The Opening Drive 8/8: Shedeur Sanders' Primetime Moment
New writing plans meet rookie quarterback's big stage.
Welcome in on this lovely Friday, and everyone, we finally have some NFL football to watch. Your Cleveland Browns are set to “tee it up” tonight against the Panthers in a game that can be consumed on your local television markets, so make sure to check on availability. In the mean time, I am rolling out what will become an everyday staple here at Browns Film Breakdown: The Opening Drive.
Just like an offense who is set to come out on the field for the first time in the game, this will be a series of stories, schemes, or player spotlights that hit your inbox first thing everyday. Nothing major, but something to consistently chew on as your Browns enter specific stages of game weeks and our film reviews and breakdowns demand more information sharing.
Think of this as your morning Newsletter each day, but with a much cooler title. Clearly. So, let’s do this.
The Browns are used to a circus of attention at quarterback. This is nothing new over the Kevin Stefanski tenure. Not meant to really be an attempt at a slight, but from Baker Mayfield to Deshaun Watson, and now Shedeur Sanders….the position that hasn’t produced very much success since 2020 sure has been a huge topic of NFL discussion.
Most of the drama for this year centered around the two young quarterbacks and when they would get their chance. Upset at the notion Dillon Gabriel was ahead of Sanders, his cult-like following has grown impatient online. Often the Browns are being blamed for holding a “hostage situation” or “setting Sanders up to fail” despite their patience with the rookie fifth-round selection.
It has become clear in the last few weeks that the organization feels like Sanders needs more time for the little things at the position. There have been physical flashes but the mental burdens of an NFL offense have been evidently holding him back. Improvements have been made, but Sanders still has some way to go inside this system.
Two hamstring injuries and a head coach who prefers to rest his veterans, and now we have Sanders in the primetime, all pun intended on that one, stage tonight. He will have an opportunity very few non-premium selections receiver: playing time. Sanders won’t be forced to show his acumen during two pressure-packed drives in the fourth quarter of tonight’s game; instead he gets the stage right from the beginning and it remains possible he could play the entire game.
While some want to point fingers and say the Browns are not allowing him the best weapons, it’s instead the opportunity that matter. Sanders will play with the teammates he has been working with most often in camp. He will face a mixture of the Panthers starters, but head coach Dave Canales said they will only play two series at most. Both of the Panthers best defenders will miss the game entirely.
Sanders will get a high volume of snaps and thus the opportunity to show the organization, and NFL, that he belongs in consideration for starting opportunities. To showcase that the rest of the league missed on him. Again, a rare stage for a quarterback picked this late in the NFL Draft just a few months back.
There are plenty of supporters ready to jump online and defend Sanders no matter what way it goes. For me personally, none of the noise matters. This is about what traits Sanders can flash in his performance and whether we should be taking seriously his ability to eventually take over this role. I am eager to see how it all unfolds and cannot wait to cover it for you.
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I am really excited to have some Browns football back in our lives and tell the story of the preseason with you. Following tonight’s action, swing over to the BFB YouTube Channel, make sure to subscribe, and join me for discussion on what happened in the game, some key takeaways, and much more.
Browns Film Breakdown returns tomorrow with some Film Rooms on last night’s game.
