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00:00Let's head on out to the Weisshardt-We-Make-It-Right-Call-Kyle-Right hotline.
00:03Joining us from SiriusXM, you know him, you love him.
00:06It's Adam Kaplan, kind enough to join us.
00:08Adam, thanks so much for the time. How are you doing?
00:10How are you, Adam?
00:11Guys, good to talk to you. I am well.
00:12Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
00:13I should be up to Berea.
00:15Hoping to be there for the joint practice with the Bills.
00:19Yeah, it's never a dull moment.
00:20Going to practice is on and off for the Browns over 20 years.
00:23I've seen a lot of things crazy with the Manziel story.
00:28The RG3 versus Josh McCown wrote about, spoke about these competitions.
00:33And a fast forward to now, we've got Sanders versus Watson.
00:37If you would have asked me a year ago, I don't know that I would have said
00:40this is going to be the competition, but here we are.
00:42Yeah, who do you like in this competition?
00:45I'm thinking that Deshaun comes into this thing because he's a veteran
00:48with a little bit of a lead.
00:50I don't know how big that lead is, but week one in Jacksonville,
00:54who do you think is going to be starting under center for the Browns?
00:56All right, let me, you know, I'm talking to people close to this situation.
01:00It's very even.
01:01The one thing I'll tell you that's a strong positive about Watson is he looks,
01:06as one person put to me, like he had not been injured before.
01:09It's the first time he's actually looked healthy in I don't know how long.
01:12But we have to remember he's not played high-level football since the 2020 season.
01:18So we really don't know what to expect.
01:20He hasn't played football in a long time.
01:21And Shadour, where the building is, in their off-season program,
01:26came in with a certain maturity.
01:29He gets it.
01:30He loves that he's going to get a chance.
01:32And the new staff, from what I heard, is they like what they see.
01:38But I'll tell you what, not that he's going to get a chance to start.
01:40Taylor Greene, the six-rounder out of Arkansas, has got a lot of tools.
01:46He's got a lot of work to do.
01:47Mechanics aren't great.
01:49Big guy could run.
01:50There are limitations because of mechanics.
01:52But he's a very intriguing quarterback for Todd Monkett and the staff to work with.
01:59If there is a chance that this quarterback competition is close, Adam,
02:04would the thumb be put on the scale for the rookie?
02:07Or does that not matter at all?
02:09Or I should say the second-year player in Shadour.
02:12Sorry, my bad, my bad.
02:13Yeah, no, I understand.
02:14So, you know, it's funny you ask it that way because I just remember sometimes when things have been dictated
02:20by the front office
02:22or when the owner would get involved, they didn't always work out well.
02:26I heard it's strictly going to be up to Monkett.
02:29He'll make the decision when he thinks he's ready with the help of his staff, Mike Bajakian and others.
02:36And it's going to be interesting.
02:39I would say ties go to the runner here.
02:41I would say with Watson, of course, if Watson continues to look healthy and looks good in the preseason,
02:47yeah, he would have the small advantage.
02:48But one thing with Shadour is he's a very talented pocket passer.
02:55He's not a runner.
02:56It's not really what he does.
02:57He can scramble.
02:57He's not a runner.
02:58His college shape is pretty good.
03:00Like, he should have gotten drafted nowhere past the third round.
03:04And we could get into the reasons why it didn't happen.
03:06But that's behind him now.
03:08From what I've been told very strongly, because I have the same questions that other people do,
03:13it's absolutely a fair competition.
03:14We'll see what happens in the end.
03:16But it'll be the head coach who makes the call.
03:19Atlanta, Minnesota, Vegas, I don't know, maybe throw in Arizona there.
03:25Do the Browns have, of all these quarterback competitions going on league-wide,
03:30is Deshaun V. Shadour the best competition in the league, do you think?
03:34It's fun because of Shadour, because, again, he's more talented than people understand.
03:39At least he played last season.
03:40He had one decent start.
03:42The rest of it wasn't great.
03:43But, look, they had a lot of problems with their offensive line.
03:45Don't forget, they're going to have five new starring offensive linemen.
03:49That's a lot.
03:50You just don't see that.
03:52But, yeah, it's an intriguing one.
03:55When you look at some of these competitions, a lot of them aren't great, to be honest with you.
04:01Now, look, what are we going to get from Deshaun Watson?
04:03Who knows?
04:04To be honest with you, who knows?
04:05And the pass starter group's going to look different, particularly at the receiver position.
04:09It's kind of why I'm intrigued, and I look forward to seeing the Browns this season,
04:12their training camp in Berea.
