It’s a good time to be Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken, who has taken over as a head NFL coach for the first time in his lengthy career, and has managed, through six games, to breathe some life back into a morbid franchise despite playing a much-despised starter at quarterback and working with a roster few would describe as top their in the NFL. The Browns are 4-2, they’re in first place in the AFC North and Monken has won over fans and media with his blunt, honest and effective style.
All four wins have been come-from-behind, gritty victories the Browns might well have had no business getting. But they have displayed a certain toughness and heart that can likely be attributed to their coach. As Monken said, “Our guys are a scrappy group, and they play their rear ends off for 60 minutes, and that’ll always give you a chance to win.”
Special Browns Souvenir for a Young Fan
Part of Monken’s charm was on display after the team’s 13-10 win over the Ravens on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field, a game that brought the Browns to 4-2 and gives them the first-place seat in the division.
Monken, after Andre Szmyt had sealed the win with a field goal as time expired, took the hat he was wearing in the game, and scanned the crowd as he walked toward the tunnel to the locker room. As shown in a video from Akron Beacon-Journal’s Alisson Toro-Lagos, Monken found a young kid, reached up and gave him his hat before greeting his wife.
Todd Monken: ‘It’s So Cool’
Monken has approached coaching the Browns with a level of enthusiasm that has been infectious.
As he said on Sunday, “It’s almost as cool as being the head coach of the Browns. I mean, maybe not even close, probably, but it’s almost as cool as that (expletive). I mean, is there any better than this? To work your whole life and have wins like that.”
He continued: “These are the nights that you don’t ever want to end, because tomorrow it’s on to the next game. And so, I sit there, I know it sounds really goofy, but you sit there in bed and you don’t want the night to end. It’s 10:30 and you’re tired as hell and you want to be up another 15, 20, 30 minutes to enjoy it, because, s—, tomorrow I’ve got to look at the offensive tape and then you’ve got to move on to the next game. And until we get things squared away and move in this direction offensively, every game is going to be a scratch and claw like this. And I love that type of game with the guys we have. We’re wired for that. Our guys are wired for that. Now I prefer the other, but we’re more wired for that. And, man, it’s so cool.””
Browns’ Todd Monken Draws Attention for What He Did After Win vs. Ravens