To say Todd Monken wasted no time regretting passing up on John Harbaugh and the New York Giants for the Cleveland Browns' head coach opening would be the understatement of the century.
Not a few hours after Monken accepted the head coaching position, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was reportedly seen visibly upset by the decision, telling other members of the staff he wasn't coming back because of it. However, he's still under contract for 2026, putting pressure on the Browns to get this right.
They could get cute and play hardball... which, let’s be honest, would be so on brand. Nothing screams “business as usual” in Cleveland like doubling down on dysfunction. Forcing Schwartz on staff with Monken would be so awkward. For sanity's sake, Cleveland should just let him walk and hope their elite defense last season was driven by talent and not scheme.
As if the Schwartz nonsense wasn't bad enough, Emmanuel Acho came from the top rope with an all-time terrible take on his late-night YouTube show, Speakeasy. The polarizing former football player turned hot-take media personality is known for his controversial stances, and this one might be his worst.
Cleveland better hope Monken's not a YouTube rabbit hole guy, because he'd be on his way to East Rutherford for the comforts of a Harbaugh-led team if he heard the latest coming from Acho:
"Nothing about Todd Monken, as a head man, gets me excited. ... How is Todd Monken going to command that locker room, command that group of men? If I'm Shedeur [Sanders] -- or anybody in that locker room -- why am I listening to Todd Monken? What have you won on an NFL level?"
John Harbaugh's Giants look a lot different once Cleveland started acting like Cleveland
I mean, where to even unpack this? For starters, this isn't happening in New York. And you can't help but think Monken is wondering why he took the job in the first place. Are we really talking about why Shedeur Sanders -- a 2025 fifth-round draft pick -- should respect his head coach?
Because he's his coach...? I feel like I'm missing something here.
By Acho's logic, Sanders cannot be coached by a first-timer. I don't get it. Monken has been around the sport for 37 years. He's one of the smartest offensive minds in football. He helped Lamar Jackson win his second MVP (and a should-have-been third) and won two National Championships at Georgia with Stetson Bennett under center.
And we're talking about a second-year QB who's lucky to be on a roster, let alone a starter, questioning the leadership abilities of a guy who's been around football 11 years longer than Sanders has been alive? In seven starts as a rookie, the soon-to-be 24-year-old went 3-4 with a 56.6% completion percentage, throwing seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
His arrogance was well-documented during the pre-draft process, and it's a big reason why the G-Men never entertained selecting him. How about we give the former Ravens offensive coordinator a day before we start acting like Sanders is Tom Brady.
Related: Todd Monken just missed a totally not made-up opportunity by passing on Giants
Good times in Cleveland. I'm not saying it's karma, but I'm not, not saying it.
I'll answer Acho's rhetorical Sanders question with one of my own: If I'm Todd Monken, why am I listening to Shedeur Sanders?