Sorry, this is a day late, it couldn’t be helped. Apparently, the Browns are a giant cabal of Sanders hate. After out playing the number one overall pick last Sunday, many in the local Cleveland media feel Sanders was held back on purpose because they hate him. Or hate the fact they picked him. Or are trying to set him to fail by starting him the last four games of the season. I can’t keep up with any of this crap anymore.
There’s a simple explanation for Sanders not starting game one, he wasn’t ready. It was easy to figure out if you watched the last preseason game. He wasn’t an NFL quarterback coming out of college and that game showed he wasn’t an NFL quarterback. Starting him week one would’ve only hurt his career. He Was Not Ready. The Browns had a plan to get him ready, and Sanders did what he could to learn. You are now seeing the fruits of that labor. Is he completely ready? No. He’s still making rookie mistakes because, wait for it. he’s a rookie. Time was not wasted starting Flacco or Gabriel, because Sanders wasn’t ready. You saw that against Baltimore when he came in when Gabriel got hurt. He’s gotten better with each start, which is sign of a good QB who’s learning.
The notion that Kevin Stefanski can’t develop a quarterback is also being destroyed by the fact that Sanders is getting better each game. Rookies aren’t on a self-teaching program. Joel Bitonio told the media this week, when he gets to the training facility every morning, Sanders is already there. And guess who else is there, Kevin Stefanski, who is with Sanders going over the Browns next opponent. Teaching and developing a rookie QB. If you’re proud of the success that Sanders is having, you also have to acknowledge it’s because of the head coach. One goes with the other.
I’ve also heard from those who wish the Browns had traded up and drafted Jaxon Dart. If the team had done that, they would’ve used draft capital that would have gone to other players. The team could have been without Carson Schwesinger, or Quinshon Judkins, or Harold Fannin because the capital to draft them could’ve been used to move back into the first round. And no, they shouldn’t have used the second pick or the fifth pick in the first round to draft Dart. Just to remind you, Schwesinger is the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of The Year, Judkins leads all rookie running backs in yards and Fannin leads all rookie tight ends in receptions and yardage. I guess when Andrew Berry has a full complement of draft picks, he does very well.
Finally if you’re going to blame anyone for the loss on Sunday, blame the special teams and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. There are times Schwartz does things that make you wonder, but Sunday to concentrate on the getting Myles Garrett his sack record and ignoring the Titans’ running game is inexcusable. Not a good look for a guy who some in the Cleveland media thinks would be a great head coach. Looks kind of stubborn to me. Stay safe and Go Browns.