00:00What will we see? What did we just see? We can bring in the voice of the Browns right now.
00:06He is Andrew Siciliano, and he's on the Wise Heart Right. We make it right.
00:09Call Kyle Wright Hotline, Mr. Siciliano. How are you, my friend?
00:13Good morning to both of you. How are you guys?
00:18We are good. We are good.
00:19Give me your first impressions on what we witnessed on Saturday.
00:25That's a great question.
00:26So let's go down to positives.
00:28I thought you were in the third quarter.
00:31I'm losing track of days and quarters.
00:32I thought he pushed the ball downfield very well.
00:35I love what we saw from the rookie receivers.
00:38I thought Deshaun ripped a couple of good balls.
00:41The switch release to KC.
00:45The hook to KC.
00:47The hitch on the right side of the field.
00:48He had some good passes, certainly.
00:51Professional operation didn't push the ball downfield.
00:53The quarterbacks were fairly even there.
00:57But I love what I saw from the rookie wide receivers.
01:00I love what I saw from the special teams, which obviously have been an issue the last couple of weeks.
01:05The last couple of seasons, beg your pardon.
01:06Andre Schmidt, great.
01:08Hunters, they used three of them.
01:10Look good.
01:12The return game, fantastic.
01:14Love all that.
01:15Defensively, Winston Reed, good to have him back.
01:18I thought Michael Coase looked good.
01:20There was a lot of good there as well.
01:22Obviously, look, going up 10-0 and then giving up a 34-0 run.
01:26The preseason does matter.
01:27You would have liked to have seen them finish stronger.
01:30You would have liked to have seen maybe the stamina.
01:33Todd Munkin likes to use the phrase competitive stamina.
01:36A lot of players admitted they were kind of gassed.
01:38It's been a tough camp.
01:39By the time they got to the second half, it was a humid day there, even though the rain stayed
01:43away for the most part.
01:44I think there's good and bad.
01:45It was very much a first preseason game, but as you guys talk about Thursday, tomorrow's practice, and then Saturday,
01:53to me, I've been circling this week, I think we all have, the entire summer as the most important week
01:59of the year.
02:01Do you get the feeling one way or the other about these quarterbacks?
02:04Some of the wording that Todd Munkin has had when he came out and said, I think it's only fair
02:09that Shador get the next start, and Andy and I are kicking around.
02:12Is there anything fair about pro sports?
02:15I wonder what Todd's doing, if he's still in his mind, is going one way or the other, you know,
02:22this is wide open or what, Andrew?
02:24It is still a legitimate competition.
02:26Let's play this hypothetical.
02:27And truly, from all I understand, I'm not lying to you, it is still a legitimate competition.
02:33It truly is.
02:34They each deserve a start.
02:36That is fair, truly.
02:38And they're going to get as equal a distribution of reps as a coach can give in a joint practice,
02:45considering not all sessions.
02:47One might be a red zone.
02:48One might be a run, you know, a set of runs.
02:53You can't totally distribute it evenly during a joint practice.
02:59However, if Shador comes out on Saturday and throws three touchdowns, don't you think he made a pretty good case
03:10to win the job, whether it's against the Bills' first team or the second team?
03:15And let's say it's against the second team, and on Thursday, he looks pretty good when he gets his reps
03:21against their first team.
03:23I mean, to me, that's a pretty convincing case to give him the job.
03:27Conversely, if Deshaun looks good and or bad against the second and third or fourth team in the third quarter,
03:34people will use his opposition, like who he's going against, against him.
03:39I think Shador can still win this job.
03:41I'm not making any sense here today, guys, so thanks for rolling with me.
03:44Well, let me ask you, does he win the job tomorrow and not on Saturday?
03:48He could.
03:48Yeah, because Todd's...
03:50I think the game is just as important.
03:51I really do.
03:51Okay, because Todd made it sound like...
03:54Yeah, actually, I'm going to say no.
03:57I guess it's more important when you're looking at trying to fill in the blanks on what's behind the starters.
04:03How's that sound?
04:04And unfortunately, I still, I think it's questionable in quarterback, and I think you're right, but the fact that Todd
04:09said, look, he essentially said, I don't want the starters to have to play on Saturday.
04:15I want them, if we can get it working on Thursday, I don't want the starters to have to play
04:19on Saturday.
04:20And I think that puts Shador kind of in a weird spot, but all based on the things that you
04:26just said.
04:26I don't, I don't.
04:28Here's why.
04:28I think Saturday, regardless of who he's lining up against, can confirm Thursday if he performs well on Thursday.
04:35As a matter of fact, you can make the argument that it's an easier test on Saturday.
04:39So if he performs well tomorrow, then Saturday is the exclamation point and a layup for him to back that
04:45up and prove that Thursday was no fluke.
04:47Thursday and Saturday, two days, or two good performances out of three days, to me, would be a fairly strong
04:53argument.
04:54Let's get this out of the way as well.
04:56When teams do a Thursday, Saturday, joint practice, and then game, this is common operating.
