Sports
Johnny Manziel praises Shedeur Sanders’ Browns approach after stellar preseason debut: ‘Continue to grind’
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Johnny Manziel was once in Shedeur Sanders‘ shoes – a Cleveland Browns quarterback with high expectations and a national spotlight.
Manziel was a Browns first-round pick in 2014 with the entire city of Cleveland hoping “Johnny Football” could spring life into a franchise desperate for consistency at the quarterback position.
NFL fans know how that ultimately played out for the Browns and Manziel, but the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner has loads of optimism for Sanders, a fifth-round pick, as he embarks on his first season in the league.
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Former Texas A&M and Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel looks on prior to the game against the Texas Longhorns. (Maria Lysaker/Imagn Images)
“I think everything he’s done since he’s gotten to Cleveland has been exactly what he should be doing,” Manziel told Fox News Digital about Sanders, while also discussing his partnership with Sling TV.
“Obviously, a crowded quarterback room. I think a lot of people, at least for me, enjoyed watching Shedeur play in college. I also really liked watching [Browns third-round pick] Dillon Gabriel play in college. I think the guy has a lot of talent, a great arm. So, I think for [Sanders], continue to go through this preseason. Try to get better week in and week out, and if they name you the starter, amazing. If you’re the [No.] 2, amazing. If you’re the [No.] 3, whatever. Sit there and continue to grind, learn the offense, and continue to try to get more comfortable, and good things will happen.”
EX-NBA PLAYER MAKES SHEDEUR SANDERS-LEBRON JAMES COMPARISON AFTER QB’S PRESEASON DEBUT
While Manziel and others have said before the start of training camp that Sanders could win the job, it’s expected that Joe Flacco, the longtime veteran quarterback, will begin the season as the Browns’ starter under center.
But all the talk around the Browns after their first preseason game last week was about Sanders, as he was named the starter by head coach Kevin Stefanski and played well into the third quarter.
Sanders went 14-for-23 passing for 138 yards and two touchdowns, flashing his signature touchdown celebration along the way to a 30-10 victory against the Carolina Panthers.
It’s a performance like this that has Manziel reminiscing about the NFL Draft back in April, and how Sanders fell into Day 3 and the fifth round before Cleveland scooped him up.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) throws against the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. (Scott Kinser/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
“I didn’t think there was any way he was getting past Day 2. You’re just sitting there and this guy’s getting billed as somebody who’s getting taken in the first round and this and that. Wild to see, but you get into a position that is in need of a quarterback, right? You have a vet in Joe Flacco, you got two rookies that are in there, and Kenny Pickett. I’m sure they’re going into that quarterback room and being like, ‘Listen, you guys go out every day and battle for this. We’re going to mix up reps, we’re going to give somebody something this day and that day.’”
Manziel added how he thinks it’s funny to see fans clamoring over reports from the Cleveland media about which quarterback threw the most touchdowns or had the best day on the practice field.
“In the grand scheme of things, it’s all bulls— until you get to the real game, and real bullets are flying,” Manziel said. “I’ve been having a good laugh seeing the practice statistics pop up.”
But once again, Manziel knows how much the media can play a part in the perception of a player and a team. While many think about New York, Los Angeles or Boston media when it comes to sports, Manziel explained why he thinks Cleveland is also a tough place to impress.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) at the line of scrimmage in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. (Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)
“I think people who have covered that team for years and years and years have dealt with the highs of having high expectations going into a season, and seeing them crumble,” he said. “There hasn’t been the success there that they want, so of course, it’s been extremely frustrating. Of course, it’s a tough media place to be in when you’re not winning games when you feel like you should be, especially when you have good pieces on the team.
“The one thing that I do know about [Sanders], and Deion, knowing him through the years, he’s going to be prepared for that. He’s going to have the right answers for it. He’s going to be able to weather the storm. It’s one of those things where you go out and have a nine-, 10-, 11-win season, those questions will start to feel more warm and fuzzy for sure.”
Sanders is unlikely to follow up his first taste of the NFL with any great performance after suffering an oblique injury at Browns practice this week. Cleveland takes on the Philadelphia Eagles for their second preseason game on Saturday night.
As someone who was once in his shoes, Johnny Manziel believes Shedeur Sanders is doing all the right things as a Cleveland Browns QB. (Getty)
A DIFFERENT WAY TO WATCH FOOTBALL
Manziel partnered with Sling TV, a subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation, to promote a different way to watch football this season – one that truly taks the consumer into consideration.
Sling TV is offering three new streaming subscription packages: Day Pass for instant 24-hour access, Weekend Pass, which grants Friday-through-Sunday access, and Week Pass for a full seven-days worth of access.
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When it comes to football, especially on the college level, not all fans want to pay a premium for games they won’t watch. Manziel loves that he can pick and choose the right streaming subscription with Sling TV to satisfy his watching needs.
“I get these notifications on my phone that say, ‘You get charged X amount for this or that.’ I’m like, ‘Man, I’m just trying to watch ball.’ To have something start at $4.99, and you pick which one you want – you want a day, a week, a weekend. Being an SEC guy through and through, I think for me, it makes it easy for me to watch whatever I want whenever I want and it’s really easy. You don’t have to sit there with overhead or anything else going on. For me, I don’t think it can be any better.”
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Star LAFC recruit Son Heung-Min is settling into life in Los Angeles brilliantly.
