I’ve shared my connection to one of the Browns’ newest WRs before. I went to high school with Mike Furrey. He was a great guy then, and I’m so pleased that he hasn’t changed. He and his wife Koren (whom also attended Hilliard High School with me) founded the Mike Furrey Foundation, which is described in its mission statement as “a non-profit organization designed to improve the lives of those that are Hungry, Homeless, Hurting, and/or Hopeful”. Sounds good, right?

While he was still on the Detroit Lions roster, he hosted the foundation’s first annual Mike Furrey Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament to benefit the charity. This year’s outing was today yesterday, right in my backyard at Dublin’s Tartan Fields. It was a who’s who of sports celebrities with ties to Central Ohio; and that included our very own Brady Quinn. I believe this is Brady’s 3rd charity golf tournament in as many weeks.

When did I learn about it, really? During the late local news when they ran a story on the event, complete with interviews with Mike and Brady. Brady talked about relishing the opportunity to prove himself during the upcoming QB competition with DA. Nothing we haven’t already heard him say. Just more proof of his great character and positive outlook.

And no, I didn’t record it. I couldn’t! I wasn’t prepared for anything post-worthy at 11:20 PM and I was painting my nails anyway! That aside, it was nice to see Brady lending his support to yet another great cause. He never ceases to impress me with his off-the-field contributions.

Oh, and before you ask, the article isn’t online, nor is the interview. There is a possibility that some press will be published in time for tomorrow’s paper (Dispatch, I’m looking at you!), or on the station’s website even later. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the piece that aired tonight is the only mention that anyone sees from the charity tournament.

So this was just minutes from my house, and I didn’t even know until it was over! Although, really, what would I have done besides stargaze? I don’t play golf. In fact, I can’t stand it. Oh well! Just thought I’d share a bit of BQ news since there actually was some, for once.

Writer James Walker maintains the AFC North blog for ESPN and he shared his Q&A with Brady earlier today. I thought this deserved its own post, rather than just a sidebar link.

It is not a stretch to say Brady Quinn waited most of his life to be the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.

Raised in Columbus, Ohio, Quinn was a die-hard Browns fan growing up and dreamed of someday leading the team. His travels took him to a successful football career at Notre Dame before eventually becoming a first-round pick of the Browns in 2007.

But since joining the Browns, Quinn’s career has yet to get off the ground. He stood on the sideline for a majority of his rookie year and started just three games in 2008 before breaking a finger on his throwing hand.

While competing with teammate Derek Anderson, this year will be the first legitimate chance for Quinn to win the job he’s coveted since a youth. Recently Quinn sat down with ESPN.com’s AFC North blog to discuss his approach heading into the 2009 season.

Read the full Q&A here. Very nice interview that will make Brady Quinn fans everywhere smile. Drink it up, because it’s probably going to be pretty quiet from now until Training Camp starts August 1!

Browns Family Day 2009 Set!
Where? Cleveland Browns Stadium on August 9. Family Day includes a “Brown and White Scrimmage”, which will allow Browns fans of all ages see the team take the field at the stadium for the first time in 2009.

by flyte44

Ok, just a tad sensationalist, but not much. Our admin and myself have been to Cedar Point before. My last time Brady was still attending Notre Dame. I would be hard pressed to find two things better than a day at Cedar Point and Brady Quinn together. Just ask these folks sharing a ride with Brady on the Millenium Force.

Brady Quinn Day at Cedar Point

Fans were able to get pictures and autographs with the Notre Dame alum and several lucky fans joined Quinn on Millenium Force for a couple rides on the roller coaster.

Can you think of a better way to celebrate Flag Day?

Staying true to his college roots, Brady will head to St. Paul, MN to help out one of his former Notre Dame teammates, Ryan Harris, run a football camp.

The Minnesota Pro Camp, for players between the ages of 14 & 17, takes place June 20 at St. Paul Central’s Griffin Field.

Harris enlisted assistance from several other former Notre Dame teammates besides Brady. John Sullivan (Vikings), John Carlson (Seahawks), and Trevor Laws (Eagles) will also help out. Visit www.mnprocamp.com for more information.

It’s nice to see Brady helping out a friend. But my question is, when will we see a “Brady Quinn Football Camp”? Or is there already one? With how active in the community Brady is, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he starts his own charity or football camp.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto shared his thoughts, thus far, on QB Competition 2k9 and I just had to pass it a long. A link on the sidebar just wouldn’t suffice.

1. I asked Eric Mangini what things mattered most when judging a quarterback, and his first two points were “huddle presence and the ability to run the offense. … Who can look at the defense and understand what the coverage is and go to the right places with the ball.” The coach talked mostly about the mental approach, about poise, about dealing with pressure and making the right decisions. Could be wrong, but that seems to favor Brady Quinn.

