Brandon Weeden's campaign as a sophomore quarterback did not start as planned. The Cleveland Browns quarterback has found his future constantly in question and Sunday did not help his case. Weeden looked less than impressive against the Miami Dolphins, but despite his struggles, head coach Rob Chudzinski is insisting his job as starter is safe.
Weeden finished the day going 26 of 53 in passing for 289 yards. He threw three picks and just one touchdown pass. He was sacked six times for 45 yards. The game looked like déjà vu for Browns fans considering last year in Weeden's debut as a rookie he tossed four interceptions. While they were not all his fault, the performance has put his career with the team in question, something Chudzinski is downplaying.
"I don't look at it as a leash," Chudzinski said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "These guys are developing players and they're learning how to play in this system and I expect us to keep getting better and improving. I thought Brandon had some ups and downs. I know there are some throws and some reads he'd like to have back. I think the one thing you saw yesterday, you saw his resiliency and toughness."
Weeden's passer rating of 48.4 was second-worst in the league to Jacksonville's Blaine Gabbert. The quarterback acknowledged that things did not go great for the team on Sunday and they had plenty to work out over the week. Protection from the offensive line was a big issue. Wide receivers made crucial drops and the run game offered little support. Chudzinski stressed that Weeden cannot shoulder all of the blame for the team's loss.
Trent Richardson is another player that did not fare well in his sophomore debut. The running back was left to shoulder to entire work load of the ground game as the Browns have very little quality sitting behind him after injuries plagued the team. Richardson managed just 47 yards while the offensive line failed to block for him.
Chudzinski opted to only run Richardson five times in the second half of the loss. As the Dolphins extended their lead, he saw no playing time in the fourth quarter. The head coach notes that he is not second guessing the decision.
"You can always second-guess everything when you don't win,'' said Chudzinski. "We had some things we liked. Some of them came up, some didn't quite as well. And they tightened up a little bit against the run when we got into the third quarter. We want to make sure that he stays fresh as well and that's part of the plan."
The running back certainly stayed fresh. The Browns have plenty to work on before Week 2. Weeden can rest easy knowing that he will be the starter for the next game, but if he continues this streak, the Browns may be looking elsewhere for help.