04:14There's a lot of newness, and you've got to play Kohler.
04:17I think Todd Mocken is brilliant, talking to people who work with him.
04:20So there's a lot of intrigue.
04:22Believe it or not, there's some people who look at this and say, you know what?
04:24There's a possibility that they'll be a little bit better than you think.
04:29Adam Kaplan joining us.
04:31You can hear him on SiriusXM from time to time.
04:33Follow him on X at KaplanNFL, C-A-P-L-A-N-N-F-L.
04:40Adam, you brought up the wide receivers, and that's, of course, getting a whole bunch of the buzz.
04:44How excited are you to see Denzel Boston, Isaiah Bond in year two, Casey Concepcion,
04:51and that whole group play within this offense?
04:53Yep, it's a good question.
04:54So Boston, he's almost certainly going to be their ex-receiver if he's ready to go, a second-rounder.
05:00Big-body guy, he's not explosive.
05:03Talked to some receivers coaches before the draft, really leading up to it.
05:08There's a lot here.
05:10You love the body type.
05:12You love the size.
05:14He's got the prototypical size for that ex-position.
05:17He's just under 6'4", big guy.
05:20Concepcion, will they play slot or the Z position?
05:23The Z's, the move position.
05:25Judy will play almost more inside.
05:27Now, what I was told with this situation, how much 11 personnel versus 12 personnel,
05:3211 being three receivers, two, 12 personnel, two receivers, and two tenants.
05:37It just depends on how everybody performs.
05:40Are Boston and Concepcion ready?
05:42We know Judy's a starter.
05:44Well, they're telling you what it's going to look like.
05:46Now, Bond can run.
05:47He'll be involved.
05:48The guy that I really had high hopes for, and it just does not happen, a lot due to
05:52injuries, Cedric Tillman, he's still on the roster, a lot to play for.
05:56The good thing is they're very young, other than Judy at the tight end position, and there's
06:02talent there.
06:03And then, I want to throw in one at tight end.
06:05Harold Fannin was way better than I expected.
06:07He's not a great athlete, but there's something to say about guys who continue to get open.
06:11I was really surprised.
06:13I didn't see that as a rookie.
06:16Adam, you mentioned the offensive line and the five new faces.
06:20They draft Spencer Fennel in the first round.
06:22They sign Zion Johnson from the Chargers.
06:26Elton Jenkins comes over from the Packers.
06:30Tevin Jenkins is an in-house guy.
06:34Titus Howard, they trade for him with the Houston Texans.
06:38They've got to figure out, obviously, the center spot.
06:41It's either going to be Elton Jenkins or Parker Brailsford, their fifth-round pick, and that'll
06:46determine whether or not they need to find a right guard in camp.
06:51Just your thoughts on this rebuilt offensive line, and I guess how well they're going to
06:56be able to pair with Deshaun or Shadour, depending on who that's going to be.
07:01Yeah, the Zion Johnson contract surprised me because the Chargers were not big on bringing
07:07him back, and I'll see Andrew Barry made the call.
07:10He must have liked his tape.
07:13Look, Titus Howard didn't work out a left tackle for the Texans.
07:16He became a very solid right tackle, which is what he's going to play now.
07:20One thing I had heard, which is interesting, DeJuan Jones lost a massive amount of weight.
07:24I don't know what he weighs, but I know that he's down significantly, and that is a great
07:28sign.
07:29Remember, finally, it was a rookie deal.
07:31A lot to play for.
07:32However, that was, I know, when he was drafted in 2023, there were a lot of online coaches
07:37I talked to that did not like him because of his weight, lack of energy, and commitment
07:40to the position from a scouting standpoint, but he'll battle Feneau.
07:45That's my understanding, and Feneau is obviously drafted to start.
07:48He should start.
07:49They don't, I didn't get the feeling that, like, they know that Jones could play right tackle.
07:54Right now, I believe he's going to compete against Feneau.
07:57Yeah, Jenkins, Kevin Jenkins, that is, is a guy that, he started his career off as a,
08:02a tackle, got moved to guard, he's got playing starting experience, we talked about Zion
08:06Johnson, he's got to play better than he did last season.
08:09You know, Jenkins could play guard or center, we know he's going to play guard here, so
08:12there's, but George Warhop, the O-line coach, he's got a big job on his hands.
08:18This is, but you know what, he's a journeyman coach, he's pretty good, and this is a big
08:23job for him and his assistant, Bobby Johnson, here.
08:25This is a real big challenge.
08:27Adam Kaplan joining us, SiriusXM is where you can hear him.
