- 5 weeks ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00There's a lot that's going to be happening in this camp coming up
00:04that I don't think a lot of folks outside of us that cover the team
00:09are paying a lot of attention to.
00:11It's all about Deshaun Watson and Shador Sanders.
00:13Can they keep four quarterbacks on this roster?
00:16If they can't, who's the odd man out?
00:18Dylan Gabriel.
00:20And does anyone want Dylan Gabriel?
00:21Probably not.
00:22We'll find out.
00:23It depends how many other things happen around the league.
00:27He's cheap and passable, my friend.
00:32Passable, you're getting a little carried away here.
00:34He's cheap and passable.
00:35That will get you an NFL gig for at least four years until you are no longer cheap.
00:40I think he's going to be like the next Colt McCoy.
00:44Colt McCoy had like a 12-year career.
00:47That's what I'm talking about.
00:48Yeah, Dylan Gabriel could do that with ease.
00:49He'll have a decades-long career as a backup.
00:53He'll make some money.
00:55Heck yeah.
00:56Yeah, start some games and you don't feel like you're totally tanked.
00:59I think he would take that in a minute.
01:01Yeah, 100%.
01:01That's a really good career.
01:05The top three things outside of quarterbacks to watch.
01:14Offensive line has to be numero uno.
01:18Has to be number one.
01:19So the last time you and I sat in these chairs, we got into it over the offensive line.
01:23Are you closer to where I was with that, or are you still saying this is going to work?
01:28Look, four of the five spots are spoken for.
01:31Okay, we know four of the five starters.
01:33But we don't know two of the starting positions, if that makes sense.
01:37Elton Jenkins is kind of a little bit of the wild card here, along with Brailsford.
01:43Is he, as a fifth-round pick, going to be able to win the starting center job?
01:47If the answer to that question is no, then Elton Jenkins is your starting center and not your starting right
01:52guard.
01:53And thus becomes the domino effect.
01:56Because the other Jenkins, along with KT Leveston and a cast of others, will then compete for the right guard
02:03job.
02:04Because Elton will have to go play a position, which he's done with Green Bay, but his best position on
02:11the field, the best spot to put him, it is not center.
02:15It is at right guard.
02:17So he'll be out of position, but not out of position, if that makes sense.
02:21Right.
02:22Just as someone who pays attention to this a whole lot, the Packers cross-train at every position.
02:27Yes.
02:27So every Packers offensive lineman knows how to play all five positions on the offensive line.
02:32They pride themselves on that fact.
02:34And that's what the Browns are trying to do themselves.
02:38Right.
02:38Because of what has happened to them over the last three to four years with the offensive line.
02:43We got spoiled for a while.
02:45We had a couple of years where it was the same five guys every week.
02:49Okay, maybe a guy missed a game here or there, but...
02:53Basically, it was the same starting five up front every week.
02:57And you could count on those guys.
02:59Then, you know, they aged and, you know, injuries happen.
03:03And so you were having to do the plug-and-play thing.
03:06And so now, what they've done this offseason with the players that they brought in on the offensive line to
03:12rebuild that position room.
03:15And I have said this repeatedly, Andrew Barry, really, I think, he'll say it was unintentional, which nothing, all due
03:25respect to Andrew Barry, nothing that man does is unintentional.
03:29Okay?
03:30Yeah, that man's got plans for plans.
03:32Right.
03:32Yeah.
03:33And he's got spreadsheets for spreadsheets.
03:35Okay?
03:36Like, nothing he does is on accident.
03:39And when you look at the players that they brought in on the offensive line, all of them can play
03:45multiple positions.
03:47Because they've done it before.
03:49They've had to do it before.
03:52And again, Andrew denies it.
03:53No, it's just a happy accident.
03:55It's just a coincidence.
03:56No.
03:57I firmly believe that Andrew went into this offseason with the trauma of the last few years on that offensive
04:05line.
04:05I think that he went into that and was like, you know what, I need a tremendous amount of flexibility.
04:12Even like Spencer Fennell, right?
04:14He's going to start out as your starting left tackle, your franchise left tackle.
04:19The beauty of him, though, is let's just, not to be negative, but let's just say that doesn't work out.
