00:00Daryl Ryder is on the line. Hi, Daryl. How are you?
00:02I'm good. Good job by Tom picking the Browns for Greg.
00:06Isn't that wild? Yeah, it is.
00:08All right, my friend. Let's talk about this for a second.
00:12A lot of talk about your Browns and what they're doing right now.
00:15What the hell are they doing, Daryl? What are they doing?
00:19Well, right now, they're probably watching more tape.
00:25They're probably conducting more pre-draft interviews.
00:30And probably laughing at all of us at the same time.
00:33Because we're chasing them around like they know exactly what they're doing
00:37and they're watching us just try to figure it out, right?
00:39Pretty much.
00:41Well, we're assuming that they know what they're doing,
00:44which we've made that mistake many a time.
00:47But, you know, give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
00:50We'll find out if ultimately they actually did know what they were doing.
00:54I think, though, Daryl, all things, let's be fair here.
00:57I think they showed they knew what they were doing at least last year
01:00and had a, if not an A draft, then an A- draft, in my opinion.
01:06They kind of surprised us with the way they ended up going with, you know,
01:11making the big move in the first round and then taking Mason Graham,
01:15who I don't think anybody had on their 2025 draft bingo card.
01:20So where do you think they're leading now?
01:21I mean, obviously, Daryl, we all know the major needs, you know,
01:26offensive tackle, wide receiver.
01:29We were talking to Nick Shook earlier, who is the same belief that I am,
01:33that, you know, best player available, I think, has to be on the board.
01:36And I think also on the board is that they're clearly probably shopping
01:40that number six pick because I think there's about a half dozen teams
01:43or more that are all in the same boat.
01:45Yeah, I do think that the for sale sign, Tom, is on that number six pick.
01:50And I'll be honest with you, I kind of feel like the best case scenario
01:55for the Browns is that Jeremiah Love be there, Caleb Downs be there,
02:03and even Carnell Tate be there.
02:05So if you have those three players sitting at six and they get down that far,
02:10I think that helps Andrew Barry sell that draft pick.
02:14I think the challenge will be trying to pry a 2027 first rounder from somebody
02:21just because of all the attention being paid to what that quarterback draft class
02:27could be.
02:28I think that is going to be a little tougher for Andrew Barry to replicate
02:31what he was able to do last year with Jacksonville,
02:35which obviously netted him the 24th overall pick here.
02:38But those are really my three guys, Tom.
02:41If they came away with any of those three guys, I would be perfectly fine.
02:45Yeah, so that's how you feel.
02:46So if nobody takes the bait.
02:48Which means they'll trade out of it, guys.
02:50I mean, let's just be honest.
02:51You guys are talking so much reality, so much truth,
02:54and what they should do, Daryl, you just laid it out,
02:56and you know what's going to happen.
02:58They're going to trade.
02:59Well, let's go back to that scenario.
03:00And all three of those guys are going to be there,
03:01and they're just going to come back.
03:03Daryl, who's your preference of those three then?
03:05Let's say all three are on the board.
03:06Well, I think Jeremiah Love is the best player.
03:11I think Caleb Downs is the second best player,
03:14and I think Carnell Tate, I'd put him third of those three specific players, Tom.
03:20Like, I'm ranking those specific three guys.
03:25You know, I think the problem for the Browns is that, you know,
03:32Caleb Downs is a safety, and, you know, defense isn't exactly a priority right now, right?
03:38It always is, though.
03:40I know, I know, but, you know, Jeremiah Love is a running back.
03:43They just drafted two running backs last year, but he's one of those guys that you can put him in
03:48the slot.
03:49He just does – he's just such an explosive –
03:51Get him the ball, right.
03:52Yeah.
03:52He's just an explosive game, you know, gamer.
03:56Yeah, absolutely.
03:57So that's why he has my attention.
04:01Now, do I think that that is, you know, great roster building there?
04:04No, but, like, I'm not a proponent of passing on great players, and, you know,
04:12there's no such thing as having enough great players.
04:17So, you know, for all the conversation about wide receiver and tackle, obviously, in this case, left tackle,
04:26like, I just feel like you take the – you always take the best talent that's available to you,
04:32and everything else is just going to work itself out.
04:35If you draft specifically for need, right, and look, I reckon – raising my hand, self-reporting here,
04:41I'm first in line to criticize them for having holes on the roster,
04:44but, like, if you're always just drafting based on your need, you pass up on great players,
04:49and it makes it real difficult to accumulate the blue-chip talent that you need to compete,
04:54they've got blue-chip talent on the defensive side of the ball.
04:57Miles Garrett, Carson Swessinger, Grant Delpit, and Denzel Ward,
05:02and you really don't have blue-chip talent on the offensive side.
05:06Maybe Harold Fannin Jr. and Quinshaw Judkins are the closest you have to that.
05:11So they need to infuse blue-chip talent, young blue-chip talent, onto the offensive side of the ball
05:19if they want to get where they want to go, and that's making this a more watchable football team
05:23and hopefully a more competitive football team.
05:26Darrell, what's the deal with Miles Garrett?
05:28I mean, they stretch out his contract.
