The trade of Ted Ginn to the San Francisco 49ers completed a spin cycle of sorts concerning two intertwined draft picks from 2007. The Miami Dolphins held the 9th overall selection in that draft, and many speculated that they were going to take Brady Quinn. The Dolphins had been looking for a successor to Dan Marino for 8 years, and conventional wisdom had Miami taking Quinn. They had just hired Cam Cameron as head coach, and putting an offensive coach together with a quarterback mentored by Charlie Weis in a pro style offense at Notre Dame seemed perfect.
Then the Dolphins went on the clock. Their selection was Ted Ginn. I can still see the Miami fans and their reaction of sheer shock. They last time I saw that look was in 1995, when the Jets took Kyle Brady 9th overall instead of Warren Sapp, among others. The picks had another thing in common, besides being in the same slot. The teams results were the same the next season. Very Bad.
Miami took Ginn hoping he would add speed to their team, be a valuable receiver and kick returner. He has shown promise as a return man, but never did pan out as a pass catcher. To be fair, he didn't have Dan Marino throwing him the ball, but I don't think it would have mattered. He has been injury prone and an inconsistent receiver. The best fit for Ginn on the Dolphins may have been taking direct snaps in the wildcat, but that never did happen.
Quinn seemed to have a better chance when his time came. The Cleveland Browns traded up to select him 22nd overall. Their quarterback situation was in flux, and Quinn seemed to be the perfect choice. The Browns went into training camp with Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson on the roster. The problems started for Quinn.
He held out. Looking to get a little more money, he missed the start of camp. The Browns quarterback situation became so unsettled that coach Romeo Crennel supposedly resorted to flipping a coin to pick his starter. If Quinn had been in camp from the get go the job would have been his. He may have had a better chance to succeed than at any other time in his run with Cleveland.
The Brown took Joe Thomas with the 3rd overall selection that year, and had signed Eric Steinbach to the richest contract ever for an interior offensive lineman. The left side of the line was set. Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow were healthy at the same time for the only time together in Cleveland. Frye got the start in Week 1 and played so badly he was traded before Week 2. Anderson got the start in Week 2 against Cincinnati and played like had was the first round pick. A Pro Bowl season and a 10-6 record led Cleveland to sign him to a 3 year/$25 million extension. But there were ill winds blowing by Lake Erie.
In the next to last game of the season, Cleveland controlled their own destiny. They went to Cincinnati and Anderson threw 4 interceptions and the Browns lost. They missed the playoffs and Quinn, who could have been the starter, was still on the bench. Missing the start of training camp put Quinn behind on the learning curve, and his chance to start.
With Anderson and his new contract, the Browns had to keep him as the starter. But the second Cincinnati game showed that he may not be ready for prime time quite yet. When Quinn did get his chance after Anderson was injured he did not look like the same player that was taken in the first round of the draft. The continuous shuffling at the quarterback position didn't help either Anderson or Quinn. Then the Browns traded first Winslow, then Edwards, and their passing game was gutted.
When Mike Holmgren came in to Cleveland he began his rebuilding by getting rid of his quarterbacks. Derek Anderson was released, and later signed with Arizona. Brady Quinn was traded to Denver, where he is in another quarterback competition, this time with Kyle Orton. Soon after his arrival, the Broncos trade their best receiver in Brandon Marshall to Miami. Then Miami traded Ted Ginn, the player Miami took instead of Brady Quinn. Ginn and Quinn. Two players intertwined on the spin cycle and looking to make a fresh start in new locations.
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