Monken noncommittal on Watson, calls it 'unfair' to blame loss on QB

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Todd Monken sidestepped a question about whether he will stick with Deshaun Watson as his starter after a 34-10 Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, but the Cleveland Browns' coach emphasized the team's struggles on offense didn't just lie with the veteran quarterback. Watson struggled through the first three quarters, completing 11 of 17 passes for 100 yards with an interception as Cleveland watched Jacksonville take a 34-3 lead. He finished the day 16 of 22 for 205 yards with a touchdown, an interception and 38 rushing yards. "I'd rather just talk about today, because I haven't had time to even look at the tape," Monken said. "I'm sure as hell not firing me. I'm not firing our staff. I'm not getting rid of all of our players. So he happens to be one of 53, and however many practice squad guys we got and our staff, he's one of them. So we'll evaluate everything. But to just say that emotionally here at the end -- when we didn't play good enough and didn't coach well enough." The Browns trailed 24-0 at halftime, tying their worst halftime shutout in the last 35 years, according to ESPN Research. Through two quarters, Cleveland had just five first downs on six drives and were 0 for 4 on third down. Watson completed his first two passes on the Browns' opening session as Cleveland's offense traveled into Jacksonville territory, but his third attempt was intercepted by linebacker Foye Oluokun. The Browns failed to build momentum after the giveaway, as they punted on the next two possessions, lost the ball on a fumble by rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion and punted again before the end of the first half. The Jaguars, meanwhile, scored on their first four possessions of the first half. "I think we just got to find a rhythm overall," Watson said. "Of course everyone's going to look at the quarterback in the situation. ... We got to put points on the board, and that's what you got to do in this league. Playing the quarterback position, you're the leader in that role. And we didn't do that today. We only got 10. We left a lot out there. So obviously I take that responsibility full throttle, and we got to look at the tape and see how we can be better and try to attack Tampa Bay next week to be able to get points on the board to be able to get wins." The pre-snap operation, a point of emphasis for Monken, was also an issue in Jacksonville. Cleveland was flagged for six accepted penalties on offense, including two delay-of-game infractions. "It wasn't all him," Monken said. "It really wasn't all him. That's unfair. Certainly could have called it better, certainly could have played better around him. Certainly there's plays I'm sure he wished he had back. There are certain things operationally that weren't clean enough. Us getting in and out of the huddle, getting our subs in, being up against it and saying that you're on the road or the heat or all that, that's just a bunch of excuses." Watson, who turns 31 on Monday, was playing his first regular-season game in 693 days. Monken named him the team's starting quarterback on Aug. 24 after a training camp competition with Shedeur Sanders -- two days after Watson struggled in the second half of a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills and then called Browns fans who booed him disrespectful. "We'll analyze everything that we do," Monken said. "It's not just him. We're putting this on Deshaun, which is unfair. And whatever there is externally doesn't matter to me. That doesn't affect me. That has nothing to do with my decision-making. My decision-making is what's best for the Browns now and moving forward. That doesn't mean that I don't understand the frustration. I've said that since I've been here. Same with me. I didn't take this job to lose."