00:00That's where I'm going to leave it.
00:02That's where I'm leaving it.
00:03Because I'm telling you right now, if they go out there and they get smashed on Sunday,
00:08it's going to turn into, well, at least we got our rah-rah speeches, didn't we, Ken?
00:11Well, hey, that's okay.
00:13You got your pick and you got your rah-rah speeches.
00:16And I'm going to go, no, no, no, no.
00:17I'm not walking into that one.
00:18All I heard was one guy was focused on himself and one guy is focused on his team.
00:22And I heard the same thing.
00:23And I know the guy focused on his team is over in Berea right now.
00:25The other ones, transatlantic or transpacific.
00:29You better bet your ass he's 30,000 feet above your head, you bastard.
00:33Well, he's not on this side of the world yet.
00:34I have no idea where the hell they're flying at over.
00:38But, yeah.
00:38They're at midway right now.
00:40Yeah.
00:42They got them supersonic jets yet so they can put teams in London?
00:46No?
00:47Okay.
00:48That's a whole thing.
00:51Yeah, as Owen noticed, one guy is talking about making the team better.
00:56The other guy talked about making himself better.
00:59But if I go any further on a team that I picked to win five games this year, it's going
01:05to
01:05turn into, well, at least we got our rah-rah speeches, Kenny.
01:08And I'm playing the long game on that one.
01:11But don't think we didn't notice.
01:13Well done by Owen.
01:14Well done by everybody.
01:15Hi.
01:15How are you?
01:16You doing good?
01:17It's going to be great when Vers gets a couple of sacks in the opener.
01:20If he gets two sacks in the opener.
01:21Well, if he gets two sacks in the opener and they win, I'm going to be pretty excited.
01:24Because I've been getting harassed for nearly 24 hours now.
01:29I was downstairs and Jay, who is one of the guys who run the convenience store, he goes,
01:36I picked the Browns on Sunday.
01:38I go, that's great.
01:38Now, don't go saying that publicly because if you do, you're going to be getting killed
01:42for it on the internet like I've been.
01:44He's laughing.
01:44He goes, well, I go, no, last 24 hours, I've just been getting killed.
01:48Just getting killed.
01:49Which some Jacksonville fans found it.
01:51And I actually had a pleasant exchange.
01:53I'm like, no, I don't think your coach is bad.
01:55I don't think your team's bad whatsoever.
01:57You got into it with Tony Bessati?
01:59Guys, if I'm going to pick, no, it was actually Maurice Jones-Drew.
02:01If I, Keenan McCardell came after me.
02:04It was crazy.
02:06If this is, guys, this is maybe the one time I could pick the Browns this year.
02:10The one game I can maybe pick the Browns.
02:13They're as healthy as they're going to be.
02:15So you know what?
02:16I'm going to pick them.
02:17Because you can't say I've been picking against the Browns all year.
02:20Which is not a reason to pick the Browns.
02:22But I'm going to pick the Browns because of it.
02:25And yes, my history is blamed right on me.
02:28But I'm going, I'm looking at some of the replies on the video yesterday that Keith put out.
02:33I'm going, well, one, I didn't necessarily call my shot.
02:36But I picked the Browns to win fine.
02:38Because you got to make a choice, don't you?
02:40But the second thing of it is, is I go, you know,
02:42they're both professional football teams.
02:45The Jacksonville Jaguars could come out flat.
02:47It tends to be a sloppy game.
02:49Hopefully we're not as sloppy.
02:50If we're not as sloppy and we can run the ball with any decency,
02:53which means that Deshaun Watson is going to have to be way better than what he was
02:56against the third team of the Buffalo Bills.
02:58My God, this is going to end up making me look real bad.
03:00I don't care.
03:01I don't care.
03:03If we can do any of those things, then we can win the game.
03:06And it'd be nice, there's been plenty of bad teams, like the Las Vegas Raiders last year,
03:12who started out 1-0 against a team that played in the Super Bowl.
03:16So I understand we haven't won an opener with a new head coach since Bud Carson.
03:21I got it.
03:22Well, you know.
03:22I watched the highlights of that yesterday.
03:24Those, well, could you not?
03:25I mean, it was a great day.
03:28It was such a throwback.
03:29It was a great day.
03:29And it was Chris Bourbon and Tom Jackson.
03:31And I don't even know if it was called NFL primetime, but it was like some earlier version of that.
03:37And it was awesome.
03:40But I need to know if anybody else is picking.
03:43Because this is as negative as I've seen Browns fans to start a season in 15 years on the fan.
03:53I mean that.
03:54Well, what percentage of the fan base thinks they're starting the worst quarterback?
03:58Oh, well, it's not that they.
03:59So how many teams do that?
04:01It's not that they're so.
04:02Well, we've been on the air when we felt that they've started a worse quarterback.
04:06It's that they openly dislike that quarterback that they're starting.
04:09That's true.
04:09Yeah, both.
04:10They think he's worse and they don't like him and they root against him and they want him to be
04:14out of a Browns uniform.
04:15And that's where I start to think.
04:16I go, are there people, they consider themselves Browns fans.
