Seneca Wallace says Cleveland Browns need to choose one QB, when all are healthy

[BernietheKid]

Seneca Wallace says Cleveland Browns need to choose one QB, when all are healthy

Published: Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 6:30 PM Updated: Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 7:07 PM

Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer


John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer
Seneca Wallace believes it will be soon time for Eric Mangini and the Browns to announce who is the starting quarterback when all three QBs are healthy. "We have to get a guy in there who runs the offense the best and continue to score points, and we’ll win the games," he said on Wednesday.

BEREA, Ohio -- The boot came off his injured right ankle. Now it appears that Seneca Wallace is taking the gloves off, as well.

As the Browns reach their bye weekend with questions about the future of their quarterback position, Wallace stated his case Wednesday to be the starter when the team returns to prepare for the New England Patriots.

Wallace isn't demanding anything. But he feels he made a strong statement for keeping the job before he suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half of the Atlanta game.

"Yeah, I feel that way," Wallace said. "At the end of the day, it comes down to the coaches. Whoever's doing the job the best, moving the team, scoring points, making the right decisions, then that should be the guy."

Wallace said the offense started coming around in his last two starts against Cincinnati and Atlanta.

"That was probably the best I've felt," Wallace said. "It's a learning experience each game I step out there. We're all still trying to figure it out. The Cincinnati and Atlanta games, things started feeling a lot smoother. Things started clicking. The offensive coordinator was calling good plays at the right time, and we had it going. Unfortunately I came down with an injury."

The Browns were 1-3 in Wallace's four starts. His 88.5 passer rating and 4-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio are the best of the team's quarterbacks.

Jake Delhomme, still not fully recovered from his own high ankle sprain, hobbled through the remainder of the Atlanta game in relief of Wallace and aggravated his injury. Those occurrences opened the door for rookie Colt McCoy, who now has made his own case for keeping the job in fairly impressive road performances in
Pittsburgh and New Orleans.

Coach Eric Mangini said he would pick his starting quarterback based on who he believes gives the team the best chance against the upcoming opponent.

Wallace said he "threw away" the protective boot he wore for two weeks and should be ready to practice Wednesday when preparations for the New England game intensify. He believes the team will only suffer if it continues to play musical quarterbacks.

"It comes down to Coach's decision," he said. "I can't stand here and say this guy's gonna be the starter. I don't know. This whole thing, the last couple years around here, it seems like it's been quarterback by committee, so who knows? We have to get a guy in there who runs the offense the best and continue to score points, and we'll win the games."

That's what Wallace was used to in Seattle, where he served as Matt Hasselbeck's backup on the team formerly coached by Browns President Mike Holmgren.

"This isn't college," Wallace said. "We don't switch quarterbacks in and out. I think when it comes down to rhythm and gelling together, when you have a quarterback in for one week and then the next week it's somebody else, that's not a good situation. You want a guy that's gonna be in there, be able to move the team and continue to do that week to week."

This topic will intensify when the Browns return from their bye. By then, we will know more about the status of Delhomme, who said after the New Orleans game that he doesn't want to return until his ankle "is right."

An interested observer of this situation is left tackle Joe Thomas, an offensive co-captain with Delhomme. He believes that Delhomme will return to the starting spot when healthy.

"All three have made a real good case for himself," Thomas said. "It's a lot better than the situation we were in last year when we couldn't find one who could play. This year it's like we have three guys who can play. So I don't think we can go wrong."

Thomas has never missed a snap in his 53 games as the Browns' left tackle. In that time he has blocked for eight starting quarterbacks.

"It'll be nice to, hopefully, some day have a starter for a long time," he said. "I think we're getting closer [to that]."

Montario sighting: Rookie running back Montario Hardesty reported his surgery on his right ACL was done five weeks ago by noted sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

Hardesty said his early rehab is coming along "really good." He said he'll revisit Andrews in a couple of weeks to get a better idea of the timetable for his return. He expects to be fully ready for the 2011 training camp.

Take a bow: Linebacker David Bowens was named AFC defensive player of the week for his two interception returns for touchdowns in the New Orleans game. It is the first such award of Bowens' career, coming in his 159th career game.

"It's a tremendous honor to get something like that, and to share it with this group of guys makes it even more special," said Bowens, 33.

Running back carousel: Most people feel that Peyton Hillis' hard-running style demands a capable backup to give him some reps off during games. When that time comes, will it be Mike Bell or the newest running back to jump on board, Thomas Clayton?

In two games since arriving via a trade with the Eagles, Bell has seven carries for a net of zero yards. His longest run is five yards. Before the Browns made the trade with Philadelphia, which sent Jerome Harrison packing, Clayton was on the Browns' practice squad getting reps with the first-team offense at practice.

The Patriots signed Clayton away and then waived him last weekend, with the intention of re-signing him this week. But when the Browns offered Clayton a contract, he took it.

"There's just a certain level of comfort that I feel here prior to leaving, and I was welcomed back," Clayton said. "The relationships here ... not to mention the playbook is something I'm real familiar with. It's pretty much identical to what I played with in San Francisco, believe it or not."

