Jimmy Haslam's recent comments on Deshaun Watson caught fire on social media, but the actual quotes reveal a nuanced message regarding the Cleveland Browns QB situation.
There have been plenty of reasons to be critical of Jimmy and Dee Haslam since they purchased the Cleveland Browns in 2012.
In the 14 seasons that have followed, the franchise has posted a regrettable record of 78-150. There's been an 0-16 season. A two-year stretch where the team went. 1-31 in two seasons. Draft pick flops. The infamous Deshaun Watson trade. The list goes on and on, and Browns fans are certainly no strangers to it.
It's a pretty rotten history that has worked against the Haslam's getting any benefit of the doubt. So when they speak, it's no surprise they're often taken out of context. And that's exactly what happened this past week at the NFL's annual meetings.
In fielding questions about Deshaun Watson and the Browns unclear quarterback situation, certain parts of what Jimmy Haslam said caught fire on social media, while others were completely ignored.
So what did he actually say?
Well, he did say he wished he had articulated things a little better regarding Watson a year ago, when he called the team's trade for him a "swing-and-a-miss." Granted, he wasn't wrong.
The rest of the quote that followed, though, included several buzzy remarks that were picked up on social media, but it wasn't the ringing endorsement some made it out to be.
"It's not for lack of effort, OK? I mean, I don't think anybody in our organization would question [Watson's] effort, his toughness, everything he's put in the job. The reality is he's had major injuries, right? His shoulder, tore his Achilles tendon twice. So he's been really ravaged by injuries and that, along with the 11 game suspension, have kept him from playing. Now, Deshaun has a great chance, fresh start, offensive minded coach, who has, in his past, been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make him successful. So Deshaun has a great chance to do that now. We talked to him the other day. He said he weighed the less than he had in several years, was in great shape. He'll be here on April 7 when we start and let's see what Deshaun could do. We’re all excited.
He said he's excited to see what he can do with a new head coach and in some respects, a new lease on life. Does that response come off as generally optimistic regarding Watson's chances of bouncing back? Sure, and as a standalone quote, it's easy to interpret that as Haslam favoring Watson for the starting job. It wasn't a standalone quote, though.
One line that got plenty of traction on social media was Haslam apparently saying Watson could go from "a swing-and-a-miss, to a home run." But the truth is, he never actually said that.
That's right it's not an exactly quote from Haslam, but rather, a question he was asked. "Do you think a swing and a miss can maybe go to a home run?"
The response was more measured.
There's a lot of quarterbacks who, it seems to be kind of the theme in the NFL who either started, did not start well and take the Super Bowl champ, right? And what a great story that is for Sam Darnold. Deshaun started great and the year before we signed him, he was the second best quarterback in NFL. And then the suspension and the injuries and all that piled up. Can he come back from that? He certainly had the ability at one point in time and we’re cautiously optimistic.
Is it not reasonable for the owner of the team to hope Watson can reclaim the top-five QB version of himself from nearly six years ago? That would change the entire trajectory of the franchise if he did.
However, is it likely? Probably not. And that's why Haslam expressing "cautious optimism" makes sense. Could new head coach Todd Monken be the secret sauce to unlock Watson? Maybe. Is Haslam guaranteeing it? Absolutely not.
Deep down, he seems to know the truth about Watson – he wouldn't have called him a swing-and-a-miss in the first place if he didn't understand it. But while Cleveland is stuck with him on its roster for at least one more season, he's leaving room to be shocked.
Which brings us to the other thing Haslam understands with Watson. Until he performs on the field, nothing is guaranteed. His answer to a question about potentially extending Watson if he plays well is a perfect example.
I think it's really premature to ask those kinds of questions. Let's get him back, see how he plays, and then we'll address that.
Haslam is going to let the process play out on the field, as he should, and let Monken decide who starts.
There was no jumping to conclusions. There was no assuming anything. There were no bold claims about what Watson can be. These were the comments of a man taking a "wait and see approach" to Watson and the Browns QB situation.
Shouldn't we all be doing that?
There were only a handful of reporters on the scene in Phoenix for the annual meetings, so it's understandable why Haslam's comments were likely taken out of context by some. With the benefit of reading the full quotes, though, the answer was clearly more nuanced than they probably seemed.
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