Browns head coach Todd Monken didn’t sugarcoat the mood around Deshaun Watson on Tuesday.
Speaking on 92.3 The Fan, Monken made it clear he understands why Cleveland fans have grown restless with the quarterback, especially after Watson’s lone preseason appearance in front of the home crowd turned into a chorus of boos.
“The fans just want us to win and play good football,” Monken siad. “I do understand some of the frustration.
I do think that, unfortunately, it’s viewed a little bit like hate and hope…Deshaun, over the years that he’s been here, has frustrated the fans and, certainly, himself in terms of wanting to play better for the Cleveland fans and the organization. I get where they’re coming from.”
Watson’s response to the boos only added fuel to the disconnect. After the game, he said, “I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance,” and called the reaction “a disrespectful thing.”
He also pointed back to the last time he played on the field, when he tore his Achilles, saying, “Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fanbase, they cheered when I got hurt,” before asking, “So what does that have to do with anything about performance?
When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer?”
Monken said Watson later came to him to talk through those comments.
“I looked at it more along the lines of a speed bump, just a blip on the radar. He came to me right after that.
Him and I had a good conversation and he said, ‘I’m not sure I handled that the right way, but I did have things that were on my heart.’ I asked him ‘do you feel like you’ve gotten rid of it?'”
Monken was put in a tough spot this offseason, with the choice between fan favorite Shedeur Sanders and Watson as the option to open Week 1 and try to steady the franchise. He ultimately stuck with Watson, even after the quarterback was booed in his only preseason appearance in front of Browns fans.
For now, the path forward is simple: Watson has to play well enough to change the conversation. If he does, the relationship with the fan base could shift quickly. If he doesn’t, Cleveland’s first home game in Week 3 is likely to be a rough one.
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