The Cleveland Browns gave the Buffalo Bills a 60-minute test on Sunday before falling in the end, 23-20. Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for 157 yards and added another 49 on the ground, but was picked off twice as his adaptation to the NFL continues.

Sanders, who is charting his own unique path in so many ways, continued to do so during his media session. Asked if his head coach Kevin Stefanski had made the right decisions when it came to fourth downs in the final quarter, Sanders once again took the opportunity to explain why such a line of questioning puts him in a bad spot.

“I know you can’t be asking me that question,” Sanders said. “Come on, man. See, that’s the thing. If we want to change the narrative, if we want to change the franchise, those types of things separate us. A lot of the players get these types of questions. We want to be working with y’all. We want to be proactive, but when questions are asked to us players and you’re pinning stuff against each other, it’s like, come on now.”

Down by three points with 5:08 remaining in regulation, the Browns went for it on fourth-and-2 from their own 44-yard line. Sanders took a 13-yard sack that turned the ball over. Cleveland’s defense was able to get out of that jam without allowing a point. The offense then faced fourth-and-32 from their own 1-yard line and opted to punt that away. They would not touch the ball again as Buffalo was able to run out the clock.

“It’s like a thing in the locker room,” Sanders continued. “We’re not going to be able to talk to them for real. We’re not going to be able to give them what they need because that separates the team—that don’t help anything in any situation no matter how you answer it.”

Sanders faced a similar question after the team's loss to San Francisco, saying “That’s a rude question to ask” at the time and letting it be known that he would not be pointing fingers.

Is this a normal way to answer? Not really. But he’s been really effective in laying the groundwork so reporters know he’s not keen to get caught providing even a whiff of anything that could be construed as negative. That’s playing the long game right there.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shedeur Sanders Takes Issue With Reporter's Question After Browns' Loss.

Add as preferred source on Google