Initially, I was sick to my stomach that the Browns bypassed Jim Schwartz to hire Todd Monken as their head coach six months ago, on Jan. 28.

Ugh!

How could the Browns do that? How could they not hire one of the best defensive coordinators in team history?  I couldn’t have picked Monken out of a lineup.  

Double-ugh!!

It was because the longstanding problem with the Browns wasn’t their defense. It was their offense, particularly their quarterback, that was holding them back, and it is those things in which Monken has specialized throughout his long career, including being the offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens in his previous job.

Now, with training camp — and the quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson and Shadeur Sanders — underway, there is a tremendous comfort level in having Monken in complete charge of making this ultra-important decision. For the Browns have to get this right, because their ability to move forward with this rebuild of the team doesn’t really begin until they identify their quarterback. Monken has to not only pick the right guy this year, but he also has to determine if either one of them is the franchise quarterback or if they have to go back into the NFL Draft next spring to find him.

Schwartz is not equipped to make that decision. Monken is. In fact, in all of these many quarterback derbies the Browns have staged in this troublesome expansion era, I believe Monken is the best person they have ever had in this role.

Really.

I think, without a doubt, that Sanders is the best quarterback for the job and will ultimately win the competition. But if Monken thinks otherwise and goes instead with Watson, then I will definitely be disappointed and upset, but because I believe so fully in Monken, I will bow to his experience and knowledge and be satisfied that he made a good decision.

That’s how much I trust him.

Fans are going to like Todd Monken in all facets of this team, not just the quarterback and the offense.  He’s got a plan, and he’s bound and determined to see it through to its completion.

Steve King