After netting his debut goal for the club last Saturday — a stunning 30-yard free kick against FC Dallas no less — the South Korea captain capped a fine week by throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
Ahead of the Dodgers hosting Cincinnati Reds, the former Premier League star stepped up to the plate and launched a finely arced right-handed strike, much to the delight of the fans at the stadium.
Son’s pitch comes just days after BTS star V also threw the ceremonial first pitch in LA. We’ll leave it up to you to decide which Korean superstars’ throw was best.
Sports
Travis Kelce calls for Shedeur Sanders to start for Browns amid controversy: ‘Give the people what they want’
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Travis Kelce has spoken out about the ongoing controversy over Shedeur Sanders‘ role with the Cleveland Browns.
During his “New Heights” podcast this week, the Kansas City Chiefs star said he believes the Browns should start Sanders, who is third on the team’s depth chart behind veteran Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.
Travis Kelce spoke about Shedeur Sanders’ role with the Browns on the latest episode of the “New Heights” podcast, which aired before the official start of the NFL season. (Imagn)
“Give the people what they want, in terms of the Browns fans. Start Shedeur. … Put him in coach,” Kelce said. “Give the people what they want. The world wants to see him go out there, and not only play, but have success. At this point, guys are rooting for him. This isn’t anything against Dillon. This isn’t anything against Joe. I’m just saying the excitement is there for [Sanders] to go out there. He’s going to put eyes on the screen. He’s going to bring people to the game.
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“I would love to f—ing see it, man.”
On the contrary, Kelce’s brother and co-host, Jason Kelce, defended the team naming Joe Flacco as the starter.
“[Browns head coach Kevin] Stefanski and the Browns are trying to do the thing that they feel gives them the best chance to win football games,” Jason said. “If the Browns and Kevin Stefanski felt their best option and the most confident option they had to win games was Shedeur Sanders, they would be playing him.”
Still, Jason conceded that he “wants” to see Sanders play.
“What do I want? I want to see Shedeur Sanders,” Jason said.
Jason also rejected the “conspiracies” surrounding the situation as to why Sanders is as low on the depth chart as he is.
Criticism and conspiracy theories directed at the Browns reemerged after the team’s preseason finale on Saturday.
Sanders entered the game in the third quarter and completed three of six passes for 14 yards, while taking five sacks for a combined loss of 41 yards against the Los Angeles Rams. He netted minus-27 yards for Cleveland before being pulled from the game on the final drive and replaced by veteran Tyler Huntley.
Huntley led the Browns’ offense on a game-winning field goal drive, and the Browns won 19-17.
It was a far cry from Sanders’ first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers Aug. 8, when he threw for two touchdowns and was praised by fans and sports stars, including LeBron James and Dawn Staley.
However, many fans and pundits were quick to defend Sanders for his rough outing on Saturday and blamed the Browns’ coaching for putting Sanders in a position where he had to rely on backup teammates while also calling questionable plays.
EX-NBA PLAYER MAKES SHEDEUR SANDERS-LEBRON JAMES COMPARISON AFTER QB’S PRESEASON DEBUT
Jason Kelce on the ESPN postseason countdown set during the 2025 Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium Feb. 2, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Former NFL quarterback Derek Carr questioned why Sanders wasn’t left in the game to finish the final drive.
“I need to understand why we don’t get to see Shedeur Sanders run this 2-minute drill? Wouldn’t you want to see your young QB operate in this situation? Get him more reps for the future? I didn’t see the whole game so maybe he already showed enough? Help me understand this…” Carr wrote on X.
Sports talk show host Skip Bayless posted a 16-minute rant in defense of Sanders on X, while condemning the Browns for their handling of the quarterback.
“They sabotaged it. They rigged it against him today, putting him in with third- and fourth-stringers, fifth-stringers. You got no shot at quarterback,” Bayless said.
Other users on social media leveled similar criticisms at the Browns, with some speculating that the obstacles being put in front of the quarterback are intentional.
Prior to that game, NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson stoked conspiracy theories related to Sanders in a recent interview, claiming that NFL teams were “told not to” draft Sanders to “make an example” of the quarterback when he fell to the fifth round of the NFL Draft in April.
“I tell you this much, what I heard from someone that’s in the NFL [is] that the NFL told [teams], ‘Don’t draft him, do not draft him,'” Dickerson said in a recent interview on the “Roggin and Rodney” show on AM 570 LA Sports.
“‘We’re going to make an example out of him.’ And this came from a very good source, a very good source. They were going to have him not get drafted to basically show you, ‘This is what happens when you do this.’ I mean, look, the NFL’s got all kinds of power. They do all kinds of stuff.”
Sanders’ slide out of the first round shocked many, including President Donald Trump, who condemned the league’s owners for passing on the quarterback in a Truth Social post.
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith revealed a text message from an associate who compared the situation to Colin Kaepernick being out of the NFL since 2016, suggesting “collusion.”
“‘This is a bad look for the NFL. This feels like Kaepernick-level collusion,'” Smith said of the content of the text, adding the situation goes beyond “talent evaluation.”
“All the hard work the NFL League Office puts in to eradicate these kinds of perceptions, only to turn around and watch as the OWNERS look like they’re colluding, messing up everything. What has been done to Shedeur will outshine everything else in this draft. We’ll never believe this is about just talent evaluation again.”
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders against the Philadelphia Eagles during a game at Lincoln Financial Field. (Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)
Sanders was eventually taken by the Browns on the third and final day of the draft with the 144th pick. The quarterback was initially considered a possible contender for the first overall pick early in the draft process after finishing his final season at Colorado.
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