BROWNS COACH TODD MONKEN REBUKES TOMLIN AFTER BUCS WIN

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken said his players took recent criticism of the team to heart after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19, according to reports from CBS Sports and Yahoo Sports. In his post-game press conference, Monken referenced comments made by Mike Tomlin, saying "Browns are gonna Browns — f*** that, OK? The guys took that to heart," a remark first reported on social media by journalist Daniel Oyefusi and cited by EssentiallySports. The win, Cleveland's first of the season, arrived in Monken's debut campaign as the Browns' head coach. It followed a 34-10 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1.

Tomlin, now working as an NBC analyst on Football Night in America, had discussed that Week 1 loss by reviving the phrase "the Browns is the Browns," a line he attributed to former Pittsburgh Steelers player JuJu Smith-Schuster, who used it before a Wild Card match between the Steelers and Browns during the 2020 season. Monken addressed the comment at a press conference the following Monday, saying he did not view the loss as representative of a broader pattern, stating: "That's not Browns being Browns, that's Browns being poorly on one week." He said the team needed to "own" the defeat while adding that opinions could only be changed by better play and coaching, according to EssentiallySports.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson started for Cleveland in the victory over Tampa Bay, whose quarterback was Baker Mayfield, EssentiallySports reported. The result kept the contest close until its conclusion. Monken's comments were framed by reporting outlets as a direct response to Tomlin's earlier remarks. No further statements from Tomlin following the Browns' win were included in the reports.