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00:07Ross Tucker joins us now, Odyssey NFL Insider.
00:09Ross, what's up, buddy?
00:11What's up?
00:12I'm pleasantly surprised to have this conversation today after the huge win for the Browns.
00:19I was not expecting that.
00:21That was pretty cool.
00:22I think we also were not expecting this, Ross.
00:25So I'm interested because I did listen to your pick segment today on the Ross Tucker football podcast.
00:31You guys did a great job.
00:33How much does Deshaun's game against Tampa Bay impact your thoughts on the Browns' chances to win this Carolina game?
00:41A lot.
00:42I mean, it really is crazy.
00:45You know, first of all, there were four teams that lost by at least 20 points in week one.
00:53That won in week two.
00:55And the Browns and the Panthers are two of them.
01:00So that's number one, which is such a great lesson for every year for us, which is that week one
01:06is truly a unique entity unto itself.
01:10And then just watching the Browns, first of all, their defense was better.
01:16Definitely better than it had been against Jacksonville, which was they were really bad in that game.
01:22And then obviously we saw the way Deshaun played this Denzel Boston.
01:27I thought he was like just a contested catch guy, like a bigger body guy.
01:33I didn't know based on the people I spoke to that he had this juice in them, but they looked
01:40good.
01:40I mean, there was nothing fluky about that win.
01:45And now you have two home games, one against Carolina, who, you know, Bryce Young's playing maybe the best I've
01:53ever seen him play, but it's still very winnable.
01:55And then the Steelers on Thursday night and the Steelers, we'll see what happens on Sunday.
02:01I'll be in the booth with Ian Eagle for CBS for Bengals and Steelers Sunday.
02:07So I'll get, you know, a really good look at them, but their offense has been really, really bad through
02:15the first two games.
02:16So suddenly these next two home games for the Browns seem very winnable to the point where, you know, anything
02:27less than two and two would be a disappointment.
02:30You know, if they, if they go one and three, that would be frustrating three and one is like a
02:36actual possibility.
02:38I mean, they could really win these two games and be three and one after four games.
02:43Probably most likely is they split and they're two and two, but even that, you know, is probably better than
02:49what a lot of people were thinking.
02:50Ross, what is it that you saw from Deshaun that you feel like is not only repeatable, but also it
02:55made him look just much different than week one?
02:59It seemed like he was playing freer.
03:01I don't know.
03:02I like when Munkin gets him on the move and he's moving around a little bit.
03:07It just seems like it's more, more natural for him than when he's just kind of robotic in the pocket.
03:13It seems like he still can move, which I thought was encouraging, but even, I mean, the touch that he's
03:19playing with, you know, the one throw in the end zone that I thought Boston had for a touchdown.
03:25And then he like dropped it, you know, a second later and they had to settle for a field goal.
03:30He just, that was beautiful touch and like feathering the ball right into the basket for Boston.
03:38I, it was, it was really, really encouraging.
03:41And I guess I want to ask you guys based on something Nick said right after you guys played that
03:48cut from Deshaun Watson talking, what are you expecting from the Browns fans on Sunday?
03:56Cause I'm, I'm like super curious.
03:58I think I knew what I was expecting if things went as badly against Tampa as they did against Jacksonville,
04:06frankly, I was expecting them to maybe move on from him.
04:10And then, you know, that would change the dynamic or maybe they'd give them another start at home and Browns
04:16fans would, you know, be not happy.
04:19But now it's now I'm, now I'm very intrigued.
04:22You guys tell me what you're expecting and what the, what your callers are suggesting.
04:26So I would have expected all booze if Deshaun had started and they started Oh, and two, and he played
04:32poorly the first two weeks.
04:35I'm expecting some cheers.
04:36I still am.
04:37I don't know if it's 10% or 25%.
04:39I still am expecting some booze on Sunday.
04:42I think he's going to get booed.
04:44It's just then a lot of this though, is going to be dependent on how they play.
04:47And so like Ross, if he starts off the first half, like he did last week, but they have 59
04:51yards of total offense.
04:52I think it's going to, I don't think it's going to sound great for him.
04:55Uh, that's, you know, and so it's going to be interesting to see emotionally how he handles that.
05:00I think is the thing we're the most curious about.
05:02That is a really good point because, you know, it's kind of like, you know, when, when the Eagles play
05:10at home, I mean, if, if they have a couple of three and outs start the game, like no matter
05:14what their record is, no matter how good they are, they're going to get booed when they come off.
05:19And, uh, different guys handle that better than others.
05:23I guess my question is for every hundred people in there, I'm curious, what percentage do you think will be
05:31booing them right from the get-go?
05:33And then for that percentage is all just because they don't like him or are some of them just because
05:40they want to see Shador?
05:42Ooh, I think that's a very complicated answer.
05:45I think there are people who don't like Deshaun for football reasons.
