Browns' Shedeur Sanders claims 'smiling' comment about Saints defense was taken out of context

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is trying to put out the fire he claims he wasn't trying to start. Sanders says he didn't intend to give the New Orleans Saints bulletin board material ahead of their Week 9 matchup, even though his comments came across that way to his opponents.

"Everything I do up to this point is taken out of context, but I can't be one caring about what people say," Sanders told CBS Sports' AJ Ross pregame. "I would never disrespect or ever talk down another opponent or another team, so that's just another trick in the media that they use. However they feel, they feel. I don't care how they feel."

Sanders will make his first start of the season on Sunday with Deshaun Watson in concussion protocol. As such, he conducted a media availability session ahead of the contest on Wednesday and made an eyebrow-raising comment about the Saints and a defense that ranks 28th in yards per game allowed and 29th in scoring.

"I've seen a lot," Sanders said with a grin when asked what he noticed on film. "When I smile, just know that means something. I'm maturing, you know what I'm saying? I'm maturing. I could have gave that a decent answer, but now I'm just going to smile whenever it's just, like, some questions, you know?"

Sanders may not have criticized the New Orleans defense outright, but his body language made it clear that he saw a unit he could pick apart during his film study. The second-year player would be far from the first quarterback to have his way against this squad, which allows 233.3 yards per game through the air, but the Saints might come out with additional motivation to stop him in the wake of those remarks.

Count edge rusher Carl Granderson among those who saw what Sanders had to say.

"We're gonna come in with a chip on our shoulder for sure," Granderson said. "They've been chirping a little bit. We see what the quarterback done said. We're finna come in hot and ready to play. We're going to pack the defense, and the offense is going to come with it. It's going to be a good game for sure. We're going to come out with the dub."

Dating back to his college career, Sanders has long been a lightning rod for attention off the field. The former fifth-round pick and son of Deion Sanders is never one to avoid speaking his mind.