Browns' Pat Shurmur: 'I want to name a starting QB sooner then later'

BEREA, Ohio - Pat Shurmur met with the media Wednesday morning before practice and talked about speeding up the decision on the "Quarterback Competition.”

Shurmur was asked about when the decision on an opening-day starter would be made and he said "Sooner then later, I think once we've made the decision, that’s the deal.”

"If you know he is going to be your guy, then make it happen so everybody gets comfortable with that guy all the time,” Shurmur said.

The Browns head coach declared when the team drafted a quarterback that there would be an open competition during training camp and the best man would win. After watching the past two days of the team’s mini-camp, it looks like Shurmur is holding true to his words giving both Colt McCoy and Brandon Weeden equal opportunities to shine with the number one unit.

Weeden’s powerful arm and ability to make all the deep throws gives him an advantage that McCoy may not be able to match. The overall consensus is this is anything but a quarterback competition and more of a chance to get Weeden up to speed. That would make him the Browns 11th opening day starting quarterback since the team came back to town in 1999.

Shurmur is convinced McCoy will not go down easy in this fight, but the team may have seen enough of the rookie already to decide to move forward and start to contemplate what to do with McCoy.

The Browns will wrap up the three-day mini-camp Thursday at 1 p.m.