00:00You noticed he mirrored what Shador's mantra is, I guess, now at this point.
00:06They are not doing a cutthroat competition between the two of them.
00:09They are definitely doing a, no part of this is going to be hostile, no part of it's going to
00:14be weird.
00:14In fact, Deshaun had mentioned how he just roots for Shador in life, and obviously that expands to the football
00:21field.
00:22And this is not Kyler Murray versus J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota, where it seems like neither one wants to
00:28be around each other,
00:28and they're not even going to give us the platitudes to suggest that they would want to be around each
00:33other.
00:34I mean, again, this is a product of having two guys in the room last year, one who was unable
00:38to play, one who did play.
00:40And I mean, realistically, can you have one guy, especially the younger guy, be like, oh, it's all love around
00:47here.
00:47You know, we're great teammates and we're rooting for the best in each other.
00:50We're just going to go out and compete the other day.
00:51And then Deshaun walk in and be like, can't stand that guy.
00:54That's exactly what we saw in Minnesota.
00:56That's why we bring it up.
00:57It's exactly what we saw in Minnesota.
00:59Kyler Murray was like, he's a great teammate.
01:01You know, we're just getting along and everything's great.
01:04Fast forward to then all of a sudden J.J. McCarthy speaking, and J.J. is like, yeah, we don't
01:09really talk.
01:10I don't know what impression you guys got, but it's not a good one.
01:13And so, yeah, we're seeing that in Minnesota.
01:15And that's what makes this dynamic so interesting.
01:18I agree.
01:18Most people would have this front-facing idea of we're going to be lockstep in trying to root for each
01:23other
01:23and we'll at least be on the same page.
01:25But in Minnesota, they're not on the same page.
01:26And last hour, you acknowledged how weird it is.
01:29The idea that even within Shador in this conversation, he's got a this-will-take-care-of-itself mindset.
01:35It seems like Deshaun also has that as well.
01:38And I don't think that's a bad mindset for either one of them.
01:41I really truthfully don't.
01:43But there's a lot of people out there listening right now that wishes it was more cutthroat than maybe it
01:48is.
01:48I mean, I think it gives you more, like, TV drama type of feel when it's cutthroat that way.
01:54When the guys really don't get along and they want to beat each other out.
01:57But again, like, when we go back to the Vikings situation, Kyler and J.J. don't have a pre-existing
02:01relationship.
02:03They don't have that.
02:03Like, clearly, Deshaun and Shador have a pre-existing, a good pre-existing relationship where Deshaun helps Shador, as you
02:10pointed to, at the Vegas game last year.
02:11And so I think they have that where, let's be honest about it, Kyler doesn't care what happens to J
02:16.J. McCarthy and probably vice versa.
02:18Those guys know that they're not going to be teaming together for very long.
02:21The organization is going to pick one or the other, and the other guy will be shipped out as fast
02:25as possible.
02:26Yeah.
02:26What's interesting, though, is that the approach they're taking on this one, and I didn't expect anything different from Shador.
02:31I think I've just listened to enough Shador over the years.
02:33Shador's mindset is everything in life has taken care of itself already.
02:36It's going to continue to take care of itself, and I just got to let the chips fall where they
02:40may.
02:41I didn't know what to expect out of Deshaun.
02:43I really didn't.
02:44Because when Deshaun speaks that way, it's different when Shador does it.
02:47When Deshaun speaks that way, I just got to be honest with you guys and tell you how I feel,
02:51okay?
02:51I was listening to him, and it kind of felt like, well, if it happens, it happens.
02:57And if it doesn't happen, I guess that's fine, too.
03:00And listen, the check's already cleared.
03:02Money's already been paid.
03:03He's already made $230 million, whether he plays or doesn't play.
03:06I would have thought he'd want to be out there, and I know he wants to be out there so
03:10he can showcase what he can do.
03:11But it was a little bit more of a laissez-faire approach.
03:15And I guess I just don't have – with Shador, I got the evidence to back off on the idea
03:19that life hasn't beaten him up at any point.
03:21You know what I mean?
03:22Everything's worked out for Shador, and I imagine it will continue to work out in life for Shador.
