Deshaun Watson left no doubt where he thinks the noise is coming from after the Cleveland Browns were blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday: the media.
Mary Kay Cabot asked Watson whether he needs a big game before the home opener and whether there needs to be some goodwill built up at Huntington Bank Field. Watson brushed it aside with a smile. “I think personally all that is for the media,” he said.
It came after a rough afternoon in Jacksonville, where the Browns lost 34-10 and Watson finished 16-of-22 for 205 yards. He threw one touchdown, one interception and was sacked five times. By halftime, Cleveland was already down 24-0, and most of Watson’s production came after the game was essentially out of reach.
The postgame frustration around Watson did not stop at the box score. He has already described the boos as personal and said he did not care.
Mina Kimes pushed back on that line of thinking, arguing the tape - not the crowd - is the real issue. LeSean McCoy went even further after Sunday and joked about point-shaving.
For now, the Browns are staying the course. Monken said he “anticipates” Watson will start Week 2 in Tampa, which keeps Shedeur Sanders in the backup role for the moment. That decision came one day after the loss, and it shows Cleveland is not using one bad opener as a reason to change course.
The Browns are still on the road for their first two games, with Carolina set to come to Cleveland in Week 3. That will be the first real chance for Watson to face the home crowd at Huntington Bank Field, and Cabot’s question was aimed at that return. Watson, though, made the issue about the reporters asking it.
The Browns paid fully guaranteed money for Watson, injuries have already eaten into the prime years, and the fan base has yet to see the payoff with him under center. A 34-10 loss with five sacks only added to the tension. Saying the pressure is just a media creation does little to calm it.
Watson can wave it off during a Wednesday availability. The people in the stands at Huntington Bank Field may not be nearly as forgiving.
If he plays like he did Sunday, the noise will not be coming from a press row. It will be coming from the seats he still has to earn back.
Week 2 in Tampa is next, and Monken has already said he is sticking with Watson. Sanders remains the backup, at least for now, and the debate gets louder with every ugly afternoon.
Watson says the home-opener talk is for the media. Cleveland will find out soon whether the fans see it that way too.
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