How far can Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders go? In the opinion of his father, it depends on whether the rest of the team can take him there.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders, whose recent media tour for Depend included a visit with D.J. Siddiqi of Covers.com, explained the importance of having help when discussing Shedeur’s performance as a rookie in Cleveland.
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“I would have wanted him to perform a little better, but that’s not just an individual thing, that’s a team thing,” Sanders said. “A quarterback needs help tremendously from the offensive line, from the receivers, from the running game, from the coordinators as well. It’s not just a singular thing, like a defensive back. I don’t care what the pass rush is, [the DB] has got to do his job. It’s a little different with a quarterback. He needs several things to go right for him to be successful.”
He’s right, but there’s a fine line between acknowledging the importance of having help around the quarterback and making excuses. Yes, others have to do their jobs. The quarterback does, too.
The reality in football, as Donovan McNabb once said, is that the quarterback gets too much credit for wins and too much blame for losses. In Cleveland, it’s hardly a coincidence that most of the bad seasons since the team returned to the NFL in 1999 featured less-than-ideal quarterback play.
Still, there’s hope for the Browns if Shedeur wins the starting job over Deshaun Watson. Last year, Shedeur started seven games, winning three and losing four. In the 10 games he didn’t start, the Browns went 2-8.
