Could This Be The Last Season For Edwards?

by Greg Kozarik

Despite Braylon Edwards catching eight passes for 104 yards on Monday night’s win against Buffalo, questions remain about the receiver. This malcontent continues to draw the ire of most Browns fans with his consistent drops, bad route running and quitting when not involved in the play.

On Monday night, quarterback Brady Quinn hit Edwards at the Bills’ five-yard line and after he jumped up to catch the ball he looked to brace himself, as he fell he lost the ball. A couple plays later, Quinn threw a quick slant to Edwards but the ball sailed incomplete because Edwards was bumped at the line of scrimmage and quit his route.

These are many of the problems that swirl around this wide receiver diva. He thinks he is better than he is but in all reality he is not. Is this surprising? No it is not because he is the same immature player he was at the University of Michigan.

This is the same player that was suspended in his freshman year. Drops and having alligator arms were something that most Wolverine fans were used to from Edwards. The Browns were not in love with him before the 2005 draft and Savage made a comment to the media that it was the one year you didn’t want to be picking in the top 10.

After his first season with the Browns, which was an injury-shortened year, he told people close to him that he couldn’t wait to become a free agent and leave Cleveland. Now, after one good year, he thinks he is the second coming of Jerry Rice. He is good at one thing—dropping passes.

Edwards is more worried about other things other than being the best football player he can be. Remember when he took the helicopter down to see the Ohio State-Michigan game, thus missing curfew the night before a game? Romeo Crennel and the Browns did nothing and let him off the hook. Remember this training camp when this same buffoon is screwing around in his socks and then got cleated and needed stitches? Is he 10 years old?

Edwards still is counting the days to his free agency and now so are some Browns fans. He continues to never block, quit on routes and drop passes. Anyone can do that. But if the Browns are smart, trade him while he still has some value.

Could he be traded straight up for the Cardinals’ Anquan Boldin, who desperately wants out of Arizona? The one problem who have there is that Edwards has great size at 6’ 3” while Boldin is listed at 6’1” but that might be a stretch. Maybe he still can bring back a first-round pick come April but is it worth it?

The Browns do have some options in free agency this coming off-season. Some receivers that will be available that I would rather have than Edwards are the Bengals’ T.J. Houshmanzadeh, the Bills Lee Evans and Seattle’s Bobby Engram. Houshmanzadeh and Evans I would take over Edwards just to rid the Browns of the malcontent. Engram should be looked at to replace Stallworth, not Edwards.

If the Browns traded for a draft pick, they would have to trade into the top five to get the best receiver in the draft in Michael Crabtree from Texas Tech. There are some receivers that might be available later in the first round or in the second round. The list of quality receivers include Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin, Florida’s Percy Harvin, Maryland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey, Penn State’s Derrick Williams and Oklahoma’s Juaquin Iglesias.

For some reason, wide receiver is usually the position that is hardest for rookies to really adapt to. More become busts than studs after being drafted. In 2005, six receivers were drafted in the first round and there are no studs in that list. Roddy White is having a season like Edwards had last year while Matt Jones and Mark Clayton are nice players. Troy Williamson is nothing more than a special-teamer and Mike Williams is out of the league.

The pampering that is needed for Edwards just is not worth it. Even though Edwards is better than former Brown Kevin Johnson was, Johnson was a better teammate than Edwards. We need to only look at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Hines Ward and that is the way a receiver should play. He plays and contributes even when his number isn’t called.

Too many times Edwards quits or runs the wrong route just like a young Randy Moss. The difference is that Moss has more talent in his shoelaces than Edwards has overall. The reality for Browns fans is that the time is near to start cleaning house because this one is barely standing. Edwards should be shopped in the off season and addition by subtraction will be the Browns gain.