Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Showed a Big Difference From Coach Prime This Week

Shedeur Sanders has never lacked confidence.

That shouldn’t surprise anyone who has followed his journey. Sanders grew up around one of the most confident athletes in sports history, watching his father, Deion Sanders, turn “Prime Time” from a nickname into a brand.

Shedeur has carried plenty of that confidence himself. From Jackson State to Colorado and now the Cleveland Browns, he has never been afraid of the spotlight. At times, the watches, celebrations and overall flash have also made him a target for critics.

But this week, Sanders showed a much different side of himself.

Before answering a single question during his latest Browns media availability, Shedeur addressed reporters and apologized for the way he handled his previous press conference.

“First, I want to apologize for how things was last time I came up here before y’all,” Sanders said.

It was a surprisingly revealing opening from a quarterback who has rarely allowed fans and media to see that level of humility.

Shedeur explains why he shut down

Sanders didn’t simply offer an apology and move on. He attempted to explain what had bothered him.

He talked about disliking separation between the team and those around it and expressed frustration when he feels people are being “painted a certain way.”

“I feel drained when I express myself to people and places and cameras when it’s not received and taken the right way, or we’re trying to divide the team or anything like that,” Sanders said. “So that’s where I was just trying to preserve my energy from going in depth with a lot of things.”

There was still plenty of Shedeur in the answer. He wasn’t abandoning his position or pretending he hadn’t been frustrated. Instead, he acknowledged how he responded and attempted to repair the relationship while explaining where that response came from.

That’s an interesting contrast with his father.

Coach Prime has spent decades meeting criticism head-on. Deion’s confidence and willingness to push back are part of what made him one of the most recognizable personalities in sports. Shedeur has inherited plenty of those qualities.

This moment, however, felt different.

Sanders isn’t consumed with the Browns quarterback battle

That same approach carried into questions about Cleveland’s quarterback competition.

With Sanders and Deshaun Watson receiving different opportunities throughout training camp, virtually every rep can become a storyline. Sanders made it clear he isn’t interested in obsessing over the labels attached to those reps.

“I don’t know what ones and twos are, honestly,” Sanders said. “I’m telling you, it switches every day. So what’s ones and what’s twos? It’s just work.”

When asked elsewhere about the changing reps, Sanders again refused to frame the situation negatively.

“That doesn’t even phase me or get to me or I think about that at all,” Sanders said. “I’m just thankful to be able to practice.”

Shedeur even defended Browns coach Todd Monken when discussing some of the outside reaction to decisions made during camp.

“I just don’t really appreciate sometimes if things happen and y’all just jump on the coach like he just tripping or something,” Sanders said.

Instead of responding to criticism with more bravado, Sanders opened with an apology, explained himself, defended his coach and repeatedly declined opportunities to turn Cleveland’s quarterback competition into something bigger.

Shedeur Sanders still sounds plenty confident.

He’s just beginning to show that his version of confidence doesn’t always have to look exactly like Coach Prime’s.

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