With a rookie quarterback set to turn 29 in October, the Cleveland Browns have no plans to take it slow with Brandon Weeden.
Proclaiming "there's no looking back," Browns coach Pat Shurmur announced Monday that Weeden will be the team's starting quarterback to begin the 2012 season, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer.
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It's an expected move for the Browns, who have high hopes for the player they selected 22nd overall in April's NFL draft. Weeden will start behind center in the Browns' first preseason game Friday against the Detroit Lions.
Weeden, who has been working with the first team in training camp, replaces Colt McCoy, who went 6-15 as the Browns' starter over parts of the past two seasons.
"I haven't taken any snaps with first group," McCoy told Cabot. "I thought coming in it would be a competition."
Weeden joins Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III as rookie quarterbacks who immediately enter the starting lineup for their respective teams.
With new ownership and a seismic shift coming in the team's front office, Weeden's rookie season could become an audition for the new decision-makers in Cleveland. It's a difficult spot for any quarterback, but Weeden at least gets the benefit of advanced physical and mental maturity.
