Deshaun Watson’s personal quarterback coach and friend, Quincy Avery, stepped up to defend the Cleveland Browns quarterback, dismissing recent claims about Watson’s football IQ as “patently false.”
Watson has been under fire during his miserable start to the season. The Browns have stumbled to a 1-4 record and he’s been a big part of the team’s issues, leading to many calling for Watson to be benched.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports told a story on Thursday about Watson at a Texans’ practice back in 2020. Robinson cited an executive who was stunned by Watson’s reliance on former Houston head coach Bill O’Brien and the number of times he would look to the sideline for help.
“We were at the point in his career where this should not happen,” Robinson said. “(The executive thought) this is not a fully developed situation. There’s something still missing. He’s putting up big stats, they’re losing games and there’s something that’s not completely right.
Love watching all these interviews on the #NFL talk shows because you get tidbits like this from @CharlesRobinson regarding Deshaun Watson #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/Qe8zyXAZz3
— Jackson McCurry (@JackMcCurry08) October 10, 2024
“Bill O’Brien might have been covering for some missing pieces in that development for Watson. That’s what we’re seeing now. He’s not a fully baked cake. We thought he was because of his numbers, but we didn’t see what was going on behind the scenes.”
Deshaun Watson’s QB Coach Calls Story ‘Patently False’
Avery — who hosts the “QB Unplugged” podcast with Watson — took to social media to call out the account from Robinson.
“You know how you know this isn’t true? Because they have headset communication what would he need to look at him for if he was as confused. He could just you know talk to him,” Avery said. “I’m all about fair criticism but that’s just a patently false story.”
Robinson responded to Avery, defending his side of the story.
“Not going to get into a back and forth here, but OC Tim Kelly was on headset comms,” Robinson said. “(O’Brien) had info on checks, reminders and protections. But no, it wasn’t OB on the helmet comms.”
Despite the debate, it’s clear Watson hasn’t performed up to expectations this season, and his decision-making has been a key factor. The Browns have allowed a league-high 26 sacks, and while the offensive line has struggled, Watson’s hesitation and lack of decisiveness have also contributed to the high sack total.
Deshaun Watson Still Continues to Tune Out Criticism
Watson has passed for 852 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions this season. Since the 2022 blockbuster trade that brought him to Cleveland, he’s posted a 9-8 record as the starter.
The outside noise surrounding his performance has escalated from a mere whisper to a loud roar. Yet, Watson says he remains unfazed, staying focused on tuning it out.
“First off, I don’t hear it, I don’t see it,” Watson said on Wednesday during his media availability. “I mean, for the outside people and the media, it might be loud, but for myself, I got to make sure I’m locked in and trying to do whatever I can to get all of us on the same page to play winning football.”
If the Browns were to turn away from Watson, veteran Jameis Winston would be next in line to start. Watson will have another chance to prove himself this week against the Philadelphia Eagles.
J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He graduated from Arizona State and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SBNation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
