Saturday was not a great day for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson on the field or off of it. The veteran quarterback was booed by the Cleveland fans as he struggled during the preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, and then he drew some heavy criticism for his postgame comments.
While the fan reaction and Watson’s comments seemed to suggest quite a rift between Watson and the city and fans, leading many to suggest that the Browns should part ways with Watson immediately, it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen.
Watson Struggles, Blasts FansDuring Saturday’s game, Watson was booed by the home crowd as he completed just 5 of 12 passes for 35 yards and an interception during four second-half drives in Cleveland’s 31-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills.
After the game, Watson was asked about the fan reaction and he got rather candid, calling the booing “disrespectful” and claiming that it had nothing to do with his performance on the field.
“The whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said after the game via ESPN. “It’s a little bit [more] personal than that. So I think it’s a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on.
“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fanbase, they cheered when I got hurt,” Watson later said. “So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer?”
Browns Announce DecisionThe optics surrounding Watson were so bad that some NFL reporters went as far as to suggest that his time with the team could be over. However, not only has the team decided to keep him on the roster, but it sounds like he could still be named the starter.
On Sunday, Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken made it clear that Watson will remain with the team and said that his comments on Saturday will not factor into the team’s quarterback decision, which he says he hopes to announce on Monday.
“He emptied his heart a little bit, and I don’t think that says who he is,” Monken said Sunday via ESPN. “I see the competitor in him. I see the every-day work he puts in, and he wants to be back. He wants to get back to where he was as best he can, and that’s hard. And again, I think the moment just got him after the game, and it can get all of us.”
Monken made it clear that Watson is still in the running to be the team’s starting quarterback and that the decision will be made based on how the two quarterbacks perform on the field.
“Even with yesterday, we have to take in the full body of work,” Monken said. “That’s one opportunity that they had on the field, both of them, just like the week before, an opportunity. Just like the practices against the Bills were an opportunity to showcase their ability and others’ ability and where they’re at this point, where we’re at as an offense.
“I look at it: What has been the full body of work? And then ultimately who gives us the best chance to win Week 1?”
“I’m not going to let one half of football, one frustrating moment, dictate what our decision is going to be that we think is in the best interest of the Browns moving forward and especially Week 1,” the coach added.
Monken also said that he is not concerned about the home crowd reaction or how the team would play at home if Watson was named the starter.
“What I’m concerned about is us playing well as a team and on offense,” Monken said. “Because when you play well, none of the other stuff matters. Just play well. Play well, coach well, score points, win games, and none of that will even matter.”
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