05:30They do some stuff that make it look like they're trading.
05:33Then they come back to the owner's meeting and say, we're not trading him.
05:36And like Tom said, it's like going by the donut place that puts the light on that says,
05:40hey, fresh, now we're open for business.
05:44I thought it was a great comparison.
05:47Yeah, look, if I had a dollar for every time a team said they weren't trading a player
05:52and then they traded the player, we wouldn't be having this conversation
05:54because I'd be resting on a beach somewhere.
05:56That's probably true.
05:57I'm sitting in one of those Mike Holmgren drinks with an umbrella in it.
06:00In a golf cart?
06:01In a golf cart, too, with my foot propped up.
06:05Well, I've got to be fair to Mike there.
06:07He was in like a walking boot or a cast at the time.
06:09Yeah, that is true.
06:11With playoff tickets?
06:12With playoff tickets.
06:13And, you know, when they came up to me and said, hey, coach, you should be coaching,
06:16and they all looked at me like I was crazy.
06:18I was like, no, you probably should have been coaching.
06:20Hey, it's not business as usual here at the Cleveland Browns.
06:23I want you all to know that, but don't call me for them playoff tickets.
06:26That's right.
06:27But, yeah, I do feel like that if they get the godfather offer, right?
06:32I mean, Andrew Barry isn't doing his job if he does not answer the phone when it rings.
06:35Okay?
06:36That's just standard operating procedure.
06:39If they get a godfather offer, you have to entertain it, right?
06:42Now, do I think that the Browns are actively shopping Miles Garrett?
06:46No.
06:47So, in that regard, I think Andrew Barry was being honest at the owners' meetings when he said that, you
06:51know,
06:52he's a career Brown, which is true.
06:55He's been here his whole career.
06:57And, you know, they don't have an intention of trading him.
07:00They didn't make those changes to trade him.
07:03But let's be real about it.
07:05The changes that were made to that bonus structure, the payment plan on it, gives them the flexibility if an
07:15opportunity arises to trade him.
07:17Now, Miles has ultimate veto power.
07:19He controls where he goes with the no trade clause.
07:22Obviously, they're not going to trade him to the Arizona Cardinals.
07:25Okay?
07:25So, you're thinking teams that are contenders.
07:29And any potential trade, I think it has to be three first-round picks.
07:33And the reason is, by the way, that's where the conversation begins.
07:38Because if you're trading him to a contender, the first-round picks you're getting back in return are going to
07:43be late first-round picks.
07:44Okay?
07:45So, that's why it needs to be three.
07:48Because, again, he's not going to approve a trade to a team that is not ready to contend.
07:54That kind of defeats the whole purpose of him, you know, talking so much about wanting to win here.
07:58So, I'm not sold that he's 100% happy with the things right now coming off a five-win season.
08:05He said, I pulled the audio for my Sunday show last week, and I played it quite a bit, where
08:11he talked about, I just want success.
08:13I don't care how it looks.
08:14You know, I'm all-in with this organization as long as we're playing to win.
08:19We're not tanking or angling for draft picks or anything like that.
08:23So, and I do believe that Miles is true to his word in that regard.
08:28I just think that right now, this whole team-building process for the Browns is so misaligned.
08:33They have a defense that's a playoff-caliber, Super Bowl-caliber defense,
08:37and they have an offense that's like it's an insult to an expansion team.
08:42They can't even score 17 points a game with regularity.
08:45So, that's, I think, them being kind of caught in between in addition to, hey, we're trying to win games
08:51this year.
08:52At the same time, though, probably the best thing for them is to lose games so they get a better
08:58draft pick in 2027 to pick a quarterback.
09:01But, yeah, they're kind of caught in between, in my view.
09:03Gotcha.
09:04Let's shift gears here for a second, Daryl, and kick off your cleats and slip on your sneakers,
09:09and let's talk some Cavs basketball.
09:10Sure.
09:11It's been a season of inconsistency, I think, would be the best way to describe it.
09:16Where do you think they're at right now?
09:19How concerned are you about Jared Allen's knee?
09:23Do they have time to kind of figure out an identity here going forward?
09:27Where are you at with just a handful of games to go in the regular season?
09:31I don't want to be negative, but I do think they're in trouble.
09:35I think Jared Allen is a lot more important to this team than I, and I admit this, than I
09:41have given credit for in years past.
09:43I didn't feel that Jared was all that important.
09:46But now with James Harden in the mix, I think he's a crucial piece here.
09:52The tendinitis in the knee, that really does concern me.
09:55Their health concerns me.
09:57They've not been whole the entire season.
10:00I've lost count of the variety of starting lineups that Kenny Atkinson has had to use, right?
10:05And even with all those challenges, Tom, they're still the top four seed in the conference.
10:12And right now, I kind of want them to be the number four seed, even though the New York Knicks
10:16are trying to lose their way.
10:18The Knicks are trying to angle for the same thing.
10:20The Cavs' secret is out.
10:22So I am a little concerned.
10:25I think I've got, what, six games to play.
10:26I just, Kenny Atkinson said a week ago, not a lot of time to work on the rotations and things
10:31like that leading up to the playoffs.
