After the Cleveland Browns lost to the Washington Commanders 17-15 in their second preseason game, head coach Kevin Stefanski and quarterback Deshaun Watson addressed the media. The two shared their thoughts mainly on the first-string offense and the rest of the game.
Here are five takeaways from their media availability.
Kevin Stefanski happy with play-calling process
“You know, so much of the focus for us was just operation and getting us in and out and having a good tempo. So, I thought all that was really good. I thought he saw the field really well, made plays with his feet. He was doing a nice job as an operator, and that was really the goal. Get them through the pregame warm up, get them out of the huddle, get them through the first series there. And I thought he did a nice job.”
Kevin Stefanski was happy with the first-team offense. Stefanski noted that the team was mainly evaluating the operation of the offense, and not the scoring result of the drive. Stefanski seemed content with the team’s ability to quickly relay the plays and get the offense set up. While the Browns were unable to score a touchdown after being stopped at the goal line, the offense looked good under Watson.
No concern over K Cade York
“Is there any concern about Cade York after another missed field goal?“
“No, I think Cade’s going to, like every young player, going to continue to learn and grow from all these experiences, so no.”
The Browns are standing behind Cade York despite the second-year kicker’s shaky start to the preseason. Cade York has missed each of his field goal attempts in the past two games, pushing both kicks to the right of the goalposts. When asked later if the Browns would bring in any competition for the kicker position, Stefanski stated:
“No, and I think Cade is working his craft like all young players do, so very confident in him.”
It is important to note that a sample size of 2 is extremely small, way too small for any real analysis. The Browns’ confidence in Cade York could be based on York’s practice data. Hopefully, the young kicker can show he can kick in the notorious weather of Cleveland Browns’ Stadium.
Deshaun Watson has no rust
“No, I’m not thinking about no rust. I mean, that was last year I missed ball. I played six games last year, had a full off season. So I’m not thinking about rust. I’m not using no excuses for no rust or anything like that. I got to be ready for this moment, and I’m going to be ready whenever that time is called for September 10 here in the Dawg Pound and I’m going to be ready to go. We all will be. So all that rust and all the other stuff that’s left in 2022, I’m focused on 2023 and making sure that I’m ready for September 10.”
Deshaun Watson brushed away inquiries on if he felt rusty. The quarterback stated that playing in multiple games last season and having an entire offseason to prepare has eradicated any rust remaining from last season. The quarterback looked fine against the Commanders, completing all three pass attempts for 12 yards. Watson looked lively running three times for 20 yards. Watson will need to build on his first performance if the Browns want to be competitive in the AFC.
Deshaun Watson gets the feel of the game
“It was good. I wouldn’t say satisfied because we didn’t get into the end zone, but it was exactly what the coaching staff wanted us to do. (The) operation, get the feel of the game, drive it down, and try to get points on the board. Washington did a great job of stopping us once we got down there, but we didn’t, of course, show exactly what we would be doing in goal line offense, but they did a good job of stopping us and wish we could have punched it in, but it was fun to be back (out there).”
Deshaun Watson was happy to get out on the field but was unsatisfied after the offense was unable to score from the goal line. Watson was complimentary of the play call process after the game. It’s important to remember that Watson is coming from an offensive system that gave him more pre-snap responsibilities than the Browns or Shanahan system gives their quarterbacks. The shifting responsibilities were a source of some strain after Watson returned last season. Stefanski and Watson must be on the same page this season.
Elijah Moore turns heads
Elijah Moore left the Browns’ game during the first quarter after suffering a rib injury. X-rays taken at the stadium showed no broken bones for the impressive newcomer. It’s important that the young receiver remains healthy as he will play a prominent role in the Browns’ offense. The receiver received rave reviews from a normally tight-lipped Stefanski after the game.
“Yeah, wanted to get Elijah the ball early, obviously, and do it in a couple different ways and you know it’s stuff I see in practice every day. So excited to get him out there in front of our fans.”
