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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, November 6, 2008 Are Browns better with Quinn at QB? By Aaron Swaney Herald Writer So let me get this straight. Braylon Edwards can't seem to catch a pass, Romeo Crennel is doing his best Tyrone Willingham impersonation and Kellen Winslow is having health problems again. But the Browns' miserable season is Derek Anderson's fault? Uh, OK. Cleveland pulled the trigger this week and decided to go with Brady Quinn over Anderson, who the team gave a $7 million signing bonus over the offseason. I'll admit I'm not the biggest Anderson fan (I once saw him throw five interceptions at Husky Stadium), but the guy has been playing this season with one hand tied behind his back and he was just starting to put things together. Over the past four games, he's averaged 227 yards per game and thrown just one interception. He also torched the Super Bowl champions for 310 yards and two scores. But the fans wanted Quinn, so the coaches acquiesced. Whatever. So does this make the Browns better? I'm glad you asked: How will Quinn do? In regards to Quinn's professional experience, there's only a small test sample to take from. He threw eight passes in the 2007 regular season, completing three of them for 45 yards and this preseason he played in all four games, completing 66 percent of his passes and throwing one touchdown and one interception. But there's a big difference between preseason and the regular season as he'll undoubtedly figure out tonight. If there's one good thing about Cleveland's decision it's their timing. Denver's passing defense is 27th in the NFL and will be without CB Champ Bailey and LB D.J. Williams. I think the home crowd and the Broncos general ineptness will allow Quinn to have a nice debut -- look for 245 yards and two TDs -- but after tonight look out. Tough defenses like Buffalo, Tennessee and Philadelphia will teach Quinn some good lessons over the next five weeks and will keep his numbers down, making him unplayable in fantasy. Hey Daunte Culpepper's back. Should I bother? Culpepper has finally reemerged after "retiring" earlier in the season when no teams came sniffing. Of course it was the Lions who were desperate enough to take a stab and see if the former Viking has anything left. My guess is very little. He washed out of the league for a reason. But Calvin Johnson makes his return intriguing. The second-year WR is Moss-like and we all know what Culpepper and Moss did in Minnesota. My advice: Pick up Culpepper if you have a spot, monitor him Sunday -- he'll start against Jacksonville -- and go from there. If his knee is healthy and he can throw deep there might be something here. What's up with the crop of rookie running backs? Tennessee's Chris Johnson, Chicago's Matt Forte and Houston's Steve Slaton are at the head of the class and starting in fantasy rosters every week. Baltimore's Ray Rice and Kansas City's Jamaal Charles are filling in for star running backs and will likely take a secondary role when Willis McGahee and Larry Johnson return. Carolina's Jonathan Stewart has made some noise, but he's splitting time with DeAngelo Williams. But of all the rookie RBs, the most intriguing are Arizona's Tim Hightower and Denver's Ryan Torain. Arizona coaches have been forced to bench Edgerrin James in favor of Hightower, who had a breakout game last week, rushing for 109 yards and a score. And he's only going to get better. He's likely not on your waiver wire, but Torain might be. The rookie RB is going to get the bulk of the carries for the Broncos tonight. Denver's run game has been pitiful so far, but he might be just the guy to spark it. Pick him up and, if you're desperate, play him. Who should I play? Play Edwards with confidence tonight (it may be the last time). Miami's Chad Pennington, Ted Ginn Jr. and Greg Camarillo are all great bye-week replacements. Pittsburgh's Willie Parker is back and play him against Indianapolis. Pick up San Diego's defense and play it against Kansas City. And, lastly, play all your Arizona Cardinals, including Hightower. Contact Aaron Swaney at aswaney@heraldnet.com. For more fantasy news, links and more, check out www.heraldnet.com/realitybites. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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