10:33That got my attention.
10:36But as he said, hey, we'll just do what we've done all season and we'll make it up as we
10:39go along.
10:40So hopefully they're able to find whatever combinations they need in the postseason to get themselves through that second round.
10:47But I'm not as confident as I was about three, four weeks ago.
10:52I will admit that.
10:53But I do think they are deep, deeper, I should say, than they were last year.
10:58And I think they're a better basketball team than they were last year.
11:01It's just it'd be nice if they could be healthy for a change so they could give these teams their
11:05best shot.
11:05Speaking of health, Daryl, what have been your impressions of Donovan Mitchell?
11:09I mean, we've not really seen the same explosiveness from him in the second half.
11:15I know he had to deal with that groin injury.
11:17What is your concern level in terms of Donovan and his health as we get ramped up towards the playoffs?
11:23Yeah, I mean, and we've seen this the last couple of years, Tom, right, where we get to the end
11:28of the season and he's gassed.
11:30And they've made concerted efforts the last two years to really watch his minutes, right, not to overplay him, not
11:36to burn him out.
11:38But then, you know, as you mentioned, the groin injury pops up and look, those things flare up.
11:45And they're not going anywhere unless Donovan Mitchell can be healthy and give you as close to 100% as
11:54possible, right?
11:54I mean, I kind of still feel like he's the engine even with having, you know, James Harden, right?
11:59And so, yeah, my number one concern about this team has nothing to do with their talent, their ability, the
12:05coaching, none of that.
12:07It's 100% can they be healthy enough to compete at the level that's required for them to advance.
12:13That is my number one concern.
12:16And it's just it's unfortunate that they've gone through what they've gone through this year.
12:19But I'm going to, you know what, Tom?
12:20I'm going to flip it into a positive for a second, right?
12:22That a boy.
12:23But they've dealt with so many injuries this year, and they've been forced to try so many things, right, and
12:29play without guys.
12:30It's build your depth, et cetera, right?
12:32Right.
12:32And so whatever gets thrown at them in the playoffs, it's not going to be a shock to the system
12:38because they've already had to deal with it.
12:40But the problem there is, though, is, again, you don't have your best players available, right?
12:45But I do think at least they're battle-tested enough to where they've dealt with so many of these injuries.
12:53They've still been able to win in spite of them.
12:56Maybe that is something that they can turn into a positive to help them as they go through the postseason.
13:01But health is, man, chief concern and has me a little nervous about their ability to get through that second
13:09round,
13:09especially if the New York Knicks tank their way into the fourth pick or fourth seed, rather.
13:15They bump the Cavs up to number three.
13:17I do not want to see the Boston Celtics in the second round because then we're going to have the
13:21same conversations we've been having for the last two offseasons.
13:25All right, Daryl, before we let you go, first of all, I've got to give you your props for suggesting
13:30to the Guardians a fan-friendly thing to do.
13:35And you called it, you did it, and they should be thanking you.
13:38But also, I know you were at what's new at the ballpark.
13:41What is new at the ballpark?
13:44Well, I've got to tell you, the new food, the steak sandwich is my all-time favorite new item that
13:50they've added,
13:50but they've added a bunch of other stuff, too.
13:52Why? Why is it?
13:53I don't know.
13:54Well, obviously, I'm a big steak guy, but it just hit right, okay?
14:03That's all I can say.
14:04They've got a new spicy chicken sandwich that's pretty good, too.
14:07But, yeah, they are still working on the third base side by the team shop there, that patio area.
14:14That is still under construction.
14:18Behind the stands?
14:19Yeah, that should be done by the end of April.
14:23They got a new marketplace stand on the first base side that they did.
14:28They renovated a concession stand on the second deck, make it a little more fan-friendly for fans to be
14:34able to just get in there and get what they want and get out of there without missing a lot
14:38of the game action.
14:39I'll say this.
14:40They did a great job preserving that ballpark and modernizing it and updating it.
14:44It looks great.
14:45I think fans will enjoy the changes.
14:48And then the, yeah, the Guardians of Traffic photo, social media photo area, that's on the third base side.
14:56So you just, you can stand there and take, you can pretend to be one of the Guardians of Traffic,
15:01which I think is really cool.
15:02That was my idea.
15:03That's right.
15:04That was my idea.
15:05I said that like two, three years ago when they unveiled the City Connect thing.
15:09Remember they had that big block C in right field where fans could do that?
15:12Yep.
15:13Yeah, and so, yeah, so, but that's on the third base side.
15:15I am proud of you.
15:16Look at you, Daryl.
15:17Nice job.
15:18You know what?
15:18Mr. Marketing.
15:20Anything I can do to help these teams market themselves, I'm here for them.
15:23Good job.
15:24Daryl Ryder, as always, thank you very much.
15:26We appreciate your time.
15:27You're a good man.
15:27You bet, guys.
15:28Have a good one.
15:28See you, Daryl.
15:29Talk to you later.
15:29He is Daryl Ryder.
15:30He covers everything for us.
15:32Let's just be honest with you.
Comments