Everyone wants to ask Ray Farmer about the quarterbacks.
That's exactly what happened on Wednesday, when the Browns general manager told NFL Network's NFL Total Access how Josh McCown won the team over in free agency.
"I think it's the experience factor," said Farmer in an interview on NFL Network. "When you look at Josh McCown, the guy's played in the National Football League, he's had his relative glimpses of success and, for us, we like the fact that his skill set (fits) what he can accomplish in this offense."
The Browns, of course, have a new coordinator in John DeFilippo, but we don't expect the team's approach to alter drastically from Kyle Shanahan's 2014 attack. Still lacking a premier passer, Cleveland is a candidate to lead the AFC in carries, with Farmer saying that "our offensive line gives us a competitive advantage."
Unlike last year, there will be no separate playbook for Johnny Manziel, the second-year passer fresh from rehab. The former Texas A&M star lost the respect of some veteran teammates by the way he prepared -- or, didn't prepare -- for a handful of late-season starts as a rookie. People around the building see a change.
"Johnny's been good since he's been around the Browns family," Farmer said. "I commend the young man for taking the necessary steps that he felt were needed to take. That being said, since he's been back here, he's been good. He's doing everything he's been asked to do. He seems dialed in and focused and that's what it's about, making football his first priority for us on this end, but, again, inevitably, we're really focused on making sure the young man has his life together."
This remains a team with enough questions at quarterback to leave Cleveland gasping for air in the AFC North. The Browns, though, continue to express confidence in the roster they're building around the void under center. We'll know soon enough if this strategy has legs.
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