05:02This is standard operating procedure, that you play your starters into joint practice.
05:06That's the controlled environment.
05:08That's when you get your best work.
05:09That's when it's ones on ones, twos on twos, or ones on twos, and twos on ones, and then Saturday,
05:14you don't bring your guys back for an ultra-physical set of downs or a couple of possessions,
05:21because you gave them all that work on Thursday, and that's unfair on them physically 48 hours later to do
05:27it again.
05:28Raiders and Texans had a joint practice yesterday.
05:30The majority of their starters are not going to play Thursday.
05:34That's how it works.
05:36Because most of them ended up in the hospital after the fight.
05:39Yeah, like, it's just unfair.
05:41Now, you can make the argument it's unfair to everybody, whether you're second team, third team.
05:45They don't have magical healing powers.
05:47If they get a lot of work on Thursday, putting them back in a game on Saturday isn't ideal,
05:51but that's why you play your ones in the joint practice, and then you hold them back.
05:56That was always going to be the case, but it does make it a little bit tricky.
05:59And look, I know people on Twitter and Sports Talk Radio are going to go nuts.
06:02Well, it was different competition Saturday than it was Thursday.
06:05Yes, that's how this works.
06:06So Thursday is vitally important for both of these quarterbacks, but if they can back it up
06:12and truly prove their point on Saturday, more power to them.
06:16Andrew, with moving around some of the offensive linemen in practices and getting different looks,
06:20I'm all for that.
06:22Are they doing that for depth down the road, or are they still looking for five starters?
06:27Yes, all of the above.
06:29I think also injuries are legitimate.
06:31Actually, I know injuries are concerned right now, and none of them are thought to be overly
06:34serious, but Elton Jenkins dinged up.
06:36Tevin Jenkins has had trouble staying on the field as well.
06:39That's kind of been his injury history over the years, going back to his days in Chicago.
06:45So it's great to have position flexibility, but at this point, they would like to lock some
06:49guys in.
06:50I think moving Tevin, I'm sorry, Katie Leveson back to tackle where he played last year
06:55is telling because they really wanted him, and they've said this publicly, to compete
07:00for that right guard job.
07:01Even though Tevin Jenkins was the assumed starter there, Katie Leveson played well into the second
07:08half last week.
07:09I believe he probably, I think he did actually have the most snaps of any Browns offensive player.
07:14So if they're moving him back to right tackle, that tells us something.
07:18The right side of that line, Titus Howard is going to be your right tackle, but right
07:22guard is a legit question mark.
07:25If Parker Brailsford can come back, then that gives you some option because you can move Elton
07:30Jenkins to right guard if you feel good with a fifth-round rookie at center.
07:35But as much as we praise Elton Jenkins' flexibility here, he has never started a regular season
07:43game at right guard.
07:45What's your take on the fact that these guys are fighting at camp?
07:48Is this just a matter of getting sick of playing against each other every day in practice and
07:51need to see another team, or is it, I mean, or does the offense truly hate the defense
07:56and the defense hates the defense?
07:57No, I don't think the offense hates the defense.
08:01Here's what's disappointing about it, and by the way, there were fights all around the league
08:04yesterday in joint practices.
08:05There were fights between the Saints and the Cowboys.
08:08There were fights between the Chargers and the Niners.
08:10That's how it works.
08:11It's that time of camp, and no matter who you're lining up against, you're going to fight.
08:15But what's disappointing...
08:17They better be careful, Andrew, or this is going to become the WNBA.
08:21I'm not touching that.
08:23Phelps, that's all you, buddy.
08:24That is all you, buddy.
08:28Thank you very much.
08:29Is that true that WWE is trying to become the WNBA?
08:33I have truly not watched the WWE in 30 years, as I'm an adult, but if that's your thing...
08:40As I'm an adult.
08:41Oh, that was good.
08:42Bless you.
08:43Ouch.
08:43Bless you.
08:44Bless you, bless you.
08:45I'm sorry, Zagura.
08:46This is like a...
08:47You know, it's a fun back and forth.
08:49You should probably, yeah.
08:50That's great.
08:51I would not say that in front of him.
08:53No, no, no.
08:54Hey, in all seriousness, I joke about the WNBA...
08:57Not the WNBA.
08:58The WWE.
08:59Far, far, far different endeavors.
09:01If you like the WWE, I could not care less so people would get their entertainment.
09:05It's not my thing.
09:07If I'm going to sit down and watch a scripted drama, I'd prefer, like, I don't know, silo on Apple.
09:13You know?
09:14Andrew, if they walked up to you and said, hey, here's a million dollars, we need you to do play
09:17-by-play for WrestleMania, whatever number they're on, you'd do it, wouldn't you?
09:20Come on.
09:21You'd get into it.
09:22Sure.
09:22Yeah, of course.
09:23But, like, I wouldn't pretend it's real.
09:30Anyway, how did we get here?
09:32I don't know.
09:32Sorry, that was me.
09:33Yeah, that was great.
