Considering it was just a little less than three months ago that the home crowd of the Cleveland Browns booed and jeered their way through a Deshaun Watson preseason appearance, and left behind such a bitter aftertaste that Watson said he was not sure he could last a whole season playing in town, there has been some serious progress made. Sure, there are still plenty of reasons to be leery of Watson–the litany of behavior before and during his time in Cleveland still stands–but there is little doubt that he is making the best of the situation and at least winning over the football sensibilities of the denizens of Huntington Bank Field. Sunday’s come-from-behind win over the Texans in Week 10, a 27-24 victory that came on a last-minute drive Watson engineered, was another example.
But before that, Watson caught some attention for an act of kindness–he scored a rushing touchdown late in the second quarter and as he tromped through the end zone, he found a small child seated in the first row of the end zone seats, reached up and handed him the ball.
Browns Fans Warming Up
After the game, Watson–who threw for 312 yards on 25-for-40 passing–explained the newfound affection between him and the Browns faithful. The 6-4 record has much to do with it.
Said Watson: “That was one of the reasons why I chose here. Obviously, there were other reasons. Growing up and playing against Cleveland when I was in Houston, hearing about the fan base here—all they want is a winning quarterback, and a winning team and everything will be pretty good. Give them something to cheer about on a Sunday, one day out of the week to be able to walk around and be proud to say they’re a Cleveland Brown.”
Deshaun Watson: ‘Cool Experience’
The handing off of the ball, though, was a highlight for at least one Browns fan. As the “SM Highlights” NFL account noted, “Deshaun Watson Gave His Touchdown Run Football To A Kid Sitting In The Front Row. Scores, Then Makes A Young Fan’s Whole Day. The Kid Looked Pretty Happy.”
Said Watson: “I would always do that when I was in Houston, give the touchdown, especially when I would run it in, to a little kid. That was something I learned through Cam Newton, when I was growing up, he was my mentor. It was cool to be able to experience that and, hopefully he enjoyed it.”
Browns’ Deshaun Watson Gets Attention for What He Did After TD