Browns’ QB Delhomme Injured, Seneca Wallace To Start

Added on Sep 17, 2010 by Jason Kearney in

NFL

NFL football coaches need to cut it out with their pitiful attempt at ‘gamesmanship’ when it comes to the identity of their starting quarterback. It’s stupid. More about that in a moment, but the latest example is despite the equivocation of the coaching staff the Cleveland Browns will start Seneca Wallace at QB this Sunday when they host the Kansas City Chiefs. Starter Jake Delhomme has an injured ankle, and has been unable to practice all week.

See how easy that was NFL coaches? I know head coaches like to think that they’re playing ‘mind games’ with opponents but I can guarantee you that Chiefs’ head coach Todd Haley isn’t sitting at home in a dark room wringing his hands in anguish wondering whether to prepare for Delhomme or Wallace. In all fairness, there may *occassionally* be situations where the choice of starter does have an impact on the opposing team’s preparation but it’s rare. To put it in perspective, it happens less often than chicks wanting to have sex with a dude simply because he’s wearing Axe Body Spray. Sorry Romeo, you have to cough up the dough for real cologne if you want to pull chicks that have all of their teeth. I recommend Acqua Di Parma.

After Delhomme was unable to practice for the third straight day on Friday, Browns’ coach Eric Mangini gave this masterpiece of doublespeak when discussing Sunday’s starter:

“I just want to go through today and see where we are tomorrow morning. That being said, I feel real good about what Seneca’s done all week. Not just me, it’s the coaches, the players. We all feel good about him leading us as well.“

Apparently Mangini’s ‘loose lips sink ships’ nonsense has worn off on Wallace, who gave this response worthy of his coach when asked if he had been told he was going to start:

“Somewhat. I got the feeling because I was out at practice and he [Delhomme] is still walking around.”

Maybe ‘Mastering the Obvious 101′ wasn’t on the curriculum for student-athletes at Iowa State, so grab a pen and pad and write this down Seneca–if you’re taking all the reps with the first team throughout the week while the guy ahead of you on the depth chart is limping around the sidelines and not practicing that’s a pretty clear indication that you’re starting and he isn’t.

And, of course, Mangini had to close with a well placed smokescreen to leave open the possibility that Delhomme might play:

“Jake’s made progress all week long He knows the game plan. He’s got such an ease with picking things up. I have complete confidence in him. If we’re in a situation where we could play him, I have total confidence in him.”

At least Mangini isn’t out trying to find someone to help his quarterback cheat on a NFL mandated concussion test like Andy Reid in Philly….