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00:00Andrew, Barry, that would be beneath him to be involved with Coming In Hot.
00:05We welcome the Cleveland Browns GM to the show.
00:08How are you, Andrew?
00:09I'm doing well. How are you, Anthony?
00:11Well, it's great to see it. Daryl is in for Kenny.
00:14Kenny was not ready for the hot seat.
00:16He wasn't ready for it, so he punted the responsibilities
00:19over to our Browns beat reporter, Dale Ryder,
00:22which I'm sure is just fine.
00:24Andrew, you take questions from everybody.
00:25You're fearless. You're a fearless leader at this point six years in.
00:31Yeah, I've had my share of tough questions,
00:36and you kind of get used to it in the gig at this point.
00:39Well, you're going to get some tough questions when it comes to the quarterbacks,
00:42as I'm sure you're never going to get sick and tired of answering
00:46until we get that clarified over time.
00:48But in this case, it's interesting because you're dealing with a different head coach
00:54and somebody who is probably, at least I would think,
00:59somebody who's offering very different perspective because no two coaches are the same.
01:04What's that been like, having somebody, maybe a different directive from a coach,
01:09somebody who's looking for something different while monitoring a quarterback competition?
01:14Yeah, I think that's certainly a consideration when you build out the team,
01:20and specifically with as much work as we did on the offense this spring.
01:25You know, there's more than one way to have successful offensive football.
01:31You know, and certainly, you know, Todd and Kevin, you know,
01:35they have a lot of commonalities, but they also have their major differences in that regard.
01:39I think the other element that, you know, makes it a bit unique is the fact that, you know,
01:46we really did a lot of work with the offensive infrastructure,
01:49not just with, you know, the offensive scheme or new coaching staff,
01:53but the players that surround the quarterback position as well.
01:55And I think that makes a big difference, too.
01:57Andrew, it's, you know, our job to follow each and every throw and dissect each and every throw,
02:06but just because we might see something doesn't mean that's exactly what's happening on the field
02:13or you guys are accomplishing what you want to.
02:16I'm just curious, how should we be evaluating this quarterback competition and these throws?
02:23And are you guys willing to just give us your daily grades?
02:28Can you make life easier on us so that we're – because the accuracy is very important here.
02:33We want to be fair.
02:34But can you just, you know, after every practice say,
02:37Deshaun's a B today.
02:39Shadour's a B plus.
02:40Like, can we get that?
02:43I'll tell you what, Daryl.
02:45I guess two things in that regard.
02:47I think, number one, as I was preparing to come on,
02:49I was listening to a little bit of the show earlier,
02:51and I heard – it's the first time I really heard Coach Riz.
02:55He was really impressive.
02:56And I think he gives a very, like, you know, intelligent and important perspective
03:00being a former coach of what some of the things that you're trying to accomplish in the spring.
03:05I think there's this natural tendency to, like, evaluate every throw, evaluate every practice,
03:10almost like treat it like you're a day trader on the stock market,
03:13where we really more or less look at it like, hey,
03:16the spring is an install and developmental period.
03:18Like, we're not necessarily, like, catering the offense or defense
03:22into what we're going to lean into in the fall.
03:26It's really putting things in, trying things,
03:28and then over a longer period of time seeing how guys progress.
03:32Like, you know, look, all players,
03:34they're going to have to have some level of failure and correction
03:37so they can actually get better.
03:38So every day isn't necessarily a, like, okay, hey, this player was a –
03:43to use your term, like an A or a B or a C or something along those lines
03:47because you take much more of a developmental mindset when you're in the spring
03:52relative to them when you get into the fall.
03:54All right, well, one of the quarterbacks, Shador Sanders,
03:57has gone from the fifth-rounder to four-string
04:00to now a legitimate chance to compete for a starting job.
04:03So what can you say about his trajectory and his rise through the program?
04:09I think he's had an excellent spring, Anthony.
04:12I mean, the past eight to ten weeks, and really probably beyond that,
04:16really the past six months with, you know, as a rookie player
04:20and particularly a quarterback, you learn a lot your first year,
04:22and especially if you don't start a full season, start, what, six, seven –
04:25I guess you start seven games.
04:27And you kind of go through the year, it's adjustment going to the NFL,
04:31and then you get a chance to catch your breath and say, okay,
04:33well, here are the things I need to work on, here are the things I need to learn.
04:36And I think he did a phenomenal job this offseason.
