‘Watch a Little Patrick Mahomes,’ ‘You’re Fighting for Your Job’ — NFL Analyst Urges Shedeur Sanders To Take 1 Valuable Lesson From Chiefs Star
· Yahoo Sports
The Cleveland Browns are 5-3, sit third in the AFC North, and have put themselves in a decent position to make the playoffs. They’ll look to improve to 6-3 in Week 9, but they’ll have Shedeur Sanders under center for his first start of the season.
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Deshaun Watson, who is recovering from a concussion, was cleared from concussion protocol this week, but the Browns are sticking with Sanders, giving him a big opportunity to make his case as the team’s quarterback of the future.
Before that happens, though, Sanders is already making headlines for all the wrong reasons. When reporters asked how he felt about facing the New Orleans Saints’ defense, the young QB smiled and gave an answer that some viewed as “arrogant.”
‘Gridiron’ Gives Shedeur Sanders Advice
On Friday, Skip Bayless and Aqib Talib, along with host Kinsey Wolanski, shared their thoughts on Sanders’ controversial comments earlier this week.
Talib felt the question Sanders was asked was “dumb,” while Bayless said the quarterback could have simply given a good PR answer and avoided all the scrutiny.
Wolanski had some advice of her own for the young Browns star.
“He knows he’s gonna get into publicity. Why doesn’t he watch a little Patrick Mahomes press conference tape? Be PR friendly. You’re fighting for your job,” she said during a segment on the “Gridiron” podcast.
Patrick Mahomes has somewhat of a reputation for giving lengthy answers without saying much, often keeping his comments vague enough to avoid controversy. Sanders could take a page out of his book. A more measured response might have saved him some of the scrutiny he’s facing now.
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What exactly led to the criticism? On Wednesday, Sanders took to the podium for his media availability. He was asked by reporters about what he had seen from the Saints’ defense leading into the game in Week 9. Sanders gave a bit of a peculiar answer, to say the least.
“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot. When I smile, just know that it means something. (Laughs). I’m maturing, you know what I’m saying? I’m maturing. Like, I could have given that a decent answer, but now I’m just going to smile,” the Browns quarterback said.
Sanders takes over the Browns’ offense after a tough 27-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland gained more than 300 yards in that game but managed just two field goals and failed to score a touchdown.
Watson, who ranks No. 22 with a PFN QB Impact Score of 70.3, took a hit to the head in the first quarter and was cleared to return after being evaluated for a concussion. However, he reported concussion-like symptoms to the Browns’ medical staff Tuesday.
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Browns head coach Todd Monken said Watson’s inability to participate in team drills limited what he could do during the week.
“He’s still not able to do team reps,” Monken told reporters. “He can do individual work, he can do some routes, and he’s been in meetings, but he’s not able to do any of the team reps, which makes it difficult.”
For Sanders, this is a big opportunity to prove he belongs in Cleveland.
After losing the starting job to Watson in training camp, his future with the Browns has been questioned. Sunday’s game against the Saints gives him a chance to change that narrative, while Wolanski’s advice about being more PR-friendly is something he’ll have to consider going forward.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.