Todd Monken had to face the music when he was ready to name the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback. The head coach had to know that his choice of Deshaun Watson would not be greeted warmly, so he may have had a necessary chip on his shoulder when telling the media.
At that point, it would have been better for everyone if Monken had stopped talking about it. But with the way every move in the competition with Shedeur Sanders was scrutinized, that was never going to happen.
First, Monken stopped just short of laughing out loud when he was asked if the negative fan reaction toward Watson had any effect on his decision. It was naive at best and dismissive at worst, and it just got people riled up even more.
Then, Monken made the far-fetched claim that he did not watch any film of Watson from his previous seasons with the Browns. As stubborn as Monken has come across, it is fair to wonder if he was afraid to see anything that might have proven him wrong.
Insider Terry Pluto is just one of many observers who aren’t buying Monken’s explanation regarding Watson’s film, saying the coach did not want to discuss what was likely to be “discouraging” observations.
“Monken also told the media that he didn’t watch video of any of Watson’s previous games with the Browns. I find this hard to believe. My guess is Monken didn’t want to get into a media discussion of what he saw on tape of Watson’s previous Cleveland games. Most of it was discouraging,” Pluto wrote.
It is common for a new coaching staff to watch film to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the players they are inheriting. It would make sense to tailor an offense to what Watson does well and avoid what he struggles with, but Monken apparently made the calculation that what he witnessed in spring workouts, training camp, and two brief preseason appearances was enough information.
Pluto said that he believes Monken chose the more experienced Watson over second-year pro Sanders because he is afraid of his team “looking ill-prepared and disorganized” on the road in his first game as an NFL head coach. However, it has severely dampened enthusiasm for the start of the season, with many fans likely hoping Watson plays poorly so they can boo the heck out of him and Monken if he takes the field for the home opener in Week 3.
It will be very interesting to see how Monken deals with the media if he has to explain why he is making a change to Sanders at some point during the campaign.
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