04:26Let's just say left tackle doesn't end up being his jam in the NFL.
04:30Unlike Jed Wills, that's not a washed pick.
04:34Like, you can plug him in elsewhere on the offensive line.
04:38So, there's a benefit there.
04:39Well, there are some people who believe that his best position is guard.
04:42I remember we had the Utah play-by-play guy on.
04:45And he said, I think he will be an NFL tackle, but if he's not able to do it, he's
04:49going to be an awesome guard in the NFL.
04:51And I remember him saying that and going, okay, then this pick has a level of safety that I don't
04:56think we've seen from the Browns in a little bit.
04:58And it just made it a smarter pick on top of the fact that it seems like the guy wants
05:02to work his tail off.
05:03Yeah, 100%.
05:04My word, let's go.
05:06The other position group that I think is going to be fun to watch here, the wide receiver group.
05:11Yes.
05:12And not the top, well, obviously the top three should be fun to watch.
05:16And Jerry Judy, Devin Boston, and Kaysen Concepcion.
05:19Two of those three will be fun.
05:22But, oh, who are you saying is not going to be fun?
05:24Boston Concepcion will be fun.
05:27Calling out Jerry, are you?
05:29Yeah.
05:29Okay.
05:30I've done it for a while.
05:31Okay.
05:31I'm not a fan, never been a fan, don't understand why they handed him a long-term contract.
05:35Okay.
05:35Well.
05:36It's made my head hurt ever since, and then I watch him play, and it only hammers home why it
05:39makes my head hurt.
05:41It just, to me, Jerry Judy, they're stuck with him.
05:44I understand that.
05:45I think it's lovely.
05:47I think it's nothing more than lip service and saying that Jerry Judy's your number one wide receiver,
05:51and they are praying with everything in them that either Concepcion or Boston steps up
05:54and rips that mantle away from him to get him out of Dodge.
05:56Well, I don't think that's going to be an issue.
06:01I think the number one wide receiver thing is just going to happen organically, okay?
06:07But I love the way that they've built this wide receiver room because it's the way,
06:11and again, it's a personal bias.
06:13It's the way I would build it, which is I was always told that you build a wide receiver room
06:16the same way you build a basketball team.
06:18You want a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things and some overlap in between,
06:21and it feels like the Browns are starting to do that in there by going and getting a ball winner
06:25in Denzel Boston, like just a true X route running ball winner, tall dude, let's go.
06:32This team has sorely lacked that for as long as I can remember from somebody who isn't a tight end.
06:37So it's really, really nice to have that as a true X wide receiver.
06:40You've got Casey Concepcion that you could use a lot of different ways.
06:44You see, you have Isaiah Bond, which I want to pick your brain on Isaiah Bond a little bit
06:47because everybody seems to be drooling that he's taking this next leap.
06:50Have you seen something similar when it's come to Isaiah Bond that he's taken a step forward to this point?
06:54He had himself a very nice spring.
06:56Okay.
06:57See, now that makes me happy because he's another one.
06:59That's an asset in that basketball team that I'm talking about where he's got that deep ball.
07:03If he can get some route running down Concepcion, how explosive he is after the catch,
07:08like you're starting to see all of these pieces come together to build this skill set that you need out
07:13of a room.
07:14So you've got two jobs on the back end of that room that are going to be up for grabs.
07:18That's going to be a lot of fun to watch here in camp.
07:22And then we can't forget about the secondary and the depth at corner.
07:27They added a veteran corner this week.
07:30That, too, is something we're going to be keeping an eye on.
07:33A lot of focus, obviously, is on this quarterback competition, myself included.
07:38Just about everyone saying Deshaun Watson's starting this thing off in the lead, how big that lead actually is.
07:45It could be marginal at best.
07:47It could be a couple lengths.
07:49We'll see.
07:51But I do feel like that the Browns have softened the ground for Deshaun to return as the starting quarterback
08:01for this team.
08:02But there's other things to watch in camp.
08:05And I said my top three are the offensive line, how that ultimately is going to shake out with center
08:10and right guard,
08:11the back end of the wide receiver room behind the big four, and then the secondary.