04:21And it's not about like we've been talking like, don't say tank, don't say tank, don't say tank.
04:25I don't think it's even about tanking.
04:28They don't like this guy.
04:30They think he's a waste of time.
04:32He has been a waste of time, by the way.
04:34They don't like this guy.
04:35He's been a waste of time.
04:37And the sooner his time with this team comes to an end, the better.
04:40And I do believe there are dye and the wool Browns fans who will go to games in 2026 and
04:4927 and 28 and so on and so forth.
04:51And they love this football team.
04:53And they have Brown stuff all over their house.
04:56And they have Brown stuff in their cars.
04:58And they're hoping this guy goes out there and he fails.
05:00Because they want to be done with it.
05:03And if they feel that way, because it's going to end this charade sooner, I really can't say anything to
05:11defend the guy.
05:11Other than, well, you're a bad.
05:13Are they a bad fan?
05:14Because they've been through a lot of crap for how many years.
05:16So I can't necessarily call them a bad fan if they still consider themselves Browns fans, now can I?
05:21You've called me at times a bad fan when I've rooted for the Browns to lose at the end of
05:27the season or to get rid of a coach.
05:29That was at times.
05:30To bounce an organization, an entire structure.
05:32Well, I still can't bring myself to do those things.
05:35But this is different, man.
05:38I just think in past, I think they go, we need to be better.
05:43They didn't like how things were going with Kevin Stefanski at the end.
05:46Or how things were going with Hugh Jackson at the end.
05:49They openly disliked this man.
05:52There is such a difference.
05:55Before, there was, I don't think this guy does a good job.
05:59We got to get rid of him.
06:00Now, it's not.
06:01They just don't think he doesn't do a good job.
06:03They don't like him.
06:05And they want him gone.
06:07And so if I pick them to win, see, that's one more game that he gets.
06:12And because he would definitely start the next week.
06:14They want it over as soon as possible.
06:15Especially if he looks good.
06:17See, this will be an interesting predicament for Browns fans.
06:19And I know the way he's talked about in this town, people have eliminated the possibility
06:24that he's good.
06:25Or could be good.
06:26Or could even have a good game.
06:28I mean, I listen to the afternoon show.
06:29And they make it sound like he couldn't even walk out there from the sideline to the huddle.
06:35Call the play.
06:35Get the play off.
06:36And complete a pass.
06:37Like, he can't be that bad.
06:39Like, he wouldn't be starting if he was that bad, right?
06:41Find out.
06:42God, he may very well be that bad.
06:43Well, they would just start the other guy if he was that bad, right?
06:46Right?
06:46I would tend to agree with you.
06:48But you keep asking me right.
06:49Like, you want me to affirm you because you have questions yourself.
06:52I do have major questions.
06:53You like to play therapist with me.
06:56Let me give you some therapy over here.
06:58You seem to be asking me a lot of things to try to affirm you.
07:00Because I think you feel the same way that a lot of fans do.
07:03You ain't going to pick the Browns on Sunday, are you?
07:05No.
07:05No.
07:05Why aren't you going to pick the Browns?
07:07I mean, a big part of it is the quarterback.
07:08Exactly.
07:09So, a lot of people think I'm lying to myself when I pick the Browns.
07:12Or I'm just going back on years of being a homer.
07:16Yeah, I know what I am.
07:17I'm not going to sit there and deny what I am.
07:19I'm not denying that.
07:20I'm not all of a sudden Mr. Hard-ass, down-the-line radio guy.
07:24I'm not doing that at all.
07:25Yes, I want the teams here to win.
07:26And I think you do, too.
07:28But this is the one game I know I can pick with some confidence that they can win.
07:34So, I'm going to pick them.
07:35Well, the other side of it that I keep coming back to is, if they looked good, if they look
07:41like this well-oiled machine in a way that the Rams didn't, certainly in the way that
07:45the Seahawks and the Patriots did not look, three out of the four teams in the opener already.
07:51If they look good, think about all the conversations we are going to be having on Monday about the
07:58receivers, the offensive line, the defense, Jared Verse, the new defensive coordinator.
08:03Like, we are going to be feeling really good about a lot of things.
08:06And yeah, you might have to swallow it when it comes to, oh boy, are we going to be in
08:12for more games with Deshaun Watson?
08:14But it also comes with all the other stuff that you're going to be feeling good about.
08:19And I think for a week, Browns fans should be okay with that.
08:23There are several flaws that people find in my logic.
08:28They just think the team's bad.
08:29Okay.
08:30All right.
08:31The biggest flaw that I can find in my logic is that I don't think he's a very good quarterback.
08:36And I do think a lot of people think he has to play very well for them to win games.
08:40And I think in week two, he'll have to play well.
08:43I think in week one, I think it's a wild card game.
08:46I think it's a crap shoot.
08:46Well, can Todd Munkin mitigate that?
08:49Yes, that's his job.
08:50That's his job is to mitigate that.
08:52Mitigate that.
08:53Yeah, can he take the onus off of Deshaun Watson and not put the entire game and the fortunes
08:59of the team on his back?
09:00You'll have to.
