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CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 In a season already filled with quarterback drama, the Cleveland Browns added another bizarre chapter Wednesday when third-string quarterback Shedeur Sanders responded to media questions by silently mouthing words without making a sound, creating one of the strangest scenes in recent NFL memory.<\/p>\n
The incident, which immediately went viral, came on the same day the team named rookie Dillon Gabriel their new starter \u2014 but Sanders\u2019 silent treatment quickly overshadowed what should have been Gabriel\u2019s moment in the spotlight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is insane,\u201d Orange and Brown Talk host Dan Labbe said on the podcast after seeing the video. \u201cThis is one of the craziest things I have ever seen. … This is one of the most bizarre things that has happened there when I\u2019ve been in that building.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot, Sanders\u2019 silent protest appeared to be a direct response to harsh criticism from ESPN analyst Rex Ryan, who recently blasted Sanders for comments he made to ESPN Cleveland about being ready to start.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I thought that it was in direct response to Shedeur getting absolutely ripped by Rex Ryan on ESPN\u2019s Get Up. That was my first thought. I figured that\u2019s exactly what he\u2019s doing here,\u201d Cabot explained on the podcast.<\/p>\n
Ryan had criticized Sanders for suggesting he was ready to start and would be playing if he were on another team, with the ESPN analyst calling the comments \u201cembarrassing\u201d and suggesting Sanders should focus on studying instead.<\/p>\n
The silent treatment created an immediate stir in the Browns facility, with team PR staff quickly shutting down the unusual media session. Meanwhile, Sanders\u2019 father, NFL legend Deion Sanders, apparently approved of his son\u2019s antics, responding on social media with \u201c10 laughing emojis and he said, \u2018good one, son. You did that,\u2019\u201d according to Cabot.<\/p>\n
The timing couldn\u2019t have been worse for rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was named the Browns\u2019 starter Wednesday after Joe Flacco was demoted to backup. Instead of the focus remaining on Gabriel\u2019s opportunity, Sanders\u2019 bizarre media approach became the day\u2019s biggest story.<\/p>\n
Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock pointed out how the silent treatment created unnecessary speculation: \u201cBy doing this now, there\u2019s a lot of unnecessary, in my opinion, chatter about, \u2018Oh, Shedeur is mad. … Shedeur thinks he should have been promoted to the backup.\u2019 … All these assumptions being made that quite honestly are not good for him, are not good for the team and all could have been avoided.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Labbe, the incident raised serious questions about Sanders\u2019 readiness for the NFL spotlight, regardless of his on-field abilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next time somebody says Shedeur is ready to start, I\u2019m just going to find a copy of this video and say, no, he\u2019s not. He\u2019s clearly not mature enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. That\u2019s what this told me today,\u201d Labbe said.<\/p>\n
With the Browns traveling to London for Sunday\u2019s international matchup against the Vikings \u2014 and with Sanders remaining the third-string quarterback \u2014 this bizarre silent film performance adds another layer of drama to a team already dealing with significant changes at the sport\u2019s most important position.<\/p>\n
What remains to be seen is whether Sanders\u2019 silent treatment will become a footnote in Browns\u2019 history or a defining moment in the young quarterback\u2019s career. One thing is certain \u2014 when it comes to creating headlines, Sanders is proving he doesn\u2019t need to say a word.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the podcast for this week:<\/p>\n
Listen and subscribe to the Orange and Brown Talk podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Third-string Browns quarterback responds to Rex Ryan’s criticism with bizarre mime routine that has everyone talking \u2013 except Sanders himself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cleveland-browns"],"yoast_head":"\n