In a season that celebrated the rookie quarterback, Brandon Weeden was lost in the shuffle.
The Cleveland Browns passer threw for more than 3,300 yards in 15 starts, but was never a good match for the West Coast offense. New Browns coach Rob Chudzinski -- who turned Derek Anderson into a Pro Bowl player for Cleveland in 2007 -- has a track record of helping quarterbacks succeed. So does the guy he brought in to run his offense.
Chudzinski introduced offensive coordinator Norv Turner to the media Wednesday, announcing that the former San Diego Chargers head coach would call plays and also tutor the quarterbacks next season.
"A lot of (quarterbacks) have had their best seasons when I was coaching them," Turner told reporters, per Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer.
Neither Chudzinski nor Turner was willing to label Weeden as the starting passer -- "I think it's premature," Chud said -- but Turner praised Weeden's rookie handiwork.
"He has a lot of the skill set we're looking for. Certainly has a big arm," Turner said.
The Browns have been lashed publicly for failing to land Chip Kelly, but the team was attracted to Chudzinski's ability to build a coaching staff. The hiring of Ray Horton as defensive coordinator and Turner to run the offense are solid hires. The problem for the Browns, for a decade-plus, has been the lack of talent under center.
Weeden didn't capture the imagination last season. He often was the forgotten man when talk of the sensational rookies bubbled up. That had to do with his play, but also a young team in search of itself. This is a (not-so-young) passer who stands to benefit from a new scheme and new coaches.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
