Tag: dillon gabriel

Sanders Give Us A Reason To Watch Exhibition Football

Tomorrow night the annual rite of fall begins as NFL exhibition play begins. We know the league like to call these games “pre-season” contests, but more and more, these games are filled with players who will never play a regular season NFL game.

So, it’s an exhibition. Teams basically conducting tryouts to players. Yes, some starters might play a quarter in the first game, but if you are buying a ticket to this, be prepared not to see your favorite players.

And with more and more teams conducting “organized practices/scrimmages” with their opponent for that week, that’s where the real action is. The starters do play in these controlled environments.

It’s okay. Franchises have to find out which players do have some talent and it’s difficult to tell when both the offense and defense know what is coming, which is what happens on the practice field.

As for the Cleveland Browns fans, it couldn’t have worked out any better from an entertainment standpoint, because rookie Shedeur Sanders will start against Carolina, and our guess is he will play the first half.

Yes, we know Joe Flacco wasn’t going to play any way and probably won’t see any action until the regular season opener on September 7th, nor should he play. Flacco has been around a long time and the coaching staff knows what he can do, and he also has the confidence of the veterans in the locker room.

Sanders was going to get some snaps in the first pre-season game, but now he will play with a handful of starters and the balance being second team guys, and more importantly, will be on the field against some starters from the Panthers, instead of a bunch of players who will likely be cut before the first regular season game.

With everyone healthy, we would guess Kenny Pickett would have started, and probably played the first quarter, followed by Dillon Gabriel and then Sanders, dividing up the last three quarters. But Pickett and Gabriel have hamstring issues, so Sanders gets a great opportunity.

There are many people who believe Sanders was gifted this opportunity, but really, who cares? Players never know when they are going to get their chance and if he performs well Friday night, perhaps he gets a longer look as the exhibition schedule progresses.

It’s really no different than how players like Mohamoud Diabate or Ronnie Hickman made the team as undrafted free agents. They took advantage of the chance they received in these late summer contests and earned more opportunities.

Also, this is the time for Sanders and Gabriel for that matter to play. There should be no rush for either of these quarterbacks to get in regular season games until at least the halfway point of the season, and we haven’t changed our opinion from the days they were both drafted.

The Browns have a history of putting quarterbacks on the field before they are ready, and they should have learned from it by now. That’s why Flacco should be the starter in week one and why Pickett is here as well. They should play until it is obvious to everyone the season is going nowhere.

We know the skeptics will say we know that now, but again, the front office and coaching staff owe it to the veterans to play the QB who gives them the best chance to win each week.

Browns Need Professional QB Play To Evaluate Others

Obviously, living in northeast Ohio the talk about the Cleveland Browns is pretty much non-stop. And having four quarterbacks on the roster without a clear-cut starter leads to even more speculation.

The biggest discussion is when to go to one, if not both, rookie signal callers, because after all, you have to know what you have in both (assuming both make the final roster). And in the deluded minds of the radio sports talk hosts and fans alike, this information is needed because the Browns are going to have one of the top picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The latter idea is because many in the media have given the Browns’ front office permission to stink this upcoming season, a bold thought given the 3-14 record this past season.

Apparently, people have used the Men In Black mind erasing wand and thus the 11-6 season just the year prior has vanished from everyone’s memories. Of course, part of that is the organization basically sabotaging the season with coaching changes to aid Deshaun Watson.

This is not to say we believe the Cleveland Browns are Super Bowl contenders this season, but we are certainly sure that Kevin Stefanski and even the front office are going into the year thinking they are gunning for the first overall pick in the draft.

We said it after the trade out of the #2 slot this year, if the Browns have the first overall pick next year, it better be because Jacksonville has had a terrible season.

It is true the Browns do have to find out about Dillon Gabriel and/or Shadeur Sanders and even Kenny Pickett this season. But they also have to find out about running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. They need to know what they have in rookie TE Harold Fannin, and they need to see how the offensive line plays.

And to do that they need to see how these guys play with a real professional quarterback, and that’s why all things being equal, Joe Flacco should be behind center at the beginning of the season.

Solid quarterback play makes a big difference in evaluating the other players and positions. Just last year, what were people thinking about Jerry Jeudy after seven weeks, when he had 21 catches and the most yards he had receiving was the 73 in week two?

That was with Watson at the helm. With Jameis Winston taking the snaps, the Pro Bowl receiver had at least five catches in every game save one, and three 100-yard games.

He finished the year with career highs in receptions and yardage.

We have heard friends of ours refer to the offensive line as hot garbage, and it was early last season. The Cleveland front gave up 35 sacks in the first seven games. After a change in quarterbacks, they allowed 31 sacks in the final 10 contests.

Neither figure is really good, but the first seven games would have to be considered as horrendous, but it also wouldn’t be representative of how the group played thoughout the season.

All we are saying here is not only does Flacco give the Browns their best chance of victory, but he also allows them to do honest evaluations of the players surrounding him.

That’s important too.

Look, if Cleveland starts off 1-6 like many think they will, then see what you have in the younger quarterbacks. Remember, Flacco is 40 and he may not be the same guy he was down the stretch in 2023. He still has to earn the right to be on the field in week one.

Yes, the Browns need to see these young guys, but they also owe the other players on offense to be evaluated based on decent play at quarterback.

That’s something people are overlooking.