03:27Deshaun's been beat up.
03:28Deshaun can't have this everything's going to work out mentality because it hasn't worked out for Deshaun.
03:32Anytime he thinks it's about to work out, the rug gets pulled out from underneath him.
03:36Yeah, and listen, like, would it drive more of a competitive nature and a competitive mindset?
03:39You'd think that it would.
03:40I just – I don't know.
03:42It's not the vibe that I've gotten out of these guys as a whole.
03:45So I guess I didn't expect to hear from it, but if you're Deshaun, why not the laissez-faire approach?
03:50Like, why are you going to go be the drummed-up guy, the animated, emotional guy about it?
03:56And I think more to that point, during that point, did he not – did I read it wrong that
04:01he was essentially reassured on the idea that he would get an opportunity?
04:03So that's the next thing we want to talk about.
04:05Yeah, the comment that he made there is he had no doubts he'd play again, and then they followed up
04:10like, well, so why do you think that is?
04:12And he said from internal conversations.
04:14My follow-up on that is what were those?
04:16What were those internal conversations that led you to believe you were going to play in a Browns uniform again?
04:20Did those already take place?
04:22I would imagine they would have.
04:23That's why he's talking about it.
04:24Dumb comment by me.
04:25But the idea remains, when did he have those internal conversations?
04:30When was he promised to play in a Browns quarterback in Browns uniform again?
04:33And was it on the idea that you'd be the starter, or is it on the idea that you'd just
04:37be able to compete for it?
04:38Yeah, like, I want to hear back at some point, obviously, what Deshaun had to say.
04:42Because the way that I took it is that he would have an opportunity to attempt to start again.
04:47Like, it did not sound like, hey, Deshaun, you're a quarterback.
04:50When you're healthy, you're back, you're good.
04:51What I wrote down right here was had no doubts he'd play again, and then the follow-up is why,
04:56and it's from internal conversations.
04:57I'm assuming he's talking about what you're suggesting, which is starting not playing again as far as holding a clipboard.
05:03And so I'd like to know, when did that happen?
05:07When did you get those assurances, and have those assurances changed in the previous couple weeks?
05:12Are we playing the rigged game?
05:14Are we at Chauncey Billups' poker table the entire time, and I'm just now getting wind to it?
05:19That's what I want to know out of all this.
05:21Has the die already been cast, and Deshaun's really, in fact, he's in the lead, and he's going to stay
05:26in the lead,
05:27because he's already been told, you got the job.
05:30From people that, by the way, were at his wedding, as he mentioned and brought up as well.
05:33Has he already been told that he's going to be able to start this season,
05:36and you just got to work through it all mechanically, and you just got to work through it all?
05:39These are the type of comments that, when he makes them, and we get these every now and again around
05:44the Browns,
05:45you make it, you do start to think, all right, does Shador, in fact, have that fair shake
05:50that I felt like, as recently as two hours ago, that he was being afforded?
05:54Well, I think this is a difficult part, right?
05:56Because I think, one, it would explain the laissez-faire approach,
05:59if you've already been basically guaranteed that you're going to be the starting quarterback.
06:02You just look like the good guy. Who cares? There's no reason to be cutthroat about it.
06:06Look like the good guy.
06:06But the other part of this is, I don't think you're slipping it past the fan base.
06:11I don't think you're slipping it past the players.
06:12That if you go out there, and everything that I saw from Deshaun today was that it didn't look all
06:17that great, right?
06:18The defense won the first team battle. He threw an interception.
06:21Probably deserved to throw one or two more.
06:24Was not a good day from Deshaun.
06:25If you continue to have those type of days, and Shador continues to play well,
06:28you're not slipping that past anybody.
06:30But you can't just walk out and go, Deshaun's a starting quarterback.
06:32He looked better. We trusted more.
06:34Yeah. 216-474-092. You're right about that.
06:37I want to hear from you guys.
06:38Did Deshaun let us in on the Browns' plans?
06:41That he, in saying he had no doubts he'd play again,
06:44and why he was so confident in that is from internal conversations.
06:47Did he tell us that he's already been assured something
06:49that we just didn't believe to be true up until this point?
