00:00We do have a little bit of a, I think, a conundrum in Cleveland.
00:06And the conundrum right now is, hey, it's real clear who the starting quarterback of this football team is.
00:11Right now, how long does that last?
00:14I'll be honest.
00:17Can I go Chris Antonetti on you?
00:19Sure.
00:19I'm giving it a bigger runway than most.
00:22I think he's, I think this game buys Deshaun half the season.
00:30I really do.
00:32I mean, he was very, very competent yesterday, Andy.
00:36And was he great?
00:38No, he wasn't great.
00:40But he was really competent.
00:42And how long has it been since we've seen consistent, competent quarterback play here?
00:49I mean, that is arguably the best game he's ever played as a quarterback for the Browns.
00:54Arguably.
00:56Yeah, I could say that.
00:58In one other game.
00:59He's had a couple of others that are pretty good.
01:01But this one's in there.
01:03And I just, if he goes out and is even competent, even if they lose, why are you going to
01:11take the job away from him?
01:14I don't.
01:15I don't think you are.
01:16He's got to look competent, right?
01:17Well, let's just do the math here.
01:21So if one game of horrendous play got you rumors and rumblings floating around the NFL from Mary Kay Cabot,
01:30Ian Rappaport, and other places about you possibly being benched over poor play, wouldn't that put us in the same
01:38position again?
01:38He played well.
01:39Now, if he plays poorly again, would does that put us in the same position?
01:43You go back to where you were last week.
01:44And then you're in a weirder spot because it's a quick turn because you play the Steelers on Thursday.
01:50How is that?
01:51That's what I'm fascinated to see is because we've all ridden the Deshaun Watson rollercoaster.
01:56We paid for flash.
01:58We're getting flashes.
01:59Now, can it still turn into flash?
02:00I don't know.
02:01But right now, we're getting flashes.
02:05So if it looks poor against Carolina, do we go back to, well, I don't know, he might be on
02:10the hot seat or that's the weird part of this is.
02:16Well, it is.
02:17But, but Dan, I'll see those reports yesterday.
02:20I think he would have had to have been just hideous yesterday for him to not start the home opener.
02:28I said that before.
02:28I said that last week.
02:30I think he at least starts the home opener.
02:32And I think even if he had been terrible yesterday, I think you had to give him that because otherwise
02:38it's a, it's a hurdle that if he doesn't clear, there's no way he plays quarterback here ever again.
02:44And I think they, I think Todd picked him and after two games, Todd doesn't strike me as the kind
02:51of guy, yeah, you know, two games, that's enough.
02:54I'm moving on.
02:54He doesn't strike me as that kind of a guy.
02:56No, but a three interception game might have done the trick.
03:00But then why was that out there?
03:01If that doesn't fit the narrative.
03:02You'd have to ask the reporters.
03:04I'm just telling you what I thought.
03:06They had reports.
03:07I had thoughts.
03:08So I, I just think the guy's going to be the quarterback here for at least, at least five, six,
03:15seven games.
03:16And I, I'm hard pressed to think other than injury that anybody on this roster is going to, that's the
03:22key.
03:23Anybody on this roster is going to replace him.
03:26I mean, I, I'm not a, I'm not a big Shador fan.
03:30I don't think Dylan Gabriel has the physical traits to be a standout in the NFL.
03:36And tailing green is too raw.
03:38I just, that's the point.
03:40I don't think anybody here is better than Deshaun.
03:43From what I've seen, my hope was Shador would beat him out.
03:47And we'd find out, can Shador be the big time guy?
03:49If Shador couldn't beat out this version of Deshaun Watson, then what are we doing?
03:56I, I didn't mean that specifically pointed at you.
03:59That's all right.
04:00I meant that more specifically trying to figure out where the line is.
04:03Like that's, I'm trying to find.
04:05I don't think there is a line.
04:06I think he's the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.
04:08Well, I thought there was a line before yesterday.
04:10Exactly.
04:10I thought there was a line before yesterday.
04:11There was a line.
04:12So did the line just get erased into the sand?
04:15No.
04:15Or are we now two steps from the line?
04:17Yes.
04:17Are we one step from the line?
04:18Are we going to forever be in this situation where it's going to be, okay, he played well.
04:22He's now past the line.
04:24Uh-oh, he played poorly.
04:25Okay, now we're back to the line.
04:26Are we doing this?
04:28Is this just going to be back and forth nonsense like we've done under Romeo Cornell and other
04:32other quarterbacks?
04:33Or is there actually like, and again, we don't know.
04:36I don't have a crystal ball.
04:37I can't see into the future, but that's what I want.
04:40Before we even get to what is 15 more games look like?
04:43I just want to know where the line is.
04:44You know what it is?
04:45It's the chase.
04:46Did you ever watch that game show, The Chase?
04:48Absolutely.
04:48That's exactly what you're talking about.
04:50Yep.
04:50Right?
04:50And so if the, that guy was super smart.
04:54I can't even remember his name.
04:55They just called him The Beast, but carry on.
04:57The Beast.
04:57Yeah, The Beast.
04:58Right?
04:58And so, yeah, it's a tug of war on that.
05:05I think that he bought himself a couple more games yesterday.
05:08That's what I thought.
05:08Okay.
05:08So he moved the line maybe two spots if you were talking about the chase.
05:12Yeah, because you went up against The Beast.
05:14You wouldn't start a new quarterback on a short week.
05:16But can I throw this out?
05:18Hmm.
05:20What's the alternative?
05:22Shador.
05:24Who Todd already has decided wasn't better than Deshaun Watson.
05:29But you can say that, but you don't know how the margin, how close the margin was.
