Most NFL players like to be coached hard, as long as it pays off in victories. If it doesn’t, exhaustive demands could wind up having a demoralizing effect on the team.
Fortunately, Todd Monken doesn’t have to worry about that right now with the Cleveland Browns. With an impressive rebound win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, the first-time head coach has ensured his credibility in the locker room, at least for the time being.
Browns tight end Blake Whiteheart, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter at Tampa Bay, revealed what he loves about Monken with some clever wordplay, saying the 60-year-old is demanding without being demeaning.
“I love [Todd Monken] so much because he’s so demanding, but not demeaning. He demands so much of us at such a high level, whether we’re tired. There’s no excuse for bad football, as he would say. He’s right. Winning teams win. Winning teams do stuff right, and there’s a standard in which things have to be done. If you don’t want to do it that way, we’ll find someone else, or we’re just going to run you into the ground until you decide that you’re going to do it. For him, as such a good teacher of the offense and as a head coach, just being so demanding of us, it’s going to get done the right way. ‘I’m the head coach, and I say it’s going to get done the right way.’ He’s the boss, and we’re gonna do what the boss says,” Whiteheart said.
All of that no-nonsense discipline could wear thin very quickly if it does not produce results. The Browns were walking that fine line after a blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the opener, as they were staring down the prospect of an 0-2 record and a very difficult home opener when they fell behind the Buccaneers 16-6 in the third quarter.
Yet, that hard work paid off, as the Browns were able to rally for a 23-19 victory. After a two-hour weather delay, Cleveland was able to keep Tampa Bay from scoring a go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes after it had reached the 13-yard line.
It was a particularly sweet first NFL win for Monken, as it came against former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. It was also a strong response to some childish comments made by former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin in his role as an NBC analyst.
There was some real discussion about whether Monken would be fired after just one season, based in part on naming Deshaun Watson the Browns’ starting quarterback over Shedeur Sanders. But the players reportedly were on board with that decision, and Watson rewarded both his coach and his teammates with his best game in years.
Now, the Browns have a much better reception waiting for them in their Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers at Huntington Bank Field.
NEXT: 2 Biggest Surprises Of Browns' Season So Far
