There were definitely a few passes that Weeden completely missed on, and quite a few completions where he was helped out by his

receivers. That being said I think the bad throws that were hauled in probably balance out the times he's hit receivers right in

the freaking hands, and they couldn't hold on to the ball. This was the first of Brandon's games I've seen from start to finish,

I was struck by the amount of time he had to make a decision. I would agree that with that much time it was frustrating to watch him

have a very average game, because the kid has all the ability in the world throwing the football. Weeden isn't far from being a solid

NFL quarterback, he seems to be an unfortunate prisoner of an unimaginative offense. What is clear is that there isn't a better option

on the horizon as Matt Barkley looks very average, and Collin Klein literally can't hit the broad side of a barn. If someone wants to

pin their hopes on Colt McCoy, good luck. The Browns didn't need someone scrambling around extending plays, Brandon should have shredded

Dallas with as much time as he had back there. He just needed to be more accurate, and he wasn't. Obviously with those corners in the

Cleveland secondary you've got to finish your drives with touchdowns every chance you get on offense. The most alarming thing about this

team is it's lifeless head coach. That is one guy that looks completely out of place, and out of his element. Before giving up on Weeden

I'd like to see what he could do with a solid coaching staff giving him a chance to succeed.

I have only had to watch what's happened this season, as I have been more than curious to see how BW would play. I don't know how anyone could survive

the asinine play calls over a long period of time. I've seen numerous times where they've tried to buck the tendencies, and throwing deep with a yard to

go. Just move the sticks for lord's sake. 3 rushing first downs?

Let's start with the obvious, that today was just one game so the jury will be out for awhile. However I wanted to see if he could play at a high level, and at least he's shown that he can play like a first round quarterback. While his performance against the Eagles was horrendous, the ability to turn it around like he did against the Bengals was more than solid. This game allowed you to see that he can make it happen, and that in itself should give even the most pessimistic fan some hope. Put aside for the moment all of the negatives that this kid has been saddled with at the beginning of his career, that he was drafted too high being at the top of the list. Even most of us who followed Weeden at Oklahoma State felt he was probably picked up a little early in the draft, and questioned him being given the starting spot right out of the gate. That being said there was no doubt in my mind that his talent level was first round material, and that he could deliver as a starting quarterback in the NFL at some point. This game shows he can play at this level, and that there's something to build on now. My only real knock on Brandon was that he had some serious adjusting to do because at OSU he never faced a whole lot of adversity, and that pressure tended to really throw him off track. I think he proved some things today to a lot of people, and demonstrated why this organization went with him over McCoy. That pass over the middle for a touchdown was big league, and a throw that Colt does not make. As I remember it Brandon wasn't even able to completely follow through on the pass showing more arm strength than a number of starting quarterbacks in this league. So yes it's only one game, but that's a hell of a rebound from the Eagles fiasco. What gives me more hope for his long term future is what I saw out of Richardson, because Weeden has a complete stud to hand the football off to in Cleveland. There's something to build on, and believe me that's a lot better than what Chiefs' fans are staring at after watching some of Kansas City's pathetic outing today. We're right in the middle of the KC, and Dallas markets unfortunately. Weeden looked like Dan Marino in his prime compared with what I saw out of Cassel today.

The first mistake was of course drafting Weeden too high apparently, so he'll always be saddled with expectations based on the opinion that he shouldn't have been taken at 22. Not making him earn the starting job, and coddling him during the preseason doesn't help either. Then on top of that RG3 looks fantastic in week #1, and Weeden fell apart against the Eagles. It's all coming together perfectly for Brandon, and I don't know if you'll get out of him what you're looking for anytime soon. I've stated before that one of his glaring deficiencies in college was the ability to throw accurately with pocket pressure, and I don't see that changing for the better. That being said he's not a worthless quarterback, and can throw as well or better than anyone out there. Holmgren and company have put the kid in a horrible position, but I wouldn't throw him on the trash heap just yet. If he can adjust to the fact that he won't have a hell of a lot of time to throw, and someone can actually catch the ball when it's there who knows? What Weeden really needed was to be drafted where he should have been in the 2nd round, and made to earn a starting job by out dueling another quarterback in practice & the preseason.

I admit to jumping on board for what may be the short term hoping to see Weeden continue his great story, and help turn one of the league's classic franchises in the right direction. So what I witnessed during the exhibition games, and game 1 of the regular season was definitely not what I wanted to see from Brandon. You're dead on when it comes to the Big 12 defenses, at times the conference has resembled a glorified 7 on 7 passing league with once proud programs looking inept defensively. Weeden took full advantage of the Big 12's current defensive state, and with his gun teamed with a first round NFL receiver it was target practice. He would go long stretches without even having a hand in his face, and so objective Oklahoma State fans wondered what would happen when the boy in the bubble entered the real world. This will undoubtedly be painful for the Kool-aid drinking OSU football fans because he has been our version of "The Natural". The last time most Oklahomans had seen the kid play was his last high school playoff game for Edmond Santa Fe when he re-emerged like Roy Hobbs in the second half of an Oklahoma State home game against Colorado a few years ago to save the day. I remember wondering where Brandon had been all those years, and now here he was firing lasers all over the field.

I hope I'm wrong about how I see this ending.

I'm not sure what will happen with Weeden, and as a life long Oklahoma State fan I of course wanted to see the kid succeed. However the 300lb gorilla that nobody wanted to discuss when he was here was how he reacted, and dealt with pressure. Having watched every game Brandon played in college I think it was evident to anyone half way objective that he didn't perform that well with defenders swarming around him, which didn't happen very often. At Oklahoma State Weeden was able to throw with a dominant offensive line in front of him, and a system that allowed him to get the ball out of there quickly. More often than not when there was someone in his face he didn't do very well, and I'm sure that's not what Browns fans are going to want to hear. When he was drafted all I could think about was how is he going to deal with NFL caliber defensive pressure?

Obviously the first attempt out of the box was a disaster, and unless he shows me something different I'm afraid you're going to see more of the same for a while. I'm not ready to throw the kid in the trash heap just yet because he may adjust with flying colors, it's just that he really never had to deal with much adversity so this is all new territory for him. What I do know is that he can throw the football as well or better than most out there, and he has been a proven winner. I'd like to see what he does for a few weeks before casting him aside, and if he can figure out how to throw with people around him you've got something. What I'm most concerned about is the way the Browns staff prepared him for this season, as it seems they didn't do him any favors by hiding him from the dangers of what he'll be facing week in and week out.