00:00The Sonny Stiles slander, it's like saying swim spa sale, the Sonny Stiles slander is so out of pocket, as
00:12the young people would say.
00:14It's so far ahead of what is warranted that I just find it absurd.
00:21And I get a lot of it's just social media getting takes off.
00:24But that's why you got to start ignoring them, Jay. I keep telling you this.
00:27Well, I'm curious where you think Sonny is, where he's going to get.
00:32I think Sonny right now is learning at this level the little things he did in college and was able
00:40to still succeed at.
00:43He can't do that here.
00:45He's learning how to play the game of football at the NFL level.
00:50So many people like to criticize people.
00:53They don't have one clue of what it takes to play at this level.
00:58And I say that because I've been saying it for the last 20 plus years on these airwaves here.
01:06I don't care who you are, what round you were drafted, what position you were drafted.
01:10You got to learn how to play here, not where you were at college.
01:13And people expect guys to just step into this arena and do exactly what they did in college.
01:20No.
01:20And then they blame him for stuff that wasn't his fault.
01:25They knock him for things where you get a screen grab where it's two other people that are supposed to
01:31be in position to stop a play.
01:32Screen grab culture.
01:33But you're blaming him.
01:35So that is why I, listen, and I respect almost everybody.
01:43I respect those who respect me.
01:45But when you get stupid and idiotic, I don't even think about you.
01:50I don't look at your stuff.
01:52I don't respond to it.
01:53And I damn sure don't bring it to the airwaves.
01:55I'm not going to bring a person's name or what they say to the airwaves.
01:59I'm not giving you more credit than you need.
02:00I'm not giving you more, you know, respect than you should be garnering.
02:06Sonny has proven that he's going to be a damn good player.
02:10I just think he's learning it.
02:12And when he finally began to know how to use everything he has, he's going to be a problem for
02:19people.
02:21And I don't even believe Durante has fully figured out exactly how he wants to use it.
02:28Number seven on the Dan Quinn cut sheet, Jeff.
02:31Dan Quinn was asked this morning about rookie linebacker Sonny Stiles.
02:34I liked how square he plays at linebacker.
02:37You know, like when you're an in-the-box player at linebacker and we haven't blitzed him a lot, you
02:42know, downhill.
02:43You want to see somebody who can play square or take on blocks.
02:46He did a nice job of using his hands.
02:48And that's been an emphasis for us going into it.
02:51He's got command at the line of scrimmage, in a call, out of a call.
02:56So those are the things that, you know, that I saw in the limited space in the games.
03:00You guys have seen a lot more.
03:01I think what I've seen at practice, you feel speed and playmaking ability to get to spots.
03:06That's difficult to get to.
03:08But you'd say he could play man-to-man because of the speed.
03:11But I'd also say, like, the zone parts of his game are going to be exceptional because he has quickness
03:16as well as speed.
03:17And so sometimes you might see a person who's fast, but they have to build up to it where he's
03:22got initial quickness to get to a certain location.
03:25And that's a big deal.
03:26So, I agree with Dan Quinn.
03:30And I think the fact that he pointed out we haven't blitzed him at all is a huge part of
03:34this.
03:35I think the Sonny Stiles excitement should be pretty similar to where it was when they drafted him.
03:42But, you know, in this day and age, all it takes is one guy with commanders in his name on
03:50his Twitter or on his Twitter, Facebook, whatever, and they say something negative.
03:57And then you have a bunch of people follow him.
04:00And he's wrong.
04:01You know what I'm saying?
04:03That's the problem with people.
04:05Stop following and start learning and listening to more than one person.
04:10Just like you won't just listen to Fox or NBC, listen to multiple people before you start trying to come
04:16up with a mindset of what you're supposed to be thinking.
04:19Because a lot of people want to throw stuff out there because they know people follow BS.
04:24They throw it out there, they're very negative, and everybody follow them and they think they're right.
04:28They're not right.
04:29So start learning a little bit more and you'll understand he hadn't been awful like some of these idiots have
04:36said.
04:37Agreed.
04:37But I think with Sonny particularly, the size and the speed and the fluidity will really emerge over time.
04:49What's the kid's name on the Browns, the UCLA kid, the white kid?
04:52Swessinger?
04:53Does that sound right?
04:55That name sounds right.
04:56I don't know if that's the guy.
04:58I've heard that name.
04:59I believe it's Carson Swessinger, right?
05:01Yeah.
05:02He had a really, really strong rookie season last year in Cleveland.
05:06Now it might help that you get to play with a stacked defense.
05:10I mean, Garrett, sure.
05:12But listen, Swessinger was awesome last year.
05:14He was defensive rookie of the year.
05:16150 tackles, two and a half sacks, two interceptions.
05:18Like, over the course of a year, 17 games, those stats, you can help me with the math.
05:27What's 156 divided by 17?
05:29Like nine?
05:31Eight, nine tackles a game?
05:33Swessor running.
05:35The thing to keep in mind with these off-ball linebackers is it's about durability and consistency
05:44is how you become a stud at that position.
05:48156 tackles last year for Swessinger is nine a game.
05:51Two picks over 17 games.
05:54Two and a half sacks over 17 games.
05:56He only played 16, pardon me.
05:57So those numbers are a little bit higher.
05:59Yeah.
05:59But, like, I'll pull up his game logs.
