00:00I think one of the more interesting things is that obviously fan reaction is very straightforward.
00:06You are going to have a section of the fan base that sits here and says, okay, well, I just
00:09want to see the Browns win.
00:10I don't care if it's Deshaun or Shador or in support of Deshaun.
00:13I would call that the minority of the fan base.
00:15The 10%, the 90% of the people are like, given the way that everything went down, would have much
00:20rather seen Shador, think Shador is the right pick.
00:22And I think we're on a bad path right now.
00:25I think, again, the fan base, pretty straightforward in the way that we're thinking about it.
00:30I think you can sum up a majority of the fan base in a pretty easy couple of sentences in
00:35the way that you walked away from this.
00:38But what I think is a little bit harder to decipher through has obviously been the, okay, well, is this
00:45a Jimmy Haslam decision?
00:46Is this a Todd Munkin decision?
00:47How does Andrew Barry feel about this?
00:48How do the players feel about it?
00:50And it made me really interested in what Leshaun McCoy actually had to say earlier today, or I guess last
00:57night on Speakeasy.
00:59And kind of talking about Shador, where he stands in the room among the building, but not exactly impressing the
01:06one person that really mattered.
01:07He has the fans behind him.
01:09He has the players behind him.
01:09That's the first step.
01:11And I do know this.
01:12I got a little birdie over there.
01:13His majority of the coaches over there, who we don't have right now is the owner.
01:17Because the owner said, you know, I can't have a backup making $47 million on the bench.
01:21But that's cool.
01:22But that leash is going to be short.
01:24I think Deshaun Watson's leash is going to be at the max four games.
01:29So I think it's really interesting.
01:30You talk about, obviously, coaches within that.
01:32Shador has their support.
01:33I would make an argument that you might not have Todd Munkin's support.
01:36It went through the quarterback battle.
01:38Still saw a lot of Deshaun.
01:40Still talked very positively of Deshaun.
01:41And listen, this is the part why I say it's hard to decipher.
01:46At the end of the day, it's really hard to tell what a head coach is actually thinking
01:49versus having to say the right things, having to do the right thing.
01:52We like the fact that Todd is very upfront.
01:54We like the fact that he's outspoken.
01:55But at the end of the day, there are things that you're not going to be able to tell the
01:58media.
01:59Things where you have to walk up to the podium, put on a smile.
02:03And in a lot of ways, I hate to use the negative connotation of it, but be a mouthpiece, right?
02:08That's what you are.
02:09And a lot of the times when you step up there, as often as you do as a head coach,
02:12you're a mouthpiece for the organization and what the entire organization is thinking,
02:16more than just what you are thinking.
02:18And again, it comes with a very negative connotation.
02:21And in this scenario, obviously, would be have it be true.
02:24But I think that goes for just about every single coach.
02:27And I don't think it always has to be a negative.
02:29You speak for your employer.
02:31You speak for the brand.
02:32And you are the most forward-facing person when it comes to how often we see you in front of
02:37a podium,
02:37how often you have to talk to the media, how often you're getting quoted.
02:40Head coach is number one in that aspect, unless you're like the Dallas Cowboys,
02:43and it's probably Jerry Jones.
02:44But everybody else, it's your head coach.
02:49So outwardly, I am sitting here and saying, yeah, Todd seems like he likes Deshaun.
02:53Seems like that's the quarterback he wants to go to.
02:56The one group of people you really haven't heard from on this decision,
02:59and I imagine won't hear from on this decision, is really the players.
03:04And I know Ken and Anthony brought it up this morning, this idea that players can jump on Twitch,
03:08and they can jump on social media, and they can leak things out to sources that they're not happy with
03:12the decision.
03:13And obviously, you've heard none of that.
03:16I think you're in a little twofold of a situation right now.
03:18One, most of the time when you have the guys do that, Denzel Boston and Casey Concepcion are not standing
03:23up in front of everybody
03:24and being like, you know what, wrong decision by the Browns.
03:28You're a rookie. You're trying to get your feet under you.
03:30You're not going to go jump on social media and everything else, hurt your chances with your new team,
03:34hurt your relationship with your owner, your head coach, your GM, everybody else, and speak out.
03:38Rookies, most of the time, especially when we're talking about late first round, early second round wide receivers,
03:43are going to apply the mentality of, I'm just going to keep my head down and work, right?
03:47I'm going to focus on me, do my part, and then eventually, if my brand grows big enough,
03:52eventually, if I become the star of a team who's making a massive contract,
03:55and I become one of the centerpieces, yeah, maybe then I'll go out and speak out a little bit.
04:00I don't think that's their spot.
04:01Like, the one guy that you can turn to and say, hey, maybe he is the one that speaks out,
04:06maybe he is the one that would have something to say, would be Jerry Judy.
