Now that the 2006 season gets smaller and smaller in the Cleveland Browns rearview mirror, we here at www.DawgBones.com want to start looking ahead. In a weekly feature we are calling Browns Spotlight, we are going to take a look at the Browns current positional situations and whether or not they need to be upgraded or left alone. We will also explore whether or not we feel that the team would be best suited to fill their needs via the NFL Draft or free agency. We hope you all enjoy and look forward to hearing all your comments and concerns in The Bone Yard forums.

Last year we started this feature addressing the QB position. Considering that it was one of the biggest areas of debate the Browns had in 2006 we thought we would start there again.

Last year we pretty much shoved Derek Anderson under the rug. You will have to forgive us for at that time the team still had Trent Dilfer. Well we all know that Dilfer and then offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon did not see eye to eye and Dilfer demanded a trade. The Browns sent him to San Francisco and in exchange got a 7th round draft pick and QB Ken Dorsey.

Here is where we will quickly dismiss Dorsey, ala Anderson of last year. In week 17, with the Browns #1 and #2 QB's hurt it appeared Dorsey would start in Houston. That all ended when head coach Romeo Crennel opted to go with a rusty and wounded Charlie Frye at QB rather then have Dorsey start, even with a week's worth of practice and Frye not seeing the field for nearly a month. Dorsey may end up being on the team once again in 2007 by default. If the team hires an offensive coordinator from within, which is highly likely, Dorsey is already comfortable with the staff and though the play book will surely vary with the new coach, a lot will be very familiar. Dorsey is under contract for 1 more year, but will be scheduled to make $950,000. That's more then Frye and Anderson will make. COMBINED!

You can't help, but wonder how a head coach, Romeo Crennel in this instance, can miss evaluate talent as badly as he does. In the case of backup QB Derek Anderson this could be no more obvious. Crennel told all that would listen, when Charlie Frye was struggling, that the only was he would like to see Anderson in a game is if the Browns led by 30 points. Well anyone who follows the Browns knew that was never going to happen, but we did know at some point Frye would succumb to the beating he was taken, we just did not know when. The when came in week 13 at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. Apparently Frye had been hurt early in the game, but gutted it out and had the Browns tied 14-14 at halftime. After the half it was apparent that Frye has injured his wrist on his throwing arm and was done for the day. Romeo Crennel's biggest fear had been realized or so it seemed. The Browns defense was listless and allowed the Chiefs to jump out to a 28-14 lead, but Derek Anderson was just getting started. Anderson led the Browns on 2 4th quarter TD drives and then in overtime scrambled 33-yards to set up a Phil Dawson game winning field goal. The debate was on! Would we see more of Anderson? We did and although brief, just 3 starts, we saw enough to realize that he was a legitimate backup. Hell he was a legitimate starter on this team! He will come into camp next year as the #2, but will get every chance to unseat Frye. If he plays like he did last pre-season and during the regular season he has a better then average chance of doing so.

Anderson finished the year 0-3 as a starter, but 1-0 in relief. His numbers showed he was better then when he was in college. At Oregon State he averaged just under 51% in completion percentage, in 2006 he completed 56.4%. He also threw for 793 yards, 5 TD's and 8 interceptions.

When the season started it was clear, Charlie Frye was too be the starter and no one would challenge him for the position. Frye had a very pedestrian pre-season, leading the Browns to just 2 TD's. It was surely a sign of things to come. By the time the season started Frye had gone through 6 centers and eventual starter Hank Fraley wasn't even on the team until roughly 2 weeks before the season started. Frye was victimized by poor pass blocking and his own inability to stand in the pocket, being sacked 44 times in 2006. If nothing else Charlie Frye is tough.

Frye's play early in the season was erratic and at one point he led all QB's in the NFL in 4th quarter interceptions. Many of them coming in the red zone and killing Cleveland's chances of scoring points and potentially winning games. In fact his play was so bad that in the Carolina Panthers game Frye never attempted a pass into the end zone. A few weeks later the Browns went to San Diego and Frye led the Browns on 7 scoring drives. Not until the 6th drive did he even attempt a pass into the end zone and the team failed to score a TD until the 7th and last scoring drive. Needless to say the team lost a 12-10 halftime lead and the game, 32-25.

It wasn't all bad for Frye though. Early in the season he tied a long standing NFL record with former Browns great Otto Graham. Frye and Graham are the only QB's in NFL history to rush for a TD in 3 consecutive games.

Frye finished the season much like he had started it. Throwing an interception in the red zone on the Browns first drive and eventually losing the game 14-6. His season stats show that he completed 64.3% of his passes for 2,454 yards, 10 TD's and 17 interceptions. Frye also fumbled the ball 8 times and recovered none of them. His record as a starter was 4-10 in 2006, giving him a 2-year record as a starter of 5-13.

Even as woeful as those numbers are, Frye appears to be the odds on favorite to be the teams starter in 2007. The team feels if it can improve the pieces around him then he will improve as well.

With so much glaring talent and outstanding play from the QB position in 2006, the Browns would never consider drafting a QB in the 2007 NFL Draft, right? Wrong! Browns fans seem split down the middle as to whether Frye is the long-term answer at QB. Fewer believe Anderson is. With that being said we need to look at 2008 and the class of QB's coming out in that draft. Right now the class of QB's then is very slim. So if the Browns were ever going to address their need for a franchise QB it would need to be this year. They can not afford to find out Frye is not the answer and have no one in the wings to step in. With the likes of Jamarcus Russell of LSU and Brady Quinn of Notre Dame available the Browns will be highly tempted to take one.

Russell is a freak of nature, standing 6'6" and weighing in at 260 pounds. He can throw the ball 80-yards in the air, 40-yards from his rear end! Some concerns about Russell are his work ethic. things have come easy for him and he has not always been a student of the game and spent much time preparing. That could all change at the pro level or it could blow up in your face. Is the risk worth the reward?

Quinn has all the measurable's, he's big, standing 6'4" and 227 pounds. He started every game at QB for the Fighting Irish in his 4-year career except for 3 as a freshmen. He has played and tutored under Charlie Wiess for the past 2-years in a pro style offense. He is the most polished QB in this years draft, but Russell has the highest ceiling by far. One more thing Browns fans will love, Quinn is on record as wanting to play for the Browns and is an Ohio native. It's our guess that if, and it's a big if with the likes of Oakland, Detroit and possibly Tampa Bay picking ahead of them, one of these two are available when the Browns pick they will be a Cleveland Brown.

The Browns will look in free agency to acquire a veteran QB who could not only be a good mentor, but challenge for the starting spot. The downside of that is the market is very shallow. Guys like Jake Plummer and possibly Trent Green and David Carr could be available, but at what price and are they worth it. In our minds Green would be a perfect fit to come and mentor, ala what Kurt Warner is doing for Matt Lienart in Arizona. Truthfully though we don't expect that a QB will be found on the free agent market in 2007 for the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns will look at using some free agent dollars on a veteran QB, but will more then likely pass. The Draft is entirely different and if it unfolds right the Browns will be taking a QB with their 1st overall pick. Next week we will look at the running back position.

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