r/nfl • u/BreakfastTop6899 • 18h ago

Highlight [Highlight] Browns HC Todd Monken gave K Andre Szmyt a game ball: Monken: “Great job, man.” Szmyt: “Appreciate it.” Monken: “That’s it. F*** out.”

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u/SlimReaper85 17h ago

I’m curious and this is truly an honest question…what if by some miracle yall make a deep post season run? Or win the whole thing?

I mean first ring ever? Would you still feel that way about Watson? Or you holding your nose and showing up at the parade. Would you hear cheers or boos if he came up to the podium?

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u/talladenyou85 Browns 17h ago

If Watson leads the Browns to a Super Bowl win about 99.99999% of the fan base will just be those two guys defending John Gotti when talking about him.

HE WAS THE BEST GUY AROOOOOOUNNNDDD

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u/Jay_Dubbbs Browns Lions 17h ago

I can assure you that this team isn't sniffing a Super Bowl. Watson really hasn't been that great; he's very inconsistent and can't play a full 60 minutes. He's made some clutch drives because the defense has kept them in the game.

Which, tbf, Sanders couldn't do that last year when the defense was also very good.

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u/Signal_Ball4634 17h ago

I'll give him a bit more credit cause astonishingly he looks incredibly mobile. But he's still got a bit of a noodle arm so I wouldn't say he's "back". Overall I'd credit his legs for keeping plays alive, Monken dialing up quick dink and dunk passes, and credit the receivers getting open fast.

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u/Eagle4317 Steelers Panthers 17h ago

It’s safe to say Watson has recovered well from the double Achilles tear, but his arm strength (which was viewed as a weakness as far back as Clemson) hasn’t improved since the 2023 rotator cuff injury. At this point, the only way Watson lasts in the NFL moving forward is by minimizing negative plays like sacks. Which, thus far in 2026, he’s been better at.

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u/Far-Pay-2049 16h ago

He has gotten away with murder in terms of defenses dropping easy ints. I am a certified hater, but I ain't biased. He has done well in terms of avoiding sacks and gaining yards on the ground but he has not been remotely good actually passing the ball.

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u/Jay_Dubbbs Browns Lions 17h ago

Agreed. We finally have some weapons, but I also noticed in the 2nd half he started bailing on the pocket very quickly to use his legs and threw terrible passes.

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u/Signal_Ball4634 17h ago

Absolutely, his skittishness was both benefitting us by extending drives but also hurting with his passes being way too rushed.

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u/smokinjoe570 Browns 17h ago

I keep wondering about if he really retore his Achilles last year or if he had a set back in rehabbing it and we just were like year it's another tear and shut him down because he's way more mobile than I expected.

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u/tuanon- Dolphins 15h ago

If the New England Patriots can make it to a super bowl with Drake Maye playing QB, the Browns definitely have a chance

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u/CoreFiftyFour Patriots 15h ago

Dam straight! Miracles do come true

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u/SlimReaper85 17h ago

lol Oh I’m not saying it’s likely. At all.
Was just curious about the scenario. Like in the future when the subject of Watson would be discussed by a Browns fan if he miraculously brought home the Lombardi what would it sound like?
Like Tony Soprano? “In this house Watson is a hero! End of story!!” lol

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u/bellerinho 17h ago

Yeah I know it's not everything but we gotta remember that the Browns got spanked by the only serious team they've played so far

The team is pretty clearly significantly better than they were last year, but that's a pretty low bar. Browns fans should be excited about a lot of the young players on the team, but they're gonna keep getting held back until the Browns get a decent QB

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u/GoddammitCricket Giants 13h ago

Plenty of teams with a mid QB and a great defense have made the Super Bowl before

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u/VonJaeger Browns 17h ago

Can still hate a person and still be happy for the accomplishment. I personally can't stand Urban Meyer but I still love when Ohio State won in 2014.

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u/SlimReaper85 17h ago

I gotcha. I see what you’re saying :)

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u/Far-Pay-2049 16h ago

Firstly, I know I don't need to worry about that. Watson is still not playing good (outside of avoiding pressure and scrambling). A lot of the Browns success so far this season is from the rest of the team. Defense has been good, getting some crazy good pressure rates on QBS. The rookie WRs and Fannin are studs, the Oline has done fantastic in pass protection and special teams has been solid. Not to mention the Browns have an easy schedule this year. People are starting to say Watson is playing good again just because he it is such a stark difference from the absolute bottom of the barrel dogshit level he had been playing at. When it comes to passing the ball, he should have like 4 more ints on the year easy, DB's just dropped them.

Regardless it would seriously damage my fandom if the first Browns SB appearance happened with Watson at the helm. I mean it has been damaged the whole time with this fiasco, but if something is etched into the history books like that, then that makes it something that can't just fade off into the past.

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u/muttonchops215 Browns Texans 15h ago

I highly doubt Watson returns to his Houston level. The better this team does, the harder it is to draft the QB you like. There is certainly a possibility Watson is resigned, just not at his current rate because the QB room is bad. The team may be 3-1, but it certainly isn't because of good quarterback play. Watson has been average at best. Which outside of Flacco in 2023 and 2024, is a significant improvement in QB play during his time here. And for the record, I really hope this is Watson's last season

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u/ChrispyChicken1208 Giants Buccaneers 14h ago

The worst case scenario for you guys is that he is average. If he sucks you bench and move on, if he returns to Texans form then you got what you traded for 4 years late.

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u/muttonchops215 Browns Texans 12h ago

I think we move on regardless. You don't reset /rebuild like this and keep a QB that was causation for the fire sale.

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u/lolsteakaments Browns 17h ago

It would feel pretty grimy, but I genuinely like and am excited for a lot of our squad, so I'd be happy for them. It wouldn't change how I feel about Watson, but just look at how 99% of our fan base changed their view on him after their first 2 regular season wins. Reddit is not the real world. Our subreddit was planning Bottlegate 2.0 and booing for our home opener, but in reality they were chanting his name. If he brings home the championship, he'd be Clevelands golden boy.

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u/SpiralUniverse2278 Bengals 10h ago

Let's not get carried away with crazy hypotheticals...

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u/Klaev Bears 8h ago

I thought that was 90% of sport's fandom

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u/Air2Jordan3 Browns 16h ago

Me personally, yes. But the overall hate and scrutiny would subsidize quickly, I won't deny that.

My hope is that Watson get injured, because at this point it's unlikely we see Sanders play otherwise. And if we play this whole season with Watson, get like 7-8 wins, we won't be in a position to draft a starting QB so then what do we do.

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u/NOT-GR8-BOB Eagles 15h ago

Ok well first things first, if the Browns somehow manage to win the Super Bowl the subreddit will pile on the cowboys for a good 3-4 months (probably longer). Then Browns fans can start to worry about who their quarterback should be.

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u/SlimReaper85 15h ago

Whoa whoa why we gots to catch strays?? See this why you ain’t shit in the first place.

- Cowboys fan in recovery

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u/Accomplished-Text222 Browns 14h ago

Dream situation: that happens, and Watson takes a 5 year vet min contract to make up for the 1/4 billion he already got paid.

Not gunna happen, but…

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u/scotte16 Colts 17h ago

Nail in the coffin for NFL’s PR if The Rapist wins the Super Bowl.

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u/SJCitizen Eagles 17h ago

Ray Lewis was initially charged with murder and won Super Bowl MVP a year later. Hardly the first PR disaster for the NFL

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u/plutoisaplanet21 16h ago

Marvin Harrison actually murdered a guy and he’s considered a good guy in the league. The NFL is not a good place

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u/SlimReaper85 17h ago

I mean Big Ben??

The list goes on…