08:31Adam, after the Miles Garrett trade, all of us looked around and said, well, anybody
08:35who's a pro bowler, who's over 29, apparently needs to be renting and not buying at this
08:40point here.
08:41Denzel Ward, is there any talk around the league of him possibly being available?
08:45The problem with him is, guys, the injury history, you know, he just turned 29 in April,
08:50and then the thing is, it's like, I understand there are, there are what we call a rebuild,
08:55retooling.
08:57They're a long ways away from being a solid playoff team.
09:00Again, I don't think they're going to be a two-win team, I think they'll be a little
09:03better than people think.
09:04I like this coaching staff and what I've heard, I've talked to guys who work with a lot of
09:07these coaches, love what I've heard about Monken.
09:10But let me talk about, let me talk about Ward getting traded.
09:14If it happens, this is the perfect guy to trade at the trade deadline in late October,
09:21because when you really look at it, good player, lots of injuries, he's signed through
09:292027, he's out about, in cash, $20 million, virtually the same money next season, that's
09:36actually not too bad.
09:37Good player, just a lot of injuries.
09:40To me, if you're going to trade him, you kind of feel like, you know what, we're not there
09:45yet, why don't we just get it, see if we can get a first-round pick, and we'll play for
09:49the next year's draft, and Tyson, the Tyson Campbell trade, by the way, I was stunned
09:52when that trade was made.
09:54The corner-for-corner trade, like, when do you ever see that happen?
09:57That was really odd to me.
09:59You don't.
09:59You've shocked me, too, when I saw that happen.
10:02Yeah, I still don't get it, I get it, I talk to someone with the Browns, and they
10:07explained to me why they thought Campbell, because Newsom was on the Fani-Rish deal, but
10:12Campbell was signed, but Campbell's inconsistent, but a good player.
10:17Jared Verse has the unenviable task, fair or not, of replacing Miles Garrett.
10:24I mean, he was among the top three in pressures the last couple of years, only Minkah Fitzpatrick
10:31and Miles Garrett had more quarterback pressures.
10:34What is a realistic expectation, though, for Browns fans with Verse having to step in to
10:44that unenviable task of replacing a future Hall of Famer?
10:48All right, I want to tell a great story about Miles Garrett, which is maybe the best practice
10:51I've ever seen from a defense player at the end of this discussion on defense, but what
10:57I was told with their defenses, they're going to keep the wide nine, the 43 front, when the
11:01ends get upfield on the way to the quarterback, like that's the Jim Schwartz one, and remember
11:07the new defense coordinator came from Rob Asala's defense, and Asala played the wide nine,
11:10so they're going to keep that, I'm told, Verse is a phenomenal fit for that.
11:14He's an upfield pass rusher, incredible burst, great energy, the fans are absolutely going
11:18to love him.
11:21He's only 25 years old.
11:23This kid is a big-time player.
11:24In fact, I mean, it's not a secret, Andrew Barry made it clear they were not making this
11:28trade without getting Verse.
11:29I actually like the trade, by the way, in terms of getting the competition they got back.
11:34This is a big-time player.
11:35You're talking about a top-five edge rusher in the league, maybe top three, depending on who
11:39you're talking to, and he's going to do great in this scheme.
11:42I look forward to this, him in this scheme.
11:45I like it.
11:46I mean, I really like this thing.
11:47Mason Graham in his second year now, expect him to take a jump.
11:51They need more talent, guys.
11:52I mean, Schlesinger's a stud.
11:54Andrew Barry, by the way, what a draft he had last year.
11:57I had my criticisms of him before that.
11:59Actually, pretty significant for a variety of reasons, but I give Barry credit.
12:03He really did well last season, and I'm just looking forward with this.
12:07I know they kept some coaches on defense, but I'm looking forward to seeing how this
12:13thing looks on both sides of the football.
12:14I just think there's a lot here.
12:16And one thing I want to say about Miles Garrett, so the Browns are going to say, you know,
12:20because I know they've had a number of joint practices with the Eagles.
12:23One time they were here in Philly two or three years ago.
12:27Garrett did so well, and he just handled Jordan Mylotta, left tackle, and Lane Johnson
12:31will probably go to the Hall of Fame.
12:33He was laughing and toying with them.
12:35They pulled him off the field because the Eagles couldn't block him.
12:37You don't see that in a practice.
12:39In training camp, you just don't.
12:40I've never seen anything like that before.
12:42It was, you know, I look at the moments watching Brady practice and Peyton Manning and certain
12:47Aaron Donald, by the way.
12:49Certain players practice.
12:50It was the single best performance I've ever seen in training camp practice.
