Ohio.com - Coin flip to decide starter
excerpt:
BEREA: Good news: Brady Quinn was referred to by name Thursday.
But the starting quarterback for Saturday's exhibition season opener against Kansas City will be determined by a coin flip between Derek Anderson and Charlie Frye.
No kidding.
Coach Romeo Crennel said before the game he will have one player make the call with the coin in the air, and the winner starts.
The coach quipped that he would do rock-paper-scissors to decide who calls the toss.
''I think that (a flip of the coin) is the fairest way to those guys because no one knows who is going to start ahead of time,'' Crennel said.
Making the two wait is not unusual for Crennel. When Frye was a rookie, he started the third preseason game, but was not told until just before game time.
The coach likes to see how a quarterback reacts in surprise situations.
Frye and Anderson will play the first half, and they will alternate series so each has a chance with the starters and each has a chance with the backups.
''I'm going to make it as equal a competition I can so that when I make the decision as to who the starter is going to be, they'll both have had a good opportunity,'' Crennel said.
Quinn spent his first two days on the practice field running the scout team the unit that pretends to be the opponent.
That's the first time he filled that role since his freshman year at Notre Dame, he said.
He will not play a lot Saturday night, if he plays at all.
''Maybe in the fourth quarter I might give Brady a couple plays,'' Crennel said.
He then pointed out he had called Quinn ''Brady'' and not ''the quarterback,'' his name until he signed his contract.
Frye wins pregame coin toss, starts tonight against Chiefs
Frye wins pregame coin toss, starts tonight against Chiefs
Linear Mode
