Trent Dilfer eats bitter pills for breakfast

So former Browns great (yes that was sarcasm) Trent Dilfer says that the move to Brady Quinn showed a 'dysfunctional' orgainzation controlled by the fans. Whatever, Mister Couldn't-Hold-Off-Charlie-Frye.

I saw his rant & he made the switch to Quinn seem like an irrational kneejerk reaction to a close loss, that DA's only culpability therein was the pick-6 interception. Spoken like a true ex-Quarterback sticking up for one of his brethren...who just happens to have the same agent.

The REAL truth, that Dilfer instantly tossed aside in favor of an edgy Jim Rome-esque 'take' was that starting Quinn was an inevitable event, the only question being when. This wasn't an emotional heat-of-the-moment 'screw it' decision, but rather the front office finally making the decision which was, frankly, long overdue.

If Crennel is known for one thing, it certainly isn't kneejerk reactions. It is, instead, REFUSING to make decisions until they become the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Case in point, the Cincinnati game earlier this year. He publicly stated that he was "thinking" about putting Quinn in but gave DA one more chance. That 'one more' chance has lasted over a month with only slightly improved play from DA as vindication. In Crennel's world, it's ten strikes and you're out. He doesn't knee-jerk. Two words should crystallize this point: Mo Carthon.

This is not to say that all is well in Berea, it clearly is not. There is a malfunction of message & the decision-making structure is severely flawed. Crennel says one thing & hours later something entirely different happens. Twice now he has had kness chopped out from under him - first the Carthon incident, now the DA benching. Honestly, if I were him I would tender my resignation because it's clear his bosses do not have his back.

And as a fan, I say THANK GOD TO THAT. Crennel has proven to be on the wrong side of two key issues. Let me be clear - it's not that he was on the 'unpopular' side of those issues that has done him in, as I do not believe for a second the fans have as much pull as Dilfer thinks, but Crennel has proved himself to be cluelessly inflexible. He does not address problems, but instead goes James Buchanan (Google that name for historical reference) & hopes they resolve themselves so he does not have to intervene. If Dilfer thinks the fans run the Browns, it's only because in two key instances the fans were right & the coach was wrong. If Crennel had his way, Mo Carthon would be running a Derek Anderson-led offense & our leading rusher would be Lawrence Vickers.

So what Dilfer lacked in his take was perspective. Well, here it is. In the 2007 draft, Phil Savage traded away a future #1 pick in order to take Brady Quinn. When he did that, he had Derek Anderson on his roster. Therefore, Savage had concluded that Anderson was not the future QB of the Browns & that Brady Quinn was. And finally, a year and a half later, it happened. Knee-jerk? it's the exact opposite. It was an overdue implementation of what the plan was all along.

Dilfer may get points for instant-gratification edginess (which in the medium he is in counts for something), but it lacks any semblance of substance. And it also smacks of bitterness over his benching in 2005 in favor of Charlie Frye. So just to drive the point home, starting the guy that we paid dearly for is hardly knee-jerk. But lambasting the franchise for doing so is.

If Trent Dilfer wants to see a knee-jerk reaction all he has to do is watch the tape of his take.