Twelve Septembers ago, on the first Sunday of regular-season NFL play in 2007, a daydream of mine played out on TV: Instead of trudging through a season with an out-of-his-depth quarterback, a change was made at the position during Game 1.

The Cleveland Browns, my favorite team, played host to the Pittsburgh Steelers, quarterbacked by the redoubtable Ben Roethlisberger. The Browns’ quarterback depth chart was far less dependable: Although the club had drafted a big-name player earlier in the year, Notre Dame graduate Brady Quinn, the season commenced with Charlie Frye as the starter and Derek Anderson as the backup; Quinn had the No. 3 spot.