04:39That really started in January and February.
04:42And then certainly as we got into having, you know, real practices in May,
04:47his growth has been tremendous.
04:48So we're all very excited to see, you know, Shador's, you know, fall camp,
04:55preseason, you know, things of that nature when we get into padded situations,
05:01live situations, you know, less scripted, but his growth has truly been phenomenal.
05:07Yeah, Deshaun Watson is the other guy in the competition here, Andrew.
05:11You know, if all goes well with him and he wins this competition,
05:16he plays well for the Browns this fall,
05:19do you see a world where he is the Browns quarterback into the future,
05:25and are you open to giving him a contract extension?
05:29Yeah, I think everything's on the table.
05:32I think it would be silly to go into a season and say, hey,
05:37something absolutely can or cannot happen.
05:39And I think particularly at the quarterback position, right,
05:42like we've seen it with guys, whether it's Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones
05:47or Geno Smith or, you know, even Baker after he left us in Carolina.
05:51And so I think you have to be open-minded and flexible.
05:56But, yeah, I wouldn't rule out anything.
05:58We're looking for guys who can perform and who can lead.
06:01Now, we have a really unique situation with Deshaun,
06:05just given everything we know about him
06:06and everything that he has worked through to try to get back on the field.
06:12And then the owner had the swing and the miss comments.
06:14Does that sometimes make it a little tougher on the coach
06:18or maybe you, when an owner says something like that publicly,
06:22I imagine you're having those conversations behind the scenes as well?
06:26Not necessarily.
06:28I mean, I think you deal with what you have.
06:31You deal with how players progress or don't progress.
06:37But, honestly, the public discourse doesn't really have a factor
06:43in terms of how we think about either putting together the team
06:48or Todd in terms of putting together the best lineup.
06:51That really doesn't play a factor into it.
06:53Andrew Barry joined us on the hotline, the Browns GM.
06:56So you lose these players for, what, five, six weeks?
07:00And a lot of them will go back with maybe their personal trainers,
07:03maybe their personal coaches, and I've always been fascinated
07:06by how a team feels about that.
07:09Do you have to get aligned with, say, a quarterback coach
07:12to make sure that they are going over the same stuff
07:15that's consistent with your point of view and with your philosophies?
07:19Or do you just let them have their private time
07:21and whatever helps them and their personal growth?
07:24I think it's a combination.
07:25I think that, you know, one, we pride ourselves
07:29on having really strong relationships and great communication.
07:33And not just with the quarterbacks, but with all, you know,
07:36you really have guys that go to, like, different pockets.
07:38You have, like, your kind of Florida crew, your Dallas crew,
07:43your West Coast crew, your Arizona crew,
07:45and then a couple, you know, one-offs, if you will.
07:48And we do a really nice job of maintaining contact
07:52and communication with those groups.
07:54So we're all aligned and on the same page
07:55because we all want the same thing.
07:57We want the player to be, you know, at his best.
08:00And that's, like, you know, year-round.
08:02It's not, you know, it's not narrow to a certain point in the year.
08:07But there also is an element probably, like, everybody
08:09in their jobs or their profession
08:11where there are some things that you need to work on
08:13at a, let's say, at an individual level
08:16or at, like, a personal level.
08:19And so, like, we understand that.
08:21And as long as it's, like, directionally correct
08:23with the things that we need to do schematically
08:25or programmatically, that's never really an issue.
08:30Andrew, you shocked the NFL and some of us
08:33trading Miles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.
08:36You have been adamant that was not something
08:38that you were setting out to do.
08:41But when you made the contract tweak earlier this offseason,
08:46can you admit that maybe we didn't make too much of that?
08:50No, that was not – it had no – the reason we made the contract
08:56was it had nothing to do with trading Miles.
08:58I can say that.
09:01The side effect was it caused L.A. to reach out,
09:05but it had absolutely zero to do with the idea of trading Miles.
09:09Were you disappointed that Miles showed up for Rams OTAs
09:12but not Browns OTAs?
09:15Well, one, I didn't actually notice that.
09:17I would imagine that's the case with, like, okay,
09:19hey, you're learning a new scheme.
09:21I think, what, they had a week of OTAs practice.
09:24You're learning, you know, new building, new coaches,
09:27you know, new teammates, new system.
09:30Miles has a pretty disciplined regimen that he does in Dallas,
09:34and he's done that for, like, the latter part of his career.
