Todd Monken turned 60 earlier this month — two days after the Cleveland Browns introduced him as their new head coach, in fact. Three weeks since then, he has revealed what his gift was.
While speaking to CBS Sports during the Scouting Combine on Thursday, he said:
“I got this package. I thought it was from my wife… it’s like this porcelain horse head and it’s from Shedeur (Sanders).”
It seemed to baffle him:
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
“I asked him, ‘What was the meaning?’ And he just said, ‘Well, I really liked it. I got myself one.’ ‘Well, great.’”
Todd Monken gets candid on bringing Ravens offense to Browns
Back to the football side of things, Todd Monken shared his thoughts on what system he would be running with the Browns.
Before becoming head coach, he was the Baltimore Ravens‘ offensive coordinator for three seasons. In his 2023 debut, they boasted the league’s highest-scoring offense and clinched the AFC’s top seed. Then, in 2024, buoyed by the arrival of elite running back Derrick Henry, they led the league in yards.
Now that he is coaching for a divisional rival, however, some things in his system will have to change to confound opponents:
“They’ve got all our stuff. We’re going to have to change some of it for God’s sakes. I mean, we can’t keep the same calls. … There’s some things you’re going to have to flip terminology-wise, but what you believe in, how you attack people, how you go about your daily routine, your coaching staff has got to stay the same. That’s why you got the job.”
He also said:
“I’m sure they tweaked some things. And each year you’re tweaking it. It’s going to change, you’re going to evolve, you’re going to adapt and we’re the same way, but what we do is what we do, how we call it, how we scheme it up can’t change. You have to be what you believe in and how you attack people and how you prepare everything.”
The Combine lasts until March 1. After that, the new league year will begin on March 11.
Edited by Andre Castillo