- Alex Worth, US Sports Writer
- Published: 14:22,
- Updated: 14:22,
Todd Monken's Cleveland Browns tenure got off to the worst possible start, and Mike Tomlin seized the opportunity to troll them.
The Browns may need to analyse their entire roster after their one-sided 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
After the dramatic and highly scrutinized offseason quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders ended with Watson getting the nod, the Browns' opening day performance fell flat.
Jacksonville scored on six of their first seven possessions, effectively ending Cleveland's chances before they really began.
The Browns trailed 24-0 at halftime, tying their worst halftime shutout in the past 35 years, according to ESPN Research.
Through two quarters, Cleveland had only five first downs on six drives and were 0-for-4 on third down.
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Mike Tomlin mercilessly trolls Browns on broadcast
Before starting his new role with NBC, Tomlin opened up on his anxiety's about the new job, but also said he will always be a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
And the former Steelers coach couldn't help himself by throwing a jab at the Browns while discussing their loss to the Jags.
After host Maria Taylor mentioned what happened in the game, Tomlin chimed in with a famous comment that Steelers fans never grow tired of hearing.
âÂÂIn the words of my good friend JuJu Smith-Schuster would say, the Browns is the Browns,â Tomlin said.
Smith-Schuster first said the âÂÂBrowns is the Brownsâ in response to a question about PittsburghâÂÂs AFC Wild Card Round matchup with the Browns in January 2021.
Days before the matchup, he doubled down on his jabs at the franchise, referring to the Browns as âÂÂnameless gray facesâÂÂ.
However, in what might have led Tomlin to resign five years later, they couldn't advance past the Wild Card round, losing to Cleveland 48-37.
Deshaun Watson fires back at critics after loss
The decision to start Watson over Sanders that had some urging Browns fans to boycott home games.
Watson completed 16-of-22 passes for 205 yards, one TD and one INT in the loss to Jacksonville.
His lone touchdown pass came on a 46-yard play late in the fourth quarter, long after the game was already decided.
Despite his final stat line looking respectable, many fans and media criticized his performance during the day - and Watson emphatically responded.
"Of course everyoneâÂÂs gonna look at the quarterback in this situation," Watson said, via Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot.
"Overall I havenâÂÂt even looked at the box score or whatever, the stats, so I donâÂÂt even know what that looks like.
âÂÂBut yeah, we gotta put points on the board. ThatâÂÂs what you gotta do in this league.âÂÂ
"So, you know, we get another opportunity next week and try to put one together and get a [win]. WeâÂÂve got a lot to learn on from this tape and keep pushing forward."
Monken didn't quite confirm whether Watson will be under center for Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, telling reporters postgame that he needed to review the tape before evaluating any potential lineup changes.
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