08:18You know, what's going to happen in the cornerback, in the safety room behind the starters?
08:25You know, who are those role players going to be?
08:27You know at some point those guys are going to be called upon to play significant snaps.
08:32So what does that ultimately look like?
08:34And it still ties back to the quarterbacks because, well, those guys in the secondary are going to be defending
08:40those receivers
08:41that are fighting for the jobs and defending passes thrown by the quarterbacks.
08:45The offensive line, you know, certainly has an impact on the quarterbacks as well.
08:51How well are they protecting up front and doing their jobs?
08:55Because, well, you know, are you allowing your defensive line to go out there and just blow up your practice?
09:01Yeah, you don't have Miles Garrett anymore that you can point to and say, well, that's the reason our practices
09:05are getting blown up.
09:06And while Jared Verse is very good, he's not Miles Garrett.
09:08So I'm interested in that one.
09:11The cornerback situation is one of those I have circled and highlighted.
09:17I know Tyson Campbell is a good corner.
09:20We have watched enough of it.
09:21I know as well Denzel Ward is, you know, we know how good that guy is as well.
09:26But once you get behind those guys, again, as you said, they picked up at that.
09:29We'll see because if one of those guys goes down, it's not like Denzel Ward has had the cleanest bill
09:35of health in his career.
09:36Right.
09:37That gets hairy in a hurry.
09:39Like that gets real shaky back there.
09:41And so I know they want to play a lot of three safety stuff.
09:44Yeah, that's great.
09:46But you still need a corner.
09:48Like you're still going to need a couple of corners out there whose long goal is going to be to
09:51cover.
09:52And if you can't get that and it starts getting hairy, your whole defense could fall apart very quickly.
09:57Yeah.
09:57I mean, you're going to see a lot of Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman, Emmanuel McNeil Warren.
10:02You're going to see a lot of that in the secondary.
10:05But then beyond that, what do they have?
10:08What do they do?
10:09Right.
10:09Even a corner.
10:10I mean, you know, your top two guys, obviously, is, you know, Tyson Campbell and Denzel Ward in no particular
10:17order there.
10:18And then, you know, Miles Harden's most likely going to be your nickel.
10:21And then what's the dime package look like, depending how much they even use dime because they're going to use
10:28this three safety look, which, by the way, the Browns are not alone in the three safety look.
10:33That's something that's becoming very trendy in the copycat league.
10:38That's the NFL.
10:39So, like, how that's going to shake out is certainly something that I'm very curious about as this kind of
10:47gets going and gets underway.
10:49And, again, you know, it's easy just to sit there and look at the quarterbacks each and every day, and
10:54that's all we talk about until we're blue in the face.
10:56Look, I understand it's the most important position on the field, and, you know, it's the where's Waldo for the
11:02Cleveland Browns.
11:03They've been looking for this guy for the better part of three decades.
11:07But there are other areas that are going to significantly impact how productive and successful this team is going to
11:16be this year.
11:16We're going to be trying to imagine who the quarterback's going to be.
11:19We don't know.
11:20It's either going to be Shadour or Deshaun.
11:24And what's going to be the reaction to if it is Deshaun week one in Jacksonville?
11:35Now, I guess the good thing is that the first two games are on the road.
11:41The not-so-good thing is the first two games are on the road in Florida in September.
11:46Not so good.
11:47No.
11:48You want to talk about playing in a sauna.
11:50Known for heat.
11:51Yes.
11:51That's what it's going to be like.
11:54And it's, I think, part of the reason that Todd Munkin training camp practices are going to be at 1
11:58.30 in the afternoon.
12:00It's a smart move.
12:01I mean, you get everybody ready for the conditions that you're going to play in those first two weeks.
12:07But then in the season as well, I mean, you're going to need that stamina.
12:10You're going to need all of those things that go into it.
12:13And you're going to need the time to install all the game plan and everything else.
12:17At 1.30 makes a ton of sense.
12:19But I am kind of, I mean, I guess I'm just like ready for the Browns to hit the off
12:28-ramp when it comes to Deshaun.
12:29Me too.
12:30That's, you know.
12:31But if he's the better player, and that's ultimately what this should come down to.