09:39We have a voluntary program.
09:40He was always in shape.
09:42That was never something that really bothered us.
09:44All right, Andrew, the owner always has to sign off,
09:46I imagine, on the big-ticket items,
09:47but there'd need to be a little more convincing on this one.
09:53I'd say this.
09:54Like, any time that you're making a big organizational decision,
09:57you want to make sure that you're factoring in all considerations.
10:04But as we, like, worked through it, it became pretty clear to us that this
10:08was a fantastic opportunity, both in the short and long term, you know,
10:12for the team.
10:13And so, at that point, it really became about, like, okay, well,
10:19if we get the deal that would make sense for us, then, you know,
10:23how do we execute this in the most, you know, professional and thoughtful way
10:28as possible?
10:28So, Jared Verse was obviously the player that you really wanted.
10:33You've not been shy about that, Andrew, in expressing that.
10:38Is he wrecking practice?
10:40I lost count of the volume of times that he was in the backfield while Todd
10:46Munkin's trying to get these quarterbacks to run some 11-on-11.
10:51You know, I'll be honest.
10:52Like, with the guys up front, it's really tough this time of year.
10:56One, because you don't have pads.
10:58And then, two, because we try and, you know, have the right balance of getting
11:04good work in but also making sure that we're always compliant, you know,
11:08from an OTA offseason perspective that, you know, I don't know that you can get
11:14a great feel.
11:15I mean, towards the end, you know, really, like, the guys were told – and I should
11:21back up.
11:21But because we're an attacking front where it's getting off the ball, being
11:25disruptive in the backfield, it makes it harder to do that in team periods.
11:30So, we get to a point where we say, hey, look, guys, take three steps and then shut
11:33it down because we don't want bodies on the ground.
11:35We don't want guys around the quarterback.
11:37And, ultimately, we don't want to get in, you know, get in trouble with, you know,
11:40the NFLPA or the union with, you know, with the practice pace.
11:42And so, it's a little bit tough with the bigs.
11:45We'll get a better sense, you know, in camp.
11:48But, you know, Jared, his explosiveness, his speed, his motor, that's all there.
11:54And he'll be pretty hard to block once we get into padded situations.
11:57Why was it so important for you to get Jared in that trade?
12:04For us, it's because, you know, a lot of these – particularly these non-quarterback
12:12superstar trades, you've seen them largely just come in the form of, like,
12:17essentially pick currency.
12:19And that, you know, that's fine at certain moments, but it makes it really tough when
12:25you're going into season because you're truly just trading present for future.
12:30Usually, unless you're, like, super deep at the position, you know,
12:33you're really creating, like, a hole in the roster present, you know, present day.
12:38A player like Jared Burse usually doesn't become available across the league.
12:42A guy who's, like, on his rookie contract, he plays a position that's hard to find,
12:45and he's an excellent player at the position.
12:49And so, for us, we looked at it as an opportunity where it's like, okay, you know,
12:53we're getting one of the, you know, top players at the position in the league,
12:58understanding that he's not Miles.
12:59There's only one Miles Garrett, which allows us to continue to play excellent defense.
13:04And a player who will, you know, barring unforeseen circumstances,
13:09be with us for a very long period of time.
13:11It's not like you're just getting one year out of the player.
13:14In addition to, you know, premium draft capital, that's really what made it important.
13:21Kind of this, if you will, two timelines, you know, approach, you know,
13:27with what you're receiving in the trade package.
13:29I know you guys are never going to be concerned with national media narratives
13:34or perspective on this, but you knew it would happen once Burse got traded to the Browns.
13:38It was, oh, he's got to be so annoyed going from a Super Bowl contender.
13:42What can you say, or how can you dispel that after talking to him
13:46and seeing the energy and the excitement that he's had since putting on the helmet?
13:51Yeah, he was, I mean, honestly, our first phone call coming back from the golf outing,
13:57you know, he was super fired up.
13:59And I think people forget that, like, his hometown is Dayton, Ohio.
14:02You know, his sister's still in Dayton.
14:04It's a homecoming of sorts to him.
14:07And then I think, you know, the second part is, you know, he had not been as part of a
14:14defensive group
14:15that was as talented as he's coming into now, particularly, like, with the back end.
14:20So he was excited about that.
14:21And then the third piece is he was super excited about the scheme
14:24because it's tailor-made for him where he can just go attack.
