Why the Cleveland Browns Need Troy Smith

Entering the season, the Cleveland Browns were viewed by some insiders as a sleeper pick. They had a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball, and things were only looking up. Charlie Frye was emerging as a serviceable starting NFL quarterback. Reuben Droughns was fresh off of a 1,200 yard rushing performance. Both 1st round picks from the past two years, Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow II, were back from torn knee ligament injuries. They signed the right pieces to Romeo Crennel’s signature 3-4 defense. Willie McGinest and Kamerion Wimbley fit well as rush outside linebackers, and Ted Washington was ideal for the nose tackle position. Most impressive was the revamped offensive line, which featured Joe Andruzzi, Kevin Shaffer, and Cleveland-born All-Pro center LeCharles Bentley. However, it looks like they’re just another team of (I hate to quote Joey Porter but….) paper champions.

The Browns enter the last five weeks of the season one loss removed from the worst in the league. While they have had a few close losses (to the Ravens, Steelers, and the Chargers), they are in familiar territory for the 4th year in a row. Needless to say, some changes need to be made, not only with personnel, but with the overall image of the team. Although there are individuals on the team having good seasons (K2, Wimbley, Sean Jones), they aren’t playing well collectively.

It isn’t good that the best player on the team last year was accused of beating his wife (Droughns), and that the best player this year is an “f-in soldier” and constantly criticizes the play-calling (Winslow). What the Browns need is a player with poise, good decision-making under duress, and a role model for young kids growing up in the city. What the Browns need is a player like Ohio State quarterback, and soon-to-be Heisman winner, Troy Smith.

Just a year ago, there is no way I would’ve said anything like this. You live, you learn, and you grow up. I remember less than two years ago when Troy Smith was the troubled guy who accepted boosters and was seemingly in Jim Tressel’s eternal doghouse. Smith was suspended for the first game, and could’ve just slipped between the cracks. However, Smith – and Tressel, for that matter – took the high road. For him to even get back on the field, Tressel made the risky decision to start him over the then-more popular and safer choice, Justin Zwick, because he saw something in Smith that we are all witnessing now in the soon-to-be Heisman trophy quarterback. At first, many still felt Zwick should’ve been starting. He was the pride of Massillon, Ohio, home of the movie, “Go Tigers”, a documentart about a city that takes football just a little too seriously. He was all hype, a blue-chip prospect, expected to bring a prolific aerial attack to Columbus. On the other hand, Smith was a throw-in prospect with a troubled past. Over the years, it’s evident that actions speak louder than words.

First, Smith cleaned up his act. An alumnus of Glenville High School in Cleveland, he has become a prominent figure for the inner city youth. He’s on billboards around the city with teammate Ted Ginn Jr., showing the importance of kids staying in school. This past summer, Troy got his undergraduate diploma from Ohio State after four years, showing teenagers in the city that if he can do it, they can do it too.

Smith got himself out of the doghouse by displaying his leadership skills on the field. Smith first showcased his talent on the national stage last year against Michigan, when he went into the Big House and led his team to the Fiesta Bowl. In Tempe, he dissected the Notre Dame secondary and overshadowed one of the top NFL prospects, Brady Quinn, in the process. This year, he’s only picked apart some of the best defenses in the country en route to a return trip to Arizona, this time for a shot at the BCS National Championship.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a guy who fits so well for this team. For his whole career, people have questioned just about everything about him, and time and time again, they’ve been proven wrong. Sure, he lacks ideal size, but his combination of leadership, poise – as well as mobility and arm strength – don’t come along too often. Drafting the local kid from the inner city who made it against all odds would be like a fairy tale. It almost makes too much sense.

(Voice inside my head: “Wait a minute, our running backs aren't doing so well...We could draft Adrian Peterson and Troy would still be available in the 2nd round, right? Right?)