Browns head coach Hue Jackson reiterated Tuesday that he will announce Wednesday the starting quarterback for next week’s Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants at FirstEnergy Stadium.

 

It’s not going to be Cody Kessler. He already had his chance and blew it. For the same reason, it might not be Brock Osweiler, either. He wasn’t exactly scintillating in the preseason opener.

 

But rookie DeShone Kizer was, throwing the winning touchdowns pass with just under two minutes left in a 20-14 home victory over the New Orleans Saints last Thursday night.

 

So, then, will it be Toledo Central Catholic High School native Kizer, a second-round choice in the NFL Draft?

 

That’s hard to say. We’ll just have to wait and see.

 

Jackson knows quarterbacks inside and out. So he’ll make the right decision.

 

Another guy who knows quarterbacks just as well – or perhaps even better – is former Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano. And if it were up to him, he’d start Kizer not just against the Giants but also against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears in the final two preseason games, and then against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the regular-season opener on Sept. 10.

 

Yes, Kizer is Coach Sam’s guy – without a doubt.

 

“Let’s face it, the other two guys (Osweiler and Kessler) aren’t the answer.” Rutigliano said late Tuesday afternoon from his Waite Hill home in the far eastern Cleveland suburbs. “The way Kizer played, with two long passes at the end, indicates he might be the guy, at least for a while.

 

“There’s no doubt that the Browns have made improvements in the offseason, but even if you have 52 good players on the roster but no quarterback, then you still don’t have a chance. And the Browns don’t have their quarterback yet.

 

“The three other teams in the (AFC North) division do. There’s one guy (Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethliser) who has been there 13 years, another guy (Baltimore’s Joe Flacco) who has been there for nines year and the third guy (Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton) who has been there for six years. The Browns can’t compete with that.

 

“They have to find out if Kizer is the guy, and the only way to do that is to play him. See how much he can absorb and play him, bringing him along slowly. Play him at least a half or three quarters in the next three games and get him ready for Pittsburgh. Give him all the time you can give him. He’s got to play.”

 

We’ll see shortly if Hue Jackson agrees.