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CLEVELAND Ready or not, here comes Brady Quinn.
“Knock wood, I hope the guy doesn't fall on his face,” Cleveland Browns coach Romeo Crennel said.
How's that for confidence?
Following another strange few days in Cleveland, Quinn, the former Notre Dame quarterback will make his first NFL start tonight as the struggling Browns host Denver.
The moment he emerges from the tunnel in his No.10 jersey in front of a national TV audience, Quinn will be serenaded by chants of “Bra-dy, Bra-dy,” from adoring fans, who fell for the first-round pick before he completed his first pass as a pro. How long they'll be cheering is anyone's guess.
Crennel's decision – at least that's the party line – to bench Derek Anderson in favor Quinn could be a gamble for the underachieving Browns (3-5). Anderson's demotion sent shockwaves through the locker room as teammates wondered why he was being singled out for the team's many woes.
While the Browns need someone to throw the ball accurately, the Broncos, who rushed for 14 yards on 12 carries – their worst rushing game in 36 years – are searching for someone to run with it.
They lost two running backs, Michael Pittman (spine) and Andre Hall (hand), to season-ending injuries Sunday. Rookie Ryan Torain, who drew comparisons to former Broncos star Terrell Davis before breaking his elbow in training camp, is expected to get most of the carries tonight.
Elsewhere
JACKSONVILLE: The Jaguars had a much different feel to their locker room this week. There was no one playing dominoes, no one blaring music and no one watching television. No Mike Peterson, either.
Coach Jack Del Rio sent the middle linebacker and team captain home. It was unclear what prompted Del Rio's decision, but there was speculation it could have been because Peterson flexed his muscles following a tackle Sunday with the team trailing 21-3.
Del Rio clearly wants more from the struggling Jaguars (3-5), who are coming off consecutive losses to Cleveland and Cincinnati. He reassigned at least six players to new lockers, moving offensive guys into defensive sections and vice versa. He also told the team he didn't want any distractions – music, televisions, games – going on in the locker room.
MINNESOTA: Defensive end Jared Allen responded to allegations from Houston coach Gary Kubiak that his hit on quarterback Matt Schaub was dirty.
Allen says he didn't intend to injure Schaub when he hit the quarterback in the knee Sunday. Schaub's medial collateral ligament was damaged and he'll miss two to four weeks.
On his weekly radio show in Houston, Kubiak said he thought Allen intentionally went for Schaub's knees.
OAKLAND: The Raiders waived cornerback DeAngelo Hall just eight games after signing him to a $70million contract, bringing a disappointing end to a short tenure in Oakland. The Raiders sent a second-round draft pick in 2008 and a fifth-rounder next season to Atlanta in March to acquire Hall, who immediately was given a seven-year contract. Hall had shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, but was let go anyway following a 24-0 loss to the Falcons that dropped Oakland to 2-6.
The move to cut Hall follows other changes made by coach Tom Cable since taking over from Lane Kiffin on an interim basis after four games. Michael Huff, the No.7 overall pick in 2006, lost his starting safety job and is now a third-stringer. Ronald Curry, the team's leading receiver the past two seasons, now plays on special teams.
