What Did Derek Anderson Expect? Updated 3/10 8:07 AM

There are only a couple things in life that I am sure of. One being ketchup is fantastic on anything from grilled cheese to macaroni and cheese. The other is that Cleveland fans are the most critical fans in the world. We love you when you win and we want to meet you in a dark alley when you lose. We can't really help it, it's in our blood. Most Cleveland fans were born into this fandom. Our parents witnessed the losing seasons and their frustrations and anguish were transferred to their offspring. If you ask any Cleveland fan why they are like that, they will tell you one of two things....

1.) 1964

2.) Go f*#@ yourself.

If you aren't privy to the history of Cleveland, then both will leave you a bit baffled. Since this is a site directly aimed at Cleveland, I don't think I have to tell people why there is frustration in the gray skies of Ohio.

You would think that Derek Anderson would understand this more so than anyone else. Unfortunately he does not have a warm place in his heart for the fans of Cleveland. Derek Anderson came in went 10-5 in 2007 as a starter and brought hope to a city that needed it more than most know, just ask Forbes. Unfortunately for the fans, Derek Anderson and the Browns front office, no one knew the fate that lie ahead. Although, in retrospect as fans, we should have seen this coming. What came after this mighty season for DA was a downward spiral. You can blame it on the surrounding cast or the schedule or even grease on his hands from some Dog Bowl nachos, but the fans remain constant that it is always the quarterbacks fault. Unfortunately the bad quarterback has been a staple of the new Browns era. They have gone through Quarterbacks faster than Braylon Edwards has with cans of stick 'em. The point I am making is that if you are going to play quarterback in Cleveland, you better have skin of stone because hell hath no fury like Browns fans during a losing season.

Maybe they should start putting a clause into the contracts of quarterbacks so they know what will be coming if they cannot produce on the field. Something like...

"In the event of a losing season in which your, insert name , numbers fall below expectations, be prepared to have things thrown at you, both of the profane phrase and object persuasion"

If someone would have put the "Overly Aggressive Fan" clause in Derek Anderson's contract, maybe he would not have felt the need to lash out against the organization and fans on his way out of town.

"The fans are ruthless and don't deserve a winner," Anderson wrote to the paper. "I will never forget getting cheered when I was injured. I know at times I wasn't great. I hope and pray I'm playing when my team comes to town and (we) roll them."

Now I never have and never will condone applauding when the player of a team gets hurt because you wanted him out of the game and I can understand his frustrations there. But for DA to say we don't deserve a championship is as ludicrous as him saying he will be playing (as in starting) for another team. You failed at your job and got fired, you don't need to take it out on fans who's only crime (other than cheering his injury) is loving their sports teams as much as their grandmothers. These organizations are a part of our family and in northeast Ohio, if you mess with family you better watch your ass.
Good luck where ever you land DA and make sure you get a nice pair of NFL Equipment gloves so you don't get a splinter from the clipboard you will inevitably hold for the rest of your career.
UPDATE:
Early Wednesday morning, Derek Anderson issued this apology through the former Browns PR Director, Amy Palic:

"I said some things to Jeff Schudel (of The News-Herald) earlier that I regret. Those of you who got to know me personally from covering the Browns over the past five years, know this was out of character for me. I wasn't taken out of context, but I was speaking out of my frustration after my career with the Browns came to a close. I had some great times playing in Cleveland, especially during the 2007 season and I met some great people and made many lifelong friends along the way. I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life."

That had to be a huge shoe horn to get his foot dislodged from his mouth. We see this sort of thing all the time in sports. An athelete says one thing and then later try to retract it. What happens is they say what they want and then their handlers tell them how to apologize to save face with, in this case, whoever the new suitor will be. I firmly believe DA spoke his mind truthfully and I do not think he, despite his new remarks, regrets it.

Quote: Cleveland.com