Browns General Manager Andrew Berry’s egregious mistake regarding quarterbacks just keeps getting bigger and more devastating.
It comes with the news that quarterback Deshaun Watson may miss not just Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland, Browns Stadium, but several more after that, because of a shoulder injury that traditionally lingers.
Barry gambled in the preseason and traded veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs, leaving only raw rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the backup.
Not surprisingly, DTR did not play well at all in a 28-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago. If Watson can’t go, then it appears that non-descript veteran P. Walker. He’s not really muvh better than DTR, especially this week, since the 49ers have arguably the best team overall in the NFL and the best and most suffocating defense. A skill-challenged veteran, along with the offensive line that’s all beat up and a compromised running game with the loss of Nick Chubb, is a recipe for disaster. With Dobbs, yes, it would’ve been difficult, too, but the chances of him being able to make some plays is much, much, much greater than it is for Walker.
Barry needs to understand that quarterback is the most important team team sports, and just like baseball with pitchers, you can never have enough comoetebt quarterbacks. Quarterbacks get hurt, and you need somebody to step in. DTR is not that player yet, and Walker never will be.
There are only 17 games in the NFL regular season. Thus, the Browns have squandered one game, and now possibly two, depending on what happens Sunday, and that puts them into a real hole in what is going to be a tight race in the AFC North. You can’t waste these games, because there are just too few of them.
That Berry doesn’t understand that and does not want to, because he has doubled down on his comment saying that keeping DTR over Dobbs was the right thing to do, is mind-blowing. It is beyond comprehension.
Berry thinks that the goal of the team is to manage the salary cap and see how much money can be saved. No, no, no, the object is to win games, and the way the Browns are constructed now, with a poor quarterback going against the team that is the favorite right now to win the Super Bowl, is not a good plan. it is untenable. And it didn’t have to happen.
What’s more, when you always think you’re the smartest person in the room, what happens usually is you find out that just the opposite is true. And we’re finding that out concerning Andrew Berry.
What a terrible shame for you, the fans.
Steve King
