The Reason Why Derek Anderson was Signed

Found this in the News-Herald:

It is true that “from the beginning,” Phil Savage has said that he prefers to go into the 2008 season with both Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. However, if an offer came from a team in the top-10 of the draft (you know, the areas where Savage drafted Pro Bowlers Braylon Edwards and Joe Thomas), you would have to think Savage would entertain the thought of trading Anderson.

It turns out that Savage got word of a deal just like that. A team drafting in the late first round was ready to give up its first and third-round picks for the Browns QB. That team would then make another deal for Anderson that would get them into the top of the first round. Apparently, this did not please Savage all too much:

"“I didn’t want to be standing on the street corner with a late one and a late three while another team was using our quarterback to go up into the top 10 of the draft,” Savage said. “That was something that seemed to be a real possibility.”"

We can all assume that Anderson was signed because Savage wanted to go into the 2008 season with two legitimate quarterbacks. But it would have killed him to see another team use Anderson to get near the top of the first round. Instead, to prevent that, he has signed the quarterback and will deal with an upcoming controversy. Or, better yet, maybe he knows these teams involved in a secret deal and he is working on a deal himself.

Either way, this is a win-win situation. On one hand, the Browns do nothing and go into 2008 with two capable quarterbacks. On the other hand, the Browns make another move and draft in the top-10. For once, I think I’ll be content with either scenario.