Even still, as risk adverse as most general managers tend to be, more than a few had to be giving Anderson second and third thoughts. Filling the quarterback slot isn’t easy. Indeed, it’s exactly why Roethlisberger got the richest contract in Steelers history, which will never be the same thing as getting the richest contract, say, in Yankees history.

The other thing is that wherever you may be on the whole Anderson talent debate, what isn’t in dispute is that Anderson is a slinger with a quick release. That’s another way of saying that he makes up his mind quickly and commits to that decision, good, bad, or indifferent. Fans tend to focus on the mistakes that can follow from such traits without ever appreciating how valued this skill is by folks like Savage and virtually every NFL general manager and head coach.

The margin for error in any pro sport is razor thin. In baseball, a quarter-inch difference on where a ball is struck on a bat makes the difference between a routine fly ball and a home run. In football, a fraction of a second on when a ball is thrown often determines whether it’s caught or intercepted. With coaches looking for every conceivable edge they can, they’ll always give the quarterback who thinks and reacts more quickly the benefit of the doubt. It’s why Anderson remained on the team despite a very mediocre preseason.

Thus while his steep price was certainly a hurdle of some height that gave many teams pause to make the jump, the real answer to why Anderson stayed may lie less in the lack of choices he had and more with the foresight of a young quarterback who saw himself in the exact right situation at the exact right time.

The same things that the anti-Anderson camp sees as the reason not to get too excited about him may be the exact same things Anderson sees as the basis for staying, and that starts with a good offensive line. The impact of Savage’s rebuilding efforts cannot be overstated. Show me a team in need of a quarterback and I’ll show you a team with a lousy offensive line.

It helps, certainly, to have talented running backs and receivers, but the one thing a quarterback understands is that a good offensive line covers up a lot of sins. Anderson knows that if he stays here and plays behind this Browns offensive line he has a real chance to put up monster numbers for at least another season, perhaps more, making him an even more attractive free agent when he’ll only be 28 years of age, assuming he plays out all three years of his contract.