05:48I think there are people who don't like Deshaun for off the field reasons.
05:51I think there are people who don't like, uh, Deshaun because he's just the face of the worst trade in
05:57Browns history.
05:58And then I think there are some people who don't like Deshaun because he's standing in, in Shador's way.
06:03But at least for this Sunday, I think it's got very little to do with Shador.
06:06I would agree.
06:07Like I, if we're doing the, the hundred people that you talked about there, I'd say like 30% are
06:11probably, or 30 people are probably going to boo.
06:13And I would say maybe like two or three are doing it because there's some sort of like, we're here
06:17to make a claim for Shador.
06:19It's just, it's just not a story right now for us.
06:23Yeah, it is interesting that it's not just the football or not just the off the field for some people.
06:30Well, he just represents a really bad era and obviously he's gotten all this money for really almost no return
06:39on investment.
06:40So they're just kind of expressing their frustration through, through him being on the field.
06:47I'll tell you this, it is remarkable that he's even starting.
06:52If you think about what the first four years are like, like there's a lot that had to happen for
06:59him to even be the starter right now, right?
07:02They had to get a new coach.
07:03They had to not really have another option that they really liked all that much.
07:08I mean, it's, it's a, it's a truly fascinating dynamic.
07:11And then like, what, what if he plays really well, what, what if they have like a winning season, then
07:18what does he get a, a, a big contract extension?
07:22I think he would get a bridge contract.
07:23I still think you'd be looking to trade up for the quarterback of the future, but it would just make
07:27that transition maybe more of a two or three year plan.
07:31That would be my guess.
07:32If we're, if we're putting the cart there, I think it's going to be almost impossible for him to get
07:36an extension.
07:36Like it, it just seems like that's, that's, that's just a bridge too far.
07:40He would have to be unequivocally the reason why the Browns are playing so well.
07:43Like that's the thing, Ross, like Sunday, he did, he played nice.
07:47I'm not trying to take away from the game at all.
07:48Um, but he had his, his, a dot was under four.
07:52He just kind of made the passes.
07:53He didn't get in his way.
07:54He didn't throw a lot of interceptions, but you didn't feel like you won necessarily because of Deshaun.
07:58You just kind of won with Deshaun.
08:01Yeah, I understand.
08:02And, you know, the other element to it is, you know, theoretically he could play well enough that maybe he
08:09signed a decent contract with somebody else in free agency and you guys get a comp pick.
08:14Like, I mean, we're, we're, we're putting the cart way ahead of the horse here, but that's what you guys
08:20do.
08:20Anyway, you guys are usually asking me questions about like 20, 28.
08:23So figured I figured I'd get to jump on you today.
08:26Yeah.
08:26Here we are just living in the moment, Ross.
08:28You know, you're trying to take us out of the moment, like, uh, like the, uh, the, the East coast
08:32elite media that, that you really are there.
08:34All right, Ross, I do want to ask you, uh, uh, Jared verse has, uh, through two games, 46 pass
08:41rush snaps, two pressures, a 4.3% pressure percentage and zero sacks.
08:47Is it too early to be concerned about the face of the miles Garrett trade from the Browns perspective?
08:56I'm going to say no, you know, I'm typically that guy that would say it's early.
09:02I'm not worried about it.
09:03I'm a little surprised by this now in fairness, he probably doesn't have quite the group around him like he
09:12had in LA, but you know, there are some other legitimate guys on that front.
09:19And even if he is seeing more attention, there were games with the Rams where he would see more attention
09:26and still be more productive than this.
09:29I'm a little bit surprised in fairness, you know, I've been watching the TV copy of the games, the condensed
09:37version, right?
09:37So it just goes play, play, play, play, play, just to make sure I I've seen it to talk to
09:42you guys.
09:43So I haven't really like studied his individual rushes and what's working, what's not.
09:49I'm sure there are other people you guys have on or, you know, people in Cleveland that do that, but
09:54he is a power rusher.
09:57You know, he is a guy that, I mean, I think Teron Armstead had one of the, my favorite quotes
10:03ever.
10:04Teron Armstead retired because of him, because I think Jared Verse just went speed to power, which is like a
10:10bull rush, like 40 times in a game.
10:13And Armstead was like, yeah, no, I'm done.
10:15I'm done with that.
10:16I'm not just like head-butting dudes like this all day anymore.
10:20Uh, that's who Verse is as a player.
10:23And so I'm a little bit surprised he has not been more productive in particular in the game against the
10:29Bucs when, you know, it was a tight game.
10:33It's not like the Jags weren't really in that many obvious passing downs.
10:37You know, the Bucs were definitely in more.
10:40So that's something I'm certainly going to keep an eye on.
10:44I'll actually be out there, uh, in eight days for the Steelers-Browns game.
10:49I'm doing that one for West with one.
