Plenty to Prove

Enough talk about how far quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy fell in the draft. Let's talk about something that really matters: what it means to Brett Ratliff. The third-string Browns qb is the only holdover from the purge that sent Brady Quinn and his hair to the Shadow of Tebow in Denver and Derek Anderson to Arizona, where he will compete with another pretty boy, Matt Leinart. The Rat abides. But will he play? In his career as an undrafted free agent he hasn't taken a snap in the regular season, but he had a nice preseason for the Jets, prompting Coach Mangini to bring him over to Cleveland in the trade for Braylon Edwards. Clearly this is a guy the coach wants in his locker room, but not necessarily on the field. Cleveland brought in Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace presumably as the #1 and #2 qbs, then drafted Colt McCoy. Free agent Graham Harrell has been getting some reps in camp as well. According to The Chronicle-Telegram Ratliff could remain with the team as the fourth-string quarterback. So he goes from last man standing to last on the list? Here's hoping McCoy continues to fall.

Another player who seems to have fallen out of favor is Paul Soliai in Miami. As high as the Dolphins are on Koa Misi (see Peter King's recent Monday Morning Quarterback), Soliai's name hasn't even come up as Miami looks to revamp their defense. Jason Ferguson has been suspended for 8 games, apparently opening a double-wide door for Soliai to step in as a starter for at least half the season, but the only names coming out of camp are Randy Starks and rookie Jared Odrick. The Palm Beach Post spoke with Soliai's new agent, who said Paul is ready to prove he can play. Let's see if the ProUte of Week 8 can play at that level every week!