By Mike Wilkening
Jan. 19, 2008

In the months leading up to the 2007 season, Browns QBs Derek Anderson and Charlie Frye competed for the starting job. Anderson impressed some days, Frye shone on others, but neither could take the position as his own.

All the while, No. 3 QB Brady Quinn, the first-round pick from Notre Dame, got the lion’s share of attention. Quinn fell behind the veteran quarterbacks in training camp after holding out for two weeks, but the clamoring for him didn’t cease, especially when Cleveland’s veteran quarterbacks struggled in the preseason.

Eventually, Frye won the starting job. But he was benched early in the loss to Pittsburgh in the season opener on Sept. 9. Two days later, the Browns traded Frye to Seattle and named Anderson their starter. The news that drew the majority of the attention, however, was that Quinn was now the backup. Whether the Browns needed to rush Quinn into the lineup was the pressing topic of the day.

That was a little more than four months ago. But doesn’t it feel like four years?

Browns QB Derek Anderson

It was a performance that has the Browns talking about signing Anderson, a restricted free agent, to a long-term deal. And it was one that garnered him Most Improved Player of the Year honors from Pro Football Weekly and the Pro Football Writers of America.

Anderson, 24, will enter the 2008 season as the Browns’ No. 1 quarterback, general manager Phil Savage said last week.

“I think our staff and our head coach (Romeo Crennel), everyone affiliated with the Browns in the building here, feels compelled that based off what Derek did this year and based off the fact that we have some things in place, that he deserves to go into the batter’s box and swing for the fences next year,” Savage said. “That’s what our expectation is going to be, that he’s a home-run hitter, and we’re going to hope that he hits some home runs for us.”

The description fits the 6-6, 230-pound Anderson well. He threw two or more TD passes in 10-of-15 starts. Only four quarterbacks, all stars — Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger — threw more TD passes.

Five of those scores came in Anderson’s first start of the ’07 season, a 51-45 win vs. Cincinnati that changed the fortunes of both clubs. WR Braylon Edwards caught eight passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns, while TE Kellen Winslow snagged six passes for 100 yards and a score. If nothing else, Anderson had proven he knew how to get the ball to his best receivers in optimal positions — something Frye struggled to do.

“One of the things Derek did was put the ball out there and say, ‘My athletes are better than your athletes,’ ” said one pro personnel director who assessed Anderson’s play on condition that his name not be used.

With Anderson at the controls of the offense, and with coordinator Rob Chudzinski calling the plays, the Browns finished eighth in the NFL in points and yards after finishing near the bottom of the league in both categories a season ago. What’s more, the Browns’ offense played with verve and aggressiveness that it had lacked.

That’s not to say everything went smoothly in Anderson’s first season as a starter. At times, his accuracy deserted him for long stretches. Also, Anderson threw 19 interceptions, four coming in a 19-14 loss at Cincinnati on Dec. 23 that prevented the Browns from clinching a playoff berth. 

“Turnovers were a big thing,” Anderson said after the season finale. “I wish I could have a few of those back. I’ll get better.”

The Ravens selected Anderson in the sixth round of the 2005 draft. As a rookie, he survived the last round of training-camp cuts, but Baltimore released him on Sept. 20. Savage, who worked in Baltimore before leaving for his current position in Cleveland, signed Anderson before the Ravens could add him to their practice squad.

It was a little-noticed move at the time. But Anderson worked his way up the depth chart, starting three games in place of an injured Frye in 2006 and earning a shot at the starting job this season.

Now, it’s his job to lose.

All-time winners

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Links to 2007 PFW/PFWA awards