09:01And that's why not turning the ball over is so deathly important for this team.
09:05Like, you watched Jacksonville two years ago.
09:07Mitigated is an unmitigated disaster.
09:09I know we're saying that word all the time.
09:11Turnovers like crazy.
09:12Last year, they eliminated a lot of the turnovers.
09:14Trevor Lawrence had 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns and 12 picks.
09:19It's a really good year.
09:21Don't get me wrong.
09:21But it's not a Mahomes really good year.
09:24It's not an Allen really good year.
09:26It was a really good year.
09:27Part of the reason that helped them to get to 13 and 4 is that they eliminated turnovers.
09:31If we could just protect the effing football and not turn the ball over and give ourselves
09:35a chance to keep our defense off the field and not give them a short field by doing stupid
09:40things, then we're going to have ourselves a chance to win.
09:44At least week one, yes.
09:46Anthony, when you ask, can Todd mitigate that or eliminate that, are you talking about Todd
09:50the offensive play caller or Todd the head coach?
09:52Because I don't know if those are two different things right now.
09:55We're the same.
09:56We haven't.
09:56Explain.
09:56This is what I think Munkin's biggest challenge is.
09:58I think you're going to hit it.
09:59Go ahead.
10:00Anthony had brought up before the break that hopefully Munkin can help mitigate or eliminate
10:05some of the problems that Deshaun Watson could potentially run into in this game against
10:13Jacksonville.
10:14I hope that's true, but I don't know.
10:17Are you talking about Todd Munkin, the play caller, and just helping Deshaun offensively?
10:21Are you talking about Todd Munkin, the head coach, who is really charged with making sure
10:27this whole thing doesn't go off the rails like I think most people expect it to go.
10:34When you look at the point spread and all that, it's eight and a half.
10:37It's the second or third biggest point spread in the NFL this weekend, and it's his first
10:44time.
10:44I know Rudenberg brought it up yesterday, and I think Schweitzer brought it up as well
10:49that Munkin had called plays as a head coach with Southern Miss.
10:53Well, that was over a decade in a much different scenario than it is now.
10:58While I've grown to respect Todd from what we know of him so far, until I see it, I don't
11:06know if I can believe it.
11:08Oh, and it's mainly because Kevin Stefanski has me so gunshot when it comes to that.
11:14You are right about this.
11:16You have brought up a scenario that we haven't had to talk about in a long time, and we've
11:20talked about with other coaches.
11:22I've actually been pretty critical of Shane Steichen in watching the Indianapolis Colts
11:27over the last couple of years, and I thought that he kind of got out of that last year
11:32and it was better for him, but I also think that at times when they're under
11:36duress, you can tell certain things when he's not necessarily thinking about managing
11:41the game.
11:41Most of these guys come from offense, most head coaches anymore come from offensive
11:45backgrounds.
11:45I don't like it that much, but it's true.
11:48And the biggest challenge I think an offensive coordinator has to go through, and I don't
11:52care if they're 30 years old like Grant Yudinski is, or if they're 60 years old like
11:56Todd Munkin is.
11:57It's how do you train yourself to go into game management mode, because for an offensive
12:04coordinator, you are paid to get yards and score points.
12:09First downs, yards, points.
12:11You don't care about clock management.
12:13You don't care about timeouts.
12:15You're paid to diagnose a defense, to use your talent that you have to move the ball down
12:20the field and score points.
12:22And when you're an offensive coordinator, you have a head coach ahead of you that goes,
12:26whoa, easy.
12:27I have to overrule you because I have to take advantage of the clock.
12:30I have to take a look at the clock.
12:31Like as an offensive coordinator, you don't care about getting the defense arrest as a
12:36head coach.
12:37You do like, we got to get some first downs here.
12:39We got to elongate this drive.
12:41Complimentary football because we have to compliment the defense because they just came off the
12:46field.
12:46All right.
12:46We can't be doing this.
12:48And what Owen brings up is a sincere concern that we don't know until Sunday, whether or
12:54not Todd Munkin is going to actually be able to do that before it's been game scenario.
12:57And it's been, it's been practice.
13:00It's been glorified practice.
13:01This is the situation where say they get up by 10, you got eight minutes left to go in
13:06the first quarter.
13:07Are you trying to, you got eight minutes left to go in the fourth quarter.
13:10Are you roasting the ball down the field and putting us in a bad position?
13:12Or are we trying to manage the clock and also not look like we're sitting on the football
13:18and playing to not to lose instead of playing to win?
13:20Like you have to fight all those emotions while your offense is on the field, because
13:25I don't know the situation right off the top of my head of what our defense is going to
13:28come out of, but Todd Munkin by that time will, and he'll have to manage these things.
13:32That's a very difficult thing to do for a guy who has been paid and has made a lot of
13:37money and has made a good name for himself by getting first downs, amassing yards, amassing
13:42points, and getting accolades for his offensive players.
13:47That's a huge challenge.
13:49I think that's actually a really fascinating part of the game we haven't really talked
13:52about this week.
13:53But yes, going from just being the OC where you're only focused on one thing to the totality
13:58of the game, I totally agree, Kenny.
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