Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders of Colorado is setting the early career pace. He’s on deck for his fourth NFL start against the Chicago Bears. Ever since winning the job in Week 12, Sanders has demonstrated impressive ability to escape the pressure and make things happen with his legs. Her ability has brought a new level of enthusiasm to players and coaches. The former Georgia standout deals with challenges, most concerning being his tendency to hold the ball too long, which can sabotage an offense’s rhythm.
This season, Sanders’ average time to throw is 3.39 seconds. If he had enough starts to qualify, he would be first among all league quarterbacks with this stat. This outrageous performance was a reminder of exactly how good he is. His elite ability to extend plays comes with both an advantageous upside and a potentially burdensome downside. He averages 4+ seconds to throw on 22.3% of his dropbacks. This rare talent can all at once defy physics and culminate in jaw-dropping plays. It’s a double-edged sword, as evidenced in last week’s contest against the Tennessee Titans.
At one point during the matchup, Sanders faced backlash for not completing a pass. He drew even more criticism for a third-quarter interception on a busted play that wasn’t completed. Even with these misses, he’s learning fast when to give up on a play and when to go beyond his boundaries.
“Sometimes you get in situations where you got to understand the play’s over, and I’m improving in that,” – Shedeur Sanders
Sanders’ recent performances illustrate his growth mindset. He cited a high sack mistake early in the season, where he lost them field position, which made him start to reflect on his decision-making.
“So just learning, like from the week before when I took a sack that got us out of field goal position. I learned from that, and I was like, ‘OK, knowing where we are in the field’, understanding, like, ‘OK, I tried my first thing, it don’t work, get it out.’ So then I won’t negatively affect the team.” – Shedeur Sanders
His coach, Kevin Stefanski, emphasizes the importance of balancing structured plays with Sanders’ innate ability to make plays outside of traditional offensive schemes. Fair enough, Wilson admits—all of the most successful quarterbacks have so far found success through improvisation while still getting their basics down.
“You look around the league, and there’s a lot of quarterbacks that have always made plays outside the structure of their offense from when they were young to when they get to the pros,” – Kevin Stefanski
Stefanski adds that it is crucial to enhance this aspect of Sanders’ play while instilling discipline:
“And you never want to take that away from a player. And Shedeur has an ability to make plays off schedule, so that’s something that you certainly want to promote and enhance and get the team playing to that style as well.” – Kevin Stefanski
During last weekend’s winning game against the Titans, Sanders demonstrated his elusiveness. He spun around to avoid a sack and deftly side-stepped another rusher. Even after throwing the interception and experiencing the oncoming pressure, he maintained his poise. He showed good judgement throwing the ball away when he knew there was nothing there.
This new decision-making juncture, Stefanski emphasized, is a big step forward for Sanders. His coach lauded his rookie quarterback for knowing when to save chances rather than put them in harm’s way as a turnover.
“But he scrambled around, was looking to make a play, nobody wiggled open, and he threw the ball away, and we got points out of that. I think that’s good progress for a young quarterback. You have to know that it’s a fine line of, ‘I’m trying to make a play for my football team, and I’m also going to be smart here because I have points.’” – Kevin Stefanski
As Sanders readies himself for his upcoming road game against the Bears, he remains focused on improving his decision-making skills while showcasing his natural talent. The coaching staff’s supportive approach aims to develop his aptitude for running the offense while allowing him the freedom to utilize his playmaking abilities.
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