Shedeur Sanders: He’s No. 12. He’s No. 42. Let’s hope he can be No. 1 for a while – Terry Pluto
CLEVELAND, Ohio – He’s No. 42.
I know, Shedeur Sanders wears No. 12 with the Cleveland Browns.
But when he took the field for Sunday’s game in Las Vegas, Sanders became the 42nd different quarterback to start a game for the Browns since the franchise returned in 1999.
Next on the list of most QBs since 1999 is Chicago with 30.
While Sanders was helping the Browns to a 24-10 victory over the Raiders, Bernie Kosar was recovering from his liver transplant at University Hospitals. He returned home Monday.
Kosar turned 62 today, Nov. 25. He is the last QB for a Browns team that had back-to-back winning seasons. That was from 1986-89.
No. 19, Bernie Kosar. He will always be special to Browns fans of a certain age.
No. 19, Bernie Kosar. He was good enough to take the Browns to the playoffs five times in his 8½ seasons with the Browns.
No. 19, Bernie Kosar. To remember seeing him play in the late 1980s, how old would you have to be? Certainly in the midst of middle age.
That was when the only number that mattered about a Browns quarterback was the one he wore on his back – not his place on a twisted list of Browns futility.
“I’m the one they’ve been looking for,” Sanders told Tiffany Blackmon of CBS before Sunday’s victory.
If only No. 12 Shedeur Sanders can be something like Bernie Kosar, No. 19.
Tim Couch stated 59 games for the Browns. That is the most since 1999. Bake Mayfield also started 59 games.
John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Imagine being a younger fan
Ty Detmer. He was the Browns’ first starting quarterback after the franchise returned in 1999. That lasted three quarters. He was benched in the fourth quarter of the 43-0 loss to Pittsburgh.
Onto the field came Tim Couch, wearing No. 2. He also is No. 2 on the list of 42 since 1999.
Couch started 59 games for the Browns. He had a 22-37 record. He helped them reach the playoffs in 2002. He also took a savage physical beating playing behind a battered line. He was out of the NFL by the age of 28. Too many injuries, too many surgeries.
Then there’s Baker Mayfield, No. 6. Well, he wore No. 6. He actually was No. 30, as in the 30th QB to start for the Browns since 1999.
Mayfield was with the Browns from 2018-2021. Like Couch, he started 59 games, the most since the team returned in 1999. His record was 29-30. He took the team to the 2020 playoffs. He has revived his career with Tampa Bay, where he has a 25-20 record and has made two Pro Bowls.
Since Mayfield was dumped by the Browns, they have had 10 different starting QBs.
That’s 10 in 3½ seasons, with Sanders being No. 10 on that short list.
Imagine being a young Browns fan, starting to follow the team in 2022.
Here come the quarterbacks: Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, Joe Flacco, Jeff Driskel, Jameis Winston, Bailey Zappe, Dillon Gabriel and now Sanders.
Brian Hoyer had a 10-6 record with the Browns. AP
Reason for hope?
I think about those young Browns fans. It’s a good guess that many of them are among Sanders’ more than 2 million social media followers. Some older fans also are in that group.
No. 12, Shedeur Sanders. A lot of fans already had his jersey after his career at Colorado and his social media fame. He also is a member of a football royal family, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
In his first start, Sanders was under a lot of pressure. Many of his fans and members of the media had been demanding the Browns play him for weeks as the team started with a 2-8 record.
His father (also his college coach) was there, wearing his trademark cowboy hat. Deion Sanders (who also served as his agent) was among those who insisted his son never should have fallen into the fifth round of the draft.
“A lot of people want me to fail,” Shedeur Sanders said at his postgame press conference Sunday. “That ain’t gonna happen.”
Former NFL player and father of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders watched his son’s first NFL start. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
He played with poise
The defense with 10 sacks was the main reason the Browns beat Las Vegas. But Sanders deserves praise. He played with poise. He was sacked only once. He did throw an interception.
For the most part, he not only stayed away from negative plays – he also made some big-time plays for the Browns.
In the first quarter, he saw the blitz coming. He rolled to his right and delivered a terrific on-target pass to fellow rookie Isaiah Bond for a 52-yard gain. It was the Browns’ longest passing play in the last 15 games dating back to 2024.
He also connected with Jerry Jeudy on a 39-yard completion. It was another excellent throw while rolling out. Jeudy then lost the ball on a fumble when he sort of jogged and was caught from behind by a defender.
Those were the two best passing plays this season for the Browns.
Sanders was 11 of 20 passing for 209 yards. He was the first Browns rookie to win his first start since Eric Zeier, and that was in 1995.
Sanders is now 1-0 as a starter. The only Cleveland QBs since 1999 with winning records are Brian Hoyer (10-6) and Joe Flacco (5-4).
Welcome to an exclusive club, Shedeur Sanders. Yes, you’re No. 42 on the list. But here’s hoping you and your No. 12 can stick around for a while.
