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00:00Cleveland.com's Cleveland Browns beat reporter, Mary Kay Cabot.
00:03Mary Kay, good morning. How are you?
00:06Good morning, Mary Kay. How are you?
00:08I'm doing great. How are you guys doing?
00:10Pretty good. Excited for it to be a game day.
00:13I'm not going to lie.
00:14This is where that little boy who grew up in the city of Cleveland
00:16who just loves football, this is when this comes out.
00:19We get to talk about it.
00:20We talk all these different minutiae when it comes to football,
00:24but in reality, I'm just a Browns fan.
00:26I just want to see his team play, Mary Kay.
00:28What are you looking for today out there?
00:30Oh, so many things.
00:32So many things I'm looking for after watching all of these practices.
00:35First and foremost, of course, watching to see what Deshaun Watson can do
00:41and what Shador Sanders can do with their opportunities today.
00:44This is such a big pivotal week for those guys when it comes to this game
00:49and then the joint practice and then the game against the Bills next Saturday.
00:54By the time these three big flashpoints are over with,
00:57the Browns should have a pretty good idea.
01:00of who their starting quarterback is.
01:02So it's a very pivotal day for the quarterbacks today, especially Deshaun.
01:06This is his big chance to go out there, knock off the rust,
01:09and show he can get some plays made and get some points scored
01:13and that he's going to have to go out there and try to seize the moment
01:17because next week is Shador's chance.
01:20Mary Kay, we know Todd explained his plan for this game to us earlier this week
01:27that Deshaun is going to play a half.
01:30It was kind of a weird answer when he was asked about the offensive line.
01:33Like he said, he doesn't plan on playing them the entire time,
01:37but it'll kind of depend on what the Bears do,
01:39and he wants to give them a chance to still operate.
01:41So I guess my question for you is what amount of the starters are you expecting
01:48to maybe stay in with Deshaun Watson after maybe that initial series that they have?
01:54Well, it's going to be dictated in large part by what the Bears are doing
01:58on their defensive line.
02:00You can't have Deshaun going out there against some of their starters
02:03on the defensive line if he's down to all backups on the offensive line.
02:07So somebody will be monitoring that, and they will be making sure
02:11that they are keeping their quarterback safe and upright.
02:14We know that this is the first time Deshaun is going to be playing
02:17since he ruptured that Achilles in a live situation.
02:20So they're going to be keeping an eye on that.
02:23And, you know, I don't exactly know for sure if they are going to get the full half out of
02:28him.
02:28They want that two-minute drill at the end of the half.
02:31If it works out fine, if not, you know, they can get it somewhere else.
02:35There's part of me that thinks that if they see enough good work from Deshaun
02:39in the first, whatever, four or five series or something like that,
02:43maybe they don't have to keep him in that long.
02:45I personally wouldn't keep him in that long in the first preseason game.
02:49It's usually just not done like that for, you know, for good reasons.
02:52You've got really young guys that are out to impress the coaching staff
02:56and trying to make plays and maybe playing outside the lines a little bit here and there.
03:01So, you know, I know they really want to get him this half.
03:05But I have to wonder if it's actually going to turn out like that.
03:08Yeah, Mary Kay, I read that article you wrote yesterday, should I say,
03:13and I thought it was pretty good information you sharing your opinion on
03:16why that wouldn't be the case.
03:18And for me, I kind of looked at it like I can understand where you're coming from.
03:21If the work looks good, you don't want to risk injury, et cetera.
03:25But, you know, for all of us who have not seen him play in such a long time
03:29and every time we did see him play, it seemed like the speed of the game
03:32might be too much or the feel of the game just might not be there for him.
03:36Do you think that might be a reason why Todd Munkin has put emphasis on him
03:40playing the entire half?
03:42Yeah, I think it's that.
03:43That's part of it.
03:44And then the two-minute drill is part of it.
03:46They really want to see him play in that sort of unstructured situation.
03:52But I guess for my money, I think you can get that sort of unstructured situation
03:56when you practice against the Bills.
