Marty Schottenheimer’s plan for his quarterbacks going into 1985 — his first full season as Browns head coach — was pretty simple, clear and direct.
Veteran Gary Danielson, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Detroit Lions, would start the year and stay there, while Bernie Kosar, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1985 NFL Supplemental Draft, would stand on this side sidelines and learn.
Case closed. End of discussion.
The plan was carried out exactly like that for five straight weeks, but in that fifth game, against the New England Patriots on Oct. 6 at Cleveland Stadium, Danielson had to leave the game with an injury. OK Kosar came on and directed the Browns to a 24–20 victory over a team that would eventually go all the way to the Super Bowl.
Danielson made it clear that he knew — and was fine with the fact — that once the baton was handed over to Kosar, he would go to the bench and be, in effect, the rookie’s position coach and, as it turned out, also his confidante. The Browns didn’t draft Kosar so he could sit on the bench indefinitely. Kosar did pretty well, but there were some times when his being a rookie showed, and then Danielson would come on and save the day, including, and especially, against the New York Giants late in the year in a pivotal game. But as the regular season ended, though, and the Browns, who won the AFC Central title with a pedestrian 8–8 mark, prepared to play the Miami Dolphins in the divisional round of the playoffs, Kosar was ensconced as the starter.
While this season seems, in many ways, to be like 1985, including also being very much like the 1980 Kardiac Kids year, there is one big difference. Deshaun Watson isn’t ready to step aside for young Shadeur Sanders. He’ll do it if asked, but head coach Todd Monken hasn’t asked him yet and, in fact, named him as the starter for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans at Huntington Bank Field after coming out of the concussion protocol that caused him to miss last Sunday’s 23–22 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Monken admitted he thought about starting Sanders, but then decided to go with Watson. It was the right move. Watson played pretty well in the second half of games in directing the Browns to a 5-3 record.
This willl continue unlessWatson struggles, gets injured or the Browns fall out of contention for the postseason. At that time, you can expect Sanders to get a good long look. But we’re not there yet, and perhaps never will be this season as the Browns try to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2023. They have to go for that, and use the player who gives them the best chance to win. Anything else would be insubordination on Monken’s part. This is not good.
Even with all that, it’s interesting to consider what Sanders would do over the course of the rest of the season throwing to a strong group of young receivers, just as Kosar did in 1985 with tight end Ozxie Newsome and wide receivers Brian Brennan and Reggie Langhorne. Webster SLaughter would be added the following year, in 1986.
When that happened, the Browns took off, playing in the conference championship game in three of the next four years.
We’ll see how it all plays out, and, to be honest, you don’t want to see Sanders play this season because it will mean something negative. We want to see the Browns get into the playoffs, and the best way to do that right now is with a healthy Deshaun Watson.
Steve King