2. Mangini will play the QB guessing game as long as possible. Part of it is not just to confuse the opposition, but in respect to Derek Anderson. He is the incumbent. He did make the 2007 Pro Bowl. I sense Mangini wants Anderson to truly have a fair shot to win the job.

3. That said, I sense it still will be Quinn. Part of the reason both QBs have not looked good in the summer sessions is Mangini is overloading them with new plays and other changes to pile up the mental pressure and see how they react. The coach is convinced much of the game is mental, that keeping cool in the heat of battle and remembering assignments often is the difference between winning and losing. It’s more than raw ability.

There really isn’t much for me to add to this. Just pointing out positive news whenever I can. That’s my job here, right? Especially when there isn’t a whole lot else going on.

We’ve been preaching for a long while that Brady’s strengths were the intangibles he brings as a leader, student of the game, and overall competitor. Mr. Pluto’s thoughts pretty much confirm that we aren’t alone in that thinking.

Advantage Brady Quinn? The saga continues!

I already know the answer to that, but I thought I’d ask anyway! It makes a great post title, does it not?

EAS, in conjunction with Men’s Fitness Magazine, is asking fans/readers to vote for the EAS® Athlete Workout they’d most like to see in the September issue. The two choices? Brady Quinn and Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald.

Also, by submitting your vote, you are entered into a contest to win a personal training session courtesy of Athletes Performance.

Check it all out here!

Pro Quarterback Brady Quinn and Budweiser Clydesdales to Visit Cedar Point This Week

SANDUSKY, Ohio , June 6 — Special visits by pro quarterback Brady Quinn and the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales will highlight the weekend’s activities at Cedar Point amusement park/resort in Sandusky, Ohio .

The park will hold “Brady Quinn Day” on Sunday, June 14. During his visit, Quinn, the third-year quarterback for the Browns, will hold a Q & A session for fans beginning at noon outside the Game Day Grille, located in the Blue Streak Courtyard.

Afterward, Quinn will pose for pictures until 1:15 p.m.

A native of Columbus, Quinn starred at Notre Dame where he set 36 school records during his college football career for the Fighting Irish. He also received the Maxwell Award for being the College Football Player of the Year in 2006. He was selected in the first round (22nd overall) in the 2007 pro football draft.

On Friday, June 12, two days before Quinn visits the park, Cedar Point will showcase the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales.Highlighting the day will be a parade along the park’s midway beginning at 2 p.m. The Clydesdale will travel along the midway from the Sky Ride to the front of the park before ending at the Wicked Twister roller coaster.

Be on the look out for this!!  A whole day of Brady…  sigh. Now that is a great way to start the summer!!

Brady Quinn Day

Sunday, June 14 - Meet Brady Quinn at Cedar Point! (12:00-12:10 p.m.) - Brady makes an appearance in front of Game Day Grill. (12:10 - 12:25) - Special Q&A session with guests. (12:25 - 1:15) - Meet & Greet with guests.

Since news has slowed to a crawl — which I am completely ok with — I figured we’d get a couple of nuggets coming out of Browns minicamp, which ended today. And did we ever!

I already tweeted about Mangini saying that Brady has a slight edge thus far in “QB Competition 2009″. And yes, it is early, but we Brady fans should be all about any positive news we can get our hands on. And this, make no mistake, is good news! If you aren’t following me on Twitter (shame on you!), you can do so here.

Here’s the CliffsNotes version of the Mangini news:

“Brady will get the first reps today. He started with the first reps on Wednesday, and that’s because he’s done a really outstanding job in the offseason program. Not that Derek hasn’t done well, but [Quinn] gets the first reps.”

And if that wasn’t enough, then came new video of Brady talking to the media.

Also, pictures from minicamp is available from the official site.

Note: Yes, I am choosing to ignore the rest of the team for right now. I know there is Josh Cribbs drama, but there are quite a few fine Browns blogs you can visit for those updates.

Brady is among the invited sports celebrities participating in the 11th “For the Kidz” Golf Classic at Firestone Country club in Akron, Ohio. The annual tournament, presented by Sheetz Inc., raises money for underprivileged children during Christmas. Sheetz employees use the funds to purchase gifts for the kids.

Other celebrities appearing include former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, NFL QB legend John Elway, and Baltimore Ravens DB Rod Woodson.

The tournament started Sunday and continues Monday. As always, I love seeing Brady take an active role in giving back to the community.

More information: Sheetz Family Christmas charity (company site)

I don’t know about anyone else, but now that the Draft is behind us, I am starting to feel much, much better about things. So much that I decided to write a new post! Now, don’t get too carried away by my return to posting. It will be a process before we’re all 100% back to normal around here, but this is a start. I’m not holding my breath anymore, so yay for progress?

Anyway, this is a brief news type of post. We’ve gotten tidbits of news here and there, but nothing major. So I’ll rundown what I’ve read in the past couple of weeks.