03:59I think you can manufacture it in practice.
04:01You see that Ben Johnson is not bothering to play Caleb Williams in this game.
04:05There are a lot of other coaches that are doing the same thing.
04:08The first preseason game generally isn't a time to try to figure out
04:13what your starting quarterback is capable of doing.
04:15But I know this is a unique situation with Deshaun and with the Cleveland Browns,
04:20and they have to do things a little bit differently than most teams have to do
04:23with their starting quarterback.
04:24So it is a chance for him to go out there, shake off the rust,
04:28see how he handles edge rushers coming at him or any kind of rushers coming at him
04:32and how he handles that and how he gets through this.
04:36So I understand what they're doing here.
04:38I just think they should also play it by ear during the game.
04:42With that said, Mary Kay, what do you think specifically they're looking for
04:50from Deshaun as they continue to evaluate him in a setting where he gets to start
04:54against another team like he gets today?
04:57Really moving the ball, making those plays consistently,
05:01and putting some points on the board.
05:03That's what Todd Munkin is basing this quarterback competition is.
05:07Who can put most points on the board and give them the best chance to win?
05:11So he's got to demonstrate that he can stack plays and really extend a drive
05:16and keep this thing going.
05:18So, you know, that's what he's got to do.
05:21And I think that Shador is such an elite playmaker
05:26that I feel like there's a chance that he can look better
05:31in these next three things that come up.
05:34He's just so good at finding the open man and getting the ball to him.
05:39And that's what Deshaun is going to demonstrate that he has to do.
05:43That's what he has to show, that he can do that as well.
05:47Because I think Shador is really going to come out very, very strong
05:52over these next three flashpoints that I talked about.
05:55And Deshaun is just going to have to start out with a bang today.
05:58Yeah, Mary Kay, I definitely agree with that point.
06:00I was telling Spencer last segment to the point of Shador,
06:03he is an elite playmaker and he's a gamer.
06:05And that's when we see the best version of Shador.
06:08It seems like when the lights is on, the lights are brightest,
06:11and it's time to play football.
06:12We've talked a lot about, you know, the procedural issues,
06:15the pre-snap stuff.
06:16And we had a conversation with Cameron Wolfe,
06:18and I explained to him, you know, I've read articles about Jackson Dart,
06:22Fernando Mendoza.
06:23I've even, you know, heard about veteran quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson
06:26who's going into a new system.
06:28And he said for the younger guys, it's normal, you know,
06:31for them to have these struggles or things that they need to overcome,
06:35especially when you're learning a complex system.
06:39And I guess this is more of a statement, Mary Kay, that you can react to.
06:42But to me, that has me excited about the potential for Shador Sanders.
06:47Because if I know what I can get out of him when the ball is snapped,
06:50man, if he can continue to work on these things and improve on these things
06:53and get these things better, we legit might have our quarterback.
06:56Well, he has gotten those things better week by week, day by day.
07:01Even over the last week, this competition has really heated up and ratcheted up.
07:06And we've seen Deshaun completing more passes, throwing more touchdown passes,
07:11making those big explosive plays.
07:13And we've also seen Shador come up the learning curve very nicely
07:16in the operational realm.
07:19And so he just is not backing down in this competition whatsoever.
07:23And I keep coming back to the fact that he just has that it factor.
07:29He is, like you said, he's a gamer on game day.
07:31He's got something to him where he just can find the play.
07:35And if he can put that together in time over this next week, really,
07:41and demonstrate that he can handle everything that he's going to have to do
07:45pre-snap and not get the Browns into any type of negative situations
07:50where he's not retreating or there's not false start penalties
07:54or delay of game penalties and he can get everybody lined up,
07:57if he can do all of that, then I think he's got an excellent chance
08:01of winning this starting job.
08:03It's still open.
08:04This job is not over yet.
08:07Mary Kay Cabot joining us on the Wise Heart Right.
08:09We make it right.
08:09Call, call, right.
08:10Hotline.
08:11Mary Kay, the rookies have obviously been some of the stars of the show here
08:14during training camp.