06:52Because again, it's not, I think you bring up a nice point in the idea that
06:56if he just stinks it up on the field, at some point the Browns are going to say,
07:00we might have told you something.
07:01We're not sticking through with that.
07:03But how far does that go?
07:05Like, I don't think you just get to be walked in name.
07:08If they wanted Deshaun to be the starter, realistically,
07:10you could have gotten value for Shador this offseason.
07:13Like, I don't know how great it would have been.
07:14I don't know about that.
07:14You don't think you're going to trade Shador for a fourth-round pick?
07:17Doubt it.
07:17Fifth-round pick, get your value back like you did on Kenny Pickett?
07:20A fifth-round pick?
07:21Why don't I just keep him and just say you're going to be the backup for 2027 at that point?
07:25You could, but it would eliminate the idea of a competition that Deshaun could lose if that was your guy.
07:30If you were saying, don't worry, you're going to start again for the Cleveland Browns,
07:33why not just make it undoubtedly Deshaun is the starting quarterback.
07:36That's the guy we trust.
07:37We're moving forward with this.
07:38I still think they had to see him actually out there physically and make sure that his rehab went 100%.
07:43I think before you make any decisions like trade Shador, I think you want to make sure that he can
07:47at least stand upright.
07:48And when the season ended and the trade speculation would have gone and those conversations would have had,
07:53we didn't have those assurances.
07:55So I think they had to see that first.
07:56I think that had to be part of the equation.
07:58And part of that, though, is when we had the three days of installs,
08:02and they walked away acting as if Deshaun had already gotten the job and it was a done deal,
08:06I think that's where that sat.
08:09You know, if we're playing with the timelines here, if Deshaun was told he's going to start
08:12and he had the assurance that he's going to start, then he had the three days of installs.
08:16So basically, this is my end of the bargain.
08:18I'm holding up to that.
08:19I showed you I can be healthy.
08:21Then, yes, it sounds like we're on a one-track road to Deshaun Watson being the quarterback to start week
08:27one.
08:28But what does happen if he has more days like today where Shador just looks better than him?
08:32Because everyone has told me until it blew in the face about the idea that Todd Munkin is 59 years
08:38old
08:38and he's going to put the best quarterback out there and he's not going to stand for any of this.
08:42And my response back is simple.
08:43It's nice you think that he's got the decision on this.
08:46And people go, oh, he's the head coach.
08:47He's got the decision, Jonathan.
08:49No, he doesn't.
08:50No, he doesn't.
08:51Haslam told us a year ago how the starting quarterback rotation was going to work
08:54and we're going to see both rookie quarterbacks, okay?
08:56Between Haslam and Andrew Barry, I still wholeheartedly believe they have the final decision on this
09:02and they have the final say.
09:03And I know that pisses off a lot of football people who think the coaches have a bunch of power.
09:06Wake up and welcome to the NFL in 2026, okay?
09:09That's not how this works across the board.
09:11It just isn't.
09:12And we have a franchise where people other than the head coach get to make decisions.
09:17That's how this works.
09:18And so, yeah, when Deshaun makes the suggestion that he had no doubts he'd play again,
09:23where do those assurances come from?
09:24I would bet a lot of money, dollars to donuts.
09:26It's not from Todd Munkin.
09:28I would bet it's from people that maybe went to his wedding.
09:30It's just so interesting to me because Todd had the other options, right?
09:34Like, he could have been the offensive coordinator out in New York if he knew that this was going to
09:38be something.
09:39And if not, if this is one game pulled over.
09:42I think he just needed the job.
09:42I think he always wanted to be a head coach.
09:44I think he needed the job.
09:45And you might be right.
09:46I think he wanted on his tombstone and his obituary, head coach, NFL franchise, life dream accomplished, right?
09:52And that's fine.
09:53When you make those deals, sometimes you've got to play the game.
09:56Yeah, and this is part of him playing the game.
09:58And if he turns out to be a good soldier about it all, maybe he can Andrew Barry this thing
10:02and be around for a long time, okay?
10:04Like, that's not the worst spot in life to do a little bit of Haslam's bidding here and there and
10:09make that how this all works.
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