Todd Monken had the kind of sideline night most coaches would gladly take: his Browns were rolling, the mood was loose, and one unexpected exchange with an official ended up stealing a little of the spotlight.
During Thursday Night Football, broadcast cameras caught Monken talking with a female referee near the Browns bench as Cleveland was in control against Pittsburgh. The Browns led 21-7, and the sequence came with Cleveland facing second-and-10 in the second quarter, right in the middle of a comfortable stretch for the home team.
Monken appeared to be in the middle of a story, and the official broke into laughter as he kept talking. She visibly struggled to keep her composure while still on the clock.
The moment only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to get viewers talking.
Cleveland had already taken charge after giving up the night’s first score. By the time the ref got rizzed up on the sideline, the Browns were up by two touchdowns.
Monken has had lighter moments before. Earlier this year, he missed the NFL’s annual coaches photo because he had to get a haircut, and that little mishap turned into a viral moment of its own.
It was also a contrast from some of his more intense sideline stretches this season. During camp, he was blunt with his quarterback room and at one point called their performance “embarrassing” after a rough run of practice.
Thursday, though, was a different kind of night. The Browns’ lead had Monken looking relaxed, and NFL officials are rarely part of the broadcast story unless a call goes wrong. This time, the cameras caught a rare lighter side of the job.
We’ll probably never know what Monken said to get that reaction. But with Cleveland in front and the offense humming, he clearly had reason to be in a joking mood.
At the time of writing, Pittsburgh had trimmed the margin to 21-16 with under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
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