To say that not many people thought Todd Monken would win the Cleveland Browns' head coaching sweepstakes would be an understatement. Also, not many fans were necessarily thrilled to hear the news.
However, he's slowly winning everybody over without coaching a single game. From revamping the offensive coaching staff to hearing everything his former players and colleagues have to say about him, the move is starting to grow on the fan base.
Notably, those who were still unconvinced, on the fence, or flat-out against the hire may have a tough time not liking Monken after his introductory press conference.
True to form, it took him less than a couple of minutes to drop his first NSFW quote.
"And the last thing," Monken said before getting emotional and letting an expletive fly, "I told myself I wasn't gonna cry, for God's sake." He regained his bearings and continued by thanking his friends and family in attendance and cracking a hilarious joke: "And my wife. She's been with me for 40 years, been married for 34. Of course, she would say it's just six, "cause I'm married to the game."
Todd Monken's emotional speech says everything about his personality
That might sound like a joke, but it actually shows a lot of Monken's personality. He's been a coach for 37 years. That's longer than any 2025 Browns player not named Joe Flacco has been alive. He's obsessed with this game.
Monken didn't get a chance to lead his own NFL team until his age-60 season. While he also acknowledged how privileged he was to have coached at the highest level for so long, this clearly means something to him. It's personal.
Whether Monken was the first or best choice is not for us to debate at this point. What's an objective fact is that he's already had an easier time putting together a strong coaching staff than other younger, first-time head coaches would have, and that's a big plus for this team. Also, he has a proven track record of success as an offensive guru.
It's better late than never. It took him much longer than expected to get here, and he didn't take the traditional route to the top. That's precisely why he's going to cherish this opportunity, knowing that it will probably be his last one, and he'll bring the type of discipline, work ethic, and accountability this team had been missing over the past couple of years.
He may not be the flashiest candidate or the hottest name in the head-coaching cycle, but he's certainly earned the opportunity and, more importantly, the benefit of the doubt.