08:15You and I both know that.
08:16Is there any one or two in particular that you're most looking forward to seeing
08:21in a live game setting that today offers against the Bears?
08:25Well, really, you know, there's four and there are the, you know,
08:28these are the top four guys that we're going to be talking about.
08:31You've got Spencer Fano making his starting debut at left tackle.
08:34How does he hold up on that side?
08:36What, you know, what might they need to do in terms of any kind of chipping help
08:41as they move forward?
08:42And then you've got Casey and Denzel who have just been dynamite in practice,
08:47especially, I would say, probably Denzel with catching every single thing
08:51that comes his way for the most part.
08:53So looking forward to seeing what those guys can do.
08:56Casey, such a dynamic playmaker, making those leaping acrobatic catches in practice.
09:02Can't wait to see him in a live game against pro competition.
09:06And then Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, just a ball hawk, always around the ball.
09:11Great instincts and someone that I think is going to make a big impact early on this season.
09:17I might add really quickly, it's pouring rain right now.
09:21So hopefully for these guys, the rain will dissipate by the time they have to go out there
09:28and play because it's just a different ball game when you have to be playing in the pouring rain.
09:33Mary Kay, what is it with the Browns playing in Chicago with the worst possible weather?
09:37When we were there last year, it was freezing cold.
09:39Oh, now it's raining. What the heck? We can't just get a sunny day?
09:42I don't know, Mary Kay. Can they stand in rain?
09:45Can they stand in rain?
09:47I know. When I walked in, it was not raining.
09:50And now it's pouring rain.
09:52So like I said, hopefully, you know, it would really be disappointing for both of these quarterbacks
09:58if they have to play in these kinds of conditions because it's just a different game.
10:02You can't see exactly what you need to see.
10:05I mean, you will get some good data because you would find out, you know, how they handle a situation
10:11like this.
10:12But still, it's just not what you would want.
10:14Mary Kay, one of the things that I'll be looking for is that defense and the amount of communication and
10:19how impactful it is.
10:21Mike Rudenberg said when we first was introduced to him that, listen, I'm keeping the base of this the same.
10:26We're still going to intact.
10:27The disguise is going to look different because I want to create more turnovers.
10:31And throughout training camp, all the quarterbacks have turned the ball over way more than we would like to see.
10:36How much of that is the quarterbacks just learning a new system?
10:39Or if we're not giving enough credit to this Browns defense, who seems to be so far much better than
10:46we anticipated without Myles Garrett and Jim Schwartz here?
10:50Well, I think it's a combination of both.
10:52First of all, I think Shador has done a really nice job of protecting the football.
10:56And Deshaun has done a much better job of protecting the football over the last seven or eight practices after
11:03he had that flurry of picks in the beginning.
11:05So a lot of it is being new.
11:07A lot of it is young guys.
11:08A lot of it is, you know, different targets and learning a new system.
11:12But I do think that you have a very aggressive, intense ball hawking defense.
11:18And I think that these guys are out to prove that they were not the Myles Garrett show and that
11:23they were something more than that.
11:24And there's a lot of really good talent on this defense.
11:28And it has been showing up.
11:30Mary Kay, I want to hone in on one position specifically because I do think going into camp,
11:35I kind of felt the tight end room was deeper.
11:38They added a couple guys in the draft, obviously.
11:40And now, as we've gotten a couple weeks into camp, Joe Royer obviously still not around.
11:46And it just doesn't feel like somebody has really emerged as kind of that compliment yet to Harold Fannin Jr.
11:53What have you seen from that room and maybe what are you looking to see in terms of the tight
11:58ends,
11:58trying to maybe somebody, somebody maybe to separate themselves, to cement that backup role and help that room feel like
12:04it's got some actual depth to it?
12:07Well, I think it's been a big disappointment that Joe Royer hasn't been able to be here to show what
12:11he can do.
12:12And we have no idea when he's going to be showing up.
12:15So it is a competition amongst those other guys.
12:19And, you know, Carson, he's a draft pick.
