Do you remember when the Browns traded Quinn for Hillis?

The prince is advised to commit all his atrocities upfront. The people will forgive him for the early bloodletting over rest of his long and peaceful reign. So said Machiavelli.

I remember it all very well. I better remember it. It was just last year.

President Mike Holmgren walks in the door at Cleveland, and tosses Derek Anderson out on his ass. He then trades hometown hero and 1st round draft pick QB Brady Quinn for an unknown fullback who has been scrubbing for the Bronco special teams.

As you may imagine, this created quite a shockwave in Cleveland. Most Brown fans were very disappointed that Holmgren chose not to exercise his formitable QB coaching skills in developing Brady Quinn. They were disconsolate that Mike shredded a 1st round pick and got next to nothing for him. Many were pissed.

My, my, my, what a difference a year makes.

That unknown fullback was none other than Peyton Hillis. He played in all 16 games in 2010, carried 270 times, and rushed for 1,177 yards. He turned out to be half Mike Alstott and half Larry Czonka. The fans in Cleveland bonded with him immediately, and they love this guy to death.

Incidentally, EA Sports just put Hillis on the cover of John Madden's Football 2012. He beat out Mike Vick and Aaron Rodgers for that honor. Now he is an entertainer and an icon in addition to being a pretty good Aquarius kid for his Gemini boss.

Now Brown fans are laughing like hell about how badly Holmgren snookered the Broncos. I still wonder if the Peyton Hillis for Brady Quinn trade was the final nail in Josh McDaniels' coffin. When Hillis exploded in Cleveland, and Brady Quinn did nothing in Denver, I think Pat Bowlen detonated.

When you look at what Derek Anderson did for he Cardinals in 2010, and what Quinn did for the Broncos last year, I think it's pretty damn obvious that Holmgren made the right moves. There can be no doubt that he shed dead weight.

Hillis now has to face the jinx, but he seems unafraid. I think this guy is a 1,000 horse power bulldozer. If anybody can whup the jinx, he will.

Mike Holmgren and Tim Tebow

The echos of the Brady Quinn-dump are echoing and reverberating around the league. Mike Holmgren effectively told the league he couldn't work with Brady Quinn. That is saying an awful lot. Holmgren suffered Brett Favre for awhile before he became a good QB. As Jamie Dukes put it, Mike Holmgren is known as one of the premier QB developers in this league. Yet Holmgren has effectively told the league he sees no value in Quinn at all.

This is a guy who knows QB-flesh when he sees it. Holmgren's reputation is well earned. In fact he may be under-rated. Consider this:

1. He learned his craft under Bill Walsh, perhaps the most revered QB developer ever.
2. He had a hand in Joe Montana's development.
3. He developed Steve Young
4. He developed Steve Bono
5. He developed Brett Favre
6. He developed Mark Brunell
7. He developed Matt Hasselbeck

Bono is the only guy on that list who didn't make it to the ProBowl. He had a rep for being a super-sub though, so he wasn't bad. Note the fact that he has 2 guys in the Hall of Fame, and one more headed for the Hall of Fame. That is three Hall of Fame QBs on one resume. That is shocking.

Oh yeah! Kurt Warner also passed through town in Green Bay back in 1995. Do you remember that? He couldn't get a slot on that near-championship team because Favre and Brunell were already there. Wow...

When you consider Holmgren's credentials carefully, you have to acknowledge that this probably the best QB man alive in the world today. What is Holmgren thinking about Jimmy Clausen? well you can read about it in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Here are a couple of plain interpretations of this statement:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/nfl-draft/mike-holmgren-is-latest-to-say.html

http://www.uhnd.com/articles/nfl-irish/mike-holmgren-isnt-jimmy-clausen-6419/

I concur with the summary given in both of those pieces. Holmgren is saying that Clausen in not worth the high pick he is likely to become. He would not take him that high. Why should he? Quinn and Clausen are two peas from the same pod. They came out the same school, the same coaching, and the same offensive system. Unfortunately for Clausen, Quinn seemed to have a better athletic endowment, and a better TD/INT ratio. Quinn looked like the better candidate coming out of college. Having just flushed the better looking bowl of water, why go back to the same well for more?

