Coach excited to keep Anderson

02.29.2008

When quarterbacks coach Rip Scherer left the team's training headquarters in the middle of the night -- or, as it were, the middle of the very early morning Friday -- after about a 20-hour day, he didn't know if he'd ever see his 2007 starter in a Browns uniform again.

But then sometime before he got to sleep, he got the news that Derek Anderson was going to re-sign with the club. It made him sleep easy.

Finally.

"I was relieved because of what Derek can bring to the team," Scherer said Friday.

The status of Anderson, who had come out of nowhere last year to come within one of the team record by throwing 29 touchdown passes while also making it to the Pro Bowl, had been up in the air with approach of free agency. He was set to become a free agent and could have left Cleveland if another team offered him a deal the Browns could not match.

The Browns and Anderson failed to reach a deal when free agency started at 12:01 a.m. Friday, thus putting him out onto the open market for several hours.

"It was real hectic for everybody in the organization," Scherer said Friday. "But I thought that Phil (Savage, Browns general manager), T.J. (McCreight, director of player personnel), Trip (MacCracken, director of football administration) and those guys did a good job of building a fence around the situation."

Scherer went on to talk about the pluses of having two young and talented quarterbacks on the roster in Anderson and Brady Quinn.

"It's great for the Browns. In this league, it's a lot better to have two quarterbacks than none. And when you have only one, you can get to none real quick. A lot of teams have found that out.

"We obviously blessed to have two quality young quarterbacks. It obviously makes for an interesting situation, but having a guy who won 10 games for you last year and got better as the season went on and grew with the offense, understands the offense and fits the offense, I think it means a lot for us, and we can move forward and get better off last year's performance."

Last year at this time, no one was saying that about Anderson. A sixth-round draft pick of the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens in 2005, he was claimed off waivers by the Browns early that season but did not play at all until late the following year -- but only out of necessity when starter Charlie Frye hurt his wrist. Anderson did well enough to convince Browns head coach Romeo Crennel to make it an open competition for the job in the 2007 training camp and preseason.

But not even that got Anderson off and rolling toward his big season. But when Frye and the team struggled mightily in the first 1½ quarters of the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Anderson replaced him and finished the game.

Two days later, the Browns traded Frye to the Seattle Seahawks and Anderson got the job by default. This time he made the most of the opportunity, throwing five TD passes in a wild 51-45 triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals in that first game. From that point on, he was one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league.

Talk about a veritable rags-to-riches story. Did Scherer see it coming?

"Sometimes in this league you've got to wait your turn or wait for an unfortunate circumstance (to another player), but I always felt that if heever got the opportunity, he could do it," the coach said. "He already had all the tools -- both physically and the intangible tools -- to be a good quarterback, a really good quarterback.

"I think the ceiling is very high on him. I think we see only the tip of the iceberg. He's played just 15, 16, 17, 18 games (sic) and counting the year before, and his growth and development will continue, especially based on what he learned this year and to be able to use the offseason to grow from that and improve on his game in the areas he needs to improve. He has a great future."

How so?

"I think Derek brings an air of confidence," Scherer said. "We got sacked only 19 times last year, due in large part to the offensive line. Those guys -- and the running backs -- did a great job in protection.

"But the quarterback also contributes to that by getting the ball out. Derek also has the ability to see his receivers and make good decisions for the moist. But obviously, that has to improve, because he had 19 interceptions, and that will improve. He puts the ball into tight spots because of that big arm. He basically gives our playmakers the chance to make plays, and that's what the responsibility of the quarterback is."

Anderson is just 24 years old, as are his two top pass catchers, wide receiver Braylon Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow, who combined for 162 receptions for nearly 2,400 yards and 21 touchdowns. So the future seems bright.

"We have some young offensive linemen, too," Scherer said. "We've got a lot of the right pieces, both in the line and the skill positions. Offensively, we've got a lot ahead of us.

"We made some big strides last year, but the difference between year one and year two (in coordinator Rob Chudzinski's scheme) can be significant now that the guys have a foundation in the offense. You can start building now at a much faster pace and move the offense forward, which I'm sure Chud will do."

Getting most of the reps in practice, something that did not happen last summer when he and Frye were splitting time, will help Anderson. At the same time, though, the Browns have to keep Quinn ready.

"Brady will get his reps, too, but that's an issue that we're going to have to deal with," Scherer said. "I'm very fortunate in that the three guys I have in that room -- including Ken Dorsey -- are all professionals and work their tails off. They're competitive and want to be the guy, but they also understand their role and how important it is to play that role.

"Brady has shown in a short period of time that he's the consummate professional. I'm sure he'll take it as a challenge and will push Derek, which will make Derek better and at the same time make the team better."

Which makes for a restful night's sleep for the Browns coaches and personnel people -- when they finally get the chance to take advantage of it.