DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Watson vs Sanders?

If he were to earn the start it would upset the apple cart and possibly even ruin the imagery some have created in their own minds.

I don't believe any of the three have the potential to be true starting NFL QB's at this juncture. One of the three will end up being the starter strictly due to default. I actually believe what we will be seeing if either Sanders or Gabriele start is a tryout for who will be the backup QB for the length of their rookie contract.

I think it will be Watson. If reports are true that he's clearly outshining Sanders, it will be an easy choice. First, Sanders seems so mild-mannered that he will merely put his head down and keep working. He'll toe the line with the "best for the team, all I care about is winning" cliché ... so that part's easy.

It's not hard to imagine Watson performing better with no pressure and nothing on the line anyway. It may be just enough to convince Browns brass that one last shot at lightning in the bottle is the right move.

If he falters or gets injured, we can finally close the book on this terrible saga, with the last chapter taking place on the field.

It's not what I want, and for that reason it's exactly what I expect to see.

I don't think anyone should find it concerning, really.
I don't care what anyone says, he has an adequate arm, is intelligent, reads fast, and takes care of the ball. Those are all traits he has shown in college, last year, and I would assume thus far over the summer.

Sanders, I swear, is the product of far more hype than substance. I stand by my original stance that if Deion wasn't his daddy, he likely would have been UDFA, at best, and NOBODY would be talking about him. He literally just is not that good. I'm not saying that Gabriel is good, either, but Gabriel has a FAR more complete & competent track record.

Don't say that on X, bro... you'll get bomb threats.

I don't understand how so many are galvanized to his "greatness" when the dude seems so helplessly mid.

Zac Jackson said yesterday this isn't even a competition... "If you knew anything about anything you’d know I’ve been saying for months that the only starter even worth considering is Shedeur."

I agree with pretty much everything you said above. I was hoping all the work he put in over the winter and spring would show us some "night and day" results. That's not what I'm hearing. We closed last season with me thinking his hopes were pretty slim, I don't anything has transpired to change that. I don't think he can process at NFL speed and no skillset will make up for that.

I don’t think there are as many people touting Sanders as that elite talent guy. There is only hope, which is fleeting as soon as he hits the field, I expect. I agree that he hasn’t shown many traits that are needed to be a franchise guy. I think he had looked like a 5th round rookie.

The one thing Sanders has shown over Gabriel is his willingness and ability to go down field. Gabriel averages 5.06 yards per attempt. To put this into perspective an elite QB, which is what we are all looking for, is between 8-9 yards per attempt. The other end of the spectrum, an average QB in a ball control offense is around 6.3-6.8 yards per attempt. The average starter in the NFL is between 7.0-7.6. Sanders was 6.6.

This more than anything is why almost no one is excited about the prospects of Gabriel as our starter. Gabriel threw less than 8 yards on over 67% of his passes. That leads to very few first down conversions and giving the ball back to the defense more frequently.

The bottoms line is, our franchise QB isn’t on the team right now. We are 95% looking for the guy in the 2027 draft. For now, the only question is, which one of the (3) non-nfl starter caliber players is good enough to help us stay competitive? My answer would still be Sanders.

The play in question....

I like Sanders and hope he becomes our FQB. However, if I had to bet I would say he isn't the one. We all have to remember that he was only a 5th round pick and that doesn't bode well for success in this league. I still don't understand what Mel Kiper saw in him that he would tout him as a 1st round pick. I'll root hard for him, but I will remain skeptical. I believe we will be drafting a QB in "27

I have just as much hope (if that's the right word) that Gabriel can be a success as Sanders can. He faced much better defences and his stats were pretty much on par with Sanders -- the one thing Sanders has going for him is that he does throw a very pretty (and catchable) deep ball and they stick in the memory more so than Gabriel.

I think Gabriel has just as much chance - that's a better way of putting it. In fact, I think he might have a better chance to have a higher ceiling than Sanders purely based on what's between the ears and the speed of his progression/recognition of what's in front of him.

I think he surveys the field and takes what the defense gives him. Everyone knows the OL, WR's and running game were putrid last year. That also applies to when Sanders was playing. Gabriel has clearly displayed throughout college he has plenty of arm.

People may complain about "checking down" but much of the WCO depends on that and with better protection and better WR's combined with a better running game, all of which should be improved this season, I believe the guy that possesses the skills with the ability to process information and deliver the ball quickly would have the advantage on the field.

