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Browns GM Andrew Berry: 'It became obvious' Deshaun Watson's shoulder was a hindrance
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- Browns GM Andrew Berry: 'It became obvious' Deshaun Watson's shoulder was a hindrance
BEREA — Deshaun Watson was absolutely going to start last Sunday's 28-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens .
That is, until the right shoulder injury he sustained the previous week proved too much for the Browns quarterback to start the game.
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General manager Andrew Berry stressed Wednesday the plan never changed for Watson going into the Ravens game until the team's hand was forced by the evidence presented.
"We were optimistic that he would play," Berry said during his bye-week news conference. "He was optimistic that he would play. He worked his tail off during the week to rehab and be ready to go. When we got out on Sunday and when we took him through the pregame workout, it became obvious to all of us that he couldn't throw or drive the ball well enough to perform in the game. It just wasn't at a level where we felt comfortable that he could ultimately perform the duties of his position."
Deshaun Watson stands on the sideline during the first half against the Ravens on Oct. 1 in Cleveland.
Berry, who emphasized the belief there's no long-term concerns about the shoulder, was among the handful of coaches and team officials who surrounded Watson while he went through a roughly 20-minute workout three hours before the game. There were no more than 10 passes thrown during that time, none of them from a distance of more than 10 yards.
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That's when the decision was made to pull the plug on the original plan and start rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Watson's place. What resulted was a lopsided loss to the AFC North rival Ravens that left the Browns 2-2 at the bye.
Thompson-Robinson was 19-of-36 passing for 121 yards with three interceptions in his first career start. He was sacked four times.
"There is a saying that I love where it's experience is a hard teacher because it gives the test first and the lesson afterwards, and I felt like certainly any rookie quarterback could probably attest during their first start that that is the case," Berry said. "Certainly challenging circumstances, but I know Dorian's not making any excuses for it. … I think just realistically when you lose a game 28-3 and you don't play well on offense, we all look at what we could have done differently to support him. But we'll continue to work, we'll grow from it, we'll learn from it and we'll move forward with them."
Neither the backup quarterback situation nor the game plan alterations, or lack thereof, were the only questions Berry faced. The timeline from "expected to play," which was the public statement right up until late Sunday morning, to "out" has been scrutinized as well.
The lack of velocity Berry said was a reason to sit Watson was also evident when he did throw a few passes in the portion of practice open to the media last Thursday and Friday. So was the optimism just putting on a good face, or was it something that truly permeated the locker room until the decision was made Sunday?
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"It was pretty obvious what he had done to try and get ready throughout the week," Berry said. "He really was here 24/7 doing stuff at home, and it was obvious that he couldn't throw the ball on Sunday. He couldn't throw the ball well enough to play."
The frustration for Berry wasn't in the decision, it was in the timing. That's not in terms of when the decision to sit Watson, but where in the season it fell that he couldn't play.
Watson was coming off his best showing since the Cleveland Browns acquired him. The previous week against the Tennessee Titans , he finished 27-of-33 passing for 289 yards with two touchdowns and a 123.4 passer rating.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson stands on the field before a game against the Ravens, Oct. 1, in Cleveland.
The injury that caused so much consternation is believed to have occurred on a 10-yard run with 6:59 remaining in the third quarter against the Titans on a hit by safety Amani Hooker . Watson remained in the game after the hit.
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"I think we saw what he's fully capable of against Tennessee," Berry said of Watson. "Thought he did a really nice job of managing the weather and the environment against Cincinnati. We had a game where really we didn't play well in Pittsburgh. We feel like he's really coming into his own, getting comfort. Obviously having the shoulder injury and not being able to go against Baltimore is a bummer, but [we] feel really good about his progress."
The "bummer" in Watson not playing against the Ravens goes beyond performance. Berry spoke at length about seeing the Browns build up some offensive consistency once they get past the bye.
That consistency is going to have to start with Watson, who is the unquestioned face of the offense with running back Nick Chubb done for the season. The only thing Watson truly has shown, outside of the Titans games, is inconsistency over his first nine starts with the Browns.
"I think probably No. 1, there's always pressure or spotlight on any starting quarterback across the league," Berry said. "We don't look at it as that Deshaun has to carry the offense. We feel like there's plenty of support. … We have enough players to lighten the load. Obviously your quarterback's a big piece of it, and we think he's super talented and obviously he can do a lot of things for us."
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Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns GM wasn't comfortable Deshaun Watson could throw well enough
