He got the first reps with the first team more often than not. He has more experience across more offenses. He did everything right this summer in terms of work ethic and demeanor.
When Todd Monken gave Watson the start in the first preseason game, alongside the starters, it was another sign, this one the biggest of all. When Monken said Watson's incendiary shots at Browns fans after an awful preseason Week 2 showing wouldn't play a role in the choice, it was yet another sign. So when news leaked Monday that Watson indeed won the quarterback battle over Shedeur Sanders and will start Week 1 against the Jaguars, it was no surprise.
Let me clarify: It was no surprise the Browns made yet another mistake regarding Watson, arguably the worst trade acquisition in pro sports history. I will not pretend to know one one-hundredth of what Monken has already forgotten about football. There are legitimate football reasons Monken -- a very good offensive coach for a long time -- made this decision.
His job is to do what he thinks will make his team better, not appease fans or media or anyone outside the organization, really. Watson has experience with systems and concepts similar to Monken's. This decision was made with hundreds of data points in mind, most of which are unseen by the public, from games to practices to meetings to workouts to everything else in between.
I'm not privy to 99% of what went into this decision. I can still confidently say it's the wrong one, even if it's right in a football sense. Watson's performance on and off the field Saturday is justification enough.
After a truly terrible outing that included a rookie-esque interception, several misfires on open opportunities downfield and several moments of sheer panic the moment he felt pressure, Watson decided to lash out at Browns fans about ... everything. "I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance. It's a little bit more personal than that.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
