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Published October 13, 2008 12:42 am - CLEVELAND — Just when the autumn leaves are getting pretty, Derek Anderson’s sky is falling. Is tonight D.A.’s last stand? As Giants invade, quarterback may be making his final start STEVE DOERSCHUK Canton Repository CLEVELAND — Just when the autumn leaves are getting pretty, Derek Anderson’s sky is falling.
Anderson’s professional life hangs in the balance as he attempts an unlikely Monday Night Football rise against the unbeaten Super Bowl champion New York Giants. “You dream about it as a kid,” he said, meaning a prime-time fling, obviously, and not his nightmarish September. Anderson has beaten the odds before. The 2007 training camp was fairly far along when he was behind the ball boy on some versions of the QB depth chart. Tonight, he is a prohibitive underdog, probably operating without tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., who was released from the Cleveland Clinic Sunday but is listed as doubtful due to an undisclosed illness. “I’ve only played on Monday night in the preseason,” Anderson said, “but that doesn’t really count, I guess.” It would be better if that memory didn’t even exist. It was an ugly Monday night loss to the Giants on Aug. 18. “We just hit a couple big plays,” Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. Manning might have mentioned Osi Umenyiora hitting Anderson, leaving the latter with a concussion. There were reasons Manning was the first pick in the 2004 draft, whereas Anderson lasted until the sixth round in 2005. The Browns hope those scouting secrets do not manifest themselves tonight, although so far in 2008, they have. Almost exactly one year ago, Anderson launched the Browns into a 5-1 hot streak with a marvelous performance at home. He put up a 142.5 passer rating in a 41-31 shoot-out against Miami. He surpassed that a week later with a career-high 143.0 at St. Louis. Those teams finished a combined 4-28. The sun dropped out of the sky over Lake Erie. The context of this Monday night is so starkly different, Anderson’s next two games, if he makes it that far, will be against the defending Super Bowl champs, off to a 4-0 start behind Manning, and the 4-1 Redskins. 
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