The Cleveland Browns seem intent on choosing the rough road. This will become a common theme as we review their annual nightmare fuel in the offseason, and into the season of which it will shine the brightest.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Is Cleveland cursed, or does Cleveland curse itself? In this situation, I’d argue that Cleveland is doing the self-damage rather than any dark forces or curse.

That is, if the reports and rumors are true. With Cleveland, you have to know that where there is smoke there is almost always not just fire, but pyrotechnics.

John Taylor, of TheOBR.com, reports that Brady Quinn will enter training camp with the “slightest of edges” over Derek Anderson, mainly because Quinn will continue his training regimen during the time between now and the open of camp and Anderson won’t. Taylor also reports that both quarterbacks struggled enough in OTAs to raise “concerns and eyebrows”.

Taylor hints that Anderson has one backer within the organization that has a lot of clout, and that Eric Mangini wants a true competition, so don’t expect a winner to emerge until a few preseason games have been played. He also said Anderson’s problem is consistency, and that it is definitely not “Quinn’s job to lose”.

We’ve spoken about this before. What’s the problem here? As I told GM George Kokinis in a self-written e-mail this offseason, what is there left to see of Derek Anderson? This is clearly not a man who has demonstrated the amount of consistency needed to 1) earn a playoff berth; 2) beat 3 top-tier opponents, possibly on the road needed to get to 3) a Super Bowl and win it.

You have to wonder what it is about Brady Quinn that this snake-bitten organization just won’t allow the kid to go out and attempt being a winner? Do we shun winners that much? Things are so backwards in Cleveland these days and I’m not sure where it all starts. Some will point to the ownership of Randy Lerner; but I’ll counter with the fact that even worse ownership groups have lucked into winning now and then (see The Bidwells & Arizona, 2008). Basically, the sun shines on every dog’s butt once in a while, but never Cleveland’s. This is the fault of their own and this new regime has seemed intent on continuing to develop nightmare fuel since they’ve walked in the door. This is not going to end well, folks. The signs of disaster forecast are all around us.

Derek Anderson has had his chance. It’s time for new blood to be pumped into this gangrenous organization. Why not let it be a guy who lives in the weight room and goes the extra mile and has the pedigree to be a star?

I’ll tell you why. Simply because things aren’t done that way in Cleveland. They’re going to choose the hard road again. And it’s all going to end in disappointment and disaster for the people that invest in the Browns. Derek Anderson is going to win this QB competition somehow, some way. And Brady Quinn will be cast aside to a more successful NFL franchise who completes their own turnaround before the Browns do. And we’ll continue to be the laughingstock of the entire league.

Remember these words: Cleveland curses itself. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you follow the Browns and you look deep within yourself, you know it’s true don’t you?