Whenever the Browns express their faith in Colt McCoy, they stop just short of proclaiming him their franchise quarterback.
"I believe in the young guy we have," President Mike Holmgren said at the beginning of the draft process. Then he added, "I'm pretty sure we'll take one later in the draft."
General Manager Tom Heckert said: "We have all the confidence in the world Colt's going to be good. He's played, what, eight games? That's the only question, the experience. He's had some good days and some bad days. We think he's going to be good."
In his most recent comments, coach Pat Shurmur said: "I really am a Colt McCoy guy. He's got all the attributes you're looking for, the skill and ability to be a fine quarterback in this league."
Nobody uses the word "great" in regards to McCoy's potential.
Even Jon Gruden, one of McCoy's most unabashed fans, hedges. In response to a question about McCoy's arm strength, Gruden said, "I think he's got enough arm to succeed in Cleveland and in the NFL."
The question is the definition of succeeding. Is it taking a team to .500 or even 10-6? Or is it taking a team to the Super Bowl?
The Browns likely won't say McCoy is the guy to take them to the Super Bowl because they don't know. That's OK. The San Francisco 49ers didn't know about Joe Montana until his third season.
They will have a better gauge on McCoy's professional ceiling after he goes through a season in Holmgren's west coast offense coached by Shurmur, who has 12 NFL seasons invested in the system.
McCoy also will benefit more this season from backup Seneca Wallace's experience in the WCO. What the Browns tried to do on offense last season was perplexing to everyone, especially Wallace. He'll be more of an asset to McCoy this season, which partly explains his new three-year contract.
Deposed 2010 starter Jake Delhomme is still under contract for a king's ransom. If Holmgren is successful in selecting a developmental quarterback in the latter stages of the draft, it's conceivable Delhomme would be let go. That transaction would be dependent on the performance of the rookie quarterback in training camp -- if there is one.
Very expensive to take a QB in the draft. It is an unknown risk, look at SanDiego and their draft of Ryan Leaf. Better to go with experience.
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