First day of school -- QB battle begins
Yahoo says Holcomb will win job
Unknown fan reports on 30 minutes of practice at quarterback scool -- the first known report of the QBs in action.
As Quarterback school opens today, the time has come to blather about the quaterback position...
I am a Couch fan. But last season he lost me -- there was a moment after a particularly bad decision during the first Ravens game where I announced this to several dozen fellow fans in section 503. I thought he needed to be benched on the merit of his play that week; it looked like he just wasn't prepared to play. A benching would have testing him, and maybe knocked it through his head that he has to come to play. But that's not how it went down.... he got hurt, shed tears, and all hell broke loose with the QB situation.
While Holcomb's great performance in the playoffs is a big vote in his favor, there is much more to the situation. Couch's attitude after the first Ravens game was not good (they booed me, WAAYHHh!!!) but was fiery (cuss words, etc.). Couch inconsistent play the rest of the way was both good (he hung in there) and bad (he looked bad much of the time). Then in the big victory in the second Ravens game he pulled a rabbit out of the hat for a huge win -- but proceeded to flip the bird to the fans on the way out. Not too classy. If Couch could even harness his intensity and leadership ability he could be a force to be reckoned with -- but there are a lot of questions about that.
Almost everything about Holcomb is positive -- he's a steady leader, and aggressive thrower, and seems prepared for the job. No one doubts that if Holcomb starts this team will win often. He probably doesn't have quite the physical attributes of Couch but he's not too far behind. The biggest thing for Holcomb is his ability to stay healthy since he was hurt twice last season.
I think Holcomb is bound to start some games in 2003. The question is whether this happens because he becomes the starter right out of training camp, or whether he subs in when Couch is hurt or ineffective. The "qb battle" is interesting but is not about one guy coming out on top -- it's about getting both of these guys ready to play, because it's a safe bet the team will need each player at different points of the year.
If Couch wins the job (and he sure looked good last preseason) he'll be on a short leash. There will be pressure to be consistent and to keep a cool head. Holcomb's presence will test (and hopefully encourage) Couch's maturity. This is a test every Browns fan should hope Couch passes (pun intended).
If Holcomb wins the job he will likely be more entenched as the starter, and Couch will play only if there is an injury. It seems likely Holcomb would hold the job and play well, perhaps extremely well. A season as the second-stringer would be another sort of test for Couch. If Holcomb stays healthy and ended the year as the starter, the Browns would seek to sign him to an extensions and Couch would be traded since his contract is far too big to justify as a backup. This is not a bad outcome, though one potentially bad outcome is Holcomb not re-signing with the Browns and Couch back as the starter in 2004 --- that could be awkward and probably disastrous.
For 2003 this "battle" is likely to be good for the team. I rate the possibilities this way:
The main thing for the Browns is that someone ends the year playing very well. If it is Couch, that's great cause they've got a lot of money invested in him and perhaps they can even retain Holcomb. If it is Holcomb, that is wonderful too because it means he played very well and perhaps the team can trade Couch for a 2nd or 3rd rounder. The team would take a salary cap hit, but the issue would be settled.
Yahoo says Holcomb will win job
Unknown fan reports on 30 minutes of practice at quarterback scool -- the first known report of the QBs in action.
As Quarterback school opens today, the time has come to blather about the quaterback position...
I am a Couch fan. But last season he lost me -- there was a moment after a particularly bad decision during the first Ravens game where I announced this to several dozen fellow fans in section 503. I thought he needed to be benched on the merit of his play that week; it looked like he just wasn't prepared to play. A benching would have testing him, and maybe knocked it through his head that he has to come to play. But that's not how it went down.... he got hurt, shed tears, and all hell broke loose with the QB situation.
While Holcomb's great performance in the playoffs is a big vote in his favor, there is much more to the situation. Couch's attitude after the first Ravens game was not good (they booed me, WAAYHHh!!!) but was fiery (cuss words, etc.). Couch inconsistent play the rest of the way was both good (he hung in there) and bad (he looked bad much of the time). Then in the big victory in the second Ravens game he pulled a rabbit out of the hat for a huge win -- but proceeded to flip the bird to the fans on the way out. Not too classy. If Couch could even harness his intensity and leadership ability he could be a force to be reckoned with -- but there are a lot of questions about that.
Almost everything about Holcomb is positive -- he's a steady leader, and aggressive thrower, and seems prepared for the job. No one doubts that if Holcomb starts this team will win often. He probably doesn't have quite the physical attributes of Couch but he's not too far behind. The biggest thing for Holcomb is his ability to stay healthy since he was hurt twice last season.
I think Holcomb is bound to start some games in 2003. The question is whether this happens because he becomes the starter right out of training camp, or whether he subs in when Couch is hurt or ineffective. The "qb battle" is interesting but is not about one guy coming out on top -- it's about getting both of these guys ready to play, because it's a safe bet the team will need each player at different points of the year.
If Couch wins the job (and he sure looked good last preseason) he'll be on a short leash. There will be pressure to be consistent and to keep a cool head. Holcomb's presence will test (and hopefully encourage) Couch's maturity. This is a test every Browns fan should hope Couch passes (pun intended).
If Holcomb wins the job he will likely be more entenched as the starter, and Couch will play only if there is an injury. It seems likely Holcomb would hold the job and play well, perhaps extremely well. A season as the second-stringer would be another sort of test for Couch. If Holcomb stays healthy and ended the year as the starter, the Browns would seek to sign him to an extensions and Couch would be traded since his contract is far too big to justify as a backup. This is not a bad outcome, though one potentially bad outcome is Holcomb not re-signing with the Browns and Couch back as the starter in 2004 --- that could be awkward and probably disastrous.
For 2003 this "battle" is likely to be good for the team. I rate the possibilities this way:
- 40% Holcomb starts the year as the starter. He plays good, maybe great. Couch spells Holcomb in event of injury. Holcomb ends year as starter.
- 30% Couch starts the year as starter. He plays okay, possibly very good. Holcomb spells Couch in event of injury, and possibily spells him when Couch has a bad day. Couch ends year as starter.
- 15% Holcomb starts the year as the starter. He either plays well but gets hurt, or plays poorly. Couch seizes the oppurtunity and takes over as starter for the rest of the season.
- 15% Couch starts the year as starter. He plays inconsistently and Holcomb takes over in midseason. Holcomb ends year as starter.
The main thing for the Browns is that someone ends the year playing very well. If it is Couch, that's great cause they've got a lot of money invested in him and perhaps they can even retain Holcomb. If it is Holcomb, that is wonderful too because it means he played very well and perhaps the team can trade Couch for a 2nd or 3rd rounder. The team would take a salary cap hit, but the issue would be settled.
posted by Michael @ 2:28 PM
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