^This^

Don't get me wrong. I don't necessarily think he's the best man for the job (yet). But he seems to possess the most important intangible as Pit spelled out above.

He has to begin to stretch the field though. That has bigger implications than just moving the chains. The RBs would agree wholeheartedly.

I have a higher opinion of his adequacy than some very outspoken (and repetitive) posters. He did reasonably well given the crappy receiver play, lousy line, and the rest we watched. But I want to mention another consideration that isn't put forth often enough in the issue of fairness. Consider the offense/game he was given against tougher defenses than SS faced. I think the offense was different for him. Had they switched opponents, I think the stats may have favored him over Sanders. He seemed mentally tough did Gabriel in his starts. The QB is important, but I think there is truth in their play that they get too much credit in the wins, and too much blame in the losses.

4 posters in a row all largely in agreement ... hopefully one of the QB's "gets it" this offseason/season... it could happen, which doesn't mean it will happen...for me Gabriel has as much or more chance than any of them.

Do not care who wins us games. But the stupid stuff that cuts our throat like penalties, picks, sacks, holding the ball too long, failing throw it away among them, just mangles me. Really do not watching us hold it. Wishful thinking is not a fix. Fingers crossed, mgh888!

I think most of us agree that the long term QB is not on the roster right now. To me, Watson is the most pointless to play

I read 4Life's post and then your post again and it hit me that your choice of word here is spot on - I think what we can hope for is a QB that steps up and reaches the level of adequate. As 4Life said - we don't believe the long term answer is on the roster. It's going to take a big improvement from any of them to be adequate. I went back through the last 4 or 5 seasons to see if a name jumped out of a QB whose play we might realistically hope for? ... Maybe one of Minshew's better years? Derek Carr in Las Vegas? Not those styles - but that sort of just below middle of the road - won't win but won't lose you the game sort of level of performance. Ironically the name that pops up consistently just above that sort of level bumping around the 12-15th in terms of stats ... a former Browns QB.

In talking about this - I do hope the best QB gets to start. I think it might well be Gabriel and I will be rooting hard for him (or Sanders if its Sanders).

This is really it, here. We can wring our hands over Watson vs Sanders vs Gabriel, but I would actually bet money that none of those are going to be on Browns roster week one of the 2027 season.

So for this year, just give me a QB that's showing the ability to fix their mistakes (for Sanders: not hanging onto the ball and taking bad sacks, for Gabriel: some level of effectiveness going downfield). These QBs can demonstrate the ability to improve and fix their issues, even with the rest of the offense in a state of flux.

For Watson, I do believe that he's going to have to show a very extreme turnaround in his level of play. Early reports from camp don't indicate that's going to happen.

Thanks! I really think we will be shopping for our FQB next year. And I believe we will be shopping our room for takers then or before then; We are young; we are marginal; we can't be as competitive with 4 QB's on our roster. And if one (at least) offers little beyond developmental potential, the upside is less. We need effective game processing and superior mental toughness to contend. But in the now for this season, we better assemble a finite list of measurable we will require of our FQB, not wishful thinking, not "wait and see"; we have seen it.
Right now it seems a popularity contest, or its opposite. The questions some are choosing to answer and ask are 1) What are his glaring weaknesses? 2) What must we overlook in his body of work? 3) What must we ignore, or otherwise disregard in his performance? 4) What is genuinely required that will reverse past shortfalls?
We need a reasonable metric that can be achieved and measured. I will trust Monken. It should allow wins and growth.

I am in my mid 60s, been a Browns fan since 1969. I don't care who starts. I just want to see them in a SB. When I was younger the Browns were on my mind all the time. I remember in one of my school English classes we had to keep a journal. 90% of mine was how many yards Greg Pruitt had that week. I am too tired of waiting for the perfect combination of players. I'll even take wins where the ball bounces funny and we get lucky. I don't care if we play every team with 9 or 10 starters out. I am tired of "wait until next year" or "let's lose the last 2 so we have better draft position".

I feel you in that regard. But at the same time I try to keep my expectations realistic. Some seem to see the glass as half full. Some seem to see it as half empty. I see it as simply a half of a glass.

It helps me greatly that I'm not as obsessed with this team as I used to be. Time seems to have had that effect on me. The only one that was allowing me to experience such disappointment and agony on an annual basis was myself.