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(UPDATE: for once, they listened to me)

Cleveland is 3-5 at the halfway point of the season and only a slight hope for a wildcard slot remains. Their best (?) receiver leads the NFL in dropped passes, the defense has a terrible habit of completely disappearing for a quarter or two each game, and their starting quarterback is at the bottom of many statistical categories. Clearly this is a team in dire need of a spark, some sense of optimism, some sort of hope that they can pull off the improbable and win their next 3-4 games to crawl back into the playoff hunt.

It's time for Romeo Crennel to admit at least one of his mistakes and insert Brady Quinn as the starting quarterback. If they choose to remain with Derek Anderson, they'll get no better than what they've gotten already (in fact, they may get worse as Anderson struggled last year when bad weather hit), a quarterback that is alarmingly inconsistent and at times appears to be losing the ability to lead his team. His confidence has taken a serious hit, and that's by far one thing that an NFL quarterback must have in abundance.

Despite the short week to prepare for Denver coming to town for a Thursday night game (Nov. 6), there's no reason that Quinn, a second year player who has shown a lot of promise in his few appearances, shouldn't get the opportunity to start. If he does well, as many expect he would, the Browns may finally be able to settle on their "real" quarterback of the future. Despite the 3 year contract they gave Anderson during the off season, it's never quite felt like Anderson's team.

Perhaps all this is not completely fair. After all, Anderson is not the one dropping his own passes and he doesn't play defense. But in the harsh reality that is the NFL, it's not about loyalty or contracts or friendships, it's only about one thing, and that's winning now. Quinn has patiently waited his turn, now it's Romeo's turn to give him the chance to prove he can be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

Tags: brady quinn, cleveland browns, derek anderson, romeo crennel