12:54It was just, it was hard to believe what I saw, but that's how special he is.
12:57Well, Adam, he had five sacks against the New England Patriots, who were in the Super Bowl
13:01last year, and the Browns lost by three touchdowns.
13:04That's why you traded him, guys.
13:05Not enough talent.
13:07By the way, let me ask you this, though.
13:08Let me ask you this quick.
13:09What was the response when the trade was made?
13:13What was the response on your station?
13:15I'm curious.
13:15And you guys.
13:16Of course.
13:18So it was, by us, it was a bit of, okay, I get where they're going.
13:24I always love watching, personally, the LA Rams, just because they seem to be like a
13:29quarter step ahead of everybody else in the league of what the next best thing is going
13:32to be, and I love watching their tape.
13:34Yeah, like the Dodgers keep going.
13:36Right.
13:36So it always makes me feel like every time I would watch him, I would watch Verse and
13:39go, this guy is a game plan wrecker, and that's the PC way that I'm going to put this.
13:44And so I was excited for that one, personally, the fact that they got Verse back.
13:49I thought the draft pick compensation was a little lower than what I thought they were
13:53going to get, though.
13:54I thought there'd be another first-rounder.
13:55I think Browns fans, in general, looked at it and said, I hate trading a Hall of Famer.
14:01This sucks, especially a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but at least there's somebody here
14:06we can sink our teeth into, and it is in future cash considerations or draft picks.
14:12Yeah, I think when you make a trade like this for Verse, you kind of know he's going to
14:17be there a long time, and they'll take care of his contract.
14:20There's some building blocks here with Schlesinger, who looks like he's going to be a stud, and
14:25you've got Campbell, who could play, needs to be more consistent, has a little bit of injuries.
14:29By the way, Jamari Mathis is a nickel, who they signed over from Carolina.
14:32I know a coach who was with him in Denver, he's talented, but it's just, it's going to
14:38take time, folks, but they have some building blocks, but it obviously starts at quarterback
14:42as we finish with this, and who the heck knows, but I want to see Shadur when you ask me,
14:47like,
14:49yes, Watson will have the advantage.
14:51I don't know that it absolutely will, but if it's close to me, if I'm Todd Monk and I go,
14:57you know what, this kid's a player, this college tape was good, he's maturing, from
15:02what I heard in the building, so let's see how it plays out.
15:06All I know is, I lost count of the amount of times Todd Monk was cussing guys out on
15:11the field, and not just the quarterbacks.
15:13I mean, not used to seeing it.
15:16Polar opposite personalities between Todd and Kevin Stefanski, that's for sure.
15:20We'll see how it plays out.
15:21Real quick, though, your thoughts on Todd at 60, getting his first head coaching gig, and
15:26it's here in Cleveland.
15:27I was surprised.
15:29Not that I had anything against him, but I really thought, those of us who cover the
15:34league nationally, I really thought Jim Schwartz would get it, and you know how Schwartz reacted
15:39when he didn't get it, which I understand, he was the runner-up.
15:43You know what, I've talked to several coaches, and I wanted to, you know, I don't know Monk
15:48personally, so I've never met him, but I've heard a lot about him, and I know he's a brilliant
15:52offensive line, and I actually ran into a player not too long ago who,
15:57he was still with the Browns, and he said he liked the way the staff was very connective.
16:03Now, how do I feel about Monk?
16:05What I always do is I reserve my judgment until we get to games.
16:09Like, you might have an excitement going in, but I've been fooled before.
16:12You hear a lot of good things, but until they start losing games, that's when you know how
16:18a kid, you know that, guys, you know, in Berea, with that involved owner, and I've talked
16:24to dozens, if not dozens of coaches who work for Jimmy Haslam.
16:28They love his energy and passion, but when things aren't good, it's an extremely tough
16:33building to be in.
16:33And I'm just going to be honest with you.
16:35I've covered that, even from Rainey Lerner.
16:37I've put a lot of information to those of you who follow me on social media.
16:41I've had a love-hate relationship with the Browns fans, because I tell the truth.
16:45It's not easy to coach there.
16:47But Jimmy's going to have to be patient.
16:49This is a turnaround program.
16:50It's going to take years for them to get back to the playoffs.
16:52You can hear him on SiriusXM.
16:54Adam, thanks so much for the time, and I look forward to seeing you in Berea training camp.
16:57And go Bobcats, Adam.
16:59Thanks, guys.
16:59See you.
17:00You betcha.
17:00There he is.
17:01Adam Kaplan joining us on the Wise Hot Right.
17:03We make it right.
17:03Call Kyle Wright Hotline.
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