Dear Derek,
I believe you play for my hometown football team, the Cleveland Browns. Don't worry. I'm not here to ridicule you, chant Brady Quinn's name while you're in the game, or cheer when you get hurt. Instead, I'm here to apologize for those that have.
Derek, it's not you. Cleveland did the same thing to Tim Couch in 2002 when we thought Kelly Holcomb was the quarterback of the future. It's just Cleveland; there's no excuse for the way we treat our athletes. No longer do I question why some of our favorite athletes in the town, like Manny Ramirez, or Lebron James have left, or have made it very clear that they wish to leave. Why would anyone stay here?
Derek, what you did was truly remarkable. In 2007 you came in as the backup to another hometown guy, Charlie Frye, who didn't quite work out. (I wish all the success to Charlie, by the way. I suspect he'll become a star in Seattle under Holmgren.) After Charlie was traded, you were given one week to prepare as the starter. None of us expected much. After that 2nd game though, where you put the excitement back in to the Browns, the town came down with football fever, and you were the reason for it. Brady Quinn was forgotten, along with the past 8 years of football misery, where we struggled to have a winning season. All because you made football exciting again.
Unfortunately things changed in 2009. The struggles returned, and no one can blame anyone specific on the team. Some of our most reliable receivers struggled with drops, our offense line struggled with injuries, and our secondary, albeit showing quite a bit of promise, struggled at performing the most basic coverage. You took the blame; you took all the blame from the Cleveland fans. Sunday, when the fans booed as you went down with an injury, I've never been more ashamed to be a Browns fan, or a Clevelander for that matter. Never did you disrespect Cleveland. You only showed true appreciation for the fans. It's unfortunate that the fans couldn't show the same appreciation towards you.
There's no question that you'll be out of Cleveland at the end of this year. I don't blame you when you demand a trade during the off season. I hope you go some place where the fans will respect and appreciate your talents. You deserve it.
Linear Mode
