00:00A gentleman who will be calling games on the Browns television network during the preseason joins us right now.
00:06And he's Mr. Chris Rose. Hello, Chris.
00:09Hello, Chris.
00:10Greetings.
00:12You're ready for Saturday?
00:15Yeah. Yeah, just talked to my buddy Adam Amin who calls the Bears side of the preseason.
00:22We had our little chat to kind of catch each other up on the other teams.
00:28It's not that like 98% of what you're talking about is strictly your team,
00:33but it's always good to kind of get a feel for the other squad before you call the game.
00:39Yeah, got to have a little flow on the other team as well, so that's a good thing.
00:43We don't know who's starting a quarterback yet.
00:45We do know both quarterbacks are speaking coming up in the noon hour.
00:49We're going to hear them right here on the fan.
00:51What do you think the breakdown is going to be?
00:53Whoever starts, Chris, and then whoever comes in second.
00:56I would think the second guy plays more, we think.
01:01Yeah, I would expect that to happen.
01:05I mean, not a significant amount more.
01:08You know, I don't think, like I could see, for example, Ben Johnson maybe,
01:15maybe getting his starters out there for a series.
01:20Like, I don't know if you remember last year, the Packers, was it last year or two years ago?
01:26All the games kind of blend together.
01:30But Jordan Love came out, led one drive, threw a touchdown, got out of Dodge.
01:36Yeah.
01:36Like, that's what LeFleur wanted.
01:38So it wouldn't surprise me if they, but very different scenario for us.
01:43Number one, we've got a first-time NFL head coach who's, you know, getting used to Operation Day as a
01:52head coach,
01:52which is very different than as an offensive coordinator.
01:56Number two, the Bears kind of know who their quarterback is.
02:01I'm going to go out on a limb.
02:02I think they feel pretty good about that.
02:04That Caleb fellow looks pretty good, yeah.
02:07Yeah, he's fine.
02:08I don't know.
02:09I mean, I don't know.
02:10Maybe Baygent and our old buddy Case Keenum can push him a little bit.
02:17But, you know, look, we've got to find our quarterback.
02:20And I'll be curious, you know, we get a production meeting with Todd Munkin tomorrow,
02:24and I get a chance to ask him how much this game weighs into his decision-making.
02:30You know, what percentage of it is it?
02:33I think people will be interested to know.
02:36Chris, I think it's also going to be interesting to watch how long he keeps the offensive line in.
02:40You know, like you just touched on, okay, well, maybe if your quarterback gets in there
02:44and gets their work done quickly.
02:45But the fact that just even looking back at NFL history,
02:49teams that switch out all five guys on the offensive line for starters,
02:53it just doesn't happen.
02:55No, it does not.
02:57And so, you know, we can talk about practice as much as they want,
03:01but I can't imagine even the most intense practice is even close to the ferocity of a preseason game.
03:11I know it sounds ridiculous, but, you know, you've got other guys that are fighting for their livelihood,
03:18whereas practice, what's the number one thing they say is take care of your own.
03:25So, yeah, I mean, those guys have got to get work, and it stinks, but that's where we are.
03:31We don't have enough.
03:32Our coaching staff and our talent evaluators don't have enough knowledge to know about everybody
03:39that's going to be playing opening day against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
03:44Chris Rose joining us, and he'll be calling the Browns game against the Bears coming up on Saturday.
03:51The offensive line has been thrown together,
03:55and the only guy that is listed on the depth chart who was here last year was Tevin Jenkins.
03:59We don't even know if Tevin will end up being the starting right guard,
04:02but he's listed that way for right now.
04:04How essential is it that these guys play together, Chris?
04:08And I think it's a fine line.
04:11Okay, you want them to play together, but you also want to protect them.
04:14What do you think they do?
04:16Yeah, I mean, I think it's – look, that's why I love having a Hall of Famer
04:20and one of the best linemen ever in Joe Thomas up there in the booth.
04:23I mean, I'm going to be asking him the same thing on Saturday.
04:27I mean, it's great for us as Browns fans that there is – so it's great,
04:33and it's not great that there's so much on the line with these preseason games.
