Still iffy on if I want him or AD...but.....
Perfectionist Quinn reaching his dream
Zac Jackson, Staff Writer
04.25.2007
DUBLIN, OH -- He had the most organized desk in elementary school, was the captain of every team in middle school, earned high marks on his report cards throughout and kept a football notebook full of plays, diagrams, and areas he felt needed improvement -- probably not something most high school quarterbacks carry with them everywhere they go.
Now, he's nationally recognized and has two degrees from Notre Dame, but still has the same girlfriend from Dublin, the same barber in Dublin, the same relationships with people young and old who knew him before he got "big."
In case you haven't seen him lately -- seen those neck muscles and the arms popping out of his t-shirt -- he's definitely big. Though he wears his hair longer now and is too "big" in another sense to come into the shop, the man Dublinites know as Oz still takes the scissors to his hair.
"He was probably 12 when he first came in here, a little skinny kid who always talked sports," said the aforementioned barber, Steven Osborne. "He'd get his haircut and leave, and the other people in the shop would tell me he was going to be a superstar.
"I thought they were kidding. He was as scrawny as can be. No way."
Sixteen months ago, a big-city newspaper called him "bright and polite; an Abercrombie model with a deadly gun." In February, he was measured at 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds.
The Brady Quinn "Strive for Perfection" Tour is coming to an NFL city near, well, near somewhere. And for Quinn, who likes to have nearly every moment of his life meticulously planned, not knowing where that somewhere will lead him until Saturday's NFL Draftmight be the hardest part.
Not that he's worried about the climate, or house hunting, or the best restaurants. Mostly, he wants to get his hands on a playbook, start watching film and start firing questions at his new quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.
It's the work he's always done, and it's why he can say with confidence -- as he did at the NFL Scouting Combine in February -- that he's "the most prepared collegiate player for the NFL in the draft. There's not one other player that's had the kind of coaching that I've had the past couple of years. There's not one other player that's done what I've done the past couple of years.
"You've seen the progress, the numbers and everything we've done at Notre Dame, and I feel that I am the best leader for a team that needs someone to step in and fulfill that job."
He makes a pretty good sales pitch, too.
The Browns are one of many teams that have studied Quinn inside and out over the last few months -- and really more than that. Quinn could have been a high draft pick a year ago, but he decided to stay in school for his senior season. The momentum he began to gain as a junior, flourishing in his first year in Charlie Weis' pro-style offense, was stunted a bit by a late-season, last-secondloss to USC (the "Reggie Bush-push" game) and aFiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State.
Last season, Notre Dame was overmatched in blowout losses to Michigan, USC and LSU. The critics said Quinn couldn't win the big game, and suddenly JaMarcus Russell -- with his big arm, bigger body and LSU's big-game wins -- became the nation's hottest quarterback prospect.
Quinn supporters say this: That he's ready for the spotlight and the pressure, that he has plenty of arm, that he's more athletic than most people think.
The nay-sayers say this: That he doesn't handle a pass rush well, that he's erratic, that he won't get much better than he already is.
Isn't a two-year ratio of 69 touchdowns to 14 interceptions good enough? Or are there real concerns about his accuracy and upside?
That's for the NFL to decide, and no one really knows if Quinn is headed to Oakland, Detroit, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Miami or even somewhere else. What's said and reported at this time of year is often intentionally misleading, and even during the combine Quinn knew all about Denver's pre-draft pursuit a year ago of Jay Cutler, a courtship that consisted of nothing -- no visits, no interviews, no coaching staff contact -- before the Broncos used their first-round pick on him.
Whatever team gets Quinn Saturday is going to like his tireless work ethic, natural leadership qualities and overall desire to be a good quarterback and a good person. At a Browns Backers event earlier this month with the Browns' scouting staff, the team distributed thumbnail scouting reports on each of the top five draft prospects. The good stuff, of course, was deleted, but a general background overview was left on.
Quinn's said: "Outstanding intangibles...impressive person...well liked and respected...the face of the program...excellent worker...does extra tape...loves the weightroom."
As Weis has said on more than one occasion, "he has the 'it' factor."
"I knew that the first time I met him," said Mark Crabtree, Quinn's final high school coach at Dublin Coffman. "It's interesting to hear other people at higher levels talking about him, saying all these things about his intangibles and how he's a great person, because it's something we've known around here for quite some time."
Crabtree got the job at Coffman before Quinn's junior year, and Quinn led them to the state semifinals a few months later. He was there during the recruiting process, when it appeared Quinn was set to go to Michigan before Notre Dame -- his first choice all along -- finally offered.
One thing would complete that full circle that became possible when Notre Dame hired Weis before Quinn's junior year in college. He could end up with the NFL team he always dreamed of playing for.
"Brady has said he'd love to play for the Browns, for a number of reasons," Crabtree said. "Some of them are obvious, and people in Dublin would love to have him there. But he's not going to let himself be down if that's not where he ends up.
"I don't know if he's politicking for the Browns to take him or the Raiders to take him number one. I just think he feels that he owes people the chance to get to know him."
Saturday afternoon, Quinn will be in New York City. By that evening, he'll be back to his normal self -- somewhere -- planning, wondering and asking for a playbook to study.
"The toughest thing about (the draft) is you don't really control what the first team drafting does -- or who winds up picking you, or who trades up," Quinn said. "It's out of your hands. (I've tried) to be that guy that no team can say no to -- they say they have to pick you because you're that valuable."
