Derek Anderson- [Download]

Eric Mangini- [Download]

Rey Maualuga puts draft snub behind him- [Download]

Brady Quinn talks about his demotion- [Download]

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis supports Mangini, discusses rebuilding in Cincinnati- [Download]

Derek Anderson discusses starting Sunday against Cincinnati- [Download]

This is from the Associated Press:

BEREA: Eric Mangini says his Cleveland Browns quarterbacks are competing, not cheating.

The radio transmitter inside Anderson's helmet wasn't working in a Sunday scrimmage, so he used hand signals to relay plays. Anderson joked after the scrimmage that Quinn told the defense what all the signals meant.

Reporters at the scrimmage saw the two players laughing about it.

But that didn't head off several online reports suggesting Quinn was using underhanded tactics to win the starting job.

Mangini could only shake his head.

"Those guys are competitive and they're friends," Mangini said Wednesday. "The group is friendly and the game was competitive by nature. … All I see them doing is supporting each other."

Anderson's team won, 17-14.

When the Browns finally decide on a starting quarterback, it won't be until late in the preseason.

That was the big news from head coach Eric Mangini at today's minicamp. Mangini told reporters he wants to see how Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn perform before deciding.

So when Quinn was receiving playing time with the first team last month, it didn't mean much. Mangini will look at presence in the huddle when making his choice.

"The big (criteria) for me is huddle presence and the ability to run the offense, so who can most effectively run the offense, who can look at the defense, understand what the coverage is and throw to the right place, who can see a blitz look and put us in the right play, who can do the check-with-me's where you have two plays called and understand this is the better of the two selections," Mangini told reporters.

Any deception in naming a starting quarterback could be purposeful on Mangini's part. It could be in an effort to confuse opponents heading into the regular season.

"One of the things that's tough defensively is not knowing who the starting quarterback's going to be," Mangini said. "I hated when I didn't know who the starting quarterback of the other team was. A huge, huge headache."

Notes…
Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository reports that Anderson had to run a lap today after a false start penalty. A quarterback getting that penalty is crazy.

The Plain Dealer has a nice gallery of shots from today's minicamp.

James Walker of ESPN.com is reporting that Brady Quinn holds the early lead in the Browns' quarterback competition.

Quinn has been receiving snaps with the first team ahead of former Pro Bowler Derek Anderson at voluntary minicamps that end today.

While head coach Eric Mangini has said the two quarterbacks will receive balanced repetitions, Quinn's performance has earned him the top spot.

"Brady will get the first reps today," Mangini told reporters today. "He started with the first reps on Wednesday, and that's because he's done a really outstanding job in the offseason program. Not that Derek hasn't done well, but [Quinn] gets the first reps."

Last season, Quinn started three games before a finger injury knocked him out for the final five games of the season. Quinn's best performance was his first start, a 34-30 loss to Denver. In the game, Quinn finished with 239 yards passing and two touchdowns.

After making the Pro Bowl in 2007, Anderson struggled last season. In 10 games, he had 1,615 yards passing, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Browns acquired quarterback Brett Ratliff from the Jets during a trade on the first day of the NFL Draft. Ronald Bartel is also on the roster.

Notes…
Tip of the hat to commentator Scott for pointing out this story. Matt Bowen of National Football Post says special teams star Josh Cribbs isn't worth a new contract.

Talks between Cribbs and Mangini have taken place, according to Beacon Journal beat writer Marla Ridenour.

We asked, and you told us. More than 1,100 of you voted on whether or not Browns quarterback Derek Anderson will be with the team for the 2009 football season.

A resounding 82 percent of you said he would not.

In 2008, Anderson threw for 1,615 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. That came following a season in which Anderson threw for 29 touchdowns and almost 3,000 yards on his way to the Pro Bowl.

So, following a season of resounding disappointment, let's assume the Browns trade Anderson in favor of Brady Quinn. What exactly could Anderson bring the team in a trade?

At one point in the season, Peter King of Sports Illustrated said the Browns could get a second round pick.

One reader, "jusayin," thinks the Browns could get much more.

"A reasonable exchange for DA," he wrote, "would be to Tampa for a two, three and Brian Griese, the type of limited-arm vet QB who should make an excellent mentor and backup for Brady Quinn."

That wouldn't be bad, but it's unlikely the Browns could get that much.

Tony Grossi of the Plain Dealer practically wrote off Anderson's trade value. He thinks the Browns would also have to eat a lot of Anderson's $5 million roster bonus due in March.

If new general manager George Kokinis gets the feeling that will increase Anderson's trade value, expect owner Randy Lerner to open the checkbook. Anderson then could be held onto until the draft where the Browns could set his value against where the top three quarterbacks, Matt Stafford, Josh Freeman and Mark Sanchez, are falling in the draft. That would also mean the Browns will have to pay Anderson's entire roster bonus.

But who could be the teams in play for Anderson?

The Vikings could be a choice, but many expect them to go after the recently released Jeff Garcia. Conversely, with the Buccaneers releasing Garcia, they could be a player for Anderson's services. The Jets seem to be after a veteran quarterback. San Francisco could theoretically need one with Shaun Hill just being average. Kansas City is also somewhat up in the air at quarterback. New coach Todd Haley uses the vertical passing game a lot, which fits Anderson perfectly.

So, for now, we're still left with plenty of questions. Help us find the answers. In the comments, tell us who you think will trade for Anderson and what the Browns could get for him.

