NEW YORK -- Former quarterback Boomer Esiason witnessed the second start of Brady Quinn's career last year in Buffalo and still believes the Cleveland Browns' 2007 first-round pick is "the real deal."

But Esiason fears that the "environment of insecurity" created by new Browns coach Eric Mangini will prevent the winner of the quarterback competition between Quinn and Derek Anderson from succeeding in the long run.

The Browns played host to the Tennessee Titans last night, and the preseason game usually considered the dress rehearsal for the regular season could weigh heavily in Mangini's decision on his starting quarterback. Esiason, who played three of his 14 years in the NFL for the New York Jets and retains close ties to Mangini's former team, expressed grave doubts about the freedom Mangini will afford the winner.

"Everything is buttoned up there, everybody's afraid of everybody else," Esiason said.

"Eric Mangini and his mental gymnastics thinks he's going to build this team, they're all going to be fighting for one. His zeal to keep everything in-house, he creates an air of insecurity. Guys are afraid to become who they are.

"So how does that play into the quarterback? When the quarterback gets on the field, is he a risk-taker? Is he afraid to throw an interception? Is he afraid that his coach is going to rip him behind closed doors? Can you imagine somebody treating Dan Marino like that? John Elway? Joe Montana?"

Several members of CBS Sports' NFL crew, speaking at the network's media day Tuesday in Manhattan, expressed opinions on the Quinn-Anderson battle. But Esiason, a Long Island, N.Y., native who also co-hosts a radio sports talk show on WFAN, took the strongest stance on how the competition is being handled by former Bill Belichick-disciple Mangini.

"I don't think he's a bad guy. I think he knows football," Esiason said of Mangini.

"But all these little Belichickites are thinking they're Belichick and trying to [run] the team the way Belichick runs it.

"Belichick gets away with it because he has the credibility. And he has the credibility because he was given a great player in Tom Brady who gave him Super Bowls."

Solomon Wilcots, who played defensive back for four years with Esiason on the Cincinnati Bengals, also wonders if Mangini's choice will get the support he needs.

"If that team supported Brady Quinn and said, 'You're the guy,' then lived with him, he still needs a number of starts," Wilcots said.

"Look at Drew Brees, a San Diego team that had talent around him, a better running game when LaDainian Tomlinson was young; it still took him about 32 NFL starts before he started to hit his stride."

Wilcots unabashedly favors Quinn, who has started just three games, believing that Anderson's interceptions "will sink the season."

Describing Quinn, Wilcots said, "He's of the Chad Pennington mold with a stronger arm. He's a great leader, a smart kid who can help the coach run the team.

"He's not a wallflower, he's not going to shy away from the responsibility of the job.

"He's a guy who craves the job. I think a coach like Eric Mangini needs a guy like that because he's a better communicator than the coach."

Dan Dierdorf, a Hall of Fame tackle from Canton, called Anderson "a real talent" who is "pesky" and "won't go away."

But Dierdorf said Anderson's tendency to throw the untimely interception could decide the competition.