‘He Was an Embarrassment,’ ‘Take Some Accountability, He Sucks’ — NFL Analysts Refuse To Be Gaslit by Deshaun Watson’s QB Coach

A 34-10 thrashing at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars was probably not how the Cleveland Browns anticipated their season opening. But on the back of a horrendous performance from Deshaun Watson, that is exactly what they got in Week 1.

But his quarterback coach, Quincy Avery, tried to defend the outing, claiming that there was enough upside in the game tape. Unfortunately, for all the analysts who saw the game, his defense fell on hollow ears.

Analysts Are Not Buying Any Deshaun Watson Defense

His final stat line doesn’t look as bad as the vitriol might suggest. 205 passing yards on 9.3 yards per attempt and a touchdown seem alright despite the interception. But the Browns were down 31-0 at one point.

Simply put, a lot of Watson’s numbers came after the Jaguars had already let their foot off the gas. But Avery tried to argue otherwise, claiming that the slow start was a result of his returning after nearly two years.

“I do understand people not liking Deshaun, etc. I also don’t think you guys watched the same tape. I also saw things he def need to do better. But the way you guys are talking about it makes it obvious you didn’t watch it with an honest perspective.”

However, several analysts of analysts wanted no part in that case. Sam Monson outlined the game directly, writing, “Watson was an embarrassment yesterday. Truly awful QB performance.”

Watson was an embarrassment yesterday.

Truly awful QB performance. https://t.co/HOMwdLh0BS

— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) September 14, 2026

A rookie minicamp and training camp reporter wanted Avery and the people around Watson to take accountability. In a scathing remark, he claimed, “I’ve watched your boy Deshaun play like [expletive] for years. Take some accountability. He [expletive] sucks.”

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Quincy Carrier of Cleveland.com tried to explain that the response against Watson wasn’t due to the Week 1 game alone. He wrote, “People are reacting to the entire body of work in Cleveland; how he played week 1 is just the tip of iceberg. Idk why this concept is so hard to grasp for Watson and his associates.”

people are reacting to the entire body of work in Cleveland , how he played week 1 is just the tip of iceberg.

idk why this concept is so hard to grasp for Watson and his associates. https://t.co/ww8FPS5TSG

— Quincy Carrier (@Kwen_C) September 14, 2026

Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan bashed Avery for trying to justify the downright poor performance from Watson. He called him out, writing, “QB coach paid to say nice things about a QB he coaches. The almost 4 turnovers he had was downright impressive stuff.”

QB coach paid to say nice things about a QB he coaches. The almost 4 turnovers he had was downright impressive stuff. https://t.co/1WBaDHjqpP

— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) September 14, 2026

The Dawgs podcast took a hilarious approach to counter Avery’s arguments. Jokingly, they quipped, “There must be a Zack Snyder Cut because what I watched yesterday was horrible.”

For Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, though, it was a common trend emerging from Avery. He claimed, “The tape watchers love to gaslight us about our lying eyes.”

It remains to be seen whether the media’s pushback finally forces Watson to acknowledge his shortcomings. But if his performance does not improve in the coming weeks, then the Browns might not have any choice but to make a switch at QB1 sooner rather than later.