04:10I don't think you can say he speaks for the entire offense.
04:14So, I don't know that, you know, LaShawn's sitting in the right spot here
04:17and saying that accurate information that the coaches are all behind Shador.
04:22Again, outwardly facing, it feels like the coaches have been behind Deshawn.
04:26It feels like that they have obviously given Shador an opportunity,
04:29given him a chance to go and fight, but you don't have just a one-for-one easy,
04:33yeah, everybody felt like they were leading Shador,
04:35and then all of a sudden, we got blindsided.
04:38I mean, Deshawn was getting more reps in training camp,
04:41and the entire aspect of, oh, you can't have a guy making $47 million on your bench.
04:46Jimmy has had a guy making $47 million on his bench,
04:49I would say, for a majority of what we've been watching.
04:52The guy's played 19 games.
04:54Now, I understand that that's obviously not by choice most of this time for Jimmy,
04:57but you've pretty much already had that cost go out the window
05:00and really had no chance of playing that guy.
05:03You've already gone through and had your GM draft multiple other quarterbacks,
05:06have to go out and figure out the quarterback spot
05:08and see better results because of it.
05:11If that's something that's still weighing in your mind,
05:14that's the type of thing that I have making me scratch my head.
05:17Like, again, you're really rolling back on the idea that Deshawn is going to be your starter.
05:22If Jimmy's still there, somebody's got to shake the man awake.
05:26You got to realize what the situation is in front of you,
05:28but I don't think it's as clear as Ken Anthony made it seem this morning
05:32that, yeah, players didn't speak out, players obviously agree with the decision.
05:37I think you're in a really young offense that's really just not going to give their opinion on it,
05:40and we've heard from the defensive side of the ball,
05:43these guys are PR trained up the wazoo, okay?
05:46Like, they have everything they need from a PR training to know exactly what they have to say,
05:50and I'm sure this was probably PR training day number one
05:54and has been hammered into their head left and right.
05:56You say good things about both quarterbacks.
05:58When you have a guy named, that's the guy we're following into battle.
06:01Whatever decision Todd and the organization makes, that's the decision I'm going to roll with.
06:06That's your PR training.
06:07Like, you just go out and say that, and we have seen the Browns stick very close to it.
06:10We have seen all of the players, all of the coaches, pretty much back up that exact idea.
06:15Every time you've asked a wide receiver, I mean, we've had guys on the station,
06:18guys who, you know, afternoon drive, he's interviewed out at training camp,
06:22be like, oh, see what you're trying to do there.
06:24Not going to do it, right?
06:25Not going to back myself into that corner.
06:27That's a Todd decision.
06:28I'll be happy.
06:28I'm worried about the wide receiver room or I'm worried about the defense.
06:31Those type of things.
06:34But I don't think it's cut and dry.
06:35And I imagine it's not cut and dry.
06:38Like, do I think that guys walking in like Casey and Denzel are walking here going,
06:42I can't start to Sean.
06:43I mean, $230 million.
06:45Look what he's giving you.
06:45No, that's not what the players care about either.
06:48Again, if you're a Jamar Chase, and obviously he's got Joe Burrow alongside of him,
06:52but if he was in a quarterback issue, yeah, you probably would have a little bit more of a say.
06:55You probably would be a little bit more outspoken about it and have an opinion.
06:59But for these guys, it's, organizationally, it's not really my problem right now, right?
07:05I'm making my contract.
07:06I'm worried about whatever gets me to winning.
07:08I've been here for a few months, right?
07:10What, we're coming up on about six months that I've been here.
07:13Half a year.
07:14Not even.
07:15Four months.
07:15I can't do math.
07:16Four months that I've been here since I've been drafted.
07:18I've been here for four.
07:20All right, so yeah, I've been here for a third of a year.
07:24I'm not going to be the guy to sit here and tell you all of the history that's gone down
07:27over the last five years,
07:28if you're Denzel or Casey.
07:30That's for the fan base to worry about.
07:32That's for Jimmy.
07:32That's for Andrew Barry and Todd Munkin to all worry about.
07:35My job is to go out there and catch the football.
07:38It is a difference between veterans and a difference between young guys,
07:41and right now, this team doesn't have veterans.
07:43They don't have long-tenured players outside of Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit.
07:47Those are really the only two guys who have been the staple here,
07:50who have been here for the entirety of this tenure,
07:52the entirety of having to live through the Deshaun Watson experience.
07:56They're the only ones on the team that can actually speak to you about
07:59how the fan base might be feeling right now,
08:01understand what's gone down over the last five years.
08:05So, not only do I think, is it plausible to think that, yes,
08:09maybe they think Deshaun is the better quarterback?
08:12Yeah, I think that's plausible.
08:13Do I think they're all on Shador's side?
08:15No.
08:15Do I think they're all on Deshaun's side?
