Rookie throws two touchdowns while showing composure under pressure in first professional appearance
Get ready for the Shedeur Sanders nonstop thrill ride, ladies and gentlemen, because the Cleveland Browns quarterback had a phenomenal NFL debut Friday night, and what comes next is going to be a clinic on how an NFL fan base, the local and national media, and even otherwise casual observers turn their attention to one man to witness what happens next.
Shedeur Sanders Owns The Moment
Like any other rookie making his preseason debut, Sanders will be the talk of tape sessions within the Cleveland Browns coaching staff. And those discussions will ultimately determine how the Browns maximize the outstanding start Sanders authored against the Carolina Panthers with, really, not enough practice repetitions or preparation.
Sanders completed 14 of 23 throws (60.8 completion percentage) with 2 TD passes and an impressive 106.8 passer rating. But it’s what Sanders showed beyond the statistics that merit attention.
He was calm under pressure.
He showed he was in control.
The moment was not too big for him.
And afterward, he said all the right things, which isn’t odd for him. Sanders addressed the fact the Browns won the game, the fact he got his team in the end zone, and he showed modesty.
“I’ve got to build on this one,” Sanders said.
NFL Trumpets Shedeur Sanders Debut
The entire NFL noticed. No, literally, the NFL social media account posted his statistics to its 38 million followers. Interestingly, they didn’t post Andy Dalton’s stats.
And the statistics were only part of the story, because Sanders did the things important to quarterback success.
He threw the ball in tight windows multiple times, including on a touchdown pass. He recognized pressure and generally got away from it. He was mostly accurate and he protected the ball.
Sanders checked all the boxes. And everyone noticed.
“I’m thankful for everybody’s support,” Sanders said on the NFL Network broadcast.
Coach Primes Gives Son A Shoutout
Deion Sanders, the quarterback’s father, obviously approved on his social media account. So did Richard Sherman, and Dez Bryant and Michael Irvin and even Cleveland favorite LeBron James.
New York Giants fans and other fanbases may start watching because their team passed on Sanders in the draft.
And this is not normal, folks. At least not at this stage. It’s actually quite uncommon because it’s preseason, for goodness sake.
But we are not in a normal situation.
Oh, the Cleveland coaches will go back and do what they must in evaluating Sanders. They must decide whether their fourth-string quarterback earned a depth chart promotion, more practice repetitions and more playing time in the coming preseason games.
That will all happen because that’s how professional football does it. But that’s only part of the story for Sanders.
Shedeur Sanders prepares to pass during the first half against the Panthers on Friday night. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
Browns Have Attention Magnet On Their Hands
Because Sanders is an attention magnet that people can’t overlook even if they try.
So be ready for ESPN to lead wall-to-wall coverage and punditry about Sanders. Be ready for columns anointing him. Be prepared for syllable-by-syllable breakdowns of his comments.
Shedeur Sanders, like it or not, is going to be a thing from now on. We say now, although he’s already been the focus of unblinking attention before – most recently during the April NFL draft when he fell from a supposed first-round prospect to the fifth round.
The coverage of that fall made its facts seem like something of a national nightmare. Every detail was huge and merited commentary. It was all played as important. And it got a little exhausting after a while.
Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Like it or not, preseason or not, we witnessed a small earthquake within the NFL on Friday night. And Shedeur Sanders is the epicenter.
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