From what we have seen of Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, even as a rookie, he is not generally a player who lacks confidence in himself. Even when he dropped from a projected first-round pick to the fifth round in the NFL draft, even when he opened the season as the third-string quarterback, even when he had to back up fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel–he has maintained his poise and confidence in his ability.
But the 31-3 result against the Bears this week certainly had to shake Sanders a bit, given that it was his fourth start and after showing some progress in his first three games under center, Sunday looked like a day in which he was going backward.
Not only did Sanders throw for only 177 yards and not only was he 18-for-35 passing on the day, but he was sacked five times, threw three interceptions and wound up with a passer rating of just 30.3.
Browns’ Kevin Stefanski: ‘Sky Is Not Falling’
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, having had some time to re-watch the utter disaster that was Week 15 in Chicago, said it was important that Sanders process the loss as just one bad game and not as an indictment on his progress.
Stefanski said bad games just happen, to quarterbacks as well as to anyone, and that’s the message he wants Sanders to absorb.
“The sky’s not falling. I think with young players, there’s growing and there’s learning that happens,” Stefanski said. “And, you know, look at history for, I don’t care what the position is, but look at history in terms of young players, and sometimes there’s moments that aren’t going to go your way, and you learn from those. So that’s no different for any position, no different for Shedeur versus any other player. There’s going to be really good games. There’s going to be games you want back. There’s going to be plays you want back, great plays.
“So, I look at it for a young player to be able to go into a really tough spot, have some really good moments, some moments that you want back. We’ll learn from those, we’ll grow from those, and we’ll be better from those.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns
Shedeur Sanders Says He’s ‘The Same Person Regardless’
Again, Sanders’ self-confidence probably should not be in question, at least not in terms of how he carries himself. But there must be some concern from him over the inability of the depleted Browns offensive line to protect him, as the Bears pressured Sanders seemingly at will–their pressure rate was over 40% on Sunday.
Given the fact that the entire Browns line, once healthy, is hitting free agency and the team will need to overhaul the unit, top-to-bottom, that concern is an ongoing one. Sanders will need to be better at working the pocket, dodging sacks and evading foes.
“I think in every situation it’s always gonna be things that you wanna work on, things that you wanna get better. So I think that’s where I’m headed. You know I’m just in a learning and understanding phase of this game and how things are,” Sanders said.
He says he’s OK with how things are, despite Sunday’s disaster.
“I’m the same person regardless. I still got the same belief in myself. It is like it is every week. You gotta get out there, learn from it, and play better, and that’s it,” Sanders stated.
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