00:00You know him and love him as the man that calls play-by-play for your Cleveland Browns
00:03and on the radio right here on the Browns Radio Network and you love him on Yahoo Sports
00:07as well as all the major stuff we get to watch him on. He is Andrew Siciliano. Hello.
00:13Good morning guys. You're far too kind. Happy Cavs clinch day to you and yours. How are you?
00:17Oh I love the optimism. I love it. It's the welcome back. First of all you have to be optimistic.
00:22Of course. Welcome back JB day. Yeah and and when you look at the the Browns schedule
00:29I think that's what people have to be as well. You have to be optimistic. This is kind of like
00:33the
00:33roadmap for your fall. It's kind of the roadmap to the treasure, roadmap to the prize and like
00:39you go navigate the map. It's not necessarily what I expected. You know the the Florida double
00:46header to open. Hello humidity. That's weird. It is. It's weird. But I do find positives. I mean
00:54in the middle of the season there's going to be a 41-day stretch and we don't get on a
00:58plane.
00:5941 days. Yeah. You with now before that there's a three-game road trip which isn't fun
01:08and that's I think a bit I don't say unfair. Three-game road trips stink in this league and
01:14the schedule maker generally tries to avoid them. However one of those road trips is a bus trip to
01:19Pittsburgh. That game is the morning after Halloween so we're going to have Saturday evening
01:24in Pittsburgh for Halloween. Oh boy. But at the same time look the the Browns and I wanted to go
01:34to
01:34Paris full disclosure but by not going to Paris and the other three teams in the AFC North are all
01:38playing international games. By not going to Paris the Browns will have the second fewest air miles
01:44and part of that was the schedule NFC South and AFC South and two games in New York
01:48but the second fewest air miles in the NFL and guys we only leave the eastern time zone twice
01:55and those are short flights relatively speaking to Nashville and in New Orleans. It's it's not that
02:02bad although there are some things that annoy me. All right well tell me I like I think it's a
02:06it's a favorable schedule for all the reasons you laid out but what annoys you?
02:12What annoys me is the placement of the playoff teams so the Browns have five games which is really
02:19good. I mean there are teams that have 10. The Browns have five games against teams that made the
02:23playoffs last year. Two of those five are the Steelers. All right they open with three of those
02:30five games in the first four weeks and the one opponent in the first four weeks that wasn't a
02:37playoff team a year ago was the eight and nine Buccaneers and they're a pretty good team and
02:42that's a road game. So everyone will tell you that statistically it's the easiest schedule in
02:47the NFL and remember guys strength of schedule is how that's determined and strength of schedule is
02:53based solely on last year's record. Does not take into account the draft or free agency or coaches
02:57hired or fired or trades or anything. So statistically it's the easiest but you stack three of those five
03:03playoff games in the first month and you make the other one a trip to Tampa and they were eight
03:07and
03:07nine a year ago and certainly a contender. So I don't like that. I don't like three out of four
03:11on the road to close the season but I do like that nice home stretch there in the middle and
03:16I do like
03:16the fact that you're not getting on a plane. I do love the fact because I was somewhat fearful
03:22anxious let's put it that way that we weren't going to get a home a home primetime game that we
03:25get
03:26one and it's the Steelers a team that we've I'm going to say it owned at home seventh time in
03:33eight
03:33years we play the Steelers in primetime and we've won the last three at home against them so that's
03:39fine you could be the Dolphins the Jets the Titans the Raiders and the Cardinals they don't have a
03:45primetime game for the Titans they they don't have one for two straight years we had London last year
03:50the Titans didn't even have a standalone game last year the Jets have everything at one o'clock local
03:55this year all 17 games all 17 at one o'clock local including two of them at four o'clock
04:02local on the
04:03east coast where then they got to fly back home and play again just on market size that's pretty
04:06stunning isn't it Andrew well it is and it isn't I mean consider the opposite like let's say let's say
04:14the Jets get shoved down your throat in primetime week six and all of America goes why am I watching
04:18this
04:18that's valid so they they didn't earn it in any way I think it's great that the Browns do get
04:24their
04:24home primetime game interesting I rambled there well your turn I the the we knew these teams were coming
04:37I kind of wish the Stefanski reunion game were in September or October you know before we before
04:45either the Falcons are good or bad or before the Browns you know I'd rather have that earlier but
04:51still that'll be a fun game yeah I agree I thought there was a chance that might be week one
04:56like week
04:57one at home one o'clock let's go I thought that would be fun yeah instead Kevin gets to go
05:02to
05:02Pittsburgh see if he could beat the Steelers there which obviously never happened other than the
05:06playoff game in which he was coaching for the basement we know that so that's an interesting one I
05:11also thought that was a Thursday night possibility it isn't it's December 13th and it's at home and
05:17it's at one o'clock and and hopefully it means something I you know closing in Cincinnati is kind
05:23of a pain in the rear that's three times in four years we've closed in Cincinnati
05:29do you think four times in five years it's a it's a division road game to close
05:35yeah that seems I tradition though does everyone does still don't they I mean I'd be nice to be
05:40nice to do it at home oh I see what you're saying on the road I yeah yeah I get
05:43it yeah that makes
05:45sense this was brought up last night on the air and I was kind of I was like I it's
05:48not not in
05:49today's day and age if you were the Browns would you just stay in Florida to start for the week
05:53so
05:54it's it's a really good question and I have not reached out to see if that is being discussed yet
06:01I think and I said this last night I was doing serious NFL radios uh schedule release show and
