The Shedeur Sanders Show Gets Its Greenlight
Sunday afternoon looks like it will be tough sledding for Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. I suppose that statement is true for most any quarterback to have donned a Browns uniform in the 21st century, but especially for Sanders, who has the whole world watching and waiting for him to fall flat on his face. What’s worse, in only his second start, he’ll face the San Francisco 49ers, one of the league’s toughest squads, who are only days removed from clobbering the Carolina Panthers at home in California this past Monday.
Sanders is, of course, the son of Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, among the greatest cornerbacks and showmen to ever play the game of American football. His parentage cannot be removed from this story; it seems to have played an outsized role in the young Sanders’s tumultuous first season in the National Football League. It all began when he fell like a rock on Draft Night—and into the next day. Sanders dropped all the way into the fifth round, a space usually reserved for players deemed projects who might not even make the 53-man active roster.
Sanders’s draft free-fall was one of the most controversial moments in the history of the NFL’s rookie selection process. Once considered first-round talent, Sanders sat and waited as teams in need of a quarterback passed on him. Analysts of all sorts weighed in on the moment. Some suggested Sanders was too “entitled” and would be tough to coach. Others cried racism. President Donald Trump even spoke out, calling NFL owners “STUPID” and predicting that the young Sanders was “all set for Greatness.”
Last Sunday, after Cleveland exhausted all other options, the legend’s son finally got his chance on the big stage. The lowly Browns sit at 2–8 and don’t have much left to play for this season. Head coach Kevin Stefanski made the call: Shedeur would start against the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite the fact that the Raiders are suffering through a terrible season of their own, the collective NFL was tuned in to the meeting of the League’s worst teams to see if Sanders would sink or swim.
He swam.
Sanders completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and an interception while leading the Browns to their first road win in a franchise record 13 tries. Though those numbers may sound pedestrian, Sanders showed why some analysts graded him so highly heading into the pros. In one particularly impressive moment against the Raiders, Sanders showed off his arm strength, throwing a 50-yard dart to wide receiver Isaiah Bond.
More impressive still was the way in which Sanders guided the team. Despite the questions about his maturity swirling in the press, Sanders looked the part. Most importantly, he was only sacked once against the Raiders. At the University of Colorado, holding on to the ball for too long was a major issue with his game. Oftentimes, when smarter quarterbacks would simply throw the ball away under pressure, Sanders would hold onto the pigskin in an attempt to make a play, only to be sacked. This would lead to Sanders and the Buffs consistently getting into poor field position and to long second- and third-down scenarios, where Sanders’s questionable decision-making would only compound.
But on Sunday against the Raiders, Shedeur got the ball out of his hand quickly and efficiently, throwing only one interception. The win snapped a franchise record for road losses and also earned Sanders the designation as the first Browns quarterback since Eric Zeier in 1995 to win his debut start in a Browns uniform. It all made for the sort of Hollywood story that helps make the NFL the most prized viewing experience in American sports. Everyone had a take, including the president, who couldn’t help but share his thoughts on Truth Social after the game.
“Shedeur Sanders was GREAT,” Trump wrote. “Wins first game, career start, as a pro (for Cleveland). Great Genes. I TOLD YOU SO!”
But it was only one game, and one game does not equal greatness. Sanders will now face the 49ers squad, which, despite starting quarterback Brock Purdy’s three interceptions, easily defeated the Panthers by two scores on Monday Night Football. The 49ers are powered by star running back Christian McCaffrey, the all-catching, all-running, endless motor of a man who touches the ball as much as any player in the NFL. The 49ers will hold the ball for much of the game, meaning Sanders will have to be at his best.
One thing Sanders will have going for him: The game will be played in Cleveland, in a stadium full of diehard fans who have been waiting the whole season to see if he can breathe life into the flailing franchise. For the Ohioans who have suffered greatly as fans of the Browns, Sunday holds the potential promise of a new era. Where other flashy quarterbacks such as Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel have failed before, perhaps Sanders can now succeed. It’ll be an uphill climb for Sanders and the young Browns offense who lean on fellow offensive rookie running back Quinshon Judkins for points.
One thing is for sure: Trump and millions of football fans will be wishing the best for a player who has endured great criticism in his brief career, some earned, some not. For those of us who enjoy a good show, Sunday will be a moment to see if Sanders has the ‘it’ factor that initially drove his star turn at lower levels. Good luck, Mr. Sanders.
The post The Shedeur Sanders Show Gets Its Greenlight appeared first on The American Conservative.
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