10:51So I will be, I will be studying him in depth, um, next week.
10:57And then obviously watching him live next Thursday.
11:00So that reminds me, I don't know what hotel I'm staying at, but, uh, feel free to hit me up
11:04on social media at Ross Tucker NFL with, uh, where I should go to dinner and what I should drink
11:10Wednesday night in Cleveland.
11:11It's a really nice Ramada Inn just down the road there, Ross.
11:15Yeah.
11:16Well, I don't control the hotel.
11:17No, they just tell me, they just send me the hotel I'm staying at.
11:20I can control where I eat and what I drink.
11:24I think the last time I, uh, a bunch of people recommended like a, uh, was it like a Great
11:29Lakes brewery place?
11:31That is an option.
11:32Yeah.
11:33Uh, I think I might've walked, I'm a big walk to the restaurant guy.
11:37Oh, that's tough.
11:38I was going to say Slimans this time.
11:40I'm a big Slimans guy over here.
11:42There's another place where I did the Browns Ravens TV last year.
11:47That was super nice, but I don't know.
11:51I don't need, I don't need super nice.
11:53I need super, super tasty.
11:55Yeah.
11:55If you walk down fourth street, you'd be fine.
11:57And your, your hotel, I promise you it's going to be close enough to walk over there.
12:00You could go to fourth street.
12:00You might get Mabel's.
12:01You might be, there's, there's like the Jolene's is one of the new bar restaurants down there.
12:06You might like, there's, there's a million different options and different, uh, different
12:08things you'd like.
12:09Like, all right, I do want to ask you about the Panthers though.
12:11Cause we're taking on Carolina and it feels like there's been a, a change within people's
12:15mentality towards Bryce young.
12:17What do you see with the, he's not even a young quarterback at this point.
12:20This is like year four for him.
12:24Yeah.
12:24Uh, it's remarkable because I think there's a lot of people after last year, year three
12:32that kind of had decided, okay, this is what he is.
12:35And what he is, is someone that's a little bit limited.
12:39You know, he's mobile, but not like a runner.
12:44Um, you know, he's accurate, but doesn't really have a big arm.
12:47It's funny.
12:48Cause when you describe him, it's like, wait, how was this kind of number one overall pick?
12:53You know, it doesn't have a big arm.
12:55Isn't a big guy.
12:56Isn't overly fast.
12:57What he is, is he's smart and he's very, very savvy.
13:03And I think has just a great natural feel.
13:06And so watching him the first two weeks, it's like, it's almost like he's, you know,
13:12he's not this guy.
13:13He's not going to be this guy, but he looks a lot more drew breezy in, in terms of getting
13:20rid of the ball quickly, getting it out of his hands, getting through his progression.
13:25He just looks comfortable.
13:27I mean, he looks like a guy that has a high comfort level of what they're doing.
13:32And I mean, he just had back-to-back weeks, two of his best five games ever, maybe two
13:39of his best, like three games ever.
13:40So if you're a Panthers fan, you're obviously highly encouraged by that.
13:47So the Browns are going to have to find a way to not let him get comfortable, to not let
13:52him get into a rhythm.
13:54And to your point about Jared Verse, you know, both of the starting tackles for the Panthers
14:00are hurt.
14:01Now, they did take Freeling in the first round out of Georgia, and they signed Rasheed
14:07Walker, who was the Packers' left tackle last year in free agency, knowing, you know, that
14:13their tackles might be hurt.
14:14But it still seems like an opportunity for them to try to get after Bryce Young.
14:19He just is very, I think maybe even more so than, I think crafty is the word.
14:24He has a really nice, natural feel for moving around to buy time and then throw the ball down
14:30the field.
14:30I mean, it's going to be a challenge.
14:33He's clearly played like a top 10 and maybe like a top five quarterback through the first
14:37two weeks.
14:38I'm not saying he is that.
14:39I'm just saying that's what he's done through the first two weeks.
14:42Ross, we got about 45 seconds here.
14:44Is there a preseason take that you had that you're already rethinking two weeks going on
14:49three weeks into the season?
14:54Well, I feel like I was wrong with everything I said about the Eagles.
14:58I said they would run the ball well, play great defense.
15:00But the passing game was struggle and it's been the exact opposite.
15:04I don't really know how I felt about the Chargers.
15:08I guess I thought Harbaugh and McDaniel both love tight ends and pullbacks and running the
15:12ball.
15:13I'm probably like anybody else.
15:15I'm very, very surprised that the Chargers have lost to the Cardinals and Raiders by
15:20double digits.
15:21Ross, great stuff as always, buddy.
15:23Enjoy the Bengal Steelers game this week.
15:26Can't wait to see you in Cleveland shortly thereafter.
15:30Travel safe.
15:30We appreciate you, buddy.
15:32Sounds great.
15:33Later, dudes.
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