Dawg Pound Daily
FanSided

Cleveland Browns: Ranking the most important players since 1999

By Martin McConnell

CLEVELAND - AUGUST 22: Derek Anderson #3 of the Cleveland Browns calls a play against the Detroit Lions during the first quarter of their NFL game in Cleveland Browns Stadium on August 22, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND - AUGUST 22: Derek Anderson #3 of the Cleveland Browns calls a play against the Detroit Lions during the first quarter of their NFL game in Cleveland Browns Stadium on August 22, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 11
Next
CHICAGO – NOVEMBER 01: Derek Anderson #3 of the Cleveland Browns runs away from Hunter Hillenmeyer #92 of the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on November 1, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Browns 30-6. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO – NOVEMBER 01: Derek Anderson #3 of the Cleveland Browns runs away from Hunter Hillenmeyer #92 of the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on November 1, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Browns 30-6. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

7. Derek Anderson

By all normal measures, Derek Anderson is the single-best Browns quarterback since their return in 1999. Not only did he have an exceptional year in 2007, but he nearly took the team to the playoffs that season with a record of 10-6.

Anderson was a one-hit wonder in a sense. Following his breakout 2007 season, he left Cleveland in 2009, only to find a home on the bench in Carolina by 2011. Ever since then, he’s been sitting behind Cam Newton, not doing much of anything.

Oh, but those autumn days of 2007 were magical, weren’t they, Browns fans? A total surprise team in the AFC, the Browns offense blew away the expectations of fans and analysts alike.

Related Story: Mychal Kendricks addition creates interesting story line

Anderson was the one leading the way for the Browns, with his band of merry men such as Kellen Winslow Jr., Jamal Lewis, and a rookie Joe Thomas. The Browns just narrowly missed the playoffs in an absolutely stacked AFC, which included the 16-0 New England Patriots and a 13-3 Baltimore Ravens team.

The rival Steelers had a tie-breaker over the Browns, essentially nullifying all of Anderson’s efforts that year. Nevertheless, his 2007 campaign will go down as one of the most important, as he gave the Browns their best win-loss record since their return in 1999.

Anderson wholly fulfills the first criterion of our list, as his efforts in 2007 still have impact on the Browns to this day. At the time of writing, the Browns still have not been able to best the team’s record that year of 10-6.

As for the second qualification, his play was, looking back on it, just normal quarterback play. The Browns offense did surprise, but Anderson’s incapability to build off his 2007 year makes his play’s impact on the franchise a moot point.

Third, Anderson’s play has directly affected Browns and NFL history, in two separate ways. Perhaps the Browns build off their 2007 season if Anderson is able to get them to the playoffs with just one more win.

In that case, maybe Romeo Crennel never gets fired from his head coaching position. Maybe the Browns become a perennial playoff contender going into the 2010s. If Anderson takes the 2007 Browns to playoffs, who knows where they go after that?

Maybe we wouldn’t be talking about the Browns as a laughing stock right now, if Anderson’s team goes to the playoffs. Maybe they’re just “okay,” or maybe they’re one of the league’s premier franchises, all built on the morale of a surprise playoff appearance. Who knows?

Home/Browns All-Time Lists