Head Coach Todd Monken (6.1.26)
Do you intend to use all four of your remaining OTAs?
“We intend to use the three. We’re probably on Friday, going to make it a competition day and a little bit fun on Friday, heading into the final week with mandatory minicamp. So, I would doubt that on Friday that we’ll end up using that day. We’ll use it for video and haven’t had a chance to address team, but then we’ll have a competition day.”
How eager were the guys to get out here and participate in this? I know this is an annual event for the Browns, but the group that you have now, was there a sense of excitement for them to get out here someday on the course?
“I haven’t really seen them yet. I think it’s pretty cool. I mean, I think they’re excited – you’d have to ask them.”
So, Todd, at some point, you said you’d love to have your quarterback order prior to training camp. Are you getting there? Can you see the end of this thing or will you go into training camp not knowing who QB1 is?
“Again, as I’ve said, I think I anticipate there still being competition, but that doesn’t mean that the reps will be equal. That’s the easiest way to put it. I mean, I think we’re in a good place right now with our quarterback room. All of the guys that are in there are working hard, and I like the level of talent that we have in there. But, you know, the next six days will go a long way into how we go into fall camp. And we’ll have in our minds, I think, where we’re at in every position. Every position you have a form of a depth chart in your mind, and maybe it won’t be locked in, but certainly the reps will have to get distributed differently once we get to camp.”
Will you make that public?
“I don’t know that yet. I don’t anticipate that being the case, but we could.”
Todd, there’s a lot of talk because it’s June 1st and the contract about Myles (Garrett), a lot of speculation there. Have you been told that he’s gonna be on the team? Do you expect him to be here when we get to the season?
“Well, he’s like any other player. I mean, I’m never told who’s gonna be on the team, who’s not gonna be on the team. If that’s a question, I mean, every day we evaluate the roster, Andrew (Berry) evaluates the roster, management evaluates the roster. And like I said, he’s no different than any other player we’ve got. I don’t know how to respond to that based on… because it’s really no different today than it’s been for the last however many months I’ve been the head coach.”
Have you been assured he’ll be here June 9th?
“No, I wasn’t assured that when I took the job. I was never assured of anything when I took the job other than once I signed my contract and whatever my contract said – that’s what I was assured. And no matter what any of us coaches sign up for is we show up every day and we coach the guys that are in the building like we’ve done since we’ve been here. That hasn’t changed.”
Could you tell us how you use those GoPro cameras?
“Oh, so really there’s an audio piece to it that you want to hear what the quarterback is verbalizing because you’re not actually in the huddle. What they’re saying in the huddle, and then know what they’re saying at the line of scrimmage, and then how loud are they saying it? We talk about it all the time as if you’re on the road. So, there’s an audio piece to that, which is great. But you don’t need the camera for the audio piece – you could have a microphone. The video piece is really where are they looking within reason, where you can see their eyes, where they start, when they start off, when they get up to line of scrimmage. Are they using the same mechanics from a body language standpoint, whether they start left to right or right to left defensively? Is there anything they’re giving away with their eyes in terms of what you can tell from there. And then what are they seeing? What did they actually see? It’s the closest thing you’re going to get. Audio is a big piece and then the video piece of what they’re actually seeing or looking at.”
Have you used it before?
“Used it before…Obviously the advantage is being able to use when you get the video and the audio, but that does take time. How do you piece it together for the player? How do you organize it from when you’re relooking at the tape? All right, from point one or point A from like, ‘Okay, you got the call, the huddle on the field and then how the play developed.’ So it’s been really cool. It’s been a good learning tool for our guys.”
Want to ask you about the whole operation for your first time through. You feel good about the installation, how you structured things? Have you had to make any changes?
“Not really, haven’t really made any changes. I mean, tomorrow will be install seven and then Wednesday be install eight and then Thursday will be seven and eight and anything else we want to get worked on. And then minicamp will be everything and maybe some other things we want to get worked on, but it’s been fine. Now we’ve already installed as went through phase two, so we’re just repeating that.”
Todd going back to the quarterbacks, we’ve been out there for two OTAs and the first time it just seemed like last Wednesday was almost the reverse of what we saw the previous Wednesday. Has that been sort of the plan – is every other day kind of alternating Shedeur (Sanders) and Deshaun (Watson)?
“Pretty much. It doesn’t always work exactly every other day, but we’ve tried as best we can to give those guys equal reps, equal opportunities with the groups, be it the ones, the twos, the threes, whatever that might be, to certainly give ourselves the best chance to evaluate their play within reason. Now every day is a little bit different in terms of situational football. Some days you’re throwing it more than others. Some days are a little bit more red zone. Not every day is equal in terms of their opportunities, but you try as best you can to spread out who they’re doing it with.”
In this final week of OTAs, do you think the rookies will maybe be worked into the first team a little bit more so that they can have some of their experience during minicamp or are they maybe not ready for that yet?
“Again, I anticipate the rookies being more integrated. They have already, if you’re referring to the old line, will work that way. The wideouts have already been integrated that and then, you know, Eman’s (Emmanuel McNeil-Warren) been dinged up a little bit so that hasn’t come into play. But JJ’s (Justin Jefferson) been with the defensive linebackers so it’s really the O-line guys of working them and getting them up to speed.”
At some point, the Browns are going to have to make a decision on whether to participate in the supplemental draft for (Brendan) Sorsby. My question to you is, have you been kept up to date on the organization’s research of that player?
“Not at all, I mean that’s not even come across my desk. I don’t think we’re in a position to want to go down that road. That’s my opinion, that’s not Andrew’s (Berry). I like the quarterbacks that we have. I think that’s a slippery slope when you go down that, irrespective of talent, right? In terms of the situation he’s himself in, we all know what that is. He put himself in that situation. And we’ve seen in other sports with players that have been banned for life from playing in professional sports. I think that’s a slippery slope to go down that road. Again, that’s a question for Andrew and for management. But from my end of it, kind of a tough angle to go down that road and think that’s going to be your franchise quarterback if he’s ever eligible to even play in the NFL.”
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