Many positions are settled for the Cleveland Browns with just a few weeks until the regular season begins. The starting quarterback competition, however, is not among them.
Brandon Weeden, Jason Campbell in ‘close’ battle for Browns starting QB
Cleveland has yet to settle the quarterback position with its new head coach balking at naming a starter.
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Jason Campbell still has a chance to win the starting job over second-year pro Brandon Weeden, according to Tom Withers of the Associated Press. Head coach Rob Chudzinski has had Weeden take all of the first team snaps in practice and the Oklahoma State product started the first preseason game, but Chudzinki won't anoint him the starter just yet because he believes that the competition is still "close".
Weeden remains confident he’ll be under center come Week 1, though, according to the AP:
“I’m confident that I’m going to be, but I’ve got to prove it to the other guys, the guys upstairs that I am the guy,” he said. “The only way I can do that is play well and keep continuing to get better. ... It’s a competitive sport. It’s a competitive position. And it being my second year, things didn’t go as well as obviously I wanted them to last year. That means I have to show these guys that I can play and show these guys that I can be the man.”
Perhaps this is simply a ploy to keep Weeden uncomfortable and pushing him to get better or maybe Chudzinski has legitimate concerns about how consistent Weeden can be and wants to hold off on making any sweeping judgments. Either way, he apparently wants to keep the battle going.
“I think it’s still close,” Chudzinski said. “We are finding out every game. These games are important opportunities for guys to show what they can do.”
Weeden was terrific in the Browns' preseason opener, completing 10-of-13 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Campbell has started 71 games in his career for the Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears while compiling a 30-41 mark.
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