00:00He's Mr. Scott Petrack from the Chronicle Telegram, BrownZone.com.
00:04Hello, Scott.
00:05Hola.
00:06Why do you got to bum me out, Jeff?
00:09Welcome to the show.
00:11What's going on, guys?
00:13We're just hanging out here.
00:16Hey, how about that Deshaun Watson?
00:19Goes to social media, posts a new video on Instagram showing him working out in Berea.
00:27And he says, no shortcuts, just work.
00:30Am I supposed to get pumped?
00:32What am I supposed to do?
00:33What do you think?
00:33Yeah, I don't think you have to get pumped, Jeff.
00:37I think one of the things I could live without is...
00:41Social media?
00:41...and all their videos.
00:42Yeah, social media.
00:44Anthony's posting all their videos on social media with cool taglines.
00:49It's good that he's in the building.
00:52I mean, he's working.
00:53It's their break, right?
00:55The players are working out wherever they're working out.
00:57If it's back in the building, maybe there's some advantage to that.
01:02You know, he looked in good shape throughout the offseason.
01:04He looks healthy.
01:06The question is, can he get back?
01:08Can he get anywhere close to back to the player he used to be?
01:13You know, I thought his offseason work, offseason practices that we got to watch were inconsistent.
01:19There'd be good throws and then bad throws.
01:23And then the big question for me is, if he's the starter, how long can he stay healthy?
01:27We just...
01:28He has not been able to do that since he's been with the Browns.
01:32And that...
01:33You know, I have two serious questions.
01:34One is, can he stay healthy if he plays?
01:36And number two, can he be consistent enough?
01:39Because since he's been with the Browns, and I think that's what we have to base it on,
01:42he just hasn't been consistent enough when he's had the opportunity to play.
01:48Should he get credit for being back in?
01:51Shador does, right?
01:53Shador got a lot like, oh, look at this.
01:55Shador's meeting Todd Munkin the first day.
01:57What's Watson...
01:58I don't know what he's doing.
01:59I don't know what...
02:00Like, you see video where you hear somebody talking, that Shador and Munkin are talking.
02:04Okay, cool.
02:05That's cool.
02:05But you don't know.
02:06Watson may have been talking to him the same day, too.
02:09And no one...
02:09There's no social media presence on that.
02:12I just think it's...
02:13I don't know.
02:13I just think it's kind of silly.
02:14Sometimes we're giving Shador credit for being in the building and that we can see him.
02:20But what is Watson doing?
02:23Well, I think at some point Munkin said that Sanders had been in the building a bunch.
02:29This is before April, right?
02:32Before they returned for the voluntary off-season program.
02:35And he had met Deshaun once, and then that's the only contact they had had in person.
02:40So, I think Shador was in the building a lot more before April.
02:45April 7th got here.
02:46They were both in the building a ton.
02:49And then, you know, Watson was back in the building last week.
02:51I don't even know if the coach was in the building.
02:53I mean, this is a downtime for the coaches.
02:55So, you know, it's good that he's working out.
02:57It's good that he's got a Browns helmet on.
02:59And it looked like there were a couple receivers that he was thrown to that were Browns guys.
03:05It's certainly, there's no downside to it.
03:08I just think we have to be careful about getting carried away.
03:12You know, there is one aspect to this.
03:14And you've said it here.
03:16Andy and I have both said it.
03:18If you're just looking at it from the outside, you know, the ideal situation would be if Shador is clearly
03:25the best quarterback and he starts.
03:28There's another aspect to this that I wonder what you think about it.
03:32Would the Browns buck the idea that fans don't want to see Deshaun, even if, you know, everything that's happened
03:42here, you know, through four years of the five years contract, and even if Deshaun is better, but it's kind
03:49of close, they start Shador.
03:51Or do you think they'll flat out put the best guy on the field, even if it's Deshaun?
03:59Well, I don't think the fan reaction is a factor.
04:05But your second part of that question is, if it's close, I think it needs to go to Shador Sanders.
04:12I think he needs to be the starter for all the reasons we've talked about.
04:15You just mentioned younger, cheaper, all those reasons I think his potential is greater.
04:21Yes, right. Just all of it.
04:24So I don't think, you know, maybe the fan reaction is a tiny part of that.
04:32But I think there's so many factors that play into it that it's not necessarily, and we could argue about
04:37this and maybe they feel differently and maybe I'm wrong.
04:40But I don't know if it's necessarily, okay, who gives you the best chance to win week one?
04:46Like, if it were clear, then yes, it's Deshaun Watson.
04:49But if it's really close, then is it, hey, maybe it's the guy that grows into it and week three
04:54gives you the best chance.
04:55But he needs those first couple of weeks or whatever, right?
04:57I think there's a learning curve and a progression with Shador Sanders that I wouldn't expect from Deshaun Watson because
05:03he's been in the league for a long time and he's 30 years old.
05:06Right. And so that's where I think the room for subjectivity comes in, not necessarily the fan reaction, although there's
05:17certainly a huge difference in what the fan reaction is and would be.
05:21Speaking of fan reaction, they announced last week the open practice schedule for fans.
05:26I'm just curious. I mean, I remember, you know, we were a kid.
05:29You go out there for two days and you can watch all that stuff all the time.
05:32Yeah. Now it's just it's so limited for fans.
05:35Good thing, bad thing for the team.
05:36Should they have more open practices or is this just kind of a byproduct?
05:40And do you think I actually think that it once the complex is done in Berea, it'll be kind of
05:47cool.
05:47They'll be playing in a I mean, they can practice and and do some more stuff in front of the
05:52fans with with full seating or on the outside.
05:54It's what it looks like. Right. I've seen the plans a little bit.