12:22And I know they would love for him to show out and be able to step up and seize the
12:26moment.
12:26But I do think that it impacts what kind of personnel that you're going to be seeing on the field
12:31much of the time.
12:32I think this forces them into more of an 11 personnel type of base.
12:36Not that they wouldn't have done that anyways.
12:38But I just don't think that right now, you know, you can have your bread and butter be 12 personnel,
12:45two tight ends or sometimes three tight ends based on, you know, what they have in camp.
12:51But I think that's OK, because when you've got Casey and Denzel who have really demonstrated that they're ready for
12:56pro action,
12:57and then you've got Isaiah Bond who has elevated his game.
13:01You've got Jerry Judy now, you know, moving around at the Z and doing some different things that should play
13:07to his strengths.
13:08I think it's perfectly fine to be an 11 most of the time.
13:11But definitely a disappointment that Joe's not here to be able to make something out of this right now.
13:17You know, Mary Kay, we talk a lot about what we're looking for from the players.
13:21But this is also Todd Munkin's first official game as an NFL head coach.
13:26You know, you've been around this team for a long time.
13:29You've seen a lot of guys make their coaching debut.
13:33And I think Todd's case is a little different because he's coming in with 30 years experience.
13:38But what do you think it's going to look like for Todd Munkin as the head coach for the first
13:42time on them sidelines?
13:43Well, no matter what, it's completely different when you're an NFL head coach for the very first time.
13:50You know, the only other head coaching experience that he has was at Southern Miss back in 2013 to 2015.
13:59And this is just going to be different.
14:00You're going up against the best defensive coordinators, obviously, in the NFL.
14:04You've got to be responsible for everything.
14:07You've got to be making sure that the special teams and the defense are functioning at peak efficiency as well
14:13as everything else.
14:14You've got to manage the whole entire game and you have to manage things like, should my quarterback stay in
14:21and play the first half?
14:22Or how do I try to manufacture something akin to a two-minute drill or something close to that?
14:26I mean, there's a lot of things that he's going to have to figure out.
14:29He's also hauling the game from the field for the first time since 2013.
14:34And that's going to be an adjustment because he's always seen it from above.
14:38And he's going to have to get used to people in his ear.
14:42He's going to have to get used to end-of-half and end-of-game type of situations and decisions
14:48and communicating with everybody on those.
14:52So, you know, this is his preseason, too, to get the kinks worked out.
14:57And, you know, he's been around long enough to do it, but there will be adjustments.
15:02We'll get you out of here with this, Mary Kay.
15:05After this game, we know Deshaun starts today, Shador starting next week, as the team announced.
15:10After today, how are you anticipating Munkin to maybe set up the reps for the quarterbacks when we get to
15:16Thursday's joint practice with the Bills,
15:18which we know will be a very important piece of the puzzle here in determining who the starting quarterback is?
15:23I just think they're going to keep it going through this week.
15:27I don't think we're going to see these guys, you know, one taking the bulk of the reps right now.
15:36I think that they are going to be still continuing to split them.
15:42And, again, by the end of next week, we will have a better idea.
15:48I forgot I was about to ask.
15:50Lord have mercy.
15:52Oh, Mary Kay, I knew what I was about to ask.
15:54No, it just came back to me.
15:55My apologies.
15:56Can you give us any update, if any, on Z'Darrius Smith?
15:59I know we hosted him for a workout.
16:00I did notice that this is the second veteran pass rusher that the Browns have entertained possibly signing.
16:06Well, as I wrote yesterday in that Insider, I do think that, you know, they're very interested in him.
16:14And if they can work something out, then, you know, I think there is a world in which Z can
16:20get back here.
16:21So I've been saying that and writing that.
16:23And I think that would be great for everybody involved.
16:30All right, Mary Kay, well, we thank you for your time today.
16:33Go Browns.
16:34Hopefully the rain stops so we can get some efficient quarterback play and get a good look at what our
16:38guys look like.
16:39But we thank you for your time today.
16:40Okay, sounds good.
16:41Thanks, guys.
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