The Cleveland Browns put Shedeur Sanders into the mix Sunday, and things didn’t go well. And Cam Newton claimed Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski doesn’t want Shedeur Sanders to succeed for the team, according to Newton’s oddly worded comments on First Take, via YouTube.
Apparently, Newton debunks anything Stefanski says about Sanders.
“I do not think Kevin Stefanski wants Shedeur Sanders to succeed in Cleveland,” Newton said. “The reason being is, don’t tell me what he said, don’t tell me what he’s saying. I’m going off of actions. Let’s go off actions. The actions is, if I’m Shedeur, or I’m a Shedeur Sanders fan, I would not want him to take the field because that’s going to consistently be the display we’re going to see.”
Cam Newton takes a shot at Browns HC Kevin Stefanski
Newton took exception to the preparation level of Sanders, who was forced into action against the Ravens because of an injury to starter Dillon Gabriel.
“You plan for the what-ifs in this league,” Newton said. “You don’t know if you’re going to have your quarterback. What about Joe Burrow? So for him to not have any reps, for him to have this be his first time he’s taking team reps where individuals don’t even know your snap count or your cadence? That is like yo bro, what are we doing here?”
It’s really a confusing stance for Newton to take. Is he legitimately saying he thinks Stefanski would tank his own coaching career just to keep Sanders from having NFL success in Cleveland? That doesn’t seem to touch the surface of common sense.
If Newton wants to criticize Stefanski for not giving Sanders first-team reps, he could do it without saying, “I do not think Kevin Stefanski wants Shedeur Sanders to succeed in Cleveland.”
That statement makes no sense whatsoever for a league where wins and losses are everything for a coach’s career.
And if what Newton said had even a salt pebble of validity, why would Stefanski give Sanders first-team reps this week? Here is what Stefanski said about his starting quarterback — which will likely be Sanders this week — according to a post on X by Mary Kay Cabot.
“The starter gets the vast majority, obviously, if not the entire majority,” Stefanski said. “We trust our players. Shedeur is putting in great work on the field, in the meeting room. He'll be better w/reps that he's getting.”
