Derek Anderson a Possibility in Tampa?

With Jeff Garcia out of the picture in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers' quarterback position is a bit of a question mark. If the season opened right now, the team's starting quarterback would likely be Luke McCown, whom the team recently signed to a two-year contract extension. They also have veteran Brian Griese and 2008 draft pick Josh Johnson on the roster.

According to some of the local scribes in Tampa Bay, there's some chatter around the NFL combine that Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson could be a target in a potential trade.

According to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, the Anderson-to-Tampa talk is "gaining steam" and the Browns might be willing to accept a third-round pick for the 25-year-old quarterback.

With a little work and a bit of a push he could be developed into one of the game's better quarterbacks and word is the Brown might take as little as a third-round pick for him.

I'm not sure "one of the game's better quarterbacks" and "Derek Anderson" have ever been mentioned in the same sentence before, but if Cleveland is only seeking a third-round pick, is it worth the gamble? I think it's important to keep in mind the type of player Anderson has proven to be in the early stages of his career.

Anderson originally signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent and ultimately ended up in Cleveland during the 2006 season. In 2007, he took over the starting job in Cleveland, thanks in large part to the training camp holdout by first-round pick Brady Quinn. The fact Charlie Frye self-destructed so badly in the season opener that he was traded to Seattle the following week certainly helped his cause as well.

In his first eight starts in 2007, Anderson was sensational for the Browns, posting a 102.9 passer rating while tossing 19 touchdowns to only eight interceptions. Then, all of a sudden -- presumably when defensive coordinators around the league had an opportunity to break down his play -- Anderson's production plummeted.

In his next 17 starts (including his 10 in 2008) Anderson has completed only 53 percent of his passes, while throwing 18 interceptions to go with his 18 touchdowns, and putting up a passer rating of 69.0. That's quite a Jekyll and Hyde act.

Tampa Bay owns the No. 19 overall pick in April's draft, which is likely too low to get Matt Stafford or Mark Sanchez. There's been some talk that the team may have an interest in Kansas State's Josh Freeman, but I'm not a big fan of that option.

Plus, this year's free agent class isn't exactly a strong group. The best option out there is probably Garcia, followed by a number of guys that were backups in 2008 (Cummings mentions Byron Leftwich, Patrick Ramsey and J.P Losman). Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel is also floating around out there, but no one really knows what the Patriots' plans are for him. Plus, his salary is scheduled to be quite a bit larger in 2009, while the compensation going the other way would probably be substantial.

Frankly, I don't see much of a difference between McCown and Anderson. Tampa Bay might be better off just keeping its draft pick and letting McCown and Griese battle it out in camp.