The Cleveland Browns battled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and, after hours of idleness during a weather delay on Sunday, held on for a 23-19 victory. After the win, Cleveland head coach Todd Monken made it clear that the people in Cleveland’s building heard the criticism directed at the team after its poor Week 1 showing, and that the Browns are, in fact, not “gonna Browns.”
Quarterback Deshaun Watson was one of the Browns who bounced back in a big way. After an abysmal showing against the Jags, Watson turned in one of his best performances since arriving in Cleveland, finishing with 238 passing yards and two passing touchdowns without turning the ball over.
In Monday’s video conference with media members, Monken declared Watson as the team’s best performer in Week 2 and expressed how happy he was for his much-maligned quarterback.
“I was happy for Deshaun,” Monken said. “He made a number of plays with his legs. Played with confidence. He let it rip. You could see the difference from Week 1 to Week 2, and I think we’re just going to grow together.”
As well as Watson played on Sunday, he’s still several quality starts away from fans calling for second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders, something the first-year head coach is well aware of.
“Do I love dealing with it every week? Of course not,” Monken said, admitting. Still, he sees a bright enough future for Watson to justify the decision, making it clear that he sees the 31-year-old veteran coming off back-to-back Achilles injuries as a “young quarterback” with “a lot of football left in him.”
“I’m happy for Deshaun, the way he’s played, and I expected improvement, and I expect continued improvement,” Monken asserted. “There’s a lot of football left in him — he just hasn’t played in a while. And learning our system and trying to get him consistent with his drops and his reads is part of the process. He’s like every player. I see him as a young player. I know people don’t want to see it that way, and I haven’t been here. But I see him as still a very young player that is going to continue to grow.”
As happy as Monken may be, there’s not much of a case for Watson as a “young player,” and the 10-year NFL veteran has only himself to blame for his contentious relationship with both Cleveland media and fans. Still, if he continues to trend upward and lead the Browns to wins, Monken and the Cleveland brass will at least be vindicated for going against popular opinion and giving Watson another chance.