04:38I think they have to play these guys.
04:40I just told you.
04:41I think, you know, there's only a certain percentage you can go full throttle
04:46in practice, and here you can let it loose.
04:49Is there a risk?
04:50Of course there is.
04:51But there's a risk every day at practice.
04:54How many guys have we – you know, the Atlanta Falcons just lost Javon Walker,
04:58their fine young pass rusher, for the season in practice.
05:03That wasn't in a preseason game.
05:04It was in practice.
05:06It happens anywhere.
05:07Where they have to figure out what they've got up there.
05:10I'm not saying play them three quarters,
05:12but they're going to have to play them a couple drives.
05:16Chris, let's talk about the wide receiving core,
05:19because I think that's probably the most exciting new thing on this team
05:23outside of what we're trying to figure out as a quarterback.
05:25Your thoughts on Boston, Concepcion,
05:27and then how that trickles into guys that have been here,
05:30like Tillman and Bond and Judy.
05:34So last year we were openly questioning, well,
05:41is Cedric Tillman the clear-cut number two?
05:45Well, right now you could just say cut with him.
05:49Like he is on the cut line.
05:50Yeah.
05:50And that is where we have gone in one year.
05:53We should feel so much better about the possibilities of this room.
05:57Guys, the Browns last year were dead last in wide receiver production,
06:03in catches, in yards, in touchdowns.
06:07And so they did something nearly unprecedented,
06:11which is taking a pair of receivers in the top 40 of the same draft class.
06:15It hadn't happened in 30 years in the NFL.
06:18They needed to.
06:19And I couldn't believe that Boston was still available.
06:22If they had taken him where they took Concepcion,
06:25I don't think anybody would have batted an eye.
06:27We would have been like, yeah,
06:28that's a name where you had heard consistently in the 20.
06:32We would have applauded.
06:34Right.
06:35And the fact we were able to get both these guys is sensational.
06:41So that's going back.
06:44The fact that we have guys,
06:45one that you can give him an eight-yard slant and he can be gone,
06:49and the other guy who is much more than a red zone threat
06:56and pick it off the helmet of some other DB.
06:59I think there's going to be teams.
07:01There's always a receiver that gets taken in the second round.
07:04We're like, how did all these teams pass on that dude?
07:07I think that's Denzel Boston.
07:10I agree with you.
07:11I can't wait to see him on the field.
07:14I think he's going to be so much fun to watch.
07:16And I just think it gives the quarterback an opportunity to do some things.
07:21I want to see Dylan Sampson, too, Chris.
07:23And I want to see a lot of him.
07:25And not necessarily in the preseason, but once we get this thing going.
07:28How much do you think Todd Munkin will use Dylan in the offense?
07:33And I keep thinking of Justice Hill getting a lot of run in Baltimore
07:36behind Derrick Henry.
07:39Yeah.
07:39I mean, you know, we saw his explosiveness,
07:44particularly in Shadur's first start last year.
07:48He had the 60-some-yard touchdown run
07:51and then a big burst later in the game as well.
07:54And those can be game-changing moments, right?
07:58There's a handful of plays.
08:00And last year, we just didn't have enough guys that can do that.
08:04You know, you need Quinchon in there to move chains,
08:08to keep drives going.
08:10You need Dylan Sampson to essentially be like your three-run homer guy.
08:17And things have not been easy for this offense the last couple years.
08:21They just haven't.
08:22It has felt like it's such a gear grinder
08:25when you're watching them play on Sundays.
08:28Well, now you add in Concepcion.
08:30You have the ability to scheme Sampson open, hopefully.
08:36And, you know, he doesn't need to be a guy that touches the ball 12 times a game.
08:42But if he touches it seven times,
08:46maybe two or three of those are enormous chunk plays.
08:51All right, Chris, I do want to talk about the quarterbacks for a second.
08:55What does – how do you – I don't want to ask you how you expect this thing to play
08:59out,
08:59but what do we expect from Shador Sanders or Deshaun Watson, no matter who starts?
