends, this is a pretty good situation for him. Throw into the mix that Jim Johnson, the Bird’s defensive coordinator, loves to bring pressure from every angle and it seems like a really good fit.
I’ll up at Eagles training camp plenty of times this summer and I’ll be sure to get some pics and have some posts about his progress.
For now, here’s one of Victor’s more memorable plays of his career.
JC said:
It looks like the right time for that extra incentive, a “Ranked Team.” The “competitive trash talking” incentive worked last week, hopefully, we... About: UHND Opponent Poll - Week 6
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(4 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
After last week’s impressive preseason debut for Brady Quinn, critics brushed off the strong performance because it came in mop up time against the Lions’ 3rd string defense. This week Quinn was equally impressive against the first and second team defenses of the Denver Broncos. Quinn was 7 of 11 for 81 yards and a touchdown - his third of the preseason. Against the first team defense Quinn threw a beautiful 39 yard pass to Joe Jurevicius that was ruled out of bounds while his touchdown came against the second team defense.
For those of you who missed Brady Quinn’s NFL pre-season debut Saturday night, the Browns rookie was pretty impressive. Quinn entered the game down 23-7 with just a shade over 9 minutes remaining and ended up rallying his troops to two fourth quarter scores. Quinn’s performance wasn’t enough to secure a win for the Browns, but his play has received a lot of praise from around the NFL.
(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)
Rhema McKnight found himself out of work Thursday when he was released by the New Orleans Saints who have a crowded wide receiver corps.
A week after being cut by the Texans, 
According to the Houston Texans’ official website, 
Victor Abiamiri signed his first NFL contract Sunday when he and the Eagles agreed to terms on a four year deal after Philadelphia drafted him in the second round of April’s NFL Draft. As the 
