NFL: Ranking Quarterbacks who were one-hit wonders

NFL: Ranking Quarterbacks who were one-hit wonders: 6. Derek Anderson

This one likely really hurts for Browns fans. The team had its quarterback of the future. Brady Quinn fell to them in the first round of the NFL Draft, and he was bound to become a superstar. The Notre Dame product showed in college he could show up huge when his team needed him most. In the NFL, things didn’t go as planned. While the Browns were figuring out what to do with Quinn, their backup quarterback Derek Anderson was proving he was ready to go.

The Browns decided to start the 2007 season with Charlie Frye at quarterback, but that lasted all of one quarter before head coach Romeo Crennel put Anderson under center. He was clearly much better, and the Browns traded Frye to the Seahawks later that week. That left Anderson and a rookie Quinn on the roster at quarterback.

Anderson was awesome. He threw for just under 3,800 yards, 29 touchdowns, and he threw just 19 interceptions. He helped lead the Browns to a 10-6 record, being one of the few tragedies of teams that really deserved a playoff game that just didn’t get it. The Browns had a few really close losses where Anderson couldn’t pull through, including a controversial out-of-bounds call on Kellen Winslow against the Arizona Cardinals that would have given them the lead.

Anderson was a free agent after the 2007 season, and Browns fans were split between him and Quinn. The Browns signed Anderson, and he and Quinn split time over the next two seasons. That was likely a bad move as it hurt the progression of both quarterbacks. Anderson would go on to start games for the Cardinals, Panthers, and Bills before retiring due to the lingering effect of concussions.