Brady Quinn Traded to Denver

The Cleveland Browns chewed up another quarterback and spit him out on Sunday.

It's no surprise. The Browns have been going through quarterbacks this way since 1999.

Brady Quinn, once feted as the savior and future, was traded to Denver for a bunch of orange cones and a few used mouthpieces. The Browns have turned their quarterback position over to 35-year-old Jake Delhomme, coming off the worst season in his career, and to Seneca Wallace, a career backup.

The two guys who started every game last season are gone. Derek Anderson was released, Quinn -- a much-celebrated first-round draft pick in 2007 -- was traded. Cleveland dealt a 2007 second-round pick and a 2008 first-rounder to Dallas at the 2007 draft for the chance to select Quinn No. 22 overall.

The compensation for Quinn this time around? Peyton Hillis (eight starts and 397 yards in two seasons as a fullback/running back), a sixth-round draft pick in 2011 and a conditional pick in 2012.

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The Browns did not even receive a pick in this year's draft for a guy they once considered their future.

Statistics can be deceiving, of course, but Browns fans are chewing on these numbers right now: Quinn played in 10 games in 2009, and threw for eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Delhomme played in 11 games, and threw for eight touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

A few days ago, new Browns president Mike Holmgren had admitted that Quinn's future depended on what happened in free agency. He said, on the one hand, Quinn had not had enough time to prove himself, but on the other, he knew that sometimes players with a fresh start play better.

Apparently, the Browns feel they are better with a fresh start, even though the guy they signed is being paid $12 million by the Panthers not to play in Carolina.

Quinn's play didn't exactly demand another chance in Cleveland. His career passer rating is a woeful 66.4, his completion percentage 52.1 percent, and his won-lost record is 3-9. These are not stats that earn a starting spot, by any means.

But Quinn was given away with the recycling. It's hard to imagine his value being that low, or staying that low. Keeping him for another year with Delhomme seemed logical, especially given Delhomme's sterling reputation as a professional and the paltry return.

Judging Quinn on the debacle that was 2009 seems curious, at best. He "won" the starting job coming out of training camp, then played 10 quarters before he was benched. He returned late in the season, but missed the final two games with a sprained foot. In 2008, he started three games before being sidelined with a broken finger. But in his two full games, the Browns scored 30 and 29 points.

Quinn moves on ... to a team that wants him.
Back in Cleveland, it's still difficult to see a clear plan from the Browns about their quarterback. Delhomme has been a shadow of his former self since he threw five interceptions and fumbled once in a playoff loss to Arizona following the 2008 season. He could recover mentally, but he also could not.

The age of the Browns top two quarterbacks when the season starts? Delhomme will be 35, Wallace will be 30. Can anyone say Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford with the seventh pick in the draft?

The Browns followers have been through the aging-quarterback-arriving-in-town-to-resurrect-his-career routine, too.

Since 1999, the team has given its starting job to (among others) Ty Detmer, Trent Dilfer and Jeff Garcia. All received big money to come to Cleveland . None lasted a season.

Dilfer was replaced by Charlie Frye. Frye was replaced by Derek Anderson. Quinn kind of, sort of took over for Anderson.

When Quinn was drafted, he gushed about joining the team he grew up cheering for. Pictures of him as a child wearing a Bernie Kosar jersey circulated in the Cleveland media. He was, in his words, living a dream.

In a short time, his dream exploded in his face. He's now one of 13 quarterbacks to start a game for the Browns since '99, a list that includes Spergon Wynn, Luke McCown and Ken Dorsey.

Quinn has a chance to resurrect his career.

The Browns will try (again) to resurrect their team with someone else's quarterback.