How Browns QB Shedeur Sanders showed new energy, reacted to challenges and growth from rookie season

Added: 2026-05-04

[00:00:00]Obviously, you know, they they make a big deal. I do want to hear one more cut from uh from Todd here, and he was talking about quarterback reps, and as I was saying, we got people standing outside practice trying to shoot through the scrim so you can get the latest on what's going on.

[00:00:13]>> They did.

[00:00:14]>> They did. And trying to figure out what's going on with reps and and all that stuff. I mean, it's guys in jerseys with their names on the back of it and they're saying hike.

[00:00:22]>> That's about it. Oh, no. No. They're scrambling. They'll say hike. They get the ball back and they go to the right, they go to the left, they go to the I'm just giving you everything I got from yesterday. So, this is the last cut I want from Mon here. Uh, he talked about the reps and then he also talked about Yeah.

[00:00:38]>> Gabriel. Do you know who he is?

[00:00:41]>> I think he's a quarterback on this team.

[00:00:43]>> He's been written off completely.

[00:00:46]>> Fair. Is that a fair assessment?

[00:00:49]>> Um, yeah. Yeah. Nobody's nobody's giving this guy a chance >> except for one guy.

[00:00:55]>> Who is that?

[00:00:56]>> That's the head coach. Here's what he said.

[00:00:58]>> Well, I wouldn't say it's a twoman race.

[00:01:00]I would just say that at every position, uh, there's competition irrespective of the reps that they get, which I've said before. I mean, everybody ought to be competing. But what I have liked with Dylan is the way he goes about his business. very professional, highly intelligent, understands football, has a certain charisma about him and a confidence that's hard to create. He has it innate. You you saw it throughout his career.

[00:01:26]>> Huh.

[00:01:27]>> What's that mean?

[00:01:28]>> It means he respects him.

[00:01:30]>> It does kind of, doesn't it?

[00:01:31]>> He's got respect for him.

[00:01:32]>> You don't see otherwise stuff.

[00:01:34]>> Otherwise, I think he would have just blown through the question. Yeah, you're right. It's a >> comp to see what Dylan can do. You'd have left it at that.

[00:01:39]>> Yeah. It kind of goes back to what we were saying about who's there, who's not there, >> but he didn't. He dove into it. And I there's a little part I to me that sounds like a head coach who believes that Gabriel's at least the backup quarterback on this team, that he has something to offer the head coach. Yeah.

[00:01:55]>> That he likes the way he he handles himself.

[00:01:59]>> We'll hear from him in a second. I do want to hear what Shadur had to say because, you know, you get back to the quarterback reps and and as Todd said, it's not just two guys, it's three. And then Shadur got a chance to talk a little bit about what was going on and here's what he had to say.

[00:02:13]>> Coach Monk and great and all the other coaches on the staff is extremely great.

[00:02:17]You can understand they embrace you just as a person. Then they push you each and every day, you know, uh in the mean room and on the field, in the weight room.

[00:02:25]Like it's a new vibe. It's a new energy.

[00:02:27]The only thing we missing is y'all. We need y'all to have a new vibe, new energy. I know y'all want us to win, so we need some winning energy here. You know what I'm saying?

[00:02:36]>> Dan, where's your winning energy? Yeah, Dan, where is it?

[00:02:39]>> Um, with the Cavs.

[00:02:43]>> Ouch.

[00:02:45]Ouch.

[00:02:46]>> With the guards.

[00:02:47]>> You're not on team two.

[00:02:49]>> Shador is interesting when he speaks, isn't he?

[00:02:51]>> He is.

[00:02:52]>> I u I'm not sure if he's incredibly optimistic, incredibly naive, incredibly friendly.

[00:03:06]All I know is I enjoy listening to him.

[00:03:09]You You know what I When I was listening to him yesterday, you know what I thought?

[00:03:12]>> When you're in the room, when you're in the room, it's hard not to be contagious. He's It's contagious.

[00:03:17]>> Yeah. He's a really energetic, everccent guy. You when I was >> So was his dad. I mean, that's a family trait. I think >> when I was listening to him yesterday, you know what I thought?

[00:03:26]>> And I I mean, this is a compliment because this is one of my favorite guys.

[00:03:30]He's Jamus Light.

[00:03:33]He's not quite Jamus. Ricky Jamus.

[00:03:36]>> No, when it comes to speaking, you know what I mean? I mean, Jamus could you could sit here and listen to Jamus for two hours.

[00:03:42]>> Dan couldn't, but I could.

[00:03:43]>> But he's Jamus light and let's see where it goes.

[00:03:51]>> He also talked about why he spent so much time in Cleveland this offseason, which I love. I love the fact that he was here. So, here's what he said.

[00:03:58]>> This is the most important thing I have to do in my life. I have a house here.

[00:04:01]I'm comfortable. I wanted to take everything to the next level within myself. I know it's some things that uh I wanted to like improve and I took a lot of time to like self-reflect and just view view a lot of things just from a different perspective. Honestly, I think I covered a lot of ground with that.

[00:04:20]>> Sounds like he uh and coach Monk and he gives credit for a lot of it.

[00:04:25]Sounds like he did a little re-evaluation, a little little self assessment and thought, I need to do more. I need to be more and that is good.

[00:04:35]>> Uh I like it. If he wants to be a part of the community that it's even better because I think you embrace yourself to your your fan. We talk about where the fan importance is to any player and for him to want to be here. I think it's it's a big deal. I do. And it's not I'm not ripping those guys that aren't here for voluntary workouts, but I am saying here's a guy that wants to spend some time. And and by the way, generically, okay, Jeff, generically, if you were giving advice to a fifth round draft pick, would you say buy a house in a town?