Notes…
The Browns hired two more assistant coaches today. Steve Hagen is back with the Browns to coach tight ends. He held the same position with the team from 2001 to '03 and was quarterbacks coach in 2004. Hagen was on Butch Davis' coaching staff at the University of North Carolina.

The team also hired Gary Brown as its running backs coach. Brown, an eight-year NFL running back, held the same position with Rutgers University in 2008.

According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, quarterback Brady Quinn will miss the rest of the season due to a broken right index finger he suffered Nov. 17 at Buffalo.

Quinn elected to play Sunday against Houston, which reportedly caused the injury to worsen.

Team sources said that Quinn and the team made the decision together earlier today. Sources say that not only has the break in his right index finger worsened, but it is also starting to injure the tendons as well.

For the season, Quinn was 45 for 89 passing for 518 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The Browns were 1-2 in the three games Quinn started.

Derek Anderson will start Sunday against the 7-4 Indianapolis Colts.

Since the Browns lost to Dallas and Pittsburgh to begin the season, man fans have angrily been calling for the firing of head coach Romeo Crennel and the benching of starting quarterback Derek Anderson.

So, with having two weeks to prepare for Monday night's game against the Giants, should Crennel be gone if the Browns drop to 1-4? If Anderson continues to complete less than 50 percent of his passes and throws more interceptions than touchdowns, does he automatically get benched?

During the Browns' week off, that is all I've been able to think about with the team. Not how Ryan Tucker will probably play his first game of the season. Or how Browns cornerbacks will do against Plaxico Burress, who is probably motivated after coming off suspension. I haven't even thought about how the somewhat sluggish offensive line is going to stop the renowned New York pass rush.

Nope. It's been whether or not we'll be seeing the last of Crennel and Anderson this season. This may not necessarily a rub off of the loser mentality most Cleveland sports fans have, but it sure seems like it.

Notes…
Patrick McManamon checks in with his weekly 1st and 10. Always a solid, quick read.

McManamon also had a really good column today on penalties in the NFL and how it relates to the Browns.

Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository gives this season a kick in the pants, and I don't mean the back side.

Hey, by the time I wrote that all out, I had a new thought about the Browns! They were losing 30-3 in the second quarter of the preseason game against the Giants. Oof.

Coach Romeo Crennel had little problem calling what wide receiver Braylon Edwards is enduring currently a slump.  He's more concerned, however, with getting Edwards' problems corrected. Right now the wideout has five receptions for 46 yards.  Gee, think those fantasy football wonks who have him on their rosters are a bit miffed?  You betcha.

It’s always troubling when a player goes through times like he is going through, when he is dropping balls that we need him to catch. We are trying to do everything we can to help get him out of his slump. A lot of times as a receiver, focus on the ball is one of the things. We have got numbers on the ball and we’ve got colors on the ball to try to improve his focus so he can relax and make some of those plays that we saw him make last year.

Crennel also recognizes that in order for the Browns to succeed offensively, the team has to be able to run and throw the ball.  They've not looked particularly good doing either as their massive 8 points per game average shows, thus far.  You could argue that it all begins with the running game, but more often than not, this team passed the ball to set up the run last year.  No consistency in the passing game equals no consistency in the run game.

I think that this team is a better offensive team when we can have balance, when we can run the ball and throw play-action passes and drop back and throw the ball. Once a team becomes one-dimensional, then the defense can load up on it. Our ability to be balanced helps the offense. As the game progresses and things happen, you adjust and adapt to what you feel at that time and you go with it, Crennel said.

Ummm…sure the Northeast Ohio Browns media were in the locker room this afternoon, but it resembled something out of an episode of The X-Files.  Many players were mysteriously missing.  Yes, we know that the problem lies in the fact that they lost this past Sunday, but as one person in the room observed:  "You're here when you win and you want the love; where are you when you lose and it's not going to be as easy?"

Indeed.  But props to those who came around to talk.

Among the missing, however was wide receiver Braylon Edwards who looks to have gone on a media boycott since last week when a news report on WOIO (Channel 19) revealed that Edwards received a verbal warning after being stopped for doing 120-miles-per-hour in a 65-miles-per-hour zone a few weeks back in Avon Lake.  The report caused the Avon P.D. to issue a citation weeks after the fact. 

That doesn't explain Edwards' woeful start to the begining of the season that he needs to place in context for Cleveland Browns fans.  The guy has five receptions for 46 yards in two games.  That's borderline pathetic.  His teammates, especially quarterback Derek Anderson hasn't lost faith in him, however.

(I'm going to) keep plugging along, keep throwing him the ball. I've got confidence in him he's going to catch it. Just keep working. He's going to be fine. As much as (everyone) keeps drilling him about it, he's going to be all right.

He's working. We had a good work week last week. Every day after practice we were getting balls and catching it and feeling really good about it. We're going to continue to do that and he's going to be all right.

Of course, it would help if the Browns had a dependable receiver to work in with Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow.  Donte Stallworth was supposed to be that guy.  If you spent any amount of time in training camp you could see that offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski had a nice package that included short passes in space to give Stallworth room to work in place.  The wide receiver said he would like to return for Sunday's contest against the Baltimore Ravens.

I’m hoping that I can get out there. I don’t want to be out there and let my pride get in the way of me thinking I can go out there and can’t and in reality hurt the team more than I would like to. It’s a matter of me being able to contribute as opposed to being out there and injurying myself again or hurting the team at all.