Brady Quinn may be next Bernie Kosar

Filed in archive NFL on May 6, 2007

Courtesy Cleveland Plain Dealer

Listening to Brady Quinn talk, one wonders if the former Notre Dame quarterback isn't too good to be true.

Cleveland fans may be wondering if Quinn, the newly-tagged franchise savior, isn't the next Bernie Kosar. While many experts say Quinn suffered when he fell to the Browns at pick 22 in this year's NFL draft, Quinn couldn't be happier, since he's with the team he cheered as a child.

A similar situation befell the Browns and their rabid fans 22 years ago, when a gangly college national champion from Miami, Bernie Kosar, maneuvered his way out of the regular draft and into a supplemental draft, just so he could be selected by his Browns. Kosar grew up in nearby Youngstown and, like Quinn, had dreamed of playing for Cleveland his entire life.

Kosar became a legend in Cleveland for much more than his superior passing skills. Kosar's passion for the city of Cleveland and his remarkably professional demeanor captured Clevelanders' hearts and made Bernie Kosar one of the most beloved athletes ever to play in a town that worships its sports heroes.

It may be awhile before Browns fans see if Quinn's quarterbacking equals Kosar's, but Cleveland's new field general is already showing similar leadership and personality to the last man to take the Browns to the brink of a Super Bowl.

In Quinn's first mini-camp, he completed a sharp 90-minute workout and said he didn't want to quit. "I was having too much fun out there," Quinn announced to the Cleveland media.

When told that former NFL great Joe Theismann criticized his fellow Fighting Irish alum for chewing gum at the podium on draft day, Quinn showed presidential professionalism in his response. Quinn apologized to any Notre Dame alum that he might have offended or Cleveland fans who thought he was not being very business like.

"I was just trying to get on stage as fast as possible," he said, "and get that Browns jersey in my hand." Enough said, at least in the eyes of Clevelanders, who will fall in front of a bus for players who actually want to play on the shores of Lake Erie.

Rather than firing back at Theismann's absurd attack, Quinn said he was a big fan of Theismann who had been a big influence on him.

Imagine a young, just-drafted NFL quarterback deflecting criticism in such a way.

It's yet to be seen just how many passes the Browns new quarterback will throw this season, but Brady Quinn is already winning the hearts of Clevelanders, much like his predecessor, Bernie Kosar, did two decades ago.