Todd Husak's signing didn't exactly shake the rafters this weekend. It wasn't
featured in the Sunday papers, and it hasn't even been acknowledged by the team
as of Sunday night.
Guys like Husak are reported in minor transactions on page 6-E of the Plain
Dealer. They aren't seen in the NFL's endless self-promoting TV commercials, and
they don't get melodramatically featured by frantically shouting analysts during
pre-game shows. But they keep on trying, even after most football fans have
forgotten their moments of glory.
Husak has had some moments of glory. He was a record-setting quarterback for
the Stanford Cardinal, leading them to the Pac-10 championship in 1999. He was
drafted in the sixth round by the Washington Redskins in 2000. In June of 2002,
he led the Berlin Thunder to a World Bowl championship, connecting on two
scoring throws with Dane Looker.
Dane Looker is now a starter in the NFL, overcoming his less-than-spectacular
speed with smart route-running and savvy that is acquired only by learning at
every opportunity. That NFL Europe season, Husak beat out Todd Hasselbeck for
the starting QB job. Even Hasselbeck has had some NFL moments, being one of this
year's victims of the Fun and Gun and Sack in Washington.
Husak now finds himself in his fourth NFL season. He has had numerous trips
to the New York Jets practice squad and has spent time with the Broncos as well
as the Jets and Redskins.
The Browns are another stop, another chance to make a mark, another chance
for a successful NFL Europe quarterback to join Kurt Warner and Jake Delhomme as
alumni who have made it in the NFL.
WITH HAL MONGERS, PEOPLE LISTEN: Hal Lebovitz's Sunday column, which
remains steadfastly off the web, has a couple little nuggets regarding the
Browns. Hal says that bad weather kept Randy Lerner from taking a plane into
Berea so that the Ron Wolf consulting deal and Butch Davis' two-year contract
extension can be finalized.
Hal also says that Dennis Northcutt will stay if the money is right and that
he thinks Orlando Pace will wind up with a franchise tag on him (again).
Finally, Hal says that Dennis Green's job in Arizona means that he may try to
pull Browns fast-rising pro personnel guy Jeremy Green to the great southwest,
but that the junior Green likes how things are working out in Cleveland. Hal is
usually money.
Hal's local competition, Roger Brown, has swung-and-missed on a few stories
recently, in my estimation, but
today's column on the Browns perks gets me a little steamed. It bugs me to
see a team and its players live this lavishly when many fans have been priced
out of seeing the games live.
At least the $6 beers makes them too expensive to waste by throwing at the field
when the same pampered pros cave in and lose 35-0 to the hated Ratbirds.
LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS: Or email at any rate. A recent email relayed a
post off of the Pure Football forum from a "friend of Kellen Winslow's
girlfriend", that says Davis has talked to Larry Coker and Winslow numerous
times this past season and is hot to draft the Canes tight end.
Hearsay. Third-hand. Unverifiable. That makes it only 45% more reliable than the
recent story that Lerner was selling the team.
IDLE THOUGHTS: How in the world will the NFL hype a
Patriots-Panthers Super Bowl? "Low scoring! Patience! Field goals!".... The
happiest guy to see the Eagles get knocked out has to be Rush Limbaugh... Get
ready for the lionization of Bill Belichick as the smartest human being on the
planet - there's not much else for the media to lather over during the next two
weeks...
Seeing the Eagles fail once more in the NFC Championship reminds me of a time
in 1999 when I met up with some friends at Chammps in Beachwood. Ty Detmer came
in with another guy and one of my pals went and got his autograph. Detmer's
friend asked him if he wanted his autograph as well and my friend laughed and
said "No". Turned out that was Ty's brother, Koy...
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