12:37It should not come down to whether or not Shredor Sanders is popular amongst the kids and selling jerseys in
12:41the team shop.
12:42It shouldn't come down to, well, they're paying Deshaun Watson $46 million a year in the final year of his
12:48contract.
12:48So you want to try and get a little blood out of that stone before everything goes away.
12:54It should be about who is the best player.
12:56That should ultimately be the one and only criteria for this thing.
13:02I think that the problem Todd Munkin is going to run into, though, is picking who's the best player.
13:09Because what we saw during the spring was we got to see good Deshaun and bad Deshaun.
13:15We got to see good Shredor.
13:16We got to see bad Shredor.
13:18We got to see a lot of consistent inconsistency.
13:21And so that's going to be the challenge, figuring out ultimately who's the best player.
13:27But what is going to help them decide that, Dan, is like the supporting cast.
13:33We're talking about other position groups and how things could, you know, other things to watch at camp, not name
13:40the quarterback.
13:41And we've talked about the cornerbacks.
13:44We've talked about the offensive line.
13:45We've talked about the back end of the wide receiver room.
13:48But, like, when you do look at the Browns' offensive supporting cast this year, compare it to last season, compare
13:54it to the year before,
13:55I mean, on paper, and I realize on paper is about as worthless as the piece of paper it's written
14:02on,
14:03but on paper, it is light years ahead of where it was.
14:08And obviously the additions of Casey Concepcion and Denzel Boston via the draft pushed that forward for them.
14:18We're not sitting here focusing on, okay, is this the year that Cedric Tillman finally either gets featured or takes
14:27off or whatever, right?
14:28We're not looking for the fifth or sixth wide receiver on this team to emerge into being, I don't know,
14:40the one, the two, or the three in the group.
14:43That's pretty well defined.
14:44It's Concepcion, it's Boston, it's Judy.
14:47And, look, I'm going to say Isaiah Bond, too.
14:50I'm going to factor him in into the mix as well because he showed a lot during the spring, improved
14:57his body.
14:58You know, often you can tell he hit the weight room.
15:01Good to hear.
15:02I'm guessing diet was involved in that and whatnot.
15:06The Browns, you know, and their nutrition staff put out the plans for the players.
15:11Hey, these are the diets, and they've done this for years, but, hey, this is, you know, the diet that'll
15:17help you, you know, maximize your physical potential and be in the best physical shape that you can, you know,
15:25possibly be in and whatnot.
15:26But, like, he does look like a vastly improved player, and he's definitely somebody fans are going to want to
15:33watch and pay attention to in camp outside of Concepcion in Boston.
15:39And then, you know, you look at, like, the running backs, right?
15:46Quinshawn, Judkins, we saw the thing he, you know, did the hill climbing, if you will.
15:52Fully cleared, good to go.
15:54Yeah.
15:54That's what it sounds like, which, excellent.
15:57Again.
15:57After that injury of a dislocated ankle and a broken, was it a fibula, I believe it was?
16:02Some part of the leg bone.
16:04Having him back and good to go, perfect.
16:08I could never remember which one's the tibian, which one's the fibian.
16:11It's been a problem ever since grade school.
16:14Google is your friend.
16:15Yeah, no kidding.
16:16I want to see that, and there are a chunk of guys as well who are clearly in the position
16:21of you either need to, you know, how do I put this lightly and nicely?
16:27Either use the vessel or leave the vessel so that someone else may have a turn.
16:32I think that is the nicest way that I could put this.
16:35And, like, Cedric Tillman falls onto that for me.
16:37Start rowing the boat or jump off?
16:39Exactly.
16:41Or walk the plank, I'm sorry.
16:43Cedric Tillman is one of those, and I know the injuries play into it, but also he needs to take
16:47a leap forward if he wants to be a part of this team moving forward as well.
16:50There's a lot of those guys who are the early Andrew Berry picks that it's like, it's time.
16:54Like, you need to show us that you have something in the tank or you don't.
16:59Because right now, there's such an influx of young talent that we want to see more than watching you.
17:05Well, I mean, and you look at the back end of that wide receiver room, you're going to have Cedric
17:09Tillman, who you mentioned, right?
17:11Jermani Thrash.