06:04There's probably not one game where you're like, oh, my God.
06:09It's not like a receiver going for 130 with a touchdown.
06:13But that's it, man.
06:15Like, you play fantasy football.
06:17You pick a receiver, a quarterback, a running back, a tight end.
06:21You pick a defense.
06:23Am I right?
06:24Yeah.
06:25You don't pick individuals on the defense, right?
06:27There are some crazy leagues, but by and large.
06:29Some crazy leagues.
06:30But for most leagues, you pick a player.
06:32I mean, a defense.
06:33Or a special team, whatever it is.
06:36And some of them, the special team comes with the defense.
06:39But the ultimate thing is, they don't even put a focus on one person.
06:47But everybody judges it based off of one person.
06:50You know what I'm saying?
06:51So you got to back up a little bit and realize what he does is going to be impacted by
06:58the people in front of him.
07:00So, Swessinger was the first pick of the second round last year out of UCLA.
07:05His first two games last year for the Browns, eight tackles against the Bengals in a week one loss where
07:12he played about 52% of the snaps.
07:15Five tackles in a week two loss, a thumping at the hands of the Ravens where, I'm sorry, he played
07:21100% of the snaps week one, 95% of the snaps week two.
07:24He played a little bit of specials as well.
07:27Through two games, he had 13 tackles and one TFL.
07:34Like, what Swessinger did was build up over the course of the season.
07:39He got better.
07:40And I think, like, that's...
07:42Now, if you want to make an argument that Sonny is 7th overall and Swessinger was 33rd overall, okay, I
07:49can hear that.
07:50But, like, I think it's important to frame correctly what expectations should be for Sonny Stiles.
07:57It doesn't mean, like, if he doesn't have a pick six week one, it's a bust.
08:02Like, this is ideally a player in the center of your defense for a number of years.
08:06A lot of you all who are listening to us right now, you put all that negative stuff out on
08:10social media.
08:13800-636-1067.
08:15Oh, why don't you call right now and tell me what's your expectation and give me a reason why so
08:21we can try to figure out why you think the way you do.
08:24I'm willing to talk to anybody out there.
08:26Let's go.
08:27There you go.
08:28Be calling it out.
08:31Because the person that feel, well, he got to have 12, 13, man, come on.
08:36That doesn't happen often.
08:39You know, yes, he's fast, he can do stuff, but I don't mean he's going to get an interception every
08:43damn other week.
08:45You know what I'm saying?
08:46Somebody called.
08:47Jaden is in Pennsylvania.
08:48What's up, Jaden?
08:50Yeah, how's it going, guys?
08:52What's your expectation for him?
08:55I mean, my expectation is, I mean, to look like a number seven overall pick.
09:01What does a number seven overall pick look like?
09:03I didn't play football.
09:05I'm going to say, I don't know.
09:05I didn't play football in the NFL.
09:07I get that.
09:08But I think you expect someone to pop off the TV.
09:12Like, if you didn't know Sonny Stiles, if someone was just watching the game, does he look like the number
09:17seven overall pick?
09:18I don't think you can just tell that by a linebacker.
09:22When you watch a game, I don't care what.
09:23I think you're thinking about him in the aspect of a running back, a quarterback, or a receiver.
09:29When you're a linebacker, that don't just happen popping off the screen just because you're a number seven pick.
09:35So, when you're thinking about a different position, you can't go in there with a mindset of what a damn
09:39running back or a receiver does.
09:41It's what a linebacker does.
09:43A linebacker's job depends on those dudes in front of him way more.
09:46So, what you want him to do, just run and go make big tackles and go outside of what the
09:50defense entails?
09:51I would also add, he's not playing a ton of snaps, and I think that's like a volume play.
09:59You know what I mean?
09:59Like, if we get to week one and he blows up a pass play, I think folks are going to
10:04feel differently, if that makes sense.
10:08Well, I mean, Arbel Reese has for the Giants.
10:10Arbel Reese is a pass rusher.
10:12He's a pass rusher.
10:13He's a pass rusher, dude.
10:14No, he's playing linebacker in the preseason, though.
10:17He's been playing linebacker.
10:18He's playing pass rush, too.
10:20So, what I'm trying to say, you're trying to compare what one defensive coach is asking one guy to do
10:26compared to what another defensive coach is asking one guy to do.
10:29That matters as well.
10:31So, what I'm trying to say is stop thinking that everything is just painted with one damn brush.
10:39Do you think he's been overwhelming?
10:41Like, what have you guys thought so far about?
10:42No, I don't think he's been overwhelming.
10:43I don't expect him to be overwhelming.
10:45I want him to learn this damn defense with all these calls and all the different stuff they're doing, and
10:49he's done that extremely well.
10:51But I don't think he's been awful.
10:53I think he's been right where I expect him to be, better than average.
10:56It's also like the Arbel Reese highlights, and I appreciate you calling, Jaden.
11:03I think it was Jaden.
11:04Was it Jalen?
11:04Jaden.
11:06A lot of the Arbel Reese highlights are him blowing up a lead blocker, which is cool.
11:11Like, that's a good thing for a linebacker to do is fill a hole and smash somebody.
11:15But I don't know necessarily.
11:17But I don't know if that's jumping off the screen just because you do that one time.
11:20We'll keep the phones open, 800-636-1067.
11:23It's B. Mitch Finley.
Comments