TAMPA, FLA. ― Todd Monken apparently did hear and does care about what Mike Tomlin had to say.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers coach, now an analyst on NBC’s “Football Night in America,” parroted his former wide receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuyster to describe the way Monken’s Browns coaching debut went Sept. 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tomlin said, simply, “Browns is the Browns” after the 24-point loss to the Jaguars.
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A week later, Monken was basking in the glow of his first win as an NFL coach after the Browns’ 23-19 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As he was closing his postgame press conference, he was talking about the fact there had been a couple of in-practice scuffles during the week, and that he was happy to see that kind of emotion from his players.
All of it, ultimately, leading to Monken’s final line befor he walked away from the podium.
“Browns are going to Browns,” Monken said. “F— that. OK? So the guys took that to heart. Thank you.”
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Monken’s never been one to hide his feelings. His bluntness has been one of the traits his players appreciate the most.
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There was plenty building up over the course of the week between trips to Florida for the Browns. There was the complete no-show by the defense in their first game under a new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg and with a new defensive end in Jared Verse.
Then there was the offensive questions starting with the operation and running all the way up to the possibility of changing quarterbacks from Deshaun Watson to Shedeur Sanders. All of it churning around the new head coach and a young football team.
“Well, we needed it,” Monken said. “There’s only so much you can talk about things in life, right? Ultimately we’re judged by wins and losses as coaches and we’re judged how we play on the field, right? It’s not the name on the back. Player’s name on the back is based on how they play on the field, not their history, not what they’ve done in the past. It’s what you do every week. That’s the same as us. At this point now, it’s all about winning and it’s them about winning their matchups and the players on the field. That’s what it’s all about. At that point, it’s you out there and it’s us collectively together.”
That’s even if it takes a couple hours longer than normal to finish the game off. The Browns were leading by four with two minutes remaining, and the Buccaneers had a second-and-4 from the Cleveland 28. when lightning was seen near the stadium.
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Two hours and 12 minutes later, the teams returned to the field. The Browns defense, so maligned in the opener, held its ground, forcing Baker Mayfield‘s fourth-down pass to Emeka Egbuka in the end zone to fall harmless to the ground.
“No, it was definitely special,” cornerback Denzel Ward. “It was definitely special. Just with the rain, lightning delay and everything. And just being able to overcome all the circumstances and everything and still get the victory is, like I said, is definitely a blessing.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at http://www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Todd Monken’s message after win? ‘Browns are going to Browns? F— that’
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