One thing that can be said about new Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken as he careens toward his first game as a head coach in the NFL: He is more forthcoming than most coaches. Whether that will prove to be a good thing, a bad thing, or an utterly neutral thing as this season unfolds remains to be seen. But he is much more open than predecessor Kevin Stefanski, and has at least done what he could to explain the way things happened int he run-up to the decision to start quarterback Deshaun Watson.
That has been the defining choice of Monken thus far. He has said he believes–and his actions would support that–Watson gives the Browns the best chance to win games. And that’s what Monken wants. He doesn’t want his first head coaching job in the NFL to be a three-win rebuilding debacle that ends with a high pick in 2027. Monken wants to win now, and thinks Watson, even as he is coming back from a torn Achilles tendon that was subsequently torn a second time, gives him the best chance.
Browns Fans ‘Want Us to Win’
Now, one big question for Monken is whether he is underestimating just how much Browns fans dislike Watson. Not only did he cost the team three first-round picks and an albatross of a $233 million guaranteed contract, but he cost the franchise a bit of credibility, as it aid a massive price for him despite a lengthy list of sexual misconduct allegation as he was leaving Houston to come to Cleveland back in 2022.
In his weekly appearance on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland with Ken Carman and Tony Lima, Monken said he did not weigh the fans’ feelings into his decision on Watson.
“The fans just want us to win and play good football,” Monken said. “I do understand some of the frustration, and I do think that, unfortunately, it is viewed a little bit like hate and hope is the way I would put it. Like, the fans really just want hope. And Deshaun over the years he had been here has frustrated the fans and certainly himself in terms of wanting to play better for the Cleveland fans and the organization. I get where they’re coming from.”
Deshaun Watson’s Disaster Press Conference
But the animosity between Browns fans and Watson is, perhaps, something that Monken has not grasped, and probably won’t see in real effect until the team comes home after two road games in Weeks 1 and 2. It was partly on display in the second preseason game, in which Watson was booed at Huntington Bank Field when he was under center in the second half.
The bitterness from Watson showed through clearly after the game during a combative and disastrous press conference that some speculated hurt Watson’s chances at getting the QB1 job.
Monken revealed what was behind that reaction: “During that game and after that game, Deshaun was not in a great headspace. Let’s just be honest about it. He said it after the game, was frustrated, and didn’t particularly play well. And we didn’t coach well or call it well around him. So, we certainly all have to own that. I looked at it more along the lines of a speed bump, just a blip on the radar more than the norm of what I had seen over the course of the five months being here in terms of his confidence, how hard he has worked to get back to where he is at today.”
Deshaun Watson Apologized to Browns Fans
Watson did apologize to Browns fans for his approach in that press conference, and Monken said he saw immediate remorse from Watson in the wake of the interview. Most important, Monken said, is that Watson has put it behind him and moved on.
It’s not likely that fans will do that quickly, though. For now, though, Monken and Watson are controlling what they can control.
Said Monken: “He came to me right after that, him and I had a good conversation, and he said, ‘I am not sure I handled that the right way. But I did have things that are on my heart.’ And I asked him, ‘Do you feel like you’ve gotten rid of it?’ Because it is one thing to say it, it’s another thing to really believe it.’ OK, I needed to get this off my chest, it’s over, I just want to go out there and play great football. And I believe him.”
Browns’ Todd Monken Reveals 1st Reaction to Deshaun Watson Disaster