Brady Quinn has had a pretty rough year. He started it out by getting crushed in the Sugar Bowl. He came into the draft as a potential No. 1 pick, only to have has arm strength and accuracy questioned, causing him to slip to the bottom of the first round. And now that he has been drafted, he is missing valuable time at training camp working himself out of any chance of starting for the Cleveland Browns at the beginning of the season.

The big question that surrounds Quinn is: Can he really play?
When Quinn got his shot during his freshmen year at Notre Dame, he was far from impressive. In his first year, his completion percentage was less than 50 percent, and he threw only nine touchdowns. He started to show improvement in his sophomore campaign, but he finally showed his true potential in 2005.

Charlie Weis was hired to replace Tyrone Willingham to try to restore the Notre Dame football program which had fallen off in recent years. Weis, the former offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, was credited for helping to develop Tom Brady into the superstar he is today. When Weis arrived on campus he brought a new pro-style offense to replace the West Coast scheme that Willingham had trouble implementing. Weis also realized that Quinn had the potential to be a good quarterback and could lead his new offense. Quinn was instructed to change some of his mechanics such as his footwork and how he received his snaps.

All the hard work paid off when the Fighting Irish reached a BCS bowl and finished the season ranked in the top 10. Quinn threw 32 touchdowns and only seven interceptions during the 2005 season. He was also a Heisman candidate for most of the year.

As the 2006 season began, Quinn was a Heisman favorite and his team had aspirations of winning a national championship. But the 2006 season would not turn out how many, including Quinn, had imagined. Their high hopes would be realized as nothing more than dreams when Michigan pummeled the Irish in front of their home crowd, 47-21. In this game, Quinn was a non-factor completing only 50 percent of his passes with three interceptions.

Soon critics were questioning Quinn's ability. There was no doubt he could play well when he was facing inferior competition, but could he take his team on his shoulders and win a big game? Quinn never gave his critics much of an answer, as he would play terribly at the Coliseum when USC routed Notre Dame and again at the Sugar Bowl where LSU embarrassed the Irish 41-14.

Still Quinn managed to throw 37 touchdowns, won the Maxell Award, and was a Heisman finalist. Even with the accolades, Quinn underperformed in 2006. A telling stat was that Quinn's completion percentage fell almost three percent. The fact of the matter is that Quinn can struggle to complete passes against strong teams.

It seems that many of the NFL teams noticed that Quinn could be inaccurate and times, sometime even missing open receivers. Quinn sat patiently as team after team passed on him in the draft. Even the coldest of hearts had to feel bad for Quinn as he continued to slide.

The Cleveland Browns, a team that passed on him with the third pick, would end his public misery by trading a future first-round pick to select him with the 22nd selection.

Now Quinn finds himself in another difficult situation, negotiating his contract. Many first-round draft picks have already signed contracts and are in camp learning with their new teams but Quinn’s deal is still unsigned. Quinn wants to be paid like a top pick but unfortunately the Browns do not want to pay him that.

The result is a lose-lose situation, Quinn is not developing chemistry with his new team or competing for the starting job. The Browns have a young player who they cannot get into camp to see what this guy can do in their offensive scheme.        

This deal will eventually get completed and Quinn may get some work in training camp, but he has already ensured that he will not be the starter on opening day. Honestly this may help Quinn out because he needs time to develop and get a grasp on the offense. He proved at Notre Dame that he can be successful but not right away.
I have pointed out that Quinn may not be a complete quarterback but that does not mean that he can't be successful in the NFL. As much as you can knock Quinn, many cannot deny that he is a good quarterback. He can throw the ball into tight situations, and he does not turn the ball over very often. Not turning the ball over is a trait that is important for any quarterback to possess.

There is also no doubt that Quinn is going to get his shot at becoming the starting quarterback. When he does, I think that he may surprise some people. I do not think Brady Quinn will be another Peyton Manning, but I do think he can be better than the two quarterbacks they have in Cleveland. I think Quinn could be a good game managing quarterback who understands the game and will not lose the game with turnovers. But I do not think he will develop into a quarterback that will take over the game or take a team on his shoulders and win the game.
But luckily for Quinn, he still has a chance to silence his critics.

But that won't happen until he signs on the dotted line.