We knew it all along

Hmmmm. So Rob Chudzinski has decided to name Bandon Weeden as his starting quarterback.

Shocking.

Wonder what caused this sudden change of mind?

Wasn’t it about a week ago that the Browns’ freshman head coach waffled and called the quarterback competition too close to call? What in the world happened since then to prompt such a reversal?

Weeden and Jason Campbell have played outstanding quarterback in the first two exhibition games. What gives?

Did Chudzinski just wake up Monday morning and decide Weeden was his man? Sounds very much like an epiphany.

All of a sudden he goes from being indecisive to downright decisive, surprising just about everyone in Browns Nation.

He told the media that “it was important for me and us (his coaching staff) to go through the process throughout the offseason so that we could get these guys (three quarterbacks) and see how they would react to a lot of different situations that would come up.

“Based on this process, Brandon has earned this job. . . . He’s gained my complete trust. He’s gained his teammates’ complete trust and his organization’s trust and we’re all behind him.”

Bulletin: We already knew you'd pick him.

So why wait until four days (Weeden was informed on Monday) after the second exhibition to put forth the obvious: He has done nothing to warrant losing his starting status.

It all makes no sense. Yep, that’s it. It sometimes is very difficult to tap into the reasoning of coaches and managers.

Chudzinski went on to say he is a firm believer “that what separates the great quarterbacks from the average quarterbacks is how they react to different situations, whether it’s a game or adversity during the season.”

The big difference could be what appears to be an important change in Weeden’s leadership abilities. He seems much more confident than he did at any time during his rookie season.

“I’ve seen him take hold of the group he’s with,” Chudzinski told the media. “I think that’s the maturation of a quarterback going from a rookie season when you’re not really sure how it works to a second-year guy who understands better what it takes.”

Then again, maybe it’s because Weeden has been given an offense that better utilizes his talents. Last season, he might as well have played with one arm tied behind his back in the ill-advised west coast scheme.

One of the main reasons for Weeden’s success thus far in the exhibition season – and yes, the games will be played much differently once they become more meaningful – is his comfort level with Norv Turner’s wide-open, quarterback-friendly offense.

So all he has to do now is go out and prove his coach made the correct decision. That won’t be easy to do once the speed of the game changes.

He won’t have Josh Gordon, his favorite receiver, for the first two games due to a suspension. Looking at it from a positive standpoint, maybe now he will have to rely on other receivers and develop a rapport with them he wouldn’t have had a chance to do otherwise.

Bottom line is it’s nice to see hard work rewarded even though the coach stretched the mystery far longer than it needed to be.

Hopefully, Chudzinski's in-game decisions will be much quicker.