A few weeks ago, after Shedeur Sanders’ first 300-yard passing game of his young NFL career, the Cleveland Browns rookie lamented the one play he knew his father was already mad at him over.
Shedeur’s father, of course, is Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, and every Browns fan who watched Cleveland’s 31-29 loss to the Tennessee Titans back in Week 14 knew exactly what play Shedeur was referencing.
The Browns were leading 17-14 midway through the third quarter when Sanders took, what he likes to call, a calculated risk. On second-and-20 from his own 45 yard line, he drifted back over 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage to avoid pressure, before chucking up a prayer over the middle that was easily intercepted by Titans safety Xavier Woods.
It was a learning experience for a player making just his third NFL start, but it was a painful one, with the Browns dropping a winnable game at home to a team with the worst record in football (at the time). To Sanders’ credit, he’s improved with keeping the football out of harm’s way, with a number of his 10 interceptions on the season coming on passes that were either tipped at the line of scrimmage or bobbled by a Browns receiver.
But the old Shedeur — the one who can’t help but look to make a big play — made an appearance during Sunday’s home finale against the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers, and Sanders didn’t even have to tell us that Deion was disgusted.
No, Tony Romo and the CBS broadcast team allowed us all to witness it first-hand.
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Shedeur knew the question was coming post-game, but he couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t need to tell us that his can-of-corn interception in the fourth quarter Sunday hurt the team, because his father’s reaction from his suite at Huntington Bank Field said it all.
As Romo quipped, with the broadcast showing Deion Sanders hiding his face in his hat after Shedeur’s ill-advised heave to Steelers safety Kyle Dugger: “Son… ughhh. You’ve got to live to fight another day!”
The “looking for a spark” throw has become Shedeur’s Achilles’ heel entering what will be his final start of his rookie season. In recent weeks, he’s flashed the ability to avoid the rush, make sound decisions, and throw with good pace and accuracy down the field. During Sunday’s first half, he dropped a pair of downfield dimes to Cedric Tillman and Harold Fannin Jr., with the pass to Fannin resulting in the only touchdown of the Browns' 13-6 win.
But Sanders has now played in 6.5 games since taking over for the injured Dillon Gabriel back in Week 11, and his 10 interceptions and 17 sacks taken over that span could give team brass pause when evaluating him as their potential QB of the future in the coming months.
The directive is clear, but Shedeur still can’t help himself from leaving his dad — and all Browns fans — burying their head in their hands at times.
“I would say overall I’m able to see the field and the game’s slowed down, for sure," he said following the Steelers game. "I think the main thing is — I just like throwing the ball. I just like throwing the ball a lot, and you know in some situations, you can’t just throw your dog a bone sometimes. You gotta be able to know when it’s calculated risk. But I feel like our player is better than their player, so I just gave my guy a chance. We just didn’t come down with it, and that’s just how it goes.”