browns get rookie qb
This is how desperate Cleveland Browns fans are for hope in the middle of a 3-10 season: They are suddenly abuzz about a rookie quarterback plucked off the practice squad of the Baltimore Ravens. Josh Harris, the son of the former Cincinnati Bengals tight end M.L. Harris, was added this week and could be the backup on Sunday when the Browns play San Diego.
The Browns have lost their starting quarterback, Jeff Garcia, for the season with a torn knee ligament, and the backup Kelly Holcomb has cracked ribs. The rookie Luke McCown will start against the Chargers. If Holcomb is not healthy enough to be the backup, Harris will get the chance.
The Browns passed over Harris in the draft last April. Cleveland selected McCown out of Louisiana Tech in the fourth round; the Ravens chose Harris, a running quarterback out of Bowling Green, in the sixth round. Harris, who rushed for 972 yards and 13 touchdowns and threw for 3,813 yards and 27 scores as a senior, has been buried on Baltimore's practice squad all season.
"He's got a very strong arm and we know he's a very good athlete," Terry Robiskie, the Browns' interim coach, said. "If he starts to take off and run with it and make a play, he can hurt both sides."
no more excuses
For six years with the Arizona Cardinals, Jake Plummer's youth and the questionable surrounding talent seemed to shield him from criticism. "Just wait until he gets some years under his belt," went the conventional wisdom. "Look out when he gets a team around him."
But two seasons with a quarterback-friendly coach in Denver, Mike Shanahan, and one of the league's best offensive lines have not made Plummer a star. A pattern of interceptions trumping touchdowns never seems far away. In eight seasons he has thrown 127 touchdowns and 138 interceptions. This season, he has 22 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
When Plummer takes the field with Denver (8-5) to face Kansas City (5-8) on Sunday, he will be celebrating his 30th birthday.
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