QB issues

Whenever a team makes a QB change this early in the season, I always wonder what the thinking was back in the offseason. I mean, we're only 3 games in and already teams are making changes.

In Cleveland, Derek Anderson is in and Brady Quinn is out. Cleveland has been horrific on offense, so I suppose they have to do something, but at some point people need to realize it's not the QB that's the problem but the rest of the offense. If the Browns want to change something, they can start with their offensive line starting at center and moving right, then tight end where they have no receiving talent whatsoever, and then wide receiver where it's Braylon Edwards and a whole lotta nothing. Of course that's impossible, so they'll instead make the cosmetic change of switching QBs. Anderson does throw a nice deep ball, so maybe that can inject some life into their offense. Most likely it won't, though, and the Browns look like a 1 or 2 win team to me.

It's obvious, though, that Quinn was not entrenched, which makes me wonder why he was even starting to begin with. If you don't have a QB you trust, Eric Mangini, FIND ONE. I've read that Mangini's favorite QB on the roster is actually 3rd stringer Bret Ratliff, who he brought over from the Jets. If that's true, then that's who he should start and just get it over with. But I'm sure there are internal pressures to try Quinn and Anderson first, since the organization invested so much in those two. It's almost laughable to think back to draft day and realize the Browns had the 5th pick, traded down a couple of times and took a center. The only teams that should be drafting centers in the first round are those who are really good everywhere else. The Browns, with needs at right tackle, tight end, wide receiver and any type of pass rusher (DE or OLB), were clearly not that type of team.

The Buccaneers benched Byron Leftwich and are going with Josh Johnson for the time being. This one's a real head scratcher in that...why did the Bucs even sign Leftwich to begin with? Maybe they thought they were contenders internally, and are only now realizing this team has rebuilding to do. They already knew, though, that they had their QB of the future on the roster (Josh Freeman) when they signed Leftwich. Why did they even bother? They could have gone with Johnson from the beginning, seen if he had any skills or not, and then eventually gone to Freeman once they feel he's ready for some game action. Instead they wasted time on Leftwich, and now Johnson's time on the field is probably limited before they get to 0-5 or 0-6 and feel compelled to get Freeman on the field. Starting Leftwich was just a waste of time.

I really like the Dolphins trading for Tyler Thigpen, by the way. I don't know if Thigpen is good enough to be a starter in this league, but I think he's a good guy to have for a backup. Honestly. I'd rather have him than Matt Cassel. If you watch Cassel play, you'll see he has no feel for the game. Thigpen, on the other hand, has limited skills (average arm strength and scattershot accuracy) but a tremendous feel for the game. He just knows how to make plays when things are breaking down. Cassel this past week was 14-18 for 90 yards. How is that even possible? That's a QB who is continually checking down in the face of a pass rush.