A biting war of words erupts as Todd Monken fires back at Mike Tomlin’s "the Browns is the Browns" jab following Cleveland’s gritty upset over Tampa Bay.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin took a jab at his former rival when the Cleveland Browns lost 34-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1.
"In the words of my friend JuJu Smith-Schuster, 'the Browns is the Browns,'"
The comments didn't sit well with first-year head coach Todd Monken, who made sure to rub those words in when the Browns pulled off a 23-19 upset of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2.
"Browns are gonna Browns. (Expletive) that!" Monken said, via Yahoo Sports. "The guys took that to heart."
During his appearance on "Football Night in America" on Sunday, Tomlin brushed the comments off, saying Monken should be thankful he could motivate the Browns players.
“I’m glad that I can still motivate although I’m not coaching anymore,” Tomlin said, via Pro Football Talk. “It’s good to be heard. . . . You’re welcome. You’re welcome.”
During his press conference on Monday, Monken seemed bothered by Tomlin's initial comments, saying the loss to the Jaguars was a small sample size.
"Everybody's afforded their opinions. That's what you do when you go from coaching to television," Monken said. "I don't see it that way, 'Browns being Browns.' I don't see it that way.
"Every week is different, every team is different. We just didn't play well. That's one week. That's not 'Browns being Browns,' that's Browns being poorly on one week … The only way to change people's opinions is to play better. That's a fact."
The Browns played better on Sunday, knocking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 0-2 to start the season.
Watson, who entered the contest needing to prove he should remain the starter before Cleveland's next contest at home in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers, had an impressive performance against revenge-seeking Baker Mayfield. Watson went 24 of 30 passing for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Browns with 22 yards rushing.
The Browns are 1-1 and in a three-way tie for second place int he AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens and Steelers. The Cincinnati Bengals are in first place with a 2-0 record.
The next test for Monken and the Browns will be to show they can be a consistent winner.
