BEREA, Ohio -- Brandon Weeden looked comfortable. In fact, he looked like a starting quarterback in the rookie minicamp played out over Mother's Day weekend, but the job isn't his yet.
Phase Two of Weeden's indoctrination began the next day when he, Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace were near each other in the locker room, sitting in the same meeting room and on the practice field together throwing passes to the same receivers.
Browns coaches are able to compare their quarterbacks side by side in the 45 minutes daily the CBA allows instruction to be carried onto the practice field.
In other words, the real competition has begun.
"Yeah, but I kind of thought that way coming in (to minicamp)," Weeden said. "We're human beings, and I think that's one thing that gets misinterpreted. We're going to help each other and get better. We're all playing for the name on the front of the jersey and we're all going to compete to have the best team and win as many games as possible.
"I'm going to be asking questions to those guys. They've been doing it for a couple years, Seneca for 10. Absolutely I think we're just going to compete. Nothing will change. I know Colt's a good guy. I know Seneca's a good guy. I met Seneca, so I'm looking forward to just being part of the other quarterbacks."
Weeden was picked 22nd in the first round last month, and even though the coaches and front office say competition will be open it will be a shock if Weeden doesn't win it.
The simple move would be to cut McCoy or trade him now that Coach Pat Shurmur, team president Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert all say Weeden will make suspect receivers better because Weeden is an accurate passer with a strong arm.
It's feasible the Browns might decide to part ways with Wallace instead. McCoy was supposedly the better quarterback last year. McCoy should improve in his third year, even if he doesn't start.
Wallace is scheduled to make $2.4 million in 2012. McCoy has a $540,000 salary. Keeping a backup earning almost $2 million less than the other guy seems logical if only because it creates salary cap room.
Weeden threw crisply and with velocity during the minicamp. There was no pass rush, so it wasn't a game conditions setting, but that doesn't change the fact he passed well and with authority. He did not look lost. He was poised like a veteran.
"I think he genuinely operated well," Shurmur said. "Other than a couple of plays, he did almost everything under center and I think he handled that extremely well. He is very accurate. You can see he throws a good ball. You could see that he has a chance to be a very good player."
During the draft Shurmur, Heckert and Holmgren insisted the Browns were not trying to trade McCoy. Shurmur said he expected McCoy to be in Berea for the offseason program the Monday after the draft and sure enough McCoy was there. He wants to compete with Weeden for the starting job because, if only in McCoy's opinion, it's his job to lose.
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