In 1955, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected a gangly quarterback out of Louisville. His name was Johnny Unitas. The head coach of the Steelers was Walt Keisling, who was on his second stint as Pittsburgh’s
head coach.
Keisling did not like how Unitas released the ball and attempted to change it. Unitas refused. This created a rift between the head coach and the rookie signalcaller. Keisling did not play Unitas in any of their six preseason games.
RELATED: CLEVELAND FANS HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF DILLON GABRIEL
Keisling had a disdain for Unitas the entire training camp, and the Steelers cut him on the final cutdown day. Of course, today, Unitas is listed as one of the three greatest quarterbacks to play the game at the NFL level.
How does this translate to the Cleveland Browns? Keisling refused to play Unitas. Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski seems to be doing the same in that he is going out of his way not to play his other rookie quarterback, Shedeur Sanders.
Not that there is a controversy over whether Sanders should be the starter instead of fellow Dillon Gabriel. If Stefanski and his coaching staff are confident that Gabriel won the job, then we as Browns fans should abide by the coach’s decisions. They are the ones who are hired to work with players, develop them, and make an assessment as to what their talent level is.
When the coaches named Joe Flacco the starter going into Week 1, all of us assumed that Flacco had beat out both rookies for the starting nod with Gabriel QB2 and Sanders QB3. For the first five games, Sanders was listed on each game’s inactive list, which meant he could only play if both the starter and backup became injured in the contest. He was also inactive for the New England Patriots game due to injury.
When Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, we all assumed that Gabriel was elevated because the people who work with these players every day knew his capacity and tabbed him the new starter. Sanders was then named the backup.
No controversy, no issues, no worries.
But then, the Miami Dolphins came to town on October 19. Cleveland dominated the Dolphins in every aspect. It was a fun game to watch, and the players enjoyed the final quarter along the sideline, knowing the game was in hand.
With 10:56 left in the fourth quarter, Browns rookie RB Quinshon Judkins scored a touchdown from the two-yard line. Following Andre Szymt’s successful PAT, the scoreboard indicated that Cleveland had a 31-6 lead.
Two plays later, S Ronnie Hickman secured an interception. The Browns were back in business at Miami’s 40-yard line with 9:58 left on the game clock. Out came Gabriel. Four plays went by, and Cleveland punted. The Dolphins had a three-and-out and punted.
With 6:45 remaining, out came Gabriel—another punt. Miami could not convert on a fourth-down play, and the Browns got it back for one more snap to end the game, a kneel-down by Gabriel.
10:56, 9:58, and 6:45. Stefanski had three opportunities to bring in Sanders, who was active for this one game.
The unwritten rule in college football is that when a team is killing someone or being killed, the coaches begin subbing in second-teamers at the eight-minute mark. Some programs, such as Clemson, will do this to start the fourth quarter. In the NFL, the unwritten rule is the four-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
In the Miami match, punter Corey Bojorquez was kicking the ball back to the Dolphins with 3:48 left in the game. Perhaps that is why Stefanski did not insert Sanders. Miami then had a nine-play drive that ended on downs and essentially ran out the clock.
But in the fourth quarter, Stefanski had three opportunities to insert Sanders, and did not. Other players began to see some playing time. S Donovan McMillon had played on special teams all year and was inserted late in the game on defense. He ended up with a sensational sack.
Some say keeping Gabriel in the game allowed him to soak in his first NFL victory. But what if on one of those drives, Gabriel had gotten hurt? What if he were gone for the year with a knee injury? Was leaving him in with such a lopsided score critical for how he played for the remainder of the contest, as the main goal was to milk the clock?
There is a good reason why NFL clubs don’t play their starters in the final game of the schedule if they don’t have anything to gain for their impending playoff run. They don’t want anybody injured before the postseason begins.
It just feels like Stefanski isn’t going to play Sanders. At all. And hasn’t. This 2025 rookie draft class is being heralded as one of the best for Cleveland in a very long time. Each player has some sort of statistics this season, except for Sanders, who has zero stats.
Then there is the case of Gabriel.
He has played in six games with four starts. His first start was against the Minnesota Vikings in London, with Flacco still on the roster. How has Gabriel done so far? Setting the league on fire? Above-average performances? A disappointment that began playing too early in his young NFL career?
Gabriel’s stats:
Week 5, Vikings: 19-33, 190 yards, two TDs, 0 picks, 10.0 average yards per completion, sacked 2 times, 2 rushes for five yards, 94.3 QB rating, offense total points: 17
Week 6, Steelers: 29-52, 221 yards, 0 TDs, 0 picks, 7.6 average yards per completion, sacked 6 times, 0 rushes for 0 yards, 66.3 QB rating, offense total points: 9
Week 7, Dolphins: 13-18, 116 yards, 0 TDs, 0 picks, 8.9 average yards per completion, sacked 2 times, 4 rushes for 12 yards, 89.1 QB rating, offense total points: 31
Week 8, Patriots: 21-35, 156 yards, two TDs, 2 picks, 7.4 average yards per completion, sacked 1 time, 1 rush for 13 yards, 65.9 QB rating, offense total points: 13
A glance at his stats reveals that Gabriel isn’t exactly tearing up the league. Two interceptions in four games is a remarkable stat, but there is nothing that says “franchise quarterback” week-in-and-week-out. Nobody is tuning into a Browns game to see him play. They aren’t driving four hours to watch him play.
