Bruce Drennan did not need a long film session to find something about Shedeur Sanders that he disliked. His issue was not a throw, a read, or a protection check; it was the way Cleveland’s young quarterback handled a sideline interview.
Bruce Drennan Takes Aim at Shedeur Sanders’ Interview
The longtime Cleveland sports personality watched Sanders speak during the Cleveland Browns’ Aug. 22 preseason loss to Buffalo and came away unimpressed with the quarterback’s demeanor, delivering one of the harsher local reviews Sanders has received this summer.
“Did you pay attention diligently to the in-game interview of Sanders in the last preseason game?” Drennan said. “I mean, I thought he came across as an adolescent goof.”
Drennan did not soften the assessment after that.
“I’m sorry,” he continued. “He was terrible, in my opinion.”
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The criticism centered on Sanders’ lengthy in-game conversation, not a formal postgame press conference. During the interview, the Browns quarterback acknowledged that he had forgotten to take part in the pregame coin toss despite being named a captain for the afternoon.
“I thought Shedeur Sanders came across as an adolescent goof.” #DawgPound @Bruce_Drennan tears into Shedeur Sanders. https://t.co/2QSbr2aGCF pic.twitter.com/hluFwyuo1b
— BIGPLAY Cleveland (@BIGPLAYcle) August 27, 2026
Sanders explained that he thought being a captain meant he held the role for the week and did not realize he was expected at midfield. He described the mistake as a “laughing moment” with Todd Monken and the team, while also discussing prayer, his approach to improvement, and the boos directed at Deshaun Watson.
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That loose, conversational tone clearly did not work for Drennan. Others saw the same interview differently, with portions of it circulating widely because Sanders bounced between self-reflection, humor, and football without sounding especially rehearsed.
Sanders’ Play Was Better than the Moment Drennan Hated
The football portion of Sanders’ afternoon gave Cleveland more to evaluate than the coin-toss mix-up. He started the first half against Buffalo and completed 9 of 11 passes for 74 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown to Luke Floriea, although he also threw an interception in the 31-7 loss.
Monken praised Sanders’ command of the huddle afterward, but Cleveland ultimately chose Watson as its Week 1 starter. Sanders enters the regular season as the backup after a rookie year in which he completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
His 63.0 PFN QB Impact grade ranked 37th among 38 qualifying quarterbacks in 2025, placing his on-field development under considerably more scrutiny than one preseason interview.
Drennan’s complaint, however, was about presentation. Sanders has never been particularly interested in sanding down his personality for public consumption, which can make him engaging to one audience and irritating to another.
The Browns will care much more about whether he develops into a dependable NFL quarterback. Still, when a forgotten coin toss becomes part of an eight-minute sideline conversation, Cleveland sports radio is never going to let the tape disappear quietly.
