I find it simultaneously amusing and fascinating that the Cleveland Browns, arguably the NFL team most in need of a quarterback, are not even in the discussion where Peyton Manning is concerned.

Not that Manning would or should want to spend the remainder of his career in Cleveland, but it just says something about the state of a team when not even one of the all-time great quarterbacks is seen by anyone as potentially putting it over the top.

And yet all these other franchises, even the Arizona Cardinals, supposedly are “a Peyton Manning away” from making a run.

I’m not campaigning for the Browns to go after Manning. Obviously, it would be foolish and futile in light of their circumstances. Manning likely would chuckle heartily while jogging his memory for the last time this franchise won more than five games.

As usual, QB talk continues to dominate any Browns discussion. GM Tom Heckert now says he likes Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden. That won’t get many pulses pounding, especially since Weeden, who played baseball in a previous life, turns 29 in October.

Of course, there’s always the fallback option of sticking with Colt McCoy, although the chances of that course of action exciting the masses are roughly slim and none.

Last I checked, team president Mike Holmgren is charged with making the Browns relevant again. After two years it seems they are no closer to that goal, to say nothing of the Super Bowl.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland @DaytonDailyNews.com.