14:27Jack, there's less on the plate of the ice defender.
14:31Like, he's not going to be, you know, necessarily dropping into coverage.
14:34He doesn't have to, like, read and react.
14:36He can just go.
14:36Defensive linemen love playing in this scheme.
14:38And they particularly love playing in this scheme when you have a back end as strong as ours
14:44because, quite honestly, it gives them more sack opportunities.
14:48Andrew, I want to ask you about these young receivers, two of them you drafted,
14:54another one you signed during training camp last year, Isaiah Bond, Denzel Boston, Casey Concepcion.
15:00Do you have to temper your enthusiasm this time of year when it comes to watching these guys
15:09catching footballs and they're sprinting down the field the way they are?
15:14You do a little bit, Daryl, because you're right.
15:17All three of them have had excellent springs.
15:20And the way Denzel and Casey have hit the ground running has been impressive.
15:25And then IB, just, you know, with him getting a full offseason under his belt, it's been great to see.
15:31We thought highly of all three of those players coming out.
15:35They're very talented and hardworking individuals.
15:38You can tell more from the field positions in the spring, right, because there's a little less context that changes
15:47once you get on paths.
15:48I mean, look, there is some difference.
15:50Like, you know, we're not playing press coverage.
15:52You know, they're not having those bang-bang plays where they're on the ground.
15:55So, you know, there will be some things that we still need to see.
15:59And we're mindful of that.
16:01But it's been a really nice start for those three guys.
16:05Andrew Barry, Browns GM, joining us right now.
16:07We know about the orange dot that the organization uses to talk about prioritizing elite character.
16:14But when we have a college player that committed the mortal sin and fessed up to it,
16:20plus there's more allegations about gambling,
16:23how does that factor in to prioritizing something like that, you know,
16:29whether or not he was going to be available in a supplemental draft or next year in the draft when
16:34it comes to it?
16:36I think there are two things.
16:38I think there are two questions I ask because we're all human.
16:41And I'd imagine everybody that's on this call and listening to this show,
16:48I'm sure everyone has made mistakes.
16:51I think I really ask two questions.
16:54I ask, number one, like, is this a bad person or did they make a bad decision?
16:59And then the second piece is like, okay, what are they doing after the fact,
17:03whether it's to really, it's to correct the behavior.
17:07Like, is this a pattern of decision making?
17:12And if so, have they done something to stop the pattern or is this an isolated incident?
17:17Because the reality of it is, like, we're all going to screw up.
17:19And some certainly mistakes are greater in magnitude than others.
17:23But I think, you know, the most important thing, you know, in Brendan's case is, like, what he does from
17:31here.
17:32Obviously, it's a great first step, you know, to get the help that he needs.
17:38But then it's like, okay, you know, what is around him?
17:41What is he doing to make sure that, like, he can maintain healthy habits moving forward?
17:46And so it seems like it's a very good start there.
17:49Obviously, I don't know all the, you know, all the details at this point.
17:54But, you know, I don't, you know, I think probably, you know, within society, so to speak,
18:02I think we could all stand to use a little bit more grace.
18:06Andrew, how important is it or how much consideration do you give it to your quarterback,
18:12I should say, about being the face of the franchise?
18:16How important is that to you in your process?
18:18I know it can't obviously affect the on-the-field evaluation, but is that something that enters
18:24into your mind when you're looking at that position and maybe a player that has a little
18:31bit of a checkered past in some of those red flags?
18:34Yeah, look, I think it certainly makes it easier because quarterback is naturally a leadership
18:40position.
18:43But I also think that probably the more important things, Daryl, are the internal leadership.
18:51So how does this player prepare?
18:53How do they relate to their teammates?
18:55You know, how do they relate?
18:56Are they coachable to the coaching staff?
18:58Are they an anchor in those tough moments in the game?
19:02Because that's the stuff that actually makes the biggest impact.
19:06And those are the people, that's the biggest constituency that that individual has to lead
19:11and serve.
19:12So that's really more the priority than what I would say is maybe the more marketability
19:18piece of thing.
19:19But you like to have everything.
19:21You like to have everything, ideally.
19:22But very few players fit that bill.
19:26All right.
19:27Yesterday, Andrew, we had on Joel Betonio, who was so thankful of the send-off that he received
19:33from the organization this week, and also so thankful for his years in Cleveland.
