Accountability is expected from the leader of your team. That doesn’t seem to be the case when it comes to the Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. After a disappointing performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, Watson blamed the media for having higher expectations of him rather than taking accountability for a poor performance and the Browns’ Week 1 loss.
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“No, I think personally, I think all that is for the media. I think the media has this expectation that I’m supposed to throw 400 yards and five touchdowns every week,” said Watson with a big grin on his face. “So until that happens, I guess it’s going to be the same situation. So again, my job is to make sure I’m operating well so we can try to get a win and keep moving forward.”
Watson’s comments, however, didn’t sit well with the Browns radio personality Tony Rizzo, as he called out the veteran quarterback for not taking accountability for his poor performance against the Jaguars.
“There’s no shame in you going, ‘Hey man, I have sucked,’ okay? Like, people would appreciate that,” said Rizzo after Watson’s comments about the media gained traction. “You could flip this whole script with one good press conference. He just keeps pretending that nothing’s happening that he, Deshaun Watson, it is not five years ago, bud. It’s not.”
This is not the first time Watson has come under scrutiny for something he has said in front of reporters. During the second preseason matchup, fans started booing Watson when he took the field in the second half against the Buffalo Bills. As that happened, Watson addressed the incident in front of the media and called the boos “disrespectful.”
And now, his latest press conference has drawn criticism, as Watson pushed back against his poor performance while keeping a wide smile on his face.
The development around Watson gained momentum after the Browns lost their season opener 34-10 on Sunday. On paper, Watson completed 16-of-22 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception. In reality, however, the struggles were hard to ignore.
Much of Watson’s production came in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of the Browns’ reach, as they were 34-3. For broader context, Watson had completed 11-of-17 passes for 100 yards and an interception in the first three quarters of the game. At the same time, the Jaguars also sacked the veteran five times.
His interception, meanwhile, came on the very first offensive drive. On second-and-5 from Jacksonville’s 28-yard line, the quarterback threw a pass to Jerry Jeudy before Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun intercepted it at Jacksonville’s 19-yard line.
As that happened, Cleveland struggled to gain rhythm for the rest of the matchup. The team’s only first touchdown came late in the fourth quarter with just 1.52 remaining. That certainly raised a major question: Will head coach Todd Monken start Deshaun Watson in the Week 2 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Coach Monken addressed the same question, as he left the door open for a potential change under center.
“I’d rather just talk about today, because I haven’t had time to even look at the tape,” the head coach said. “I’m sure as hell not firing me. I’m not firing our staff. I’m not getting rid of all of our players. So he (Watson) happens to be one of 53. And however many practice squad guys we got, and our staff, he’s one of that. So, we’ll evaluate everything. But to just say that emotionally here at the end, we didn’t just play good enough. We didn’t coach well enough.”
For now, it remains to be seen whether Watson will start against the Buccaneers. However, he will return to Cleveland for the team’s Week 3 matchup. And considering his complicated relationship with Browns fans and his latest remarks about media expectations, the Browns’ decision on whether to continue with him in the coming weeks will draw significant attention.