“Knocked It Out of the Park”: Rich Eisen Applauds Shedeur Sanders for His Expertise in Handling the Media

Shedeur Sanders has truly been tested in his rookie season. It began with him falling down the Browns QB depth chart with no first-team reps for practice. And when he finally got the chance to be the starter for his team, reporters seemed to be placing questions in front of him like land mines.

Almost every week, the 23-year-old rookie has been placed in situations where one wrong sentence could ignite controversy, fracture trust, or feed the ongoing noise around him. Yet every single time, Shedeur has managed to stay poised and redirect tension.

Earlier this season, a reporter tried to stir the narrative that HC Kevin Stefanski was sabotaging Sanders by never giving him reps with the starters in the offseason. It was a question designed to bait frustration. But the former Buffs star smiled and shut it down instantly: “So you just want to start trouble, huh?”

When pressed about his relationship with Stefanski, the rookie quarterback gave an answer that most veteran players would be proud of. “I’m just happy to be here. Coach Stefanski’s been coaching since I got here and been doing a very great job,” he said, extinguishing the “sabotage” storyline before it had a chance to grow.

Fast forward a few weeks, and Cleveland’s loss to Tennessee in Week 14 produced the most difficult moment for Sanders, because he actually had reason to be upset. In the fourth quarter, trailing 31-29 and needing a two-point conversion, Stefanski removed the rookie quarterback from the field and ran a Wildcat play.

The attempt failed disastrously, resulting in the Browns not getting the ball back. After the game, when asked about his head coach’s decision, the rookie quarterback remained composed.

“If I’m out there any play, I would always wish to have the ball in my hand,” he bluntly admitted. But immediately, he pivoted to a team-first narrative: “But that’s not what football is… we practiced something, and we executed in practice, and we just didn’t seem to execute it today. So I would never go against what the call was.”

There was zero resentment or venom in Sanders’ words, and that’s exactly what impressed Rich Eisen. On his show, the veteran broadcaster praised Sanders for consistently handling moments designed to divide player and coach, player and media, or even player and fan perception.

“Every single situation… he’s been put in a position to contradict his coach, or question play calls, or make it about himself… and he answered it, knocked it out of the park each time,” Eisen said.

Eisen emphasized that Sanders had every opportunity to react emotionally. Instead, the rookie responded as if he had ten years of NFL experience.

Sanders has been put in a tough spot again and again. Earlier this month, after Cleveland suffered a loss against the 49ers, a reporter pushed the QB again, this time, implying criticism of HC Stefanski’s aggressive fourth-down decisions. But yet again, Sanders didn’t take the bait.

“I mean, first, that’s a rude question to ask… We’re not gonna be here and ever point fingers at no coach… that’s extremely disrespectful,” he replied. And even while rejecting the framing, he still managed to elevate his coach: “I’m thankful that he trusts us as an offense.”

Whether brushing off instigation attempts, redirecting “trouble-making” questions, or refusing to criticize a questionable decision in a one-score game, Sanders showed a level of media maturity rarely seen in young quarterbacks.

And now, fittingly, as Eisen pointed out, the Browns have announced that Shedeur will be their starter for the rest of the season.

It’s a decision that reflects not just his 364-yard, four-touchdown performance against Tennessee but the composure he shows when the cameras turn on, and most importantly, the confidence he exhibits on the field.

Considering all this, it really does look like Shedeur Sanders now has a fair idea of what an NFL QB1 is supposed to do and say. The next step is consistency.