How Todd Monken’s old-school discipline and new-school relationships turned into a Hollywood-level comparison—and why it matters for the Browns’ QB drama.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
August 2, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Browns GM Andrew Berry compared new head coach Todd Monken to Billy Bob Thornton’s fixer Tommy Norris fromLandman, calling him an old-school disciplinarian with new-school relationships and a rare ability to solve problems and connect with everyone from young players to power brokers.
- Berry and the Browns see Monken’s leadership style as crucial as he takes over a high-profile quarterback room featuring Deshaun Watson and second-year QB Shedeur Sanders after coordinating one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses in Baltimore.
- Sanders has praised Monken for bringing a new vibe and energy while the coach insists every quarterback will get opportunities amid trade speculation, increased attention on Cleveland, and Sanders’ breakout rookie year and record-setting $17.7 million in NFLPA group licensing earnings.
Forget football coaches. The Cleveland Browns think they’ve found their own Tommy Norris.
While discussing first-year head coach Todd Monken, Browns general manager Andrew Berry reached for an unexpected comparison, likening him to Billy Bob Thornton’s battle-tested fixer in Landman—a man trusted to solve problems no matter who’s standing in front of him.
“Todd’s awesome,” Berry said, per the Akron Beacon Journal. “I think the best way to describe him is, old school discipline, with new school relationships, and football. Have any of you watched Landman? I think Todd’s like Billy Bob Thornton’s character of Tommy Norris in Landman. Here’s a guy who’s highly intelligent, great critical thinking skills, great savvy, rare problem solver. But he can also relate to a 21-year-old on the oil rig, the head of the drug cartel, and the financier in the office. That is Todd Monken.”
It’s an unusually colorful description, but one that tracks with Thornton’s character. Tommy Norris spends Landman putting out fires across West Texas, navigating billionaires, roughnecks, dangerous criminals, and corporate politics with the same blunt, no-nonsense approach.
In Monken, the Browns believe they have someone who can command a locker room while connecting with players at every level of the organization.
That skill could prove essential this season.
Monken inherited one of the NFL’s most closely watched quarterback rooms after arriving from the Baltimore Ravens, where he coordinated one of football’s most explosive offenses.
In Cleveland, he’s tasked with sorting through a competition featuring Deshaun Watson and second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders, whose offseason has generated almost as many headlines as his play.
Sanders has publicly embraced Monken’s approach, saying the new coaching staff brought “a new vibe” and “a new energy” to the Browns.
Meanwhile, Monken has stressed that every quarterback will continue receiving opportunities as the competition unfolds, even as outside reports have linked Sanders to trade speculation.
The attention on Cleveland has only intensified in recent months. Sanders capped his rookie year with a Pro Bowl replacement selection, graduated from the University of Colorado, and shattered the NFLPA’s single-season group licensing record by earning $17.7 million.
