If Brandon Weeden is going to make it as the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback, he must win over the coaches to get the spot. Step one is complete as the second-year quarterback got an endorsement from his new offensive coordinator, Norv Turner. While Weeden is the popular opinion to lead the Browns for the short term, if he struggles again, his future replacement could be headed to the team sooner than he would like.
Turner is new to the Cleveland Browns and as the offensive coordinator, he is Weeden's best chance at remaining the starter. If Turner likes Weeden, then his spot might be more guaranteed. Weeden is coming off a semi-productive rookie season. While he put up decent numbers, he failed to get the team any wins. In 2012, he threw for 3,385 yards and 14 touchdowns while also throwing 17 interceptions. The turnovers killed the team in the end.
Weeden understands that as he competes with the likes of Jason Campbell and Brian Hoyer, having Turner on his side will be fruitful in the long run.
"He's a guy you want on your side. He's going to put you in the best position possible because he's done that for years with a lot of great quarterbacks-and Alex Smith is a perfect example, with what he was able to do from Year One to Year Two," Weeden said.
Turner has success turning Smith into a professional quarterback. He helped Smith go from an OK rookie to a productive second-year player. He produced more victories in his second year under Turner than ever before in his career. He threw more touchdowns and improved his completion percentage.
Weeden knows that if he follows Turner, he can become that same type of quarterback. Tuner has done his research on Weeden and is well-aware of his strengths and weaknesses.
"Brandon is a young player with a lot of ability. The hardest thing for him last year was that he was surrounded by a lot of young players. You had Josh Gordon on side, Greg Little on the others and Trent Richardson in the backfield-and they're all learning at the same time. What we have to do is get all those guys to grow up real fast, and Brandon's off to a good start," Turner said.
While Campbell and Hoyer are both shining in OTAs, Weeden's vote of confidence from Turner means more than anything. He will ultimately play a large part in deciding who will start Week 1 and if Weeden can continue to impress him, he will get the go-ahead nod.