17:12That's another one.
17:12Let's not forget about him.
17:14Use the vessel or let someone else have a turn.
17:16Gage LaVardin, who last year emerged.
17:19Training camp darling.
17:20Preseason darling.
17:21They show up every year.
17:23Right.
17:24So, like, only two jobs available, and I'd rather be talking about those two jobs being available than doing what
17:34we did the previous two years and talking about who's going to be the one, two, or three in the
17:39wide receiver room.
17:39And then you look at the other supporting cast, right?
17:41Okay, so Quinshawn Judkins, he's now healthy.
17:46Dylan Sampson, okay?
17:47He showed some things last season.
17:50Little burst and quickness in the step and whatnot.
17:53And ability to catch the football in space and make things happen.
17:59You know, Harold Fannin Jr. had an absolutely incredible rookie season.
18:04Couldn't ask her about a rookie season.
18:05Yeah.
18:06Couldn't ask her about a rookie season.
18:07You could have, you could have, but, you know, he needed some help.
18:11He needed some guys to get him the football.
18:14Understanding the situation at play, you couldn't have had a better rookie season.
18:20But, you know, I think that he's going to take a tremendous leap.
18:24So, when you look at, like, targets, and that's, I guess, where I'm going with this, Dan, is when you
18:30look at the targets that these quarterbacks have to work with, I think it's going to be a cleaner and
18:37more fair evaluation.
18:39Because, in previous quarterback competitions, you're like, well, the receiving core just isn't up to par.
18:45So, it's not the quarterbacks, it's the receivers.
18:48It's this, it's that, right?
18:49I don't, that's not the case this year.
18:52Like, and I know you've got a couple of young players in Boston and Concepcion, but, like, you'll, there are
18:59tangible targets offensively.
19:01So, you can, you can evaluate these guys.
19:05And, you know, so, when I see Deshaun hit a guy in stride down the field and it opens your
19:10eyes, but then on the next pass he's five yards wide right, or he kills a worm on a screen
19:16pass, okay?
19:17And the same thing goes for Shadour.
19:19Oh, yeah.
19:19You're just like, oh, you know, well, that reality sets in, right?
19:25And the timing aspect.
19:27I mean, Deshaun's played 19 games in, what, five, six years?
19:31Everything looks great when you can take three steps and deliver the ball on time and on target when no
19:35one is running at you.
19:36Yes.
19:37Everything looks great.
19:38The problem is, that was not the case this spring, and that's the point I'm trying to drive home.
19:42Oh, yeah.
19:43Like, everything should have looked amazing during the spring.
19:49And, again, both quarterbacks had times where they shined.
19:53It was just absolutely, it was a thing of beauty to watch.
19:59That's the good news.
20:00The not-so-good side of that coin is that there were times where you're just like, oof.
20:06Yeah.
20:07And, hopefully, we don't see a lot of that in training camp.
20:12Now, both, it's very clear that by themselves and then also together, Deshaun and Shador put in a lot of
20:20time between mandatory minicamp and this training camp to work on things, to prepare themselves for this upcoming competition.
20:32I'm not going to sit here and give them a standing ovation for doing stuff they should do.
20:35Mm-hmm.
20:36Because that's your job.
20:37Yep.
20:37You should come to work prepared.
20:39Work begins now.
20:41100%, yes.
20:41But, hopefully, the work that they put in, hopefully, that was productive enough to allow them to look more consistent
20:54than they did in the spring.
20:56And that, I think, will make Todd Munkin's job a little easier.
20:59All I ask is, if it's close, if it truly is close, just give the ball to Shador Sanders and
21:06let's go.
21:07If it's close, put your thumb on the scale and ride the rookie side of things that has a level
21:13of hope to it, rather than running out the 30-year-old veteran on two blown Achilles and blown ACL
21:19in each knee and shoulder surgery.
21:21Do me that favor.
21:23That's all I ask of the Browns organization.
21:25All I want you to do is be watchable this year, and if it's close, just hand the ball to
21:30Shador and let's go.
21:31I'm not saying Shador Sanders is the answer.
21:33I don't think he is.
21:35But at least there's a modicum of hope that I can hold.
Comments