19:37But he also did admit if the team was, you know, in a real contention window, that he
19:42probably would have come back.
19:44How does it make you feel when you hear somebody as celebrated and important to the fabric of
19:50who the Browns are say something like that?
19:53Well, one, I didn't hear him say it.
19:55But two, I got to say this, we're very thankful for Joel's time in Cleveland.
20:00And he obviously played real well, but he was also a great ambassador for the organization.
20:06Yeah, as we move forward, we're really excited about our team.
20:09We think we have a really, really good young core that we're excited to see them grow and
20:14develop.
20:15I would not put a ceiling on a team in a given year.
20:19I always make the point, if we were wound a year ago, I don't think very many people were
20:26saying New England would be in the Super Bowl or Jacksonville would win 13 games or, you know,
20:31Chicago, you know, would win the division.
20:35And likewise, I don't know that very many people were saying, you know, Kansas City and
20:38Washington and Cincinnati would be picking in the top 10.
20:42So that's the beauty of sports, that you never really know how it's going to go.
20:46And I think for us, what's exciting, particularly with young teams, you never know when guys are
20:53going to hit their stride, you have the opportunity to be surprised in the positive end of the
20:58spectrum.
20:59So we're excited about the fall and really focus on the guys that we have in hand.
21:03Well, one of the things that you have tried to do since coming back to Cleveland, Andrew,
21:08is really enhance the internal collaboration and that process at all levels of the organization.
21:16I am curious, though, when you're making big decisions, roster moves, et cetera, how do you
21:25like consult any of the guys in the locker room?
21:27Do you talk to players about that to take their temperature as to maybe how something like
21:33that might be received?
21:35Absolutely.
21:36Like, absolutely.
21:37Like, I think, you know, and this is one thing that I learned, particularly from Howie, you
21:43know, being in Philly, like, I think that I don't think it's a healthy dynamic to just
21:49have this, like, barrier between, you know, management and the locker room.
21:53And I think we all realize, like, there are some things that have to remain confidential.
22:00But, you know, players are just people.
22:02And many times they can be partners in the success of the organization, especially guys that
22:10are your core players, longer tenured, and quite honestly, like, understand the bigger
22:16picture or, like, you know, some of the different dynamics.
22:19So those are absolute conversations that we have.
22:22All right, Andrew, but more than generous with your time.
22:24Just one final fun one before you get out.
22:27I'm so curious, the dynamic of, you know, working with certain individuals like Daryl asked
22:32you about.
22:32But going from Kevin, who is kind of in your age bracket, to somebody like Todd Munkin, does
22:39he belie his age, his generation?
22:42What is it like working with him?
22:44And obviously, he's kind of famous for being uncensored at all times.
22:49You know, it's interesting because, I was actually talking about this the other day.
22:54It's interesting on two fronts.
22:56One, I think the, like, if you're leading in a public-facing role, right, like you're a head
23:03coach, I often think that the, partly because of maybe the, whatever perception or whatever
23:10your approach with the media, like, oftentimes the perception of the individual can be a lot
23:16different than how they are behind closed doors.
23:20And, like, I actually think there are a lot more commonalities than people realize between
23:24Todd and Kevin.
23:25Both super smart.
23:26Both have incredible senses of humor.
23:29Both have really good people skills.
23:31Style certainly may be a little bit different.
23:33But, like, I was telling about Todd, it was after, actually, now I remember, it was after
23:36yesterday's team, like, kind of last team meeting.
23:39I said, like, the cool thing about Todd is he's secure and authentically himself.
23:46He's incredibly funny.
23:50And, like, he's, like, this may seem weird for people just because, like, he just had his
23:5560th birthday, but, like, he's cool.
23:57Like, he's, like, he's, like, really cool.
23:59And, like, I think that's actually what, that's really what allows him to connect with, like,
24:07really pretty much everybody in the building, but particularly the players.
24:10Like, the players love him because of that.
24:12So, like, he's really fun.
24:14I feel like I've been very blessed that I've worked with two head coaches who are smart.
24:18They're really good people, and they have incredible senses of humor that make it fun to work with
24:24them because you deal with so many tough and hard moments when you're in these roles.
24:29All right, Andrew, I appreciate it.
24:30Look forward to doing this again and enjoy some time off.
24:33Much deserved.
24:35Appreciate it, guys.
24:36You guys take it easy, all right?
24:37All right, there he is, Andrew Barry, Browns GM.
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