05:57Yeah. When they have that like multipurpose stadium that the area is going to use.
06:02Yeah. Yeah. Then you can have practices there with a bunch of people in the stands.
06:06I think that will add something to their training camp schedule and give fans an alternative and maybe they blow
06:13it out one night and do it there under the lights.
06:16You know, I used to think that every practice should be open and the more the merrier.
06:22And that's just like you said, the way you grew up.
06:24And when I started covering this team, there were a bunch of practices open to fans.
06:28Yeah. I mean, almost all the 20s. Right.
06:30I mean, at least high teens, 20s.
06:32So when they initially cut back and, you know, I don't know if that was the first year they went
06:37to the Greenbrier.
06:38That was the first year I remember going, this is a big cut in the number of practices fans are
06:43getting better to watch.
06:45But now that feels almost routine and there's not a huge attendance at these camp practices.
06:53So I just don't know if the appetite's not there.
06:56I mean, a lot of that could be due to the fact that they haven't won recently and the mood
07:01of the fans around this team and where the excitement level is.
07:06So nine actually feels OK to me right now.
07:09I think if they were, you know, coming off a Super Bowl appearance, I'd feel differently.
07:14And I know I felt differently, whatever, three or four years ago.
07:18But right now, I think nine is fine because I've been at plenty of those practices and looked around and
07:24go, where is everybody?
07:26Right. From a fan perspective.
07:27So I think nine is probably fine, especially given the fact there's a bunch of construction going on around Berea.
07:34And I think logistics could be an issue.
07:38So I think it's fine this year.
07:40Would it be OK?
07:41Would I like to see it go up and there be greater attendance?
07:45And like you mentioned with that stadium, I think there is a potential for growth.
07:48But I'm OK with nine this year.
07:50Scott Pedrak joining us from the Chronicle Telegram, brownzone.com.
07:54Starting to see some rumbling from some of the national writers who kind of, and not the writers in particular,
08:01but the general buzz was the Browns traded Myles Garrett.
08:04Oh, my God.
08:05Now you're starting to see a lot of stuff about, you know, Jared versus really good.
08:09And now they have the last two defensive rookies of the year.
08:12And this defense could really be something again and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
08:17I'm glad people are starting to realize that because though you traded Myles, who, you know, we all would love
08:23to see Myles here and retire.
08:25It's not like they left that spot open, Scott.
08:28They brought in a very good defensive end to take that hole.
08:33Yeah, there's no doubt about it.
08:34I think you have to look at it two ways is one, they lost the best defensive player in the
08:39NFL and the best defensive player in the history of the franchise.
08:43And they're not going to be as good.
08:45Like maybe defense, I guess, overall, they could still be as good.
08:48I have a hard time believing that.
08:50Jared versus not Myles Garrett.
08:53I don't think he's going to be as good as Myles Garrett.
08:55Probably ever, but certainly not.
08:57I wouldn't think this year.
08:58So to me, that's the reality is the Browns aren't going to be as good.
09:02The defense isn't going to be as good.
09:04But the defensive end spot is not going to be as good this year.
09:08But that doesn't mean the cupboards bear, I think, versus a really good player.
09:13I think he's going to continue to get better.
09:15It's only year three.
09:18Obviously, then they start to add draft picks.
09:20Once we get into April of next year, those draft picks start, however good they're going to be.
09:26So, you know, and we said it the day that the Myles trade went down before it happened,
09:31that if they were going to make that trade, they had to get a defensive end back.
09:35And Andrew Barry has talked about that numerous times since then, and how that was the key.
09:40And Jared Verse was the key.
09:42And I completely agree with that.
09:44It gives them a chance to still have a top whatever defense, because that position is so important.
09:50But we need to see how Jared Verse looks in this scheme.
09:53We need to see how he fits.
09:55You know, I think he's going to be extremely motivated, but he needs to up that sack number, right?
10:00It was seven and a half.
10:02And then you need to see that the rest of the guys on that unit do the same,
10:05because you've got to figure out how you're going to replace everything that Myles Garrett gave you.
10:10And it's the 23 sacks.
10:12It's the constant double and triple teams that I don't think Verse is going to draw,
10:16which means a guy like Mason Graham is going to get more double teams than he did a year ago.
10:20And he only had a half a sack, right?
10:22And I expect it to be a jump, and he played better than a half a sack.
10:26But you need to see progression from the rest of the line.
10:29And I think while Myles drew all of our attention, it also, you know, so our focus is there.
10:36Now the focus is going to be the other guys, and it's their opportunity to step up and to fill
10:42that void.
10:42But they have to do it, because Myles can cover a lot of weaknesses from the rest of the line.
10:50And I'm just not convinced Jared Verse right now can be that same player.
10:55Scott, you've got about 30 seconds.
10:57Who do you think has a better upside?
10:59Is it Mason Graham or is it Mike Hall?
11:03Oh, I think it's Mason Graham.
11:04Yeah, I don't think it's close.
11:08Not that Mike Hall's not talented, but, you know, he's suspended to start his career.
11:13Then he's had injuries.
11:14You know, he had an injury scare during the OTAs.
11:19You know, I think he needs to prove something to say that he's worth that second-round pick,
11:23where I think Mason Graham has the potential to be, you know, a pro bowl, if not all pro, which
11:29he should be.
11:29I mean, he's the number five pick in the draft, and Mike Hall is a second-round pick.
11:33Thank you for your time, sir.
11:34Enjoy the rest of your Monday.
11:36Thanks, man.
11:37Appreciate it.
11:38Scott Petrack, brownzone.com.
11:40We'll see you next time.
11:40We'll see you next time.
11:40We'll see you next time.
11:40We'll see you next time.
11:40We'll see you next time.
11:40You
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