08:17Probably not, right?
08:18You probably do have a split locker room,
08:19as I imagine in most quarterback competitions you have, right?
08:23You go over to Vegas right now.
08:24There's probably guys who think, yeah, there's no way you go and start the rook.
08:27Just put Kirk Cousins out there.
08:28He's going to put us in a position to win.
08:30It's probably also a group of guys that just goes,
08:32what is the point in seeing Kirk Cousins right now?
08:34Well, let's just get Mendoza there.
08:35That's the guy I'm going to be catching footballs from in two years anyway.
08:38For a guy like Brock Bowers, probably a lot longer than that.
08:42You're going to naturally create a divide.
08:44You're going to naturally create a split inside of your locker room
08:47when you have a quarterback competition,
08:49unless it is just completely one-sided,
08:51which we all know the Browns quarterback competition has not been.
08:55I imagine there's guys in that locker room that think Shador should be the starter.
08:58I'm imagining there's guys that agree with Munkin's decision right now.
09:02You're just not going to hear about it.
09:05So, I don't think you have clarity on this situation,
09:07and you're not going to get clarity on this situation.
09:10And I'm sure that, you know, to Shady's point,
09:13that he was making the clip we played at the top of this,
09:16there probably are coaches sitting there that believe in Shador
09:18and think he should be the starter right now.
09:21I'm going to imagine there's coaches that sit on the other side of it,
09:23and there's going to be coaches that sit on the Deshaun side.
09:25And until we see these guys on the field, I can't tell you you're right or wrong.
09:30From a fan base, from an organizational side of things,
09:33yeah, I can sit here and say that if Jimmy wants Deshaun to play,
09:35you're in the wrong mind of thinking.
09:37Andrew Barry, wrong mind of thinking if that's your thought process.
09:40Todd Munkin, to a degree, might be wrong line of thinking
09:42because you have to take into account the path that the organization is on,
09:45and you are that mouthpiece.
09:47You are a part of the front office in a lot of ways.
09:50So, all of you have had the opportunity,
09:52but when it comes down to my quarterback's coach
09:54and the guys who are assistant coaches across this roster,
09:58no, I mean, you're allowed to have a split decision.
10:00You don't have to worry about those things,
10:02and you are kind of just soldiering along
10:03and doing the best with what you have.
10:07We're just never going to get those answers,
10:09and I think it's dumb to sit here and try and act like
10:11all of the players are gung-ho for Deshaun to start.
10:15I think it'd be dumb to think it the other way.
10:18Players are going to have opinions, individual guys.
10:20And we talk about a guy like Denzel Boston.
10:23The connection, at least so far,
10:24has felt a lot better with a guy like Shador
10:26than it has felt with Deshaun.
10:28For Jerry, Judy, I imagine the exact opposite.
10:31The relationship with Jerry, Judy, and Deshaun
10:33is probably a lot stronger right now
10:34than the one with Shador and Jerry.
10:37Guys are going to have individual opinions,
10:39and it's probably going to be the one that makes them look better.
10:42That's the way that this looks.
10:43That's the way that it goes through.
10:45And as great as it would be that everybody's focused on winning,
10:48and everybody's focused on how does this team get the most wins possible,
10:52when you're set up in a situation like the Browns
10:54where 7-10 might feel like a good year,
10:57you don't have everybody on board with
10:59we're going to win as many games as possible.
11:00We're going to prove everybody wrong.
11:01And as soon as you get later in the season,
11:03if the season is to go south,
11:05those opinions start to shift even more dramatically
11:07towards the individual.
11:09How do I look good?
11:10How do I make sure I come out of this looking better than the team?
11:13A lot of people are going to be worried about themselves.
11:15Coaches are going to be worried more about themselves.
11:18But I don't think that you can make broad generalizations
11:20because what we have and haven't heard so far in this competition
11:24of who wants who to start.
11:27J.D.'s got an inside source.
11:28I'm telling you right now, I really don't believe it.
11:31And anybody else who thinks they have a pulse
11:32on the entirety of the situation,
11:34also not in a great spot for me to sit there and believe you.
11:38We're in a mixed bag,
11:39and we're going to be in a mixed bag for the whole year.
11:41Eventually, when I think we will see Shador start,
11:43there will probably be guys that feel a certain way about it
11:46and guys that are going to be excited about it.
11:48You're never going to find out who that is,
11:50but I wouldn't expect anybody to be gung-ho on either side
11:52100% of the way
11:53and just be able to group something like the Browns roster,
11:57the Browns coaching staff,
11:59even the Browns front office,
12:00into thinking, yeah, everybody's on board with that decision.
12:03Unfortunately, the way that the organization has kind of played out
12:06is we have been split on decisions,
12:08and I think you saw that firsthand with Andrew and Kevin last year.
