Browns hope to upset Colts

This week does not appear to present an advantageous set of circumstances for the Cleveland Browns to have a chance at springing an upset against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Browns, a team that has wallowed in perpetual turmoil throughout a 4-7 season, figure to be facing a focused Indianapolis club that is hitting its stride just in time to make a serious playoff run.

After stumbling to a 3-4 start, the Colts have won four straight to improve to 7-4. The Browns, meanwhile, are coming off perhaps their most-dismal performance of the year, a 16-6 home loss to the Houston Texans.

The Browns will be turning back to Derek Anderson as their starting quarterback after placing Brady Quinn on injured reserve this week with a broken finger. Quinn suffered a fracture on the tip of his right index finger during Cleveland's 29-27 victory at Buffalo on Nov. 17. He tried to play through the injury against Houston last Sunday but was ineffective, completing 8 of 18 passes for 94 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by Anderson in the third quarter.

“There was no major damage as a result of (Quinn) playing in the Houston game, and there are no longterm effects of him playing in that game or of that injury itself,” Browns coach Romeo Crennel said Wednesday. “The injury is just not healing the way it needs to heal. To get it to heal, we have got to take some time.”

Quinn finishes the season, his second in the NFL, with a completion rate of 50.6 percent in three starts. He completed 45 of 89 passes for 518 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Anderson has completed 49 percent of his passes for 1,505 yards this season. The fourth-year pro from Oregon State has thrown nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Crennel was asked if he plans to hold an open competition next year between Quinn and Anderson for the starting quarterback position.

“I am not exactly sure,” Crennel replied. “I would say no because I had planned to go with Brady to be the quarterback, and when he comes back he is going to be healthy so he is going to be the quarterback. Next training camp Quinn is the starter.”

After a reporter asked why Quinn would remain the starter heading into next year even if Anderson plays well for the remainder of this season, the usually media-friendly Crennel answered in an uncharacteristically terse tone.

“You guys are something, you really are,” Crennel said. “D.A. was the starter and you guys (the media) hated him. Quinn goes in and Quinn plays, and now you are telling me if D.A. lights it up you want him to be the starter. I have decided that Quinn is going to be the starter, and I am sorry if you don’t like that.”

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While the Browns have gone through a myriad of quarterbacks since returning to the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1999, the Colts have enjoyed rock-solid stability at the position over the same time-frame.

Peyton Manning, a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer, will make his 172nd consecutive start at quarterback for the Colts on Sunday. He'll be leading the high-powered Indianapolis offense against a Browns defense that ranks 27th in the league overall and 20th versus the pass.

Indianapolis Colts (7-4) at Cleveland Browns (4-7)

When: 1 p.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 30

Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium

Last meeting: Colts defeated Browns, 13-6, on Sept. 25, 2005

Prediction: Colts 31, Browns 17

By Tom Kessler
ProFootball-fans.com Cleveland Browns Correspondent