Cleveland Browns May Have Finally Gotten it Right!

People in the know suggest that if you want to succeed in life you had better define your goals, write them down and focus on that dream every day. Well in Cleveland Brown's third round draft pick Charlie Frye, those words of wisdom certainly ring true for him.

You see, when Frye was in grade 2 he wrote down on a piece of paper that he wanted to play football in the NFL when he got older and be good at math. The 6' 5", 230-pound quarterback from Williard, Ohio hung that piece of paper on the kitchen wall in 1982 and judging by the size of him, he spent a great deal of time in that room.

This is a dream come true for the 23 year old, who still has a picture of former Brown quarterback Bernie Kosar hanging in his bedroom room. If he is anywhere close to being as good as former MAC quarterbacks Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich or Ben Roethlisberger, then the Browns will be finally ready to turn around a very sad franchise.

Even the master Bill Belichick could not perform his magic with this sad squad and was bounced out on his keester, before proving his worth to the football world.

The only team he wanted to play for as an 8-year-old who convinced Willard's high school coach to make him waterboy. The only team for the sixth grader charting plays and phoning the rest of the neighborhood boys for a game in his backyard or to hop the fence at the school down the street.

Two or three Sundays every year, the Frye family would drive to Cleveland to see the Browns at old Municipal Stadium. Frye remembers their tickets weren't always the best. But Frye and his parents have fonder memories of classic games, Kosar-led comebacks and walks from the parking lot through the Cleveland city streets and down the hills into the massive lakefront stadium.

"Those were great days, those days stay with you," said Dave Frye, who along with his wife, Sally, taught their four children that as long as they worked hard, good things would happen for them.

Doing just that, their 23-year-old son Charlie became the highest Akron player ever drafted and the fourth quarterback to be selected in this year's draft. Frye will eventually compete to be the Browns' next quarterback. But for the time being, he and former Bowling Green star Josh Harris will back up Trent Dilfer.

Frye wasn't sure what team would draft him and as the first round turned to the second and then the second turned to the third on Saturday, the tension began to grow inside the Frye household. The phone sat silent. And then came a 9:30 p.m. phone call from Browns general manager Phil Savage.

"He said it was the Browns and everyone went crazy," his mom said. "I think it's the way it was supposed to be. How many kids get to grow up in Ohio and get to play for their favorite team? I mean, come on."

With Frye so close by, his family won't have to travel very far at least eight times a season. It's a road they know well after making the trip from Willard to Akron - just 30 miles south of Cleveland. "I could make it blindfolded," said Charlie Frye, who passed for 11,049 yards and 64 career TDs.

The Browns picked Frye on Saturday and then sent a car to pick he and his parents up on Sunday, whisking them to the team's headquarters for interviews and a quick orientation into NFL. It was strange," Sally Frye said. "I didn't know where I was. When you're driving up, you usually have landmarks."

Upon arriving at 76 Lou Groza Boulevard, Frye, wearing a blue-gray pinstriped suit, was handed a new Browns baseball cap. He laughed when asked if he could have brought his own from home. "No," he said. "I had a sweat shirt. I think all the Browns stuff I wore as a kid is all boxed up."

Frye, who started for four seasons with the Zips, is the latest quarterback from the unsung and underrated Mid-American Conference to make it to the NFL. As mentioned, he follows in the cleat marks left by Pennington, who had a storybook rookie season in 2004 for Pittsburgh.

The two are good friends, although Frye said he hadn't bothered calling his buddy just yet. Their relationship might be a little strained. "He's the enemy now," Frye jokingly said. "I deleted his phone number last night." And as for his dream of being good at math, no need. He has an accountant now!

Named a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Award, given to the top senior quarterback in the nation and winner of the Mid-American Conference's Vern Smith Leadership Award in 2004...Named Second Team All-MAC in 2004 after completing 222-of-346 pass attempts for 2,623 yards and 18 touchdowns... Accounted for 71 percent (2,617-of-3,705 yards) of Akron's offensive output in 2004 and set a single-season school record with 127 consecutive passes without an interception...Ranked 17th nationally in completion percentage (.636), tied for 19th in completions per game (20.0), 20th in passing efficiency (139.81) and 36th in total offense (237.9 ypg) as a senior...For his career, Frye holds 54 schools records, including passing yards (11,049), total offense (11,478) and completion percentage (.636)...Ended his career ranked No. 11 on the NCAA's career total offense chart, No. 16 on the career passing yards list and 43rd in passing efficiency (minimum of 500 completions) with a rating of 138.46...One of six QB's in NCAA history to pass for more than 10,000 yards and have at least 400 yards rushing...Has a ton of playing experience...Above average quickness...Has good awareness and decent mobility...Extremely accurate in the pocket and on the move...Reads coverage’s well...Good arm strength...Tends to under throw some deep balls and fumbles too much.