1. Brady has a new locker in the Browns locker room. He took over K2’s old spot and is no longer near the other roster QBs.

2. Brady is expected to attend the Indy 500 and get his party on at the Fantasy 500 Race party on May 23.

3. Not BQ related, but the Browns signed WR Mike Furrey. Now, I’ve mentioned this before, but I went to high school with Mike, so naturally I’m thrilled!!

4. As usual, there are a couple of voluntary mincamps and OTAs scheduled for the Browns. Those take place May 19-21 and May 26-28 with OTAs taking place June 1-2, 4th, and 8-9. Will be interested in seeing who does and does not show up re: QB competition. The mandatory camp is set for June 11-13.

That’s all for now! It’s the off-season, and quiet, but I appreciate the quiet after the past 2 months of constant rumors!

So, the day is upon us. As a huge football fan, I usually enjoy the NFL draft. I sit in front of the TV and watch as much of it as possible. I like seeing where all the college stars goes and fan reaction to the selections.

There’s a different feeling in the air this time, and I’m pretty sure we all know why!

ESPN Coverage begins at 11, but the draft doesn’t get underway until 4PM. I’ll be at my favorite college team’s Spring Game, where I’ll be nice and distracted from all of the draft frenzy!

Rounds 1-2 will be selected today and 3-7 tomorrow. Here’s how it’ll go down: Teams have 10 minutes to pick in the first round, seven in the second and five in Rounds 3-7 (starting at 10AM Sunday).

And if the Brady Quinn Fan WordPress theme ends up needing to be changed, that will be done ASAP. I’m just glad this stage of the drama and stress will all be over after this weekend. Then on to other stressful matters? Probably! It never ends!

And if this particular post needs to be edited/updated, and I’m not around, John have at it! You’re in charge, buddy! I’m not sure when I’ll be back behind a computer/in front of a TV.

Talk amongst yourselves…again!

I know it is still all speculation, but we were warned that as draft day approaches we would have our answer.  Could Brady be traded to the New York Jets?  This has me curious because BRADY WOULD BE CLOSER TO ME!

ESPN is reporting there is a complex trade scenario being discussed which would end with Brady Quinn as the Jets quarterback.

I can’t take it anymore…. There’s been a reason why I’ve been so quiet. I’m in limbo with anticipation. I don’t know whether I should be ready to sigh with relief that Brady stays in Cleveland - which means he will most likely have to fight for the starting QB position BUT means he stays relatively close to me so that I can go to games; happy that he gets traded away from Cleveland to a team that would use and appreciate his talents; angry that Cleveland’s office would do such a thing to Brady and his fans; white knuckling my keyboard, remote controls, mouse, and cell phone for the first information FACT BASED about Brady’s fate; or just an overall frustration bordering on ennui because I am just so tired of all of this.

Terry Pluto, who seems to have Brady’s and our back, hears this…

An NFL executive told me he’s not heard much discussion about Brady Quinn being traded, but trading Braylon Edwards remains a real possibility. 

And then just this morning I read this…

I posted this in the previous post’s comments and thought it deserved a post of its own. I’m well aware of all the rumors running rampant on the internet. It is what it is. Instead of re-posting every little murmur that surfaces, I’m just going to sit back and wait. We’ll see what happens!

Talk amongst yourselves.

Recently departed Cleveland Brown, Kellen Winslow Jr., has decided to give his opinion on the Quarterback situation of his previous team. Great, K2. It would have been a lot more helpful if you said all of this when you were here, along with catching that 4th down pass in the Denver game…

Nevertheless, K2 has taken time away from his busy schedule, that consists of not participating in Tampa Bay’s voluntary off-season workouts, to give his $.02 on Cleveland’s never ending QB situation.

“Just give (Quinn) a chance. He is a leader. He is coming into his own. I really don’t get what’s the hard decision up there. My choice would be Brady Quinn.”

GET OUT OF MY HEAD, K2!

No, but seriously, it’s obvious that Brady and Kellen had chemistry. He was often a favorite target in Brady’s limited action last season. Too bad most of the team’s wins came in games where K2 wasn’t playing.

“(Quinn) has tremendous upside. Very calm, very mature and, I mean, give the guy a chance. What’s the big deal? I really don’t get it. This guy is coming in … he has worked his tail off. I bet you he is there working out right now.”

Exactly what we’ve been preaching for years now…

“I love Derek Anderson. Great quarterback. It just didn’t work out.”

End scene!

Even though I agree with everything he says (which is really creeping me out), I’m not sure his speaking out is helpful. I mean, it couldn’t hurt. But it’s not as if Mangini — who just traded him — is going to say: “You know what? That Kellen Winslow just might be on to something. The starting job is yours, Quinn!” They don’t care what a former player thinks.

Here’s to hoping Mangini and Kokinis eventually see things the same way!