It’s likely the Browns will be starting their fourth different quarterback this season when the team takes its first offensive snap against the Rams in Los Angeles on Dec. 3.
According to reports, QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson — who started Cleveland’s last two games — remains in concussion protocol. That scenario could leave Coach Kevin Stefanski no choice but to start longtime veteran Joe Flacco, who was signed last week.
If that happens, it could bring back memories of Cleveland’s 1988 season, when the team played four quarterbacks after starter Bernie Kosar was lost for the season. The Browns went through Mike Pagel, Gary Danielson and finally Don Strock but gave few excuses. They finished the season 10-6 and made the AFC playoffs as a wild-card team.
The 7-4 Browns are two games back of the 9-3 Ravens in the AFC North, and tied for second in the division with the Steelers. If the season ended today, Cleveland would the No. 6 seed in the playoffs.
The game Dec. 3 at 4:25 p.m. at SoFi Stadium in L.A. has huge playoff implications for both teams. The Rams — at one point 3-6 but now 5-6 — are in a three-way tie with the Packers and Saints and are a half-game out of the last wild-card spot in the NFC.
L.A. has rode the arm of Super Bowl-winning QB Matthew Stafford all season. If Flacco gets the nod, it will be a rare matchup of Super Bowl-winning QBs.
Flacco, 38, is among several Super Bowl-winning QBs in franchise history rostered by the Browns. Others include Trent Dilfer, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2000 before signing with the Browns in 2005, and Mark Rypien, who guided the Redskins to the Super Bowl crown before joining Cleveland in 1994.
Now the question is if Flacco still has the physical tools to rekindle any of his past glory — or at the very least do enough to get the Browns a much-needed victory over the Rams.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt believes the answer is yes. Speaking to reporters Nov. 30 from L.A. (where the Browns have practiced all week), Van Pelt has been impressed with Flacco, who took first-team snaps Nov. 29 and 30. Asked if Flacco’s arm strength is good enough to make all the throws necessary of an NFL QB, Van Pelt said:
“There’s no question. If you put it on a scale of 1 to 5, I’d say he’s a 5,” said Van Pelt about Flacco’s arm strength. “His ball flight, the velocity on the ball at every level of the field is very impressive. The guys got excited. He threw some balls against the scout team last week and the guys in the back were kind of fired up. … The accuracy, the velocity, the footwork, and everything he showed yesterday.”
Getting Flacco in sync with the Browns’ playbook has been a rush job by necessity, and Van Pelt said the veteran QB has been a quick-learner under difficult circumstances.
“It is a challenge but we’re fortunate to have Joe, who’s an established veteran who’s been in multiple systems,” said Van Pelt. “That allows him to kind of easily translate his terms into our terms. There are some crossover terms he’s used in different systems. That definitely helps.”
Browns at Rams
When: 4:25 p.m., Dec. 3
Where: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
Records: Browns 7-4, Rams 5-6
TV: WJW; Radio: WKRK-FM 92.3, WNCX-FM 98.5, WKNR-AM 850