09:04Like, what are we looking for to say, okay, this is successful
09:08and this has got to make Todd Munkin happy?
09:12Well, I mean, look, Todd Munkin, when he lost his you-know-what the other day,
09:17it was because of the operation at the end of practice.
09:20And we haven't been good enough in the most recent years to shoot ourselves in the foot
09:29and to go backward, to have what you call, like, essentially dumb penalties and dumb mistakes.
09:37There are enough mistakes that happen.
09:39The other teams force you into mistakes all the time.
09:42Control what you can control.
09:44And I think that's his number one thing right now is can our quarterback be competent enough
09:50from the minute I tell them to play inside their helmet to the time that we snap?
09:56I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's kind of where we are right now.
10:00We need to feel good about that aspect before we say, oh, well, that guy can make game-changing plays.
10:08I don't know where most fans feel.
10:10Well, that's kind of where I feel, and I know it's not – it might not be popular,
10:15but that's what I want to see right now.
10:19Can he handle the basics at this point?
10:21Yeah, Chris, like my – I was saying to Jeff earlier,
10:24I can see a lot of games going for the Browns this year where the defense looks good
10:28and then they run out of gas in fourth quarter because they've been on the field the whole game
10:31where the offense is still trying to figure out, you know, what we're doing
10:36and you're going to have holding calls because you're going to have misassignments
10:39and guys trying to make up for things they were doing on the – you're going to have offside.
10:42You're going to have – I just feel like I'm – I keep trying to tell myself
10:46don't get frustrated by the offense when you think about the fact that, like,
10:50what, nine of the 11 starters weren't here last year.
10:52I mean, I think we need to be realistic about what we're watching on offense.
10:56Yeah. So, listen, I've had the – you know, in the first 10 days or – what day are we
11:02on here?
11:0312, 11, 12, whatever?
11:05It should be – today's 12, I think.
11:06I think it's right.
11:07I think you're right. 12.
11:08So, over the last two weeks, I've been to Cowboys camp twice.
11:11I went to Rams-Cowboys yesterday.
11:14I've been to Chargers.
11:14I liked your conversation with Devontae Adams, by the way.
11:17All right. I'll tell you who I loved was Trent McDuffie.
11:20I sat there. That guy is so put together.
11:23Whether he's funny, he's smart, he's a damn good football player.
11:27If I were a Chiefs fan, I'd be going, how the hell did we trade him and not expend him?
11:31Like, that would drive me nuts.
11:33But, anyway, thank you.
11:35It was a great day watching those teams.
11:37And so, everybody knows I'm a Browns fan, so they're asking about the quarterback and all that.
11:41And they all say the same thing, which is, you know, the talent's not bad there.
11:46Like, if the Browns can even get average quarterback play, they're going to be in a lot of games.
11:52And I'm just telling you this.
11:54Like, they don't have any dog in the fight.
11:55They're not Cleveland fans.
11:56But they all recognize the same thing, which is Andrew and his staff have done a really good job putting
12:03pieces around.
12:05It's the centerpiece that we've got to figure out.
12:07And I'm sick of all the BS about, well, they're screwing this guy, and how are we letting that guy
12:13go?
12:13Folks, we all want the same thing.
12:15So, I think most of us want the same thing.
12:18We want a competent quarterback.
12:20Sure, would we love to have somebody there for 10 to 12 years?
12:24Yeah.
12:24Let's start with the simple stuff.
12:26Give me a guy that can be there for a couple years and help me so that what I'm watching
12:31on Sunday, I feel good about.
12:33And I'm not banging my head against the wall because our team is averaging 14.9 points per game.
12:39I can't do that again.
12:41We'll watch you on Saturday along with Joe Thomas.
12:44Have some fun, my friend.
12:46Oh, I can't wait.
12:48Chicago, then home for Buffalo.
12:51Good stuff, man.
12:52Way to get it done.
12:53Chris, thanks, buddy.
12:54We'll see you.
12:54See you, Chris.
12:55Bye, guys.
12:56Chris Rose, Browns Television Network.
