Browns' Watson on rust: 'When it clicks, it clicks'

BEREA, Ohio -- After struggling successful his archetypal crippled successful 700 days, Cleveland Browns backmost Deshaun Watson said helium expects to beryllium amended Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"I don't cognize erstwhile it's going to travel back," Watson said Thursday. "I don't cognize if it was going to beryllium past week, this week. My occupation is to conscionable support getting amended and erstwhile it clicks, it clicks, and everyone volition consciousness that."

Watson served an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL's idiosyncratic behaviour argumentation by committing intersexual assault, arsenic defined by the league, connected massage therapists. He besides sat retired each of past play aft demanding a commercialized from the Houston Texans.

In Week 13, against his erstwhile team, Watson failed to pb the Browns to an violative touchdown. He besides completed conscionable 12 of 22 passes for 131 yards and threw an interception successful the extremity zone. Cleveland inactive won the crippled 27-14 acknowledgment to a punt instrumentality touchdown and 2 antiaircraft scores.

Watson, who led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards successful 2020, said that respective of his misfires were owed to issues with "mechanics" and "fundamentals." In summation to saying helium inactive needed to amended his conditioning, Watson admitted it was affectional going to backmost to Houston connected the heels of the suspension.

"The past week, it was a lot. The anticipation to beryllium backmost connected the field. The anticipation of going backmost to my erstwhile team. The anticipation, playing against erstwhile teammates and being successful beforehand of a assemblage that utilized to cheer for maine astatine the time," said Watson, who was booed heavy during the game, but besides had plentifulness of fans seeking his autograph earlier the crippled kicked off.

"So, each that worldly was definitely, it was a lot. I'm human. So, I decidedly person things moving done my mind. I'm gladsome that's retired the way, I'm gladsome we got the win. I'm conscionable trying to look guardant to this week. It's going to beryllium a hostile situation successful Cincinnati. It's going to beryllium amusive and we conscionable got to spell retired determination and conscionable marque definite we execute the crippled plan."

Watson was suspended aft being accused by much than 2 twelve women of intersexual battle and different intersexual misconduct during massage sessions. Watson wasn't charged criminally. He has settled 23 of the civilian lawsuits against him; 2 lawsuits stay active. Watson has denied each wrongdoing successful the past, though helium has declined to reply questions astir the accusations oregon his league-mandated therapy since returning from the suspension.

The Browns are 5-7 but person won 2 games successful a enactment to support their faint playoff hopes alive.

Watson said arsenic helium regains his feel, readjusts to the velocity of the crippled and adapts to moving with his caller receivers arsenic good arsenic Browns manager and violative playcaller Kevin Stefanski, helium volition amended disconnected the mode helium played successful Houston -- opening this play against the Bengals.

"It was my archetypal clip successful a unrecorded enactment with Kevin. He's got to consciousness however I consciousness oregon I got to consciousness however helium feel. And we've got to beryllium capable to enactment connected the aforesaid leafage and spot the aforesaid happening done the aforesaid lenses," Watson said. "Every receiver is different. All those guys are antithetic way runners. So being capable to cognize however they're going to travel retired erstwhile they're going to travel out, however they're going to travel retired and wherever they're going to be.

"It takes a small spot of time. But I've got to beryllium capable to set quick."