What a night for Shedeur Sanders -- in-game and post-game. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
CHARLOTTE, NC
More takeaways from Browns’ 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers …
1. Now what?: Shedeur Sanders looked more like a QB1 than a QB4 in his sparkling preseason debut, rising to the challenge of overcoming the fewest practice reps and producing a 14-of-23, 138-yard, two-TD performance with a firm command of the position. Sanders owned the second quarter against Carolina's second-team defense. But if Sanders earned more practice reps and a promotion on the depth chart, Kevin Stefanski wasn’t ready to say. Four times Stefanski deflected questions about the impact of Sanders’ big night on the QB competition. “We’re really just focused on developing our players,” Stefanski said. “We're in evaluation mode. I'm pleased with where the guys are, but I'm not diving into competition.” Stefanski said Sanders would get “a ton of reps” in the second preseason game in Philadelphia, but would not say if he would start. “I'm not there yet,” Stefanski said. “I have to see who's healthy, all those different things.” Did Sanders earn more reps with the second- team offense or even the first team? “Yeah, honestly, I'm pleased with the way Shedeur played. I'm pleased with the way the offense operated tonight. All things moving forward as we continue to practice, we'll be focused on all of our guys' development and getting these guys ready to play for the season.” Is Sanders in the mix for the starting job in September? “Yeah, I'm honestly not focused there,” the coach said. “I think the guys need to continue to earn their roles. That's what these guys are doing.” One thing is for sure: Sanders’ performance applied the pressure on QB2 Kenny Pickett and QB3 Dillon Gabriel not only to get healthy to practice against the Eagles this coming week, but to perform when in the game.
2. All the right words: Sanders was just as impressive in his first NFL post-game press conference as he was on the field. He was humble, thankful, team-oriented and had just the right amount of self-criticism. “Overall, I'm thankful for the opportunity first,” Sanders said. "I'm thankful for being able to look in all those -- in every player that was out there participating -- eyes and tell them this is new, this is a family. You know, we got to change. My vow is to definitely make change, and change was made. I was very thankful, very excited being out there with the whole line and everything like that. Receivers, everybody did their part, and I feel like everybody believed.” I asked Sanders what changed. “I would say just the energy,” he answered. “The energy. I would say, well, since I've been around, the energy around the Browns. Even though it's a preseason game, typically people don't take those too much serious, but that's our Super Bowl. That's each player's Super Bowl. So the change is a family thing. It's a family. You've got to be able to go to war with each and every guy and understand we're not playing for ourselves here. We're playing for each other. So not making selfish mistakes, not doing that type of stuff.”
3. ‘I feel like me out there’: Sanders owned the second quarter after Carolina coach Dave Canales pulled his defensive starters off the field. After a 3-of-7 first quarter against the Carolina first team, Sanders went 8 of 11 for 73 yards and two touchdowns to receiver Kaden Davis in the second quarter. “I wasn't nervous [at the start], so I didn't really have too much adrenaline,” Sanders said. “It was just getting comfortable. That's all it is. There's plenty of games before, like, I was nervous, but I felt like I knew the answers to the test. So it's like when you feel unprepared, then you don't feel like you're ready for the moment. I know I'm ready for the moment. Did I play up to par? No, I don't feel like I did. But overall, the main goal was to win, and that's honestly what we did.” I asked him why he felt he didn’t play up to par. He answered: “I mean, I had incompletions. There's incompletions out there that I know I'm able to complete. That's the only thing.” Overall, though, Sanders said of his game, “I feel like me out there, you know?”
4. That receiver competition: All-Berea camp standout Gage Larvadain continued his fight for a roster spot with two catches on three targets for 23 yards, a 4-yard run for a touchdown on a jet sweep, and a 30-yard punt return that was one broken tackle from becoming a 68-yard TD return. Mentor’s Luke Floriea made a 30-yard gain after pulling in a scrambling Sanders pass with his left hand. And Davis’ two TDs should put him in the mix for a roster spot. ‘That's the exciting part for us as coaches and their teammates, to see those guys perform under the lights and make plays,” Stefanski said. “I'm just excited for all of them,” said Sanders. On the other hand, Diontae Johnson was 0 for 2 on targets and had a high pass from Sanders on the first series glance off his hands.
5. Two defensive studs: Rookies Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger made their presence felt in their debuts, which lasted through the first quarter when Carolina’s offensive starters played. Graham influenced a sack when he forced Bryce Young to step into Alex Wright’s clutches on Carolina’s first series. Schwesinger was all over the place, leading everyone with six tackles in one quarter of work. Stefanski said, “Obviously, I saw the stats, and I saw Carson making those tackles. But I need to look at it [on video] to see exactly. I know this. It wasn't perfect for any player out there. But I appreciate how those guys competed.”
6. More defensive gems: Julian Okwara, who is fighting for a roster spot on Jim Schwartz’s deep defensive end chart, had two sacks in the fourth quarter … FS3 Nik Needham had an interception when Carolina QB2 Andy Dalton threw the ball right to him.
7. Plus-2 turnovers: Stefanski was very pleased that the Browns won the turnover battle, 2-0, with Needham’s interception and a Leroy Watson recovery of a fumbled punt when Carolina rookie returner Trevor Etienne signalled for a fair catch and had the ball deflect off him.
8. Please, no: Dustin Hopkins made a 23-yard field goal, but missed a PAT wide left after the Browns’ last touchdown, a 6-yard pass from Tyler Huntley to Cade McDonald. Any concerns, Coach Stefanski? “Uh, I think we’re always going to be looking at our technique and those type of things. But I thought Dustin has been kicking the ball well.”