Friday, October 2, 2009

"Play with abandon..."

When I played basketball in the fifth grade, my Dad would always tell me to "play with abandon." I would look at him and think, "How do I play like that? And why are you using two verbs in near succession?"

Abandon, the noun, is defined as "a thorough yielding to natural impulses," which I later translated as playing without fear, letting your instinct take over.

I finally figured out how to play that way too late in my life, so I was always cut from the team. I was always too concerned about where I should be on the court, what should I be doing, instead of just playing basketball. In other words, I was a stiff.

As Eric Mangini starts Derek Anderson in place of Brady Quinn, I can't help to think what Quinn must feel like. He looked confused, corralled by what the coaches have been telling him - basically a stiff. I am a Quinn fan, no doubt about it. I looked (hence, past tense) forward to see what he could do with a 16-game schedule this year, to see if he had what it takes to be a NFL Quarterback. But, that went out the window.

10 quarters and Mangini pulls the plug on the Quinn Experiment. Now comes Mr. Inches Away From Sulking, Derek Anderson, to save the day. I hope he succeeds, I hope he wins the next 13 games. Really, I do. I want him to become an All-Pro QB and throw for 50 TDs this year.

Will Anderson do all that? I highly doubt it.

Why do I wish he would do that? Because I would like to see Brady Quinn move on and function under a real coaching staff, a real offense, and a place where he is backed by ownership down to the waterboy. I still feel that Brady Quinn will not be in a Browns uniform next year, no matter what happens.

After reading Joe Posnanski's article, I think many of the players should move on. I give Brady Quinn credit for taking the high road on this. I like that he is still a team player, one who wants to do what he can to help the team win.

I started this article (or rant) with "play with abandon." I feel that is what someone on the coaching staff should have told Quinn. He should have been smiling and enjoying it all, instead of being instructed. If only my Dad was on the coaching staff, maybe he could have saved Quinn...

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