BURNED GOLDEN BROWN

BURNED AND BROWN

Did anyone else happen to catch ESPN at all yesterday? Former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn was sitting in a green room, accompanied by soon-to-be trophy wife Lindy Slinger (which btw is the greatest name for an athlete accomplice ever), and the NFL Draft broke out.

Out of 250-someodd picks, Quinn is likely to be the only one we’ll remember Monday at work. The sight of the shaggy-haired ex-Irish leader sitting, waiting and wishing for his name to be called was the sight of the draft…as ESPN preached to us (another btw…how did Suzy “Please Don’t Leave Me Brady, I Won’t Know What to Do With Myself” Kolber report on Quinn being moved to a room ‘barred from media access to protect his privacy’ to…doing an interview with Quinn about 15 minutes later? What the hell?).

“Regardless of your fan affiliation, how could you not feel for Quinn yesterday? After Cleveland passed on him, ESPN had him on the split-screen for a reaction during damn near every pick, regardless of whether that team needed a quarterback or not. It was like a bizarro Academy Awards, when they have a camera on everyone and show the losers' reactions -- but with Brady as the lone, jilted nominee in every single category. Painful. (http://bluegraysky.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html)”

I’m gonna go the other route with this one and say what’s done is done. Quinn is going to be a Cleveland Brown, albeit 19 picks and a few million dollars after it was anticipated, and it’s time to move forward. However, in the wake of Quinn’s embarrassing day, here’s what he, the Browns and the NFL can do to overlook this day of personal shame

--Don’t show Brady as bitter. Have Quinn continue to promote the same storyline he did when he was expected to go to Cleveland at No. 3. For weeks, we heard that Quinn, a Dublin, OH native, wanted the chance to play for the team he grew up rooting for; now, the team should maybe have Quinn (and the other picks) do an introductory conference where Quinn reiterates living his dream…regardless of how it came to be. This way, he won’t show if he truly is ticked at how his stock fell and can move forward in embracing the team, city and fans he hopes will be cheering him for years to come.

--Likewise, Cleveland’s ownership and coaching staff should also make a statement saying that they “are happy to get a player with the talent and potential of Brady Quinn” and that they are “looking forward to seeing his development”…or something like that. The front office needs to let fans believe that they did not take Quinn as a sympathy pick or did so under pressure from fans; even if it’s not all the way true, they need to create the idea that they took Quinn believing he could be a vital football player.

--Don’t let Brady be full of himself. Most of the reason we sports fans (me included) detest Notre Dame is the sense of arrogance that emits from South Bend. As the 22nd pick, Quinn should say that he is coming into camp not expecting anything, though the Browns likely would not have taken him if they had faith in Charlie Frye. Quinn should say that he is coming into summer camp eager to learn, looking forward to challenging Frye and open to whatever comes. After seeing him almost in tears on draft day, Quinn has no business coming in with a chip on his shoulder. Likewise, get the contract settled; a long first-round holdout would only further permeate the idea that Quinn is spiteful.

--Package the whole draft. Cleveland bypassed Quinn for OT Joe Thomas, who is projected as a lock to be successful. The Browns should promote to the city that they now have two weapons instead of one. Package Thomas and Quinn together on promotional materials, maybe with a photo of Thomas standing in front of Quinn convincingly and a slogan such as “Protecting the Future” or something like that. Browns fans need to know that Thomas is a quality player and not just “the guy we took instead of Quinn the first time”, but also know that Quinn is an important player as well.

“Brady Quinn now has an opportunity to prove the naysayers wrong and he can do it with the team he always wanted to play for. I hope he succeeds. (http://www.leadernotes.com/2007/04/_saturday_i_spent_most.html)”