I Knew You Were Trouble When You Walked In (To the QB Room)

Welcome to the first issue of Vibrance Analytics. We’ll provide you with VISUAL INTELLIGENCE and journey through the patterns that shape our world. Utilizing data visualization and thoughtful analysis, we’ll expand your understanding of business, tech, politics, culture, and sports.

Cleveland Browns QB Timeline

I’ve been a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan. I’ve watched this team have horrible season after horrible season for as long as I can remember (with a few bright spots along the way).  I always think to myself: “this is our year.” Inevitably, as the playoffs slip out of reach, I then begin thinking: “next year is our year.” In some ways, cheering on the Cleveland Browns can be a lesson in optimism and resilience - never giving up on the team and always holding out hope for next year.

One virtue that the Browns have not been a good example of is consistency…especially at the position of quarterback. With the 2025 NFL Draft quickly approaching, now might be a good time to take a walk down memory lane.

• The Browns have had 40 starting quarterbacks in the last 25 years (1999 - 2024) - an average of 1.6 NEW starters per year.

• Only 14 of these QBs have had a start in more than one season. 

  

  Cleveland Browns Starting QBs 1999-2024

Joe Flacco was recently signed by the Browns for his second stint with the team. At age 40, it's unlikely he represents their long-term future. While Mr. Flacco may see some starts, he was brought in to provide veteran consistency to the QB room.

Maybe Kenny Pickett (a recent acquisition from the Philadelphia Eagles) is the answer. Maybe the Browns, who hold the second pick in this year’s draft, will find their future in a young star.  Whoever it may be - here’s to hoping that the next QB is “our guy” and that we don’t need to add too many additional names to the jersey below (inspired by one created years ago by Tim Brokaw).

Green Bay Packers QB Timeline

For a comparison of what the gold standard might look like in quarterback consistency, I’ve built a similar timeline showcasing the Green Bay Packers QB room since 1992. While some starters have shown up briefly here due to injuries to the “franchise QB” at the time, the Packers have shown remarkable long term support for Brett Farve and Aaron Rodgers over the years. They are likely poised to do the same with Jordan Love going forward. The Packers seem to pick a strong, relatively young QB and then build a team around him.

The Packers have only had 9 starters over the past 32 years, averaging only 0.28 new starters per year. The majority of these short term starters have been related to injuries sustained by Aaron Rodgers in his decade plus tenure as the team’s QB.

Taylor Swift Relationship Timeline

To really hit the point home and tie back to our Taylor Swift inspired title - the Browns have had more than triple the amount of quarterbacks post-2009 (29) than Taylor Swift has had boyfriends (9) in that same era. At least Taylor got some incredible albums out of these heartbreaks. The Browns only got more heartbreak.

It looks like Taylor may have found “the one.” It’s beyond time for the Browns to do so as well.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to reach out for future topic requests, corrections, or further discussion. Planned upcoming issues include a deep dive on proportional representation voting systems (including ranked choice), annotated visualizations of market volatility, and analysis related to user growth in social media and AI tools. If you found this post interesting - subscribe and send to friends or colleagues who may be interested as well!