Browns QB Derek Anderson will remain the Browns' starting quarterback, head coach Eric Mangini said Monday. Anderson completed just 12-of-29 passes for 99 yards in a 31-3 loss to Green Bay on Sunday.

"I think DA gives us the best chance to move the ball," Mangini said, according to the Browns' official Twitter feed. "The numbers aren't impressive but he hasn't been alone in producing them."

Anderson, 26, has completed 60-of-137 passes for 605 yards with two TDs and seven interceptions since replacing Brady Quinn in Week Three. He is last in the league in completion percentage (43.8) and QB rating (40.6).

According to The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, Mangini said that his decision to keep Anderson in the lineup had "nothing" to do with a clause in Quinn's contract triggering a $10.9 million escalator if he plays 70 percent of the offensive snps this season.

The PFW spin

Mangini yanked Quinn after 2½ games because the offense mustered just one touchdown and the Browns' passing offense did little to scare anyone.

After 4½ games, Anderson has been clearly worse. Let's look at the numbers:

Quinn: 45-of-74 passing (60.8 completion percentage), 400 yards, one TD, three INTs, 5.4 yards per attempt, 62.9 QB rating, 10 sacks taken.

Anderson: 60-of-137 passing (43.8 completion percentage), 605 yards, two TDs, seven INTs, 4.4 yards per attempt, 40.6 QB rating, eight sacks taken.

To be fair, Anderson has not been helped by a bevy of dropped passes, but he has completed just 23 of his last 70 throws in his last three games. Only a team extraordinary in all other facets could even dream of consistently competing in spite of such inefficiency in the passing game. And indeed, the Browns' only win in this stretch was a grind-it-out 6-3 triumph at Buffalo marked by great games by the running game, defense and special teams. Also, windy conditions made it tough on both offenses, and the Bills' offense sputtered, too.

And that's what the Browns will need to win if they can't pass: every other facet of their game stepping up, plus a few breaks.

This is Mangini's offense. He made the call to deal TE Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards, which might prove to be good long-term moves, but the deals left Cleveland with no accomplished pass catchers whom defenses had to fear. He changed offensive schemes, hiring Jets QB coach Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator. In free agency, the Browns focused on their defense (a strategy that has hardly paid off). The Browns did draft WR Mohamed Massaquoi (17 catches, 300 yards), but he's not a No. 1 receiver just yet and caught just one pass on Sunday.

Then, Mangini carried out a prolonged offseason competition between Quinn and Anderson, waiting until days before the season opener vs. Minnesota to name Quinn the starter. After all of that, Quinn lasted just 10 quarters at the helm of the offense before Mangini switched gears.

It is very difficult to understand Mangini's reasoning on staying with Anderson. If Anderson "gives us the best chance to move the ball," as he suggested, why didn't he name Anderson the starter from the beginning? Why hold a long QB competition only to make a change in Week Three? And, if Anderson isn't the only person to blame for the offense's problems, why wasn't there a more aggressive effort to fix the issues via free agency, the trade market and via the draft? This was, after all, the NFL's 31st-ranked offense last season.

The trading deadline has passed. The draft is next April. Free agency offers no quick fixes this time of year. This is the Browns' offense, and it has scored four touchdowns in seven games.