The Cleveland Browns' quarterback situation has been dire to say the least since they reentered the league in 1999. That year, the team spent the No. 1 overall pick on the University of Kentucky's Tim Couch, who turned out to be one of the biggest busts in NFL draft history.
Since then, the Cleveland Browns have started quarterbacks with one thing in common: mediocrity.
Spergon Wynn, Jake Delhomme, a decomposing Trent Dilfer, Brady Quinn; the list of struggling quarterbacks goes on and on.
Think about the AFC North division for a second and the success that the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and more recently the Cincinnati Bengals have had. All of those teams owe their success to relative stability at the quarterback position.
How about the Browns, with Colt McCoy, Seneca Wallace, and Thaddeus Lewis? The word stability has avoided them like championships have avoided the Browns.
Think about the ferocious defenses in the AFC North. The Browns defense will line up, six games a year, against the 6'5", 241 pound Ben Roethlisberger, the 6'6", 245 pound Joe Flacco, and the smart, adequately sized youngster Andy Dalton.
AFC North defenses line up against…Colt McCoy? (For the record, McCoy is 6'1" and 215 pounds).
Now imagine Baylor University's Robert Griffin III (RGIII). Dreadlocks. Smokey visor. Olympic-caliber speed. Cannon arm and deadly accurate deep ball. Who is going to be more intimidating?
I'll give you a hint: it is not the guy who is struggles to throw a 15-yard out route. But it might be the guy who had more touchdown passes than incompletions partway through this past season.
Look at Griffin's pedigree: 54 passing records at Baylor. He lifted a football program from oblivion to incredible success in just three full years of playing. This was in the second-best conference in the nation to boot.
Griffin is also on pace to finish his masters degree next spring, and graduated with a 3.7 GPA. He is freakishly agile and fast. Don't believe me? There is a YouTube video entitled: RG3 Moments: ‘Houdini', and to say it is breathtaking is an understatement.
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Reversing field, hurdling tacklers and a vicious stiff arm are just a few of the athletic feats on display in the video. I also watched a SportsCenter special on Griffin where he squatted 695 pounds and threw a ball that seemed capable of going through a brick wall.
Making RGIII a Brown would also mask some of the team's problems, including the offensive line. The Steelers had a woeful offensive line last season, but Roethlisberger was able to extend plays with his feet and pick up big chunks down the field.
This is Griffin's specialty, except that Griffin makes Roethlisberger look like he is moving in quicksand.
A player with Griffin's talents can help the Browns stretch the field and make those around him better. McCoy has shown flashes, but clearly cannot flourish in an environment where he has to make his teammates better.
The Browns must do whatever it takes in the upcoming draft to get a playmaker. They must get someone who can guide them into the endzone. Because time is running out, and another stagnant season on offense will only widen the gap between the Browns and the rest of their division foes.
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