06:06I think if it were a west coast team if we're the Niners the Chargers the Rams the Seahawks especially
06:13then yes it's for us a three-hour flight I would go home because you're probably gonna get better
06:22practice conditions at home as well it's hot and humid and sticky and you want to be practicing
06:29the middle of the afternoon it'll be a grind whether you're in Tampa or Jacksonville or anywhere
06:34so I would go home but you know just from a logistical standpoint it might make sense to stay
06:41there but I don't have any insight on that let's move from the schedule for a second how excited are
06:49you about the the infusion of young talent on this team because it looks like they've done a very nice
06:55job I'm elated and last week is kind of how would I describe it I use this analogy a few
07:01times I
07:01think I kind of wore it out it's kind of like an unboxing where you order a bunch of stuff
07:06online
07:06and then it all shows up at your door and you're like is this what we this is what the
07:10picture looked
07:10like when we hit when we clicked purchase uh when we moved it to the cart now it's here and
07:17it's
07:17unboxed everything the Browns bought at the draft ordered at the draft last week when they unboxed it
07:23looked the part like it looked like the description online and both receivers certainly did um the
07:31offensive lineman certainly did Emmanuel McNeil Warren is every bit 6-3 and he moves I mean
07:37uh there's a there's a great little highlight of him ripping a ball away from Joe Royer hand on the
07:42right shoulder on a little uh an out cut to the sideline he he moves and he is going to
07:47be a defensive
07:47chess piece and a weapon he could set the edge as well and get up in the run game he's
07:51going to force
07:52turnovers I'm excited about this draft class I know it is only May and the veterans are getting
07:58in there this week and you got the mandatory minicamp coming up in June soon right around the
08:01corner but yeah I I am legitimately excited about the new parts to this team everyone knows they got
08:08to figure out the quarterback thing everybody knows and if if there was maybe a clear shot of
08:12quarterback maybe there'd be another primetime game on the schedule but there isn't you know go
08:16scored 19 points a game the defense does its part 20 I I die for 20 and this can be
08:23a positive season
08:24this could be a winning season absolutely all right so the quarterback is the reason why I don't want
08:29to sit here and pick how many wins I think the bronze are how can I tell you that when
08:33I don't know
08:34who their quarterback is yet I need to ask you did you play the schedule knowing that you uh had
08:39a long
08:39relationship with our old friend the poobah and knowing that this is probably the most exciting day of
08:43the year for him because he loved playing the schedule game took the day off yeah oh seriously
08:48I'm not there's no way I'm playing the schedule game you know there's no way like let's let's hear
08:53it for example let's look at week 12 against the Raiders okay it by the way it'll be great to
08:59be home
08:59for Thanksgiving so week 12 against the Raiders we're coming off a bye are the Raiders playing
09:05Mendoza or Kirk Cousins thank you okay week 14 when Kevin comes to town is it Penix is it Tua
09:17like what what are they doing there so that there are all these like if if for example we get
09:25the
09:25Colts week 17 if for example we have the Colts week one we don't we get the Jaguars right will
09:32you
09:32who's who's playing quarterback for the Colts even the Steelers and it is going to be really
09:38odd to be done with the Steelers on November uh on November 1st yeah is Aaron Rodgers still
09:46the quarterback is Aaron Rodgers even the quarterback on on the primetime game in on week
09:51four I don't know how you could play the quarterback game with if you're in week 18 against the Bengals
09:57who
09:57knows if Joe Burrow's playing based on the quarterback games for the Browns yeah I can I can I throw
10:02in
10:03one more thing um rest is significant so teams really every team complains about their schedule
10:09but the one thing they complain most about their schedule it's not like a primetime games it's a fan
10:13thing it's rest differential so in other words am I coming in with more rest than my opponent you
10:20know did I get off a plane from Europe did I have to play on the west coast are they
10:24coming off a
10:24buy things like that so last year of the five teams with the best net rest differential so the
10:32entire season worth of rest differential three of those five made the playoffs and the Seahawks won
10:38the Super Bowl on the reverse end the teams are the worst generally speaking didn't make the playoffs
10:44so I went through this morning um there's really only one week in which the Browns are going to play
10:52a
10:52team where the the other team had more rest only one week and week eight when we play the Steelers
11:02what is that in Pittsburgh is that what it is I I'm sorry no the who is the rested week
11:07who's the team
11:08that has the rest or it's only a one day thing week 17 and it's not even locked in stone
11:14wow you get
11:14the Colts at home the Colts are one of the teams that are on the short list of possibilities for
11:19a
11:19Saturday game on week 16 so it's not even set in stone so they could play on Saturday the week
11:27before
11:27week five at the Jets the Browns are going to have extra rest because we had the Thursday night the
11:34week before week six at home against the Ravens Baltimore will have played Sunday night on the road
11:40in Atlanta so I mean it's East Coast but they're getting home early Monday morning week eight the
11:45Steelers are coming back from Paris and they're not taking their buy so we'll bust to Paris I'm
11:52sorry we'll bust to Pittsburgh they will have flown home from Paris and be jet lagged all week
11:58week nine is the one I beg your pardon week nine the Saints have an edge they will have a
12:03buy
12:03the week before interesting but that's it yeah yeah I think it's a very favorable schedule I
12:11I'll be honest the two games in Florida I was like yeah come on and I think everybody was but
12:17it is what it is go win the games that's what I say to you know what you're good man
12:21Andrew you're
12:22good man thanks for uh helping us out this morning to take a look at the schedule and we will
12:26see you
12:26soon I'll talk to you soon guys thanks buddy later goodbye Andrew
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