Pump the Brakes on RG3 and the Browns

     Last week was a very bad game for Sashi Brown and Browns management.  After going on record on their belief that Carson Wentz would never become a top 20 NFL quarterback, Wentz and the Eagles beat up on the Browns.  Worse, Robert Griffin III had a terrible game and seriously injured his shoulder, making a bad decision and landing awkwardly on his left elbow (never try to break your fall by sticking your elbow out, you Pop Warner quarterbacks).  

After a rough week, Josh McCown tries to right the ship.  

      ESPN commentators are falling all over themselves predicting that RG3 is through, after one game.  

      Oh, come on!  Who could imagine that a quarterback would peak in his first game with a new team? 

     Usually it takes a veteran qb several games to make the adjustments needed to excel with a new team.  Quarterbacks are almost always better in their second year with the same coach and same team, and especially if the guy is a rookie.   

     In that sense, RG3 was an exception, having his best year as a rookie.   But normally we would expect a quarterback to improve over the course of his first year, and by the second year perhaps RG3 might be in the top 20.   

    It's unlikely that the Browns will be in contention when RG3 comes back in late November or December, either with Josh McCown or Cody Kessler.   Thus more than likely it will behoove the Browns to find out if RG3 can play effectively.      

     In the off-season, the Browns will have the opportunity to draft someone, and that would probably be a good idea even if McCown and RG3 both have good years.   Both McCown and RG3 are injury-prone, and thus there is no reason not to have a young talented quarterback on the team if one is available in the NFL draft next year.  It wouldn't be a disaster if one of the veterans starts the 2017 season as first string.   

Is Cody Kessler going to be a starting quarterback?

     On the other hand, the Browns already have a developmental quarterback in Cody Kessler, taken in the third round.  Normally a third round pick would not start in his first year, but maybe by year two or three he would be expected to challenge for a starting job.  Hence, my thought is that if the Browns don't draft a guy in the first round, they will probably continue to groom Cody Kessler.  That would surprise many Browns Backers, as we have pretty much got our heart set on a first round draft pick as the only viable quarterback option.  On the other hand Coach Hue Jackson believes in Kessler.   Would he let Kessler battle for a first string job next preseason? If so, they may not really want a first round quarterback.   That's hard to believe based on one bad game, but a lot can happen in the course of a year.   Let's watch and see.