By Robert MarviShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberOn Sunday, Shedeur Sanders will make his first start as an NFL quarterback when the Cleveland Browns visit the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders, like the Browns, are a dismal 2-8, but plenty of people are predicting that he will crash and burn.
Thus far, Sanders has played just one game this season and completed 25% of his pass attempts. Experts have plenty of concerns about him, including but not limited to the excessive amount of time he holds onto the football before making decisions. Sunday will be the first real test for the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders after being hyped up big-time over the last calendar year or so.
While the younger Sanders has reportedly not gotten any first-team reps in practice lately, one Browns source said that he has looked satisfactory during practices of late.
"He's had a good week," said the source, per CBS Sports. "Thrown the ball well and getting more comfortable. Not perfect operationally but that is expected for any rookie. He'll make plays and we want to see how much we can limit mistakes. Good week overall though."
...Read more: Colts’ Charvarius Ward Was Considering Retirement After Injury
Last season, while at the University of Colorado Boulder, the younger Sanders led the Big 12 conference with 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdown passes, and his 74% pass completion rate was the highest of any player in NCAA Division I FBS football. But his reputation was polarizing, and it wasn't just because people were unsure whether those excellent numbers would translate to the next level.
During the pre-draft process, a number of people across the NFL said some very unsavory things about him and his attitude. While one NFC quarterbacks coach called him "a really, really talented passer," another coach said the time he spent with the signal-caller was "the worst formal interview I've ever been in in my life. He's so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates. … But the biggest thing is, he's not that good."
The fact that the Browns are struggling so much and, as usual, are in quarterback hell means they may have nothing to lose by throwing into the turbulent waters of the NFL and seeing if he will sink or swim while the league's sharks pursue him.
Read more: Giants Linked to Intriguing Head Coaching Candidate From NFC Opponent
If the younger Sanders plays poorly and affirms the negative things people have said about him, Cleveland will lose several more games and increase its chances of getting a very high draft pick in April. But if he shows any glimmer of hope, perhaps not so much with his results but with his process and modus operandi, it could give the beleaguered franchise a trickle of optimism moving forward.
When it comes to the Cleveland sports scene, any kind of tangible optimism is always treasured.
For more on the Browns and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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