Todd Monken leading the charge at the Cleveland Browns is a test of fire for the team. The 60-year-old has become an NFL head coach for the first time, and the media has refused to stop doubting him.  

In a passionate rant, Nick Wilson of 92.3 The Fan defended the head coach.

“I'm a little sick of Todd Monken getting the Freddie Kitchens treatment from the greater media," he said on the show. “People are treating him like this guy hasn't earned it. I think this is Bruce Arians 2.0.”

Monken's hiring was not a cakewalk for him or the franchise. He was 59 when he was hired and was picked over former Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. The latter reportedly left the facility when he was informed of Monken's hiring. Outside, people echoed a similar level of disappointment.

The Athletic, in a ranking of all the coaching hires, Todd Monken was tied at No. 9 with zero points. Since 2000, Stefanski, Butch Davis, and Romero Crennell are the only Cleveland HC to have lasted for more than two seasons. That's precedent enough for skeptics to doubt Monken's tenure at Cleveland, especially since he is a first-time head coach.

Monken isn't someone who shies away from speaking the truth. He's also been giving us updates on spring camp, has given clarity on the troubled quarterback situation, and has also spoken about players not being part of voluntary practice. In most situations, other head coaches would choose not to answer tricky questions and speak about how they are looking at the future.

But Monken has still shown enough that he is capable of making some change in this team.

Monken Could Be a Miracle Worker Like Bruce Arians

Monken joined the Ravens in 2023 as their offensive coordinator and gave the offense a jump-start. The team jumped to 28.4 points per game that year, after averaging 20.6 in 2022. Lamar Jackson was able to find his way back and was named 2024's MVP.  

Monken is one of the best offensive minds in the league. Putting him on the same level as Freddie Kitchens would be a disrespect, as he was fired after a 6-10 season. Monken sure is more capable than that.

When Bruce Arians came to Tampa Bay, the team was also in a similar condition. This could have also been a gamble, but Arians went on to win the Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in his second season. The team got Tom Brady to suit up with them that year, which is also a huge win for him.

It's still too early to call it on Todd Monken, and he can always recreate something like Arians did at.

What do you think of the narrative around the Browns' head coach? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Afreen Kabir