Browns: QB Quinn opts for surgery
Scott Petrak | The Chronicle-Telegram
BEREA — Brady Quinn’s first surgery will be on his first finger.
Quinn decided Tuesday to have surgery on his right index finger, which sustained a small fracture near the tip of the finger Nov. 17. He also damaged a tendon, which became worse when he started Nov. 23.
Dr. Thomas Hunt, a hand specialist, will perform the surgery today in Alabama. Quinn is expected to make a full recovery in 6-to-10 weeks.
Quinn spent the last week choosing between surgery, which will insert a pin or wire, or seeing if the finger would heal during six weeks in a splint. Quinn said he was apprehensive about surgery because he’d never gone under the knife.
Quinn spent 1½ seasons as the backup before being named the starter for the Broncos game Nov. 6. He went 23-for-35 with 239 yards and two touchdowns. In his next start, against the Bills, he broke the finger in the first quarter but finished the game.
The injury was discovered Nov. 19, but Quinn continued to practice and started against the Texans. He was pulled late in the third quarter after throwing his second interception.
When his finger was re-evaluated, the doctors told him he could no longer play and he was placed on injured reserve.
Quinn finished the year 1-2 as a starter, completing 50.6 percent of his passes with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a 66.6 rating.
The Browns had a busy day Tuesday with quarterback transactions.
Derek Anderson, who tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee Sunday, was placed on injured reserve. He won’t need surgery and is expected to recover in four-to-six weeks.
The Browns signed quarterback Bruce Gradkowski to take the roster spot. He tried out Tuesday and was picked to back up Ken Dorsey on Sunday in Tennessee.
Gradkowski was chosen over Richard Bartel, who was signed to the practice squad last week and has never been on an active NFL roster. Gradkowski (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) has appeared in 17 career games, including 11 starts during his two-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He has completed 190 of 352 passes for 1,791 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was originally a sixth-round draft choice by Tampa Bay out of Toledo in 2006 and started 11 games as a rookie.
Gradkowski played in four games last season and was waived by Tampa Bay on June 2. He spent training camp with the Rams and was waived on Aug. 31.
He became the first quarterback in NCAA Division I history to complete 70 percent of his passes in consecutive seasons. His 68.2 career completion percentage set an all-time Division I record, breaking Tim Couch’s mark.
Tim Rattay, 31, also worked out for the Browns on Tuesday, but “we went a different direction,” general manager Phil Savage said in an e-mail. Rattay is the son of former Elyria Catholic coach Jim Rattay, who led the Panthers to state championships in 1976 and ’83.
Rattay (6-0, 200), who was born in Elyria, has started 18 games in eight years in the NFL. He’s thrown 31 touchdowns and 23 interceptions while posting an 81.9 rating. He played four games off the bench with the Cardinals last year, but hasn’t been with a team this year.
Jim said he had tryouts with Kansas City and Houston this year, and also visited New England but didn’t work out. Tim lives in Phoenix near Jim and helps out with the high school team Jim coaches.
“He’d love to play for the Browns, being a hometown boy,” Jim said by phone before finding out that Tim wasn’t signed. “He’s in great shape. He’s been throwing.”
Tim started for Tampa Bay at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Christmas Eve in 2006 and beat the Browns 22-7.
The Browns also released offensive lineman Travis Leffew from the practice squad and signed receiver Steve Sanders to take his place. Sanders played in five games this season with one catch.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.
| |
|
Filed by Scott Petrak | The Chronicle-Telegram December 3rd, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 5% |
 Email this story
 Print this story
Read comments and discuss this story
Report an innappropriate comment
|
In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement
and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered, click here. If you are registered, click here to log in.
Comments
Comment from
mfitzpat66
December 3, 2008, 12:21 pm
Speaking of the Browns I have to grt this offmy chest. If a team has enough talent to win and I think the Browns do.If they do not win who do you blame . THE COACH. Who else can you blame . The players are either not motivated or the game plan is bad. Both situations fall on the coach. This is not brain surgury it is simple logic.
Comment from
dippydo
December 3, 2008, 1:04 pm
Why blame the coach if the quarterback can’t throw a good pass? Why blame to coach if Edwards can’t catch the ball? Why blame the coach if the defense can’t tackle or stop the rush? Put blame where blame belongs, on the players. The coach can only do so much! The player have to want to play!
Is there any chance that we could get another city to take the team away like Baltimore did for us?
Comment from
maerd
December 3, 2008, 4:17 pm
You don’t blame the coach when 1 or 2 recievers drop passes, you don’t blame the coach when 1 or 2 defenders can’t tackle.
But when all of your recievers are consistently dropping passes and when the opposing offense is running through your defense like they are behind a M1 Abrams tank because your defense cannot tackle and you wouldn’t know clock management if the manual for that hit you upside the head then yes the coach is at fault.
Say goodbye to Romeo.
I had hoped he would succeed because The Browns will more than likely take another step backward while the players get use to a new system. Better that starts at the end of this year than to wait another year under this regime.
Write a Comment