Cleveland Browns: Is Austin Davis the long-term answer?

Could Cleveland Browns Week 13 starter Austin Davis surprise fans and become the long-term answer over Johnny Manziel to the organization’s QB problems?

With starting quarterback Josh McCown sidelined for the rest of the season, Cleveland Browns’ head coach Mike Pettine has made the controversial decision to roll with 26-year old Austin Davis as his new starter. With former first-round draft pick Johnny Manziel waiting in the wings, the more popular theory would be to see what Manziel can do in the starting lineup with five games remaining. After all, Manziel has way more upside than an undrafted former practice squad player like Davis…or does he?

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I watched the 2014 coaches film of Davis’ rookie season with the St. Louis Rams to find some clues about his abilities moving forward. The first thing I must say about Davis is that he is one tough son of a gun. Davis sure took one hellacious beating behind a patchwork Rams’ offensive line last year. Davis was sacked seven times against Kansas City, six times against Arizona, and five times against San Francisco in 2014. Granted, Davis made his share of errors that contributed to those numbers, but to keep plugging away despite constantly being under siege takes a supreme competitive spirit.

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Considering that Davis was supposed to be no more than a developmental project, I thought he more than held his own with the Rams. Davis completed 63.4% of his passes for 2,001 yards while throwing for 12 touchdowns against nine interceptions.

Those are pretty solid numbers for any first-year starting quarterback, much less an undrafted player who spent his first two years on the practice squad. This rapid progress gives me a clue into the kind of work Davis is doing behind the scenes. While players like Manziel spend their down time making fools out of themselves, players like Davis are doing everything imaginable to be prepared when their opportunity comes along.

From a skills perspective, I think Davis has a good NFL caliber arm and he has some nice mobility both inside and outside of the pocket. Working with a less than stellar Rams’ receiving core last year, there were times that Davis looked very comfortable making quick decisions in the pocket. I was very encouraged with Davis’ ability to make accurate throws to receivers before they even finished coming out of their breaks. To see such synchronicity from a quarterback that was expected to ride the pine further illustrates the work Davis has put in behind the scenes.

Nov 30, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) warms up before the game between the St. Louis Rams and the Oakland Raiders at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

I was also encouraged by how Davis progressed as the season went along in the first month or so. If you watch the 2014 season opener against Minnesota where Davis entered the game in a reserve role, then watch the Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Philadelphia games in the following weeks, it was like watching a different player. Davis’ decision making process quicken, and he threw the ball with more confidence. Within the span of a few short weeks, I thought that the game had slowed down considerably for Davis.

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However, for as many good things as I saw from Davis, there were also a host of mistakes. Consistency was hard to come by as the season wore on and the injuries started to pile up for the Rams. Particularly against Kansas City, San Francisco and Arizona in weeks 8-10, I saw Davis force throws downfield that should have never been attempted. These mistakes led to costly interceptions. I also saw a trend of Davis making late throws over the middle, which not only led to interceptions, but the defenders were able to return these turnovers for touchdowns.

In Davis’ defense, having the pocket break down before the play even begins will enhance the likelihood of making poor decisions. However, I saw some instances where negative plays could have been avoided had Davis located an open check down option in the flat. Even when Davis had time to air out the ball against one-on-one coverage, I felt that Davis’ accuracy on deep balls left something to be desired as the season continued.

Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) reacts against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Former Green Bay Packers’ great Brett Favre, who hails from Davis’ alma mater of Southern Mississippi, compares Davis to former NFL MVP Kurt Warner. While I wouldn’t go that far, I think enough of Davis’ skill set to compare him to the Seattle Seahawks version of Matt Hasselbeck. Both Davis and Hasselbeck were unheralded players in their early years with good but not elite physical talent. Like Hasselbeck, I think Davis displays veteran savvy, intelligence, and toughness to succeed at the NFL level.

Given how horrifically useless Cleveland’s quarterbacks have been since the franchise re-entered the league in 1999, I think Browns’ fans would be very excited if Davis can develop into that version of Hasselbeck. However, it will be quite an uphill battle for Davis in order to make that Hasselbeck comparison a reality. In my opinion, Davis has an even worse receiving core in Cleveland than he did in St. Louis. In addition, Cleveland features a non existent running game, and an offensive line that has allowed the most sacks in football to this point (38).

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In conclusion, I think Davis can develop into Cleveland’s long term solution if he can survive the brutality he is about to endure for the next five weeks. As for Manziel, I think the ship has already sailed with his career in Cleveland.

More damning than any completion percentage or interception total is the fact that scrappy veterans like Brian Hoyer, Josh McCown, and now Davis have all surpassed Manziel on the depth chart. Perhaps it is time to accept the fact that Manziel just isn’t as good as advertised. And maybe, just maybe, the quarterback that Cleveland has been looking for this whole time was sitting right under their nose.