Clayton suffered an ACL tear in the 49ers' 2009 preseason and spent that year on injured reserve.

He said of his style, "I do a little bit of everything. I like to rely on my vision, my patience, my speed. I have good-enough size to run between the tackles and get those short, hard yards, too."

Seneca Wallace says Cleveland Browns need to choose one QB, when all are healthy | cleveland.com

[kydawgfan]

I would rather see colt learn but can understand why the coach will indeed choose jake if he is healthy, mangini will avoid a QB controversy this way by keeping the original lineup...jake, seneca and then colt...
Plus that i dont think this regime is ready to pack this season up just yet...

[Crow]

lol

seneca you are not good enough to talk shit

[Sez.EJ]

Seneca Wallace says Cleveland Browns need to choose one QB, when all are healthy

DUH??? Seneca your a master of the obvious. But I think he will be option #3.. as Jake or Colt have a higher chance of starting before him IMO when all are healthy.. Right now..Colt is the only healthy one..

[ThankyouFather]

wow, what arrogance.

[Bandaid]

I'm really torn on this. I"d really like to see how McCoy can handle the rest of the season but I also realize Jake had only one half before being injured to show us how he might perform. I totally discount the Atlanta game....he had no business being activated for that game and it showed.Wallace looked pretty good at times and damn bad at others. With all that said we are light years ahead of what we had last year. I guess I'll have to trust those in the know and hope for the best!!

[Danamal]

Wallace has been a career backup and he has done nothing to change my opinion of him in that regard.
They are all leaps and bounds better than the other two we sent packing but not quite what we want longterm.
I think we will shop QB pretty hard this draft and god willing let Heckert work his magic and get us a quality receiver to go along with it.
Many think Colt deserves the rest of the season but I'm not so sure,
Delhomme if healthy Can be the tweener we need so if he is healthy I want to see Delhomme finish this season strong as well as the rest of the team but if Colt steps it up and takes the job no question's asked then I think we would all be happy with that.
Wallace will always be two unless we get DA back!

[nickers]

Well If Mangini is dead set on losing his job then by all means start Jake...We all know hes washed up except Mangini..by starting Jake you pretty much are taking what momentum and enthusiam this team has and pissing it right into the toilet!.......but whatever.

[Enigmatic Evil]

I don't see it as arrogance so much as I see it as a player who is hungry to play. Who did not play BADLY when he started for us, certainly no worse than Colt has done in Wallace's abasence. I think it's great he's effectively calling out the coach and saying "Stop the QB bullshit, and tell us who's the guy for this team." Mangini has historically done more harm than good with the QB Carousel game and it doesn't matter if you're rotating BQ and DA or Delhomme/Wallace/McCoy you're still not helping the team.

We absolutely need to pick a guy and make him the centerpiece of our offense behind center (because Hillis is the obvious 'centerpiece' to this team).

I'm with Crow in the fact that I don't think Wallace is good, or has played well enough to be making these kinds of statements though, but regardless, props to Wallace for speaking out.

[golfer704u]

Originally Posted by Danamal

Wallace has been a career backup and he has done nothing to change my opinion of him in that regard.
They are all leaps and bounds better than the other two we sent packing but not quite what we want longterm.
I think we will shop QB pretty hard this draft and god willing let Heckert work his magic and get us a quality receiver to go along with it.
Many think Colt deserves the rest of the season but I'm not so sure,
Delhomme if healthy Can be the tweener we need so if he is healthy I want to see Delhomme finish this season strong as well as the rest of the team but if Colt steps it up and takes the job no question's asked then I think we would all be happy with that.
Wallace will always be two unless we get DA back!

once again, I am not sure why this discussion has to be about the rest of the season. For me it's about the game against the Patriots. For me, Colt McCoy earned the right to start against the Patriots, and also it's what would be best for the team for reasons I won't restate here again.

Who starts the week after the Patriots should be determined by how McCoy does against the Patriots.

[hiwaygal]

Originally Posted by golfer704u

once again, I am not sure why this discussion has to be about the rest of the season. For me it's about the game against the Patriots. For me, Colt McCoy earned the right to start against the Patriots, and also it's what would be best for the team for reasons I won't restate here again.

Who starts the week after the Patriots should be determined by how McCoy does against the Patriots.

To some extent, I think that may be how Mangini and Co. are looking at it too.

We've read comments from him about not worrying about next month or the end of the season, etc. (especially in reference to his job security). And I can understand why that might be a different thing.

But in reality, two, three, four weeks from now doesn't matter. The next game is the one that matters.

Although I will agree Wallace makes a good point. Musical QB's is not an answer...

[Inspecta]

I thought this part was rather illuminating.

"That was probably the best I've felt," Wallace said. "It's a learning experience each game I step out there. We're all still trying to figure it out. The Cincinnati and Atlanta games, things started feeling a lot smoother. Things started clicking. The offensive coordinator was calling good plays at the right time, and we had it going. Unfortunately I came down with an injury."

Which is to imply that before this, he wasn't......haha...Dabs I hate you