The Cleveland Browns delivered a shock on Wednesday with the announcement that quarterback Deshaun Watson is in concussion protocol, opening the way for quarterback Shedeur Sanders to make his first start of the season on Sunday against the Saints. Unfortunately, that also meant Sanders is required to do the weekly press interview with Browns reporters, which is usually a mundane affair marked by questions about the previous game and the next opponent. In 32 NFL cities across the country, quarterbacks go through this normal part of the routine every week.
Sanders, though, was unable to take those mundane questions the way quarterbacks typically do. His press conference turned bizarre, as when he was asked about the Saints defense and went on an odd tangent: “I’ve seen a lot. When I smile, just know that means something. I’m maturing. I’m maturing. Like, I could have given a decent answer, but now I’m just going to smile whenever it’s just, like, some questions.”
Shedeur Sanders Was Not Professional With Reporters
There were other instances, too, when Sanders took questions from Browns reporters and his answers came out like word pretzels. Of course, no one will care what Sanders says in these situation if he goes out Sunday and plays well, and the Browns win. But interacting with the media is, contractually, part of the job, and it is odd that Sanders can’t seem to do it with a dose of normalcy.
On 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland on Thursday, hosts Ken Carman and Anthony Lima wondered why Sanders can’t seem to muster up the professionalism to do the media part of the QB1’s job. Lima pointed out that the station played some other “normal” quarterback press conferences to compare with Sanders.
He added: “(We) played at least six other quarterbacks today and they all sounded like quarterbacks. Shedeur sounded like a middle school football player.”
Browns Need to ‘Eliminate Distractions’
Longtime Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot was a guest on the show and asked some of the questions that Sanders bungled.
As she said: “Todd Monken always says, you have to eliminate anything that gets in the way of winning. And the Browns are coming off of a football game in which Jared Verse kind of said some things that caused a stir and impacted that football game. So, you want to avoid those things, you want to avoid those things to the extent that you can and you just want to prepare to play good football.
“I know he was coached up before he went to that microphone and I know he knew he was going to get that question about the Saints defense. And, you know, if you just say a few things about the Saints defense even in a generic sense, then we all walk away and you go on and you prepare for the football game.”
Browns Should ‘Bring Temperature Down’ on Shedeur Sanders
That’s the frustrating part of how Sanders handled himself out at the Browns facility on Wednesday. There is absolutely no need for drama or discussion around a 10-minute press conference. But Sanders’ demeanor made it so.
She said: “It turned into something it didn’t need to turn into. And these are lessons you learn along the way.
“If I were involved in the situation, if I were the Browns, I would be making sure the toothpaste goes back in the tube and everybody surrounding Shedeur Sanders, the team, whatever, just brings the temperature down on this because, it’s no big—in my mind, it should not be that big of a deal.”
Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Called Out for ‘Middle School’ Behavior