Right now, Gabriel is just the next new guy.
Cleveland’s offense is horrible. They want to run, and are just now getting into that groove a bit with the emergence of Judkins. But the Patriots shut them down with just 68 rushing yards. Gabriel threw 52 times against Pittsburgh and yet just barely broke 200 yards.
How does this Browns offense rank after eight weeks? These stats are truth-tellers:
- Total passing yards: #28
- Pass completions: #8
- Pass attempts: #1
- Yards per attempt: #32
- Passing touchdowns: #30
- Interceptions thrown: #4
- First down conversions via the pass: #29
- Passing plays 20+: #31
- Passing plays 40+: #32
- Most QB sacks: #10
- Most rushing yards: #26
- Most rushing attempts: #21
- Most yards per carry: #30
- Rushing touchdowns: #18
- Runs of 20+: #14
- Runs of 40+: #16
- Rushes for first downs: #16
Total number of punts: #1
It is not even Halloween, and the Browns have been blown out in four games already. The play calling is vanilla, and the entire group’s effort is stagnant game after game.
Their best offensive weapon is Bojorquez, who has more punts than anyone. Look at the lowest number of punts so far this season: the teams are the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Rams. All good teams with exceptional offensive groups. They finish drives and score an abundance of points. The bad offenses punt a lot.
The Browns’ schedule from this point on is very favorable. It is possible that Cleveland could end up with 6-8 wins, but no matter the outcome, one thing is pretty clear: they aren’t making the playoffs. It’s very possible they could finish with a respectable win-loss record, but certainly not get into the postseason.
With this in mind, why not see what the Browns have in Sanders?
There are two camps regarding Sanders: 1) He is the next great NFL superstar, and 2) he needs a lot of development.
But if the Browns aren’t going anywhere this year, what does it matter? Why not give him the next game, the New York Jets (who have just one win), and see what he can do in a live-action regular-season NFL game?
If he is a superstar, then isn’t that what Browns fans and their coaching staff want? Don’t we want a guy who can fling it around all game and run like he is a Lamar Jackson clone? Don’t we want a guy who can come in and win games? Don’t we want to be dazzled by our QB play? Don’t we all want our own Unitas story?
If he fails, and if Cleveland loses another game, what does it matter? Then, we will all know.
The Pro-Shedeur fans will calm down, and the coaching staff can get back to what they were doing anyway: helping Sanders develop.
Right now, Gabriel looks okay, but he hasn’t put the wow factor into anybody. No 400-yard games, or tossing four TDs with one or two rushing touchdowns to add to the bounty. Just another average game from an average quarterback performance.
There is so much stigma with Sanders. His fans are clamoring that he is a superstar being grounded and ignored.
They point to his 74% completion average in college and the excitement he brings as a runner and a passer. His detractors point to him still being a developmental talent who needs at least a full season of grooming before he can compete on the big stage, not to mention his immaturity.
Is Gabriel the future of this franchise? Or is he the future of this franchise just right now?
The coaching staff needs to know what they actually have in Sanders. In next April’s NFL draft, do they need to look at selecting another young QB, or is the tandem of Gabriel and Sanders good?
Why wouldn’t the entire Browns organization want to know the answer to this question at the most critical position on the roster?
There are those in the media who point out that the Browns are too scared that Sanders will expose who’s the better quarterback. Really? Don’t all of us want the best QB on the field?
So what if Gabriel was taken two rounds earlier than Sanders? How many failed draft picks does Cleveland GM Andrew Berry have on his resume? A good percentage? How many of his draft picks have made the Pro Bowl? That answer is zero.
The Atlanta Falcons took Brett Favre in the second round of the draft, covered him up as QB3. They traded him to the Green Bay Packers, where now, his #4 jersey is retired, he went to 11 Pro Bowls, was league MVP three times, and was voted to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Okay, so maybe Sanders is not the answer. But the issue remains: we just don’t know. He isn’t playing in real games. And right now, the team isn’t going anywhere. Give him some starts, and let’s test drive this guy.
Consider one important aspect of this equation: the offensive line has been the healthiest it has been all season.
RT Jack Conklin is back in the lineup, the three interior guys are playing well, and LT Cam Robinson may be the weak link, but he is a 9-year veteran who has played in 108 NFL games. We have seen Sanders play in two preseason games. The first one against the Carolina Panthers, his O-Line was strictly second-team guys. In the finale versus the Rams, it was third-string players. At least his evaluation would be playing behind the first-team offensive line against a first-team defense.
Whoever caught a squid and thought it would taste good fried in peanut oil? Who first envisioned finding a crawfish in the mud and thought it would be great boiled in spices? How did an edible mold grown in dark, damp places like Bleu Cheese become a thing? Did an actual person crack open an oyster, and their first thought was that this slimy chunk of mucus would be pretty tasty on a cracker with hot sauce?
Is Sanders our Brett Favre? Another Johnny Unitas? Or is he just the flavor of the month?
What’s the worst that can happen? Lose another game? The Browns are doing that without Sanders under center.
Just play the kid, and let’s all find out.