05:33And you also don't know if they gave to Shador a couple more reps or saw something in practice
05:38that they like.
05:39Because for every other position on the team, we hold this threshold of standards of who's
05:45playing the best, who gives us the best opportunity to win.
05:48Except for the quarterback spot.
05:50If you think there's a running back that looks a little bit better, or let's just say a running
05:55back gets a bump or a bruise on their leg and they're not playing that 100%.
05:59So we're always, we're okay with taking the number two running back and putting him in
06:03the game.
06:04But when it comes to quarterback, for some reason, we're just so locked in to not wanting to make
06:09that change.
06:10Andy, we aren't.
06:11The NFL is.
06:12Yeah.
06:13I don't understand it.
06:14Like, to me, it's a...
06:15It's a league thing.
06:16It's silly.
06:17If you ask me, I think it's silly.
06:19But I'm not a coach in the NFL.
06:20Well, and I'm just an idiot behind a microphone who thinks, well, if a guy can't play at 100%,
06:24why wouldn't you put a guy in?
06:26Who is at 100%?
06:28Well, because the guy who's at not at 100, the guy who is at 100% is still like, he's
06:33at 100.
06:33The other guy could be at 80%.
06:34Like, come on, man.
06:36We do it for every other position in the NFL except quarterback.
06:40You just said it.
06:42You're not a coach.
06:43Talk to the league, right?
06:44Yeah.
06:44I don't get it.
06:45On top of the fact that nothing gets reported on accident.
06:48That doesn't get leaked on accident.
06:50True.
06:50You also don't do it that often on the offensive line.
06:54Yesterday, every offensive lineman played every play, except for Tyson, Titus Howard, who
07:01sat out a couple.
07:02Yeah, I mean, Joe Thomas, how many ripped, torn, and broken things did he have that still
07:07played through it?
07:08Yep.
07:09Paul is in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
07:12How you doing, Joe?
07:13Hey, Paul.
07:13How are you?
07:15Happy Victory Monday.
07:16How about that?
07:18Yeah, I wasn't expecting it.
07:19I thought we were going to get boat raced, to be honest with you.
07:22I went up to Tampa yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised.
07:27But I think I agree with Mr. Baskin when you say, you know, Deshaun could win a
07:32pass at the Super Bowl.
07:33He's not going to be here next year.
07:34And even if we wanted him, whether we think he's right or wrong, the way we've treated
07:39him, and rightfully so, he's not coming back to Cleveland.
07:43That ship has sailed.
07:44But to go back...
07:45The one thought, though?
07:46The who's...
07:47It doesn't...
07:48Like, if he wins, fans are going to...
07:50They won't boo.
07:51If they don't like him, they're just not going to say anything.
07:53And if ownership likes him, if he gets...
07:55Like, at the end of the day, it's about, really, who's treating him?
07:58I don't know, man.
07:59Who's paying for the house?
08:00Who's paying for the plane?
08:02Who's paying for...
08:02Where's that money coming from?
08:04And if he has a good relationship with ownership that brought him here in the first place, that's
08:08truly how's he getting treated, right?
08:11Perhaps.
08:12I mean, you could be right.
08:13But if he goes off of emotions, he knows Cleveland does not like him.
08:17He knows that.
08:18And he didn't want to come here in the first place.
08:20He came because of the money.
08:21You guys said it.
08:23They went to Deshaun, went back to Baker, and then money was the ultimate buying motive.
08:28But, Jeff, I want to go back to you a couple weeks ago, you know, when you were comparing
08:32the three preseason starts and how Munkin valued, you know, processing the new system.
08:38And I'm going to throw a weird take out there.
08:41But Dylan Gabriel, I get it.
08:43He was with a third and fourth string against their third and fourth string.
08:46But when was the last time we saw a quarterback put up that many points at a half for the
08:50Cleveland Browns?
08:51He was playing equal against equal.
08:53And he did that with limited reps.
08:55And I get it.
08:56You know, I think a lot.
08:58I'm not a Shador fan.
08:59I'm not a Deshaun fan.
09:00But if Shador's dad was not Deion Sanders, is he on the Cleveland Browns right now?
09:05I mean, you look at Dylan Gabriel.
09:07He went to UCF.
09:08Okay.
09:09Average program at best.
09:10But then he went to Oklahoma and Oregon, which are blue chip programs.
09:14And last time I checked, he dotted Ohio State's eye.
09:18So, Dylan Gabriel, I mean, are we giving him a fair shake?
09:22I know the afternoon boys like to say he's small and can't see over the line.
09:26Well, those linemen at Oregon were 6'4", 6'6".
09:29Same with the guys at Oklahoma.
09:30Yeah, Paul, I'm with you on that, too.
09:31I get it.
09:32I just don't think Dylan's the answer for what you're looking for.
09:36Here.
09:37Maybe here.
09:38No, I think he could be here a long time, but I personally think that they will continue
09:43to look for a franchise quarterback, and maybe Dylan could be the guy, maybe not.
09:47One thing we are seeing around the league.
09:49Do you think Kevin would like him if he was healthy right now?
09:52I think he'd probably rather play Michael Penix.
09:56But we'll find out.
09:58Look around the league.
09:59Bryce Young actually playing really well for the team we're going to see coming up on Sunday.
10:03Bryce is like 5'11".
10:05Kyler Murray.
10:06There are smaller guys in the NFL who are succeeding, and I think Paul's right.
10:11The whole idea of you can't see over the line.
10:14Sorry, Oklahoma linemen, Oregon linemen are probably bigger than the guys that we have
10:20sitting here in Cleveland, if that's even possible.
Comments