Shedeur Sanders’ arrival in the NFL did not come without its share of controversy, from his draft story to his path to becoming the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback. And even after earning his spot on the roster, he continues to receive treatment that many consider unfair and disproportionate to his on-field performance.
Former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, who played for the franchise between 2014 and 2015, spoke out about the criticism and the stance of the Cleveland media toward Sanders, coming to the quarterback’s defense and pointing out what he believes are the most damaging aspects of this local approach.
Johnny Manziel Defends Shedeur Sanders From Media Treatment
Dealing with the Cleveland media has never been an easy task. Historically, the team has struggled to find franchise quarterbacks and build competitive rosters, never even reaching a Super Bowl, which creates intense pressure in a market with passionate fans and a deep sports culture.
Manziel felt this firsthand during his time as the Browns’ quarterback, as heavy criticism affected his mindset. Between poor decisions in his personal and professional life and underwhelming on-field performance, he failed to establish himself in the NFL, with his only opportunity coming in Cleveland and ending in 2015.
Sanders is now experiencing that same hostility from the Cleveland media, especially through pointed questions about head coach Kevin Stefanski, whom many believe is not doing what is best for the quarterback’s development. Manziel shared his perspective on the situation, criticizing the Browns’ media approach.
“I feel bad for Shedeur and him having to answer the questions that he’s having to answer right now is brutal,” Manziel said. You lose a game, and you go into the press conference after the game, and your own media is sh*tting down your throat. Your own media is asking you questions that are like ‘Yo, is your head coach sabotaging you?’”.
In his first three starts, Sanders has one win and two losses, but his best performance came in the loss to the Tennessee Titans last weekend. Even so, much of the media and former players are buying into the narrative that Stefanski is sabotaging the young quarterback.
However, when those questions are directed at Sanders himself, in a situation where he clearly is not going to throw his head coach under the bus, it becomes evident that the intent is to generate controversy, and Manziel does not support that approach.
“It’s the same people that have been there from when I was there, that when Brandon Weeden was there. It doesn’t matter. And they’re gonna continue. The whole thing is a problem,” Manziel added.
Sanders is listed as the 36th quarterback in the PFSN QBi, and he still has a long road ahead of him in the NFL. His first few games have not been up-and-coming, but the team already knew there was no realistic path to starting Sanders right away, and the expectation is that he will improve over the coming weeks.