So what does Holmgren intend to do? He is not going to select a QB in the first couple of rounds. He will draft in the 3rd round or later. He also plans to host Tim Tebow in Cleveland, and he is admitting that he likes Tebow. A simple inference from these facts is as follows: Holmgren will take Tebow in the 3rd if he can get him.

Now wouldn't this just fit the pattern? A mobile, athletic, strong armed competitor who is raw as hell. Isn't that what Holmgren likes? Does that sound like Steve Young, Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and Matt Hasselbeck? Yes it does. Like Young and Brunell, Tebow is a southpaw.

There has already been talk about this on the NFL Network's Path to the Draft. Jamie Dukes was the only guy to cast doubt on the scenario, as it would force Holmgren to come out of his President's booth and do some coaching. Now do you think that is really a problem? Don't you think Holmgren would love do it again? Just one more time? Especially given a dazzling candidate like Tim Tebow, arguably the best college football player of all time? I don't believe Holmgren is a guy who wants to take his hand out of the soil.

Suppose Holmgren knows championship metal when he sees it. What would developing Tim Tebow into an All-Pro QB do for his reputation? Here is a kid labeled as a non-NFL QB by many. Turning 'lead' into 'gold' one more time would pretty well cement Holmgren's reputation as a Hall of Fame caliber QB developer. Yet Holmgren may well know the facts ain't that bad. He probably knows the job isn't that big, especially give a driven student. Of course, it's easier when the kid is made out of gold in the first place.

Suppose this scenario comes to pass? Don't you think this would validate everything I have been telling you about the false system of QB evaluation we are currently using in the NFL draft? Suppose Tebow were to hit big under Homgren's tutelage? What would this tell you about how we evaluate and develop QBs?

So if Mike Holmgren is smart enough to figure all this out by his lonesome, why aren't my Rams?

Mike Holmgren is showing you why they took the GM power away from him in Seattle

Things are spinning out of control in Cleveland rapidly. The Browns have made a series of 4 moves at the QB position, all of which are questionable individually, but more so when you put them together.

First Derek Andersen is released, then Seneca Wallace is acquired from Seattle. Does that constitute an upgrade? I am not sure. Then the Browns sign Jake Del Homme, and pay him starter money. For a guy with an organic deformity in his throwing elbow, post-Tommy John surgery, Del Homme sure is swimming in cash. I guess nice guys do finish first after all. Then the Browns dump Brady Quinn for next to nothing. A former first-round QB has been cashed out for an unknown Fullback (now an extinct position in the NFL) and a couple of late choices, one in 2011, and another in 2012. That is an all-out purgative dump.

So now you have the interception/sack/fumble machine as your starting QB in Cleveland, or at least he is getting starter money. You also have Seneca Wallace backing him up. I see a net gain of 0 points on the score board. These are pointless, fruitless, upgrade-less moves. These are just moves to make moves. You could have lost just as many games in 2010 without making any of these moves. Why the effort? To "send a message"? That's pointless. The point of flushing two worthless QBs is nullified by the point of adding two more worthless QBs. Stupid!

This is just dreadful. If Bill Devaney had done this in St. Louis, I would be dropping napalm on his head. You see! This is why they wouldn't give Holmgren the GM power in Green Bay, and this is why they took it away from him in Seattle. He is not good with personnel. He makes bad moves.

Whilst we are on this subject, let's talk about great young prospects who come out of Notre Dame, coached by 'the great' Charlie Weis, who have experiance in a true pro system, who have all the physical tools, and who can do the 3-5-7.

Brady Quinn was a Mel Kiper Jr. favorite. He was given all kinds of great press by Kiper. Now he is an absolute certified bust. Nobody wanted to trade anything for him, then Cleveland accepts something close to nothing for him. Will Quinn start in Denver? Not unless lightning strikes. Jason La Canfora was fairly adamant that this is strictly a depth-move for Denver. Quinn is now a certified bust.

Now how in the hell can that be? How could this have happened? He came out of Notre Dame! This is the #3 football factory in the land according to NFL Films! He was coached by Charlie Weis! He played in a Pro System in college! He looked so good doing the 3-5-7! He had all the tools!

What this points out is that your biases are bullshit. Your methods for evaluation are tremendously flawed. Your criteria are fucked up. Everyone who is listening to this sort of rubbish in 2010 had better beware of Jimmy Clausen. The arguments made in his favor don't add up to a hill of beans. Buyer beware!