MySports Today

It’s official – Brady Quinn will finally get his 1st NFL start for the Cleveland Browns when the team hosts the Denver Broncos at Browns Stadium on Thursday night. Quinn replaces Derek Anderson who has been largely ineffective this year after having a break-out year in 2007. After Anderson’s solid 2007 performances that nearly led the Browns into the playoffs, the Browns locked up Anderson with a long-term contract. 2008 has been a different story for Anderson, however, as the team has struggled under his direction. Anderson is completing less than 50% of his passes and has 9 touchdowns against 7 interceptions. He has a 68.9 passer rating.

Brady Quinn only played in 1 game during his rookie season in 2007. In that game, he completed 3 of 8 passes and led the team on a field goal drive. He has yet to play in a game and will only have 3 days and 1 practice to get ready for the Broncos on Thursday night football. The one good thing – the Broncos have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The Broncos have given up 30 or more points in 4 of their 8 games this year, and they are only 1-2 on the road. Given those stats, Quinn could be in for a big game on Thursday.

The Browns move to replace Anderson with Brady is an interesting one. Many critics feel that the Browns’ poor play can’t all fall on Anderson’s shoulders. Free agent wide receiver Donte Stallworth has been hampered by injuries all season long, Braylon Edwards leads the NFL in dropped passes and tight end Kellen Winslow has not been the same threat this season as he was last, and he was recently suspended for a game by the team. The Browns now have two high-priced quarterbacks on their roster, and if Quinn struggles in his first few games, at the helm, then what does the team do? It will be interesting to see how the hometown Quinn responds. He will certainly feel a lot of pressure from his family and friends to turn the team around quickly, so he will need to stay as focused and patient as possible. If he tries to force things and attempt to do too much, it could spell disaster on the NFL level. Stay tuned Thursday night – will the initial cheers for Brady Quinn still be heard at the end of the night on the Cleveland lakefront, or will we be hearing “Derek-Derek-Derek” chants after another Browns loss?

The Nuggets traded Allen Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey Billups, top reserve Antonio McDyess and project Cheikh Samb.

It looks like Tennessee’s dismal 3-6 start to the 2008 NCAA college football season has cost long-time head coach Phillip Fulmer his job. After the 27-6 drubbing suffered at South Carolina on Saturday, the Vols fell to 1-5 in the SEC. At a press conference on Monday, November 3rd, Fulmer announced that he was accepting the university’s request that he step down at the end of the season. Another words – he is being forced out before he’s ready to leave. Fulmer was visibly choked up during the press conference and it will be a shame to see Fulmer go. It is a rare thing these days to see a coach stay at a University for a long period of time. Joe Paterno at Penn State and Bobby Bowden at Florida State are exceptions to the rule. There is always a “win now” mentality at the collegiate level in order to satisfy alumni and boosters alike. To think that many have been calling for Joe Pa’s ouster at Penn State for years, and he now has them on the verge of playing for the National Championship in the BCS Championship Game at the Orange Bowl in January 2009.

Fulmer was the Vols head coach for the past 17 years. He has a 150-51 record at Tennessee and he coached the team to the National Championship in 1998.