[00:05:05]>> No, >> I would never do that.

[00:05:08]>> So, he believes in where he's at.

[00:05:09]>> Andy, I would >> I think the franchise is I >> I wouldn't tell anybody to buy a house.

[00:05:13]>> Oh, first round pick. I'd probably say if you want to buy a house, buy a house.

[00:05:16]>> Buy a condo.

[00:05:18]>> How do you know he doesn't have a wife and kids?

[00:05:19]>> You can travel more.

[00:05:20]>> How do you know he doesn't have kids?

[00:05:23]I'm going to completely check their background first, Andy, and then I'm going to evaluate their real estate needs based on do they have a dog? Do they have a cat?

[00:05:32]>> Oh, look at you.

[00:05:32]>> I'm going to do the entire thing before I tell them how to buy.

[00:05:36]>> I did have a real estate license at one point.

[00:05:38]>> I know. Is this how it works?

[00:05:41]If I came to you and said, "Jeff, I need a house. Jeff, I'm a fifth round pick of the Cleveland Browns. What should I do?"

[00:05:47]>> I'd say, "Good luck to you."

[00:05:48]>> Wow. You don't want my business building. Go rent.

[00:05:54]>> Go rent.

[00:05:55]>> I know. The fact that he's comfortable there. So those are two of the things that that Shador Sanders said, you know, he Andy, he um it's interesting that he it's interesting that he did a little reassessment of himself and it sounds like and you know, we can't play the whole thing, but we did yesterday on on the station. It it sounds like somebody got to him or he got to himself and thought what I did last year wasn't enough.

[00:06:24]>> Doesn't it sound like that?

[00:06:26]>> Yeah.

[00:06:28]>> I think I don't you think it was humbling for the first time in his life that he was not one he was not the man?

[00:06:34]>> The coaching staff caught a lot of grief about Shidor last year and Shadur just put some of the grief on himself and I think that's I think that's good. I mean, before you can improve, you have to know where you need to improve, I think, and believe that you do.

[00:06:48]>> And I think he apparently took some time and thought about some things. And now I'm anxious to see what it becomes. And the guy clearly has some ability. And let's see where it goes.

[00:06:59]>> I think he has taken the playbook a lot more serious than he did when he first got here. And I I say some of this based on our Browns beat reporter, Daryl Ryder, who I was uh was at an event with yesterday and he spoke to a crowd there and uh you know, and Daryl had said he just didn't know the playbook when he first got here. And I don't know any rookie that knows the playbook when they first get here, but he didn't seem to be as engaged as maybe the average draft pick would be in trying to learn the playbook. And from what I'm hearing now is sounds like that's changed. It's amazing when you give someone an opportunity to do something and you let them embrace it and you tell them, "Okay, the next snap is yours." Because we all know the next snap isn't guaranteed, but as long as you're healthy, you're going to get the next snap. I think that makes a difference.

[00:07:44]And I think we saw part of that. I I the learning curve for him is still there.

[00:07:48]We all know it. You you you'd be blind.

[00:07:51]>> It it better it better be or he's not going to be in the league for very long.

[00:07:54]>> Yeah. I don't know. I I mean there's a lot of stuff you just people hand him on blind faith or say, "Okay, he did this at Colorado."

[00:08:03]As we all know, you know, college football isn't pro football. Um you could be a great quarterback. I ask Will Howard, right? I mean, great college quarterback hasn't had a chance yet uh in in the NFL. Shador had a chance last year.

[00:08:15]>> Who's that Andy?

[00:08:16]>> Stop. I don't want to hear it. I don't I'm tired of this.

[00:08:19]>> But you could look at any other player.

[00:08:20]And by the way, I mean, you know, just because you were a great quarterback or a great player in college doesn't mean you're going to be a great player in the NFL. Otherwise, >> will >> otherwise every team would be comprised of players from the Big 10 in the SEC, don't you think? Maybe Big 12, Big West, you know, what Big 12. You know what I'm saying? Like every player that plays in the NFL would come from a gigantic program because they're the ones that lead the way.

[00:08:45]>> Not necessarily.

[00:08:45]>> I know that. for someone to get make it to the NFL from a small school like John Carroll, someone had to do something to kind of step out and be better and they had to get noticed and they had to be bigger than where they played college football. And then I love when you know Jerry Rice, right? Well, small school stepped out showed he could be a great NFL receiver.

[00:09:06]>> Not everybody's going to be at the same level coming out of high school. You know, it might take some guys a few more years and it might take guys a few more years after college. Yeah, but NIL and transfer portal have kind of killed that thought.

[00:09:19]>> Well, unless somebody wants to actually show some loyalty and stick it out, >> they're happy where they are.

[00:09:24]>> What is this loyalty you speak of?

[00:09:27]>> I'm sorry.

[00:09:27]>> What is that?

[00:09:29]>> Oh, will have to do with loyalty? I'm sorry. Did he not start at one school and then move to another school because more money was offered to him?

[00:09:36]>> There it is.

[00:09:36]>> Maybe that's a possibility.

[00:09:40]>> Well, it worked out for everybody, didn't it?

[00:09:42]>> Yeah, it did.

[00:09:42]>> Special you, Andy. Especially Ohio State fans that got to enjoy a national championship just one year ago. Insane.

[00:09:49]Insane. All right.

[00:09:50]>> You know, you weren't here yesterday. I quoted Will Howard.

[00:09:53]>> Oh, I thought you quoted me. I was >> talking about Carnell Tape.

[00:09:56]>> Really?

[00:09:57]>> And did you say, "I wish Andy was here so he could hear me say that."

[00:09:59]>> Yes, I did, actually. I believe you, Jeff.