The Cleveland Browns are still keeping tight-lipped over who will be starting at quarterback for the team. Head coach Rob Chudzinski is attempting to keep the competition alive no matter who appears to be seperating from the pack. While most can safely assume that Brandon Weeden will remain the starter, the head coach is keeping Jason Campbell closely in the mix.
So far in training camp Weeden has taken every snap with the first-team offense. In the preseason opener he looked much improved in the newly tailored offense, going 10-for-13 for 112 yards and one touchdown in his short time on the field. That certainly was enough to give most people confidence that Weeden can be the starter, yet Chudzinski is not ready to hand over the title just yet.
"There's a point where I will name a starting quarterback," Chudzinski said via the Associate Press. "I am not ready to do it yet."
Competition is healthy, but pointless competition hurts improvement. Chudzinski remains adamant that both quarterbacks are very close in talent and the race is almost even. The starting job is Weeden's to lose, there is no hiding it, but Chudzinski is stressing the importance of taking the preseason seriously in order to prepare. He believes these games are crucial for Weeden's growth.
Weeden certainly understands that he must win over every coach in Cleveland before he can be named the team's starter and he is saying and doing all of the right things until that happens.
''I'm confident that I'm going to be, but I've got to prove it to the other guys, the guys upstairs that I am the guy,'' Weeden said. ''The only way I can do that is play well and keep continuing to get better. ... It's a competitive sport. It's a competitive position. And it being my second year, things didn't go as well as obviously I wanted them to last year."
In Weeden's rookie season, he threw for 3,385 yards but only managed to lead the team to a 5-10 record as a starter. The pressure is on for improvement. Under new offensive coordinator Norv Turner, Weeden is looking poised to excel. With running back Trent Richardson fully healthy, the sky could possible be the limit for the quarterback.
Campbell is seasoned veteran at this point in the league. He has started 71 games total in the NFL. He was supposed to be "the guy" in Oakland but only starter six games in 2011 due to injury. He spent last season as a backup to Jay Cutler with the Chicago Bears.
Weeden understands things will not just be handed to him since he was the starter last year. The Cleveland Browns are looking to start turning out wins and Chudzinski wants to be positive Weeden is the guy who will do that.
