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BEREA, Ohio –- What has never been in question is Derek Anderson's arm. The football leaves his hands with a blunt, naked velocity just as it did during a recent Browns practice, when Anderson threw downfield to Mike Furrey.
The football traveled some 30 to 40 yards and reached Furrey so quickly it seemed to actually catch the wide receiver by surprise. Furrey caught it using his hands to first slow the football and then the front of his shoulder pads as an air break. Even from that distance the impact of the football hitting the pads made a loud bang.
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It was another moment when Anderson again demonstrated he possesses one of the bigger cranks in football and after the play he showed something else: He's having fun again.
After the touchdown Anderson ran as fast as his lumbering 6-6 frame would allow. He wrapped Furrey in his arms and lifted him off the ground, celebrating that insignificant training camp play with the glee of a record producer hearing a Motown great sing for the first time.
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Sleeper ... Brian Robiskie: The Browns went into the NFL Draft knowing they needed help at receiver. Plus, they had to replace Kellen Winslow's production. So Cleveland spent two early picks on Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi, and the rookie duo will see plenty of time. Robiskie comes into the NFL as a polished receiver after his time at Ohio State and also as the son of one of the best receiver coaches in the league, with his dad Terry currently with the Falcons. You can draft Robiskie with a late-round pick in seasonal leagues. Breakout ... Brady Quinn: Fantasy owners were giddy about Quinn after one game last season when he got his first start against the Broncos. He passed for 239 yards and two touchdowns and looked like he was ready to live up to the hype. He then had a mediocre performance against Buffalo before getting hurt in his third start against Houston, which ended his season. If Quinn starts 16 games he could pass for 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. He will need help from Edwards, and the young receivers must develop right away. He's worth drafting as a No. 2 QB late. Bust ... Jamal Lewis: We said Lewis was a bust last year, and he didn't let us down by rushing for only 1,002 yards and four touchdowns. We're going with Lewis as a bust again because he's only going to get worse. Coach Eric Mangini has also said backup RB Jerome Harrison will get carries on first and second down to preserve Lewis, which means this is a tandem situation. We like Harrison as a sleeper, and the better he plays the more Lewis will remain on the sideline. You should still draft Lewis as a No. 3 RB, but he should not be selected before Round 7 at the earliest. -- Jamey Eisenberg Current Draft Averages QB: Brady Quinn (163rd overall) RB: Jamal Lewis (95th) WR: Braylon Edwards (63rd) TE: None |
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Except there was some actual meaning to the scene. In parts of last year's ugly 4-12 season the normally giddy Anderson had lost more than his standing as the team's definitive starter. He had lost a small piece of himself. The normal Anderson humor had been drained by the muck of a miserable year. Derek Anderson was no longer Derek Anderson. He was something else. He was miserable.
So he vowed the old Anderson would make a return to this camp. And he's back. Following a recent practice he played a game of tag in the end zone with a group of young kids. Anderson might not end up as the starter, but he has refused to channel his inner jerkiness, no matter what happens.
"There are a lot of different things that went into" his decision to have fun with football again, Anderson explained. "But I just said, 'Hey, go out there and put my best foot forward and play as good as I can, have as much fun as I can and help my teammates and not get too caught up in the big mess.'"
The reintegration of Anderson's real personality comes just in time for him. He has been embroiled in maybe the most intense and crusted quarterback battle in the league: Anderson vs. Brady Quinn.
The job was once Anderson's. Following a 2007 season in which he tossed 29 touchdown passes, the idea he'd ever fight for a starting job seemed as remote as Mike Vick being given a guest pass for the Dawg Pound.
But here he is, smack dab in a huge battle with Quinn.
It's likely this battle between Quinn and Anderson will go right up until the end of preseason. The players are splitting snaps equally and the staff is going out of its way to project that the competition is neck and neck. But it would be a shock if Quinn wasn't eventually named the starter.
One has to wonder -- and maybe this is unfair –- if Quinn has been gifted equal status to Anderson because he's is a first-round pick and the organization has invested more resources in him. Mangini didn't draft Quinn, but a first-rounder is a first-rounder. Plus Quinn, from Dublin, Ohio, is a local favorite of the fans and media.
What has hurt Anderson is the perception that Quinn works harder and is more dedicated. Quinn is also able to digest the nuances of running an offense better than Anderson.
longbombgudnite: What type or percentage of plays do you expect to receive in the passing game? Is there an amount of production, (yards per catch, total yardage, number of touchdowns, etc.) that you would consider a baseline of which you would want to attain this season? Basically, what are your personal goals that you have penciled in for yourself?  Braylon Edwards, wide receiver: My personal goals are to have us win. However we win, it doesn't really matter. I think this offense has the potential to do some good things. But how many passes I catch or the other receivers catch is up to the coaches.
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How do some teammates think Anderson is doing in camp?
"He's doing well so far," receiver Braylon Edwards said. "He's having a good camp. He's having fun. He looks like he's really just enjoying himself. Every play, every day, he's just big smiles. ... It's fun to see him happy."
"I never play great when I take myself too serious," Anderson said. "Obviously there's a point when you've got to be serious about what you're doing, but having fun is the biggest thing, and winning games."
Despite the intense competition, neither thrower is sticking knives in the back of the other.
"In the team frame of things they're very positive, they're very cheerful, they're supportive of one another," Edwards said. "You don't see any separation amongst those guys as it relates to attitude, as it relates to character or personality inside the locker room. So if those guys are going through some things in relation to that, that's personal. I haven't seen it at all."
And you likely won't.
What people will see is Anderson having a little bit of fun.
Once again.
