Jeff Driskel grateful for start, taking whirlwind in stride

BEREA — Jeff Driskel will be more than a footnote.Not only will he become the franchise-record fifth quarterback to start a game for the Browns on Sunday in the season finale in Cincinnati, he'll be the first quarterback to start for the Bengals and the Browns in the Battle of Ohio, which dates to 1970."That's an interesting stat," Driskel said Thursday. "I'm surprised that that's a thing. But, yeah, I heard that. Whatever that means."Jim Schwartz loves it here but would like chance to be head coach againDriskel came off the bench for the Bengals in 2018 when Andy Dalton got hurt and finished the loss to the Browns in Cincinnati. It was the first extended playing time of Driskel's career and included his first throwing and rushing touchdowns."I threw a touchdown on the seam to Tyler Boyd and he proceeded to throw my first touchdown ball in the stands," Driskel said.He never got the souvenir."I looked around, I asked the ref, 'where's the ball?' And he's like, 'I don't know,'" Driskel said.He started in Cleveland later in the year, and the Browns won again.Commentary: Browns are riding the crazy train all the way to the playoffsDriskel (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) will start Sunday because coach Kevin Stefanski is resting Joe Flacco and a number of other starters to keep them healthy for the playoffs. Driskel was signed off Arizona's practice squad last Friday and will get the chance to prove he should be the No. 2 in the postseason ahead of P.J. Walker.Driskel, 30, will have only three full practices to get ready but can lean on familiarity with the system and coordinator Alex Van Pelt. The Cardinals run the same system as the Browns under coordinator Drew Petzing, who was with Stefanski for years before leaving in the offseason. And Van Pelt was the Bengals quarterbacks coach during the 2018 season."As much as one offense to another, there's probably not a much smoother transition, terminology-wise," Driskel said. "Obviously somebody else calling it, new guys around you. The bigger thing has been getting to know my teammates more than getting to know the system, which I think is a good thing."Browns have five players voted to Pro Bowl, including first-timer David NjokuThe Browns needed a third quarterback after rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson (hip) was placed on injured reserve last week. Signing Driskel to the active roster means they value him."Jeff's a guy that has a lot of athleticism," Van Pelt said. "He's a bigger guy. He's got a strong arm. With Dorian being moved IR, it gives us a chance to bring another athletic body in that could fill some of the role that Dorian played."I think he feels comfortable with where we are and we're excited to see what he can do. Giving him an opportunity to come in and see if he can help us."Driskel entered the league in 2016 as a sixth-round pick of the 49ers and also spent time with the Lions, Broncos and Texans. He's such a good athlete the Texans used him at tight end, but he's the epitome of a journeyman quarterback, appearing in 23 games and going 1-9 as a starter. He's completed 59.2 percent with 14 touchdowns, eight interceptions and an 80.5 passer rating. He's rushed 73 times for 384 yards, a 5.3 average and three touchdowns.Changing teams this late in the year, preparing to start and heading to the playoffs seems like a lot to process."I don't know about surprising," Driskel said. "I mean, it's the NFL, things happen, I've been around long enough to understand don't try to figure it out, just handle the moment. And that's what I've been doing the last five or six days and just happy to be here."Driskel said he didn't know he'd start the finale when he signed."When you get an opportunity to get on a 53-man roster, you take it, he said. "That's typically the fastest path to the field and that's what my thought process was."The Browns will become the sixth team to start five quarterbacks in a season, including three in the 1987 strike year, and join the 1984 Bears as the only ones to make the playoffs.The Browns (11-5) have won games with four starting quarterbacks — Deshaun Watson, Walker, Thompson-Robinson and Flacco — for the first time in franchise history and eighth time in the NFL since 1950. They joined the 2015 Texans as the only teams to qualify for the playoffs after winning games with four starting quarterbacks and could become the first to do so with five winning games.The 1987 Patriots are the only team to win a game with five starting quarterbacks. They went 8-7 in the strike season and didn't make the playoffs.New #Browns QB Jeff Driskel on being fifth starter for team this year, everything team has gone through. pic.twitter.com/NMq0xzVgf1— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) January 4, 2024https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"You see teams where a key player goes down and it just derails the season and it's been the opposite here," Driskel said. "And I think it's the way that the culture is built here, the way that the roster was built here, it really is a full team and that's what it takes to be successful."The difficulties have made the triumphs more enjoyable for Van Pelt."It's been a great experience," he said. "It's one I'll always cherish and remember. It's been a unique year. Has been a lot of adversity, but the (quarterbacks) room has always been solid."To get to where we are now has been rewarding. It's been challenging, but it's definitely a year that I'll not forget."The post Jeff Driskel grateful for start, taking whirlwind in stride first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.