09:35Here's what I don't like, is that yesterday they lost, like, the last 30 minutes of practice or whatever it
09:40was.
09:41Like, this team, this offense specifically, you asked me at the beginning of this, like, what looked good?
09:46Well, the offense made some plays, certainly, and the young wide receivers looked good, but the offense still is very
09:50much a work in progress.
09:51Very much a work in progress.
09:53And you lost a half-hour practice that I think you'd buy the lead need.
09:56Now, you can make up for it on Thursday.
09:58Today is going to be a much lighter practice in advance of a very physical practice tomorrow.
10:05So, you can make up for it, but those are lost reps.
10:08And I know guys said after practice yesterday, after Munkin, understandably said, get out of here and did some extra
10:14work.
10:15But you can't replace, you know, whether it's two-minute or red zone or end-of-game situation stuff, that
10:21situational football, you can't replace those snaps you lost in practice yesterday.
10:25So, that is disappointing.
10:26I know we spend a lot of time talking about Todd Munkin as a new head coach, but we don't
10:30spend a lot of time about the coordinators.
10:32And how did things go for them logistically in preseason game number one?
10:37And I'm just wondering, what do they need to get better at?
10:42I think logistically it went well.
10:45From everyone I've spoken to it went well.
10:47Munkin was able to get a challenge flag at as well and won his challenge on that ball that clearly
10:53hit the ground right in front of him.
10:56He's not going to give up his red challenge flag and allow someone else to throw it.
10:59I don't know that any head coach is going to do this operationally.
11:03And I'm glad you asked it, Baskin, because it was a question I specifically asked Todd in our pregame interview.
11:11Like, are you cool?
11:12Did you go through scenarios operationally?
11:14And he said that the way they had been running practice with the walkie-talkies, with obviously this is what
11:21they do these days, whether it's the mic or whether it's the quarterback, they use the walkie-talkies to call
11:26plays during practice.
11:28They felt that they were ready.
11:33One other thing about your pregame interview with Todd Munkin, like, I was taken aback by the last question that
11:39we played in the pregame show where you asked him about playing in Chicago.
11:43And he talked about flying in and flying in over the field that was named for his father.
11:50Andrew, I mean, you've been in this thing for a long time.
11:52I have, too.
11:52I can't remember the last time I heard that, like, true emotion from a coach in an interview.
11:59I thought that was kind of an amazing moment.
12:02A couple of things.
12:03I did not mean to make him cry.
12:05No, I know.
12:05Or get emotional or anything like that.
12:07So part of me kind of felt bad.
12:09But I had been wanting to ask that question because I knew that, or I imagined, that this meant more
12:18to him than he was going to admit.
12:21He doesn't like to talk about himself.
12:23And, by the way, I love the guy.
12:26If Browns fans could spend three minutes with him, they would walk away saying he's one of their favorite people
12:35they've ever met.
12:36And he's been out in the community, obviously.
12:38He's got a lot of work on his plate right now.
12:41Browns fans are going to get a chance to meet Todd Munkin one day, hopefully out and about or at
12:45an event or whatever,
12:46or maybe comes over the rail on the sideline at Huntington Bank Field.
12:50He's real.
12:51He's honest.
12:52He's not going to sugarcoat anything.
12:55He's going to coach you hard and hug you hard and look you in the eye and give honest answers.
13:00And his, I don't know that everyone realizes this.
13:03Like, the Munkin name in Illinois high school football is beyond legendary.
13:09There are stadiums all over the state.
13:11There's like 13 Munkins who have been coaches.
13:14There's stadiums all over the state with the Munkin name on the marquee.
13:22That's cool.
13:22Everywhere.
13:24His dad is a high school Hall of Famer in the state of Illinois.
13:27His uncles are.
13:28Obviously, his cousin Jeff is the head coach at Army and does an amazing job.
13:32And because of the really bad storms with Thursday when, or yeah, Thursday when we flew to Chicago, you know,
13:39normally when you fly to Chicago, you land from the east from over the lake.
13:43Right?
13:44We had to circle all the way around because of these bad storms.
13:47And so we came in from the west and he's from the western suburbs from Wheaton.
13:51And they went right over Lake Park High School.
13:53And as luck would have it, he looked down as we came through the clouds.
13:57He was on a window seat and saw the stadium with his old man's name on it.
14:02And like for a guy to finally get that shot at 60 years old.
14:07And as luck would have it, our first game is there.
14:10And as luck would have it, the plane's got to take a circuitous route to land.
14:15And you look down and holy heck, that's your dad's name you can see.
14:19And I can't imagine the emotions I would have felt.
14:24Andrew, thank you.
14:25We appreciate you.
14:26And we will, I want to talk to you a little bit more next week about some of your other
14:29roles at the NFL.
14:30So we'll do that next time we talk to you.
14:31Thank you, Andrew.
14:32All good.
14:32It's not about me.
14:33I'll see you boys tomorrow at joint practice.
14:35See you.
14:35Bye, buddy.