Perfectionist Quinn reaching his dream
Zac Jackson, Staff Writer
04.25.2007
DUBLIN, OH -- He had the most organized desk in elementary school, was the captain of every team in middle school, earned high marks on his report cards throughout and kept a football notebook full of plays, diagrams, and areas he felt needed improvement -- probably not something most high school quarterbacks carry with them everywhere they go.
Now, he's nationally recognized and has two degrees from Notre Dame, but still has the same girlfriend from Dublin, the same barber in Dublin, the same relationships with people young and old who knew him before he got "big."
In case you haven't seen him lately -- seen those neck muscles and the arms popping out of his t-shirt -- he's definitely big. Though he wears his hair longer now and is too "big" in another sense to come into the shop, the man Dublinites know as Oz still takes the scissors to his hair.
"He was probably 12 when he first came in here, a little skinny kid who always talked sports," said the aforementioned barber, Steven Osborne. "He'd get his haircut and leave, and the other people in the shop would tell me he was going to be a superstar.
"I thought they were kidding. He was as scrawny as can be. No way."
Sixteen months ago, a big-city newspaper called him "bright and polite; an Abercrombie model with a deadly gun." In February, he was measured at 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds.
The Brady Quinn "Strive for Perfection" Tour is coming to an NFL city near, well, near somewhere. And for Quinn, who likes to have nearly every moment of his life meticulously planned, not knowing where that somewhere will lead him until Saturday's NFL Draftmight be the hardest part.
Not that he's worried about the climate, or house hunting, or the best restaurants. Mostly, he wants to get his hands on a playbook, start watching film and start firing questions at his new quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.
It's the work he's always done, and it's why he can say with confidence -- as he did at the NFL Scouting Combine in February -- that he's "the most prepared collegiate player for the NFL in the draft. There's not one other player that's had the kind of coaching that I've had the past couple of years. There's not one other player that's done what I've done the past couple of years.
"You've seen the progress, the numbers and everything we've done at Notre Dame, and I feel that I am the best leader for a team that needs someone to step in and fulfill that job."
He makes a pretty good sales pitch, too.
The Browns are one of many teams that have studied Quinn inside and out over the last few months -- and really more than that. Quinn could have been a high draft pick a year ago, but he decided to stay in school for his senior season. The momentum he began to gain as a junior, flourishing in his first year in Charlie Weis' pro-style offense, was stunted a bit by a late-season, last-secondloss to USC (the "Reggie Bush-push" game) and aFiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State.
Last season, Notre Dame was overmatched in blowout losses to Michigan, USC and LSU. The critics said Quinn couldn't win the big game, and suddenly JaMarcus Russell -- with his big arm, bigger body and LSU's big-game wins -- became the nation's hottest quarterback prospect.
Quinn supporters say this: That he's ready for the spotlight and the pressure, that he has plenty of arm, that he's more athletic than most people think.
The nay-sayers say this: That he doesn't handle a pass rush well, that he's erratic, that he won't get much better than he already is.
Isn't a two-year ratio of 69 touchdowns to 14 interceptions good enough? Or are there real concerns about his accuracy and upside?
That's for the NFL to decide, and no one really knows if Quinn is headed to Oakland, Detroit, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Miami or even somewhere else. What's said and reported at this time of year is often intentionally misleading, and even during the combine Quinn knew all about Denver's pre-draft pursuit a year ago of Jay Cutler, a courtship that consisted of nothing -- no visits, no interviews, no coaching staff contact -- before the Broncos used their first-round pick on him.
Whatever team gets Quinn Saturday is going to like his tireless work ethic, natural leadership qualities and overall desire to be a good quarterback and a good person. At a Browns Backers event earlier this month with the Browns' scouting staff, the team distributed thumbnail scouting reports on each of the top five draft prospects. The good stuff, of course, was deleted, but a general background overview was left on.
Quinn's said: "Outstanding intangibles...impressive person...well liked and respected...the face of the program...excellent worker...does extra tape...loves the weightroom."
As Weis has said on more than one occasion, "he has the 'it' factor."
"I knew that the first time I met him," said Mark Crabtree, Quinn's final high school coach at Dublin Coffman. "It's interesting to hear other people at higher levels talking about him, saying all these things about his intangibles and how he's a great person, because it's something we've known around here for quite some time."
Crabtree got the job at Coffman before Quinn's junior year, and Quinn led them to the state semifinals a few months later. He was there during the recruiting process, when it appeared Quinn was set to go to Michigan before Notre Dame -- his first choice all along -- finally offered.
One thing would complete that full circle that became possible when Notre Dame hired Weis before Quinn's junior year in college. He could end up with the NFL team he always dreamed of playing for.
"Brady has said he'd love to play for the Browns, for a number of reasons," Crabtree said. "Some of them are obvious, and people in Dublin would love to have him there. But he's not going to let himself be down if that's not where he ends up.
"I don't know if he's politicking for the Browns to take him or the Raiders to take him number one. I just think he feels that he owes people the chance to get to know him."
Saturday afternoon, Quinn will be in New York City. By that evening, he'll be back to his normal self -- somewhere -- planning, wondering and asking for a playbook to study.
"The toughest thing about (the draft) is you don't really control what the first team drafting does -- or who winds up picking you, or who trades up," Quinn said. "It's out of your hands. (I've tried) to be that guy that no team can say no to -- they say they have to pick you because you're that valuable."