CLEVELAND (92.3 The Fan) - There is quite the uproar that Cleveland Browns coach Pat Shurmur will not play Brandon Weeden Thursday night.

After all, 2-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning played in the NY Giants preseason finale.

So will the No. 1 pick in the draft – Colts rookie Andrew Luck.

But not Weeden.

“Boy, Shurmur is an idiot,” many fans have been thinking and saying on 92.3 The Fan since the Browns’ coach announced that the rookie would sit and Colt McCoy would start.

Does Weeden need work?

Sure.

Despite being 28 years old and getting over 100 preseason snaps in 3 games, Weeden has a long way to go before being a finished product.

He’s 24 of 49 for 297 yards and an interception in 3 preseason games. Weeden has yet to throw a touchdown and the offense has been inconsistent at best with him under center.

The reality is that Shurmur is protecting the No. 22 pick in the draft.

Lest we forget the No. 3 pick remains sidelined after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Aug. 9. The Browns remain optimistic he’ll play Sept. 9 but it’s not definitive.

The Browns have dealt with a rash if injuries this preseason and training camp.

For an incomplete roster, that is a very bad thing.

Especially for a team that is expected to win 3 or 4 games – that’s if they are 100 percent healthy – which they are not.

Already on the hot seat in just his second season, Shurmur can ill afford to take any risks with valuable members of the team – including Weeden.

Sitting Weeden against the Bears was the unpopular, but right thing to do.

I’d hate to think what fans would say about Shurmur if Weeden did play against the Bears and left the game injured.

It probably wouldn’t be fit for print.

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