00:00This is Cleveland Sports Radio, 92.3 The Fan.
00:04Super Bowl!
00:09Super Browns!
00:11Yeah!
00:1321-18 Cleveland Browns winner!
00:172-1!
00:18Oh, wait a minute.
00:202-1!
00:212-1!
00:232-1!
00:242-1!
00:26I like chance.
00:28We are a chanting show.
00:30It is.
00:31It's the chanting show.
00:32Chant city, chanting nation.
00:33Like a good chant.
00:36Surprised?
00:36Feeling good?
00:37How'd you feel?
00:39Yeah, a little surprised.
00:41They look like they were destined to have things kind of snowball.
00:48It was going south in a hurry in the third quarter.
00:51A little bit.
00:51They gave up the lead.
00:53A little bit.
00:56Wood then had their worst drive of the year.
00:59It was on par with those Jacksonville drives.
01:01They were obviously gassed.
01:03And Bryce Young took Carolina right down the field.
01:06And we get the ball back with four minutes.
01:07And I just...
01:09It was treading in a bad direction.
01:11The boos were coming out again.
01:12The offensive line couldn't really protect for much of the game.
01:16Well, we went into the fourth quarter and he had 67 yards passing.
01:22They could not block him long enough and he could not throw it accurate enough for them to do anything
01:28other than around the line of scrimmage again.
01:30I wonder if anybody felt the same way I did emotionally about it.
01:32Where I'm watching the game, they're up 10-0.
01:34I'm like, this is a good start.
01:36Let's get into the half.
01:38And then that stupid drive at the end of the first half.
01:41Nathan was beside himself.
01:44I know Andrew was beside himself.
01:45I was beside myself.
01:47That last drive at the end of the first half where it basically was gifted three points on...
01:53The call on Mike Hall was silly.
01:56I thought it was silly.
01:5730 yards on penalties.
01:59Exactly.
02:00And then so it's 10-3 going in at half.
02:02I'm like, alright.
02:02Because at first I'm like, well, you got a chance to double dip here.
02:04This, that, and the other.
02:05So you go in at half.
02:07And it just started to click the other way.
02:10And the defense was doing as much as it could.
02:11It's like, man, we don't have any snaps offensively.
02:14Like, this defense is getting gassed.
02:16And I know it just, one after another.
02:1810-6, 10-9, 12-10, and then 12-10.
02:22And you start the fourth quarter.
02:25And I'm looking at it.
02:26And we're still on defense.
02:28And I'm seeing it going, oh my gosh.
02:31Like, he only has 67 yards passing.
02:33Like, the conversation, it was so amazing.
02:36The conversation around the quarterback, it just snuck up on me.
02:39I go, oh my God.
02:40If they lose, like, he's garbage.
02:42I swear to God, that's how I felt.
02:44Like, I go, if they lose this game, and they just can't get anything going, and he ends
02:49up with under 100 yards passing or something like that.
02:52Like, we have to have a serious conversation again.
02:55A conversation I don't want to have.
02:56Like, it's, we are in this weird zone, I think, with fans.
03:00I kind of want to know.
03:01Do you trust Deshaun Watson again?
03:04Or are you, I shouldn't even say again.
03:07In the first place, are you starting to trust him as a quarterback?
03:11Because, you got to say something to be able to put the play behind you where it wasn't
03:16horrific.
03:17It wasn't like he was turning the ball over all over the place.
03:20Like, that was the one thing.
03:21And I know there was a couple, like, near misses.
03:23Oh, he had, like, three in the opening, in the opening quarter, it felt like.
03:27But I'm watching, I'm going, okay, it's not, it's not that terrible, but it certainly
03:31isn't good.
03:32And then the fourth quarter, the light came on, and he was able to finish the game with,
03:35you know, 144 yards passing, two touchdowns, they moved the ball, like, things started
03:42to click for them.
03:42He did a fine job.
03:45I, it did say a lot to be able to pull that thing out of the fire, because for a
03:49second
03:49I'm going, man, if they lose this game, they're one and two, and he doesn't look very good.
03:53And I think the malaise starts all over again.
03:56Well, we could be looking at Pittsburgh is it.
03:58Yeah.
03:58That's the Waterloo.
03:59Exactly, yeah.
03:59I really think when we break it down, and I'm kind of, and I know I was on the phone
04:04with
04:04you yesterday, but it sounds like I'm having this epiphany now, because I think I am.
04:07Like, you just said it.
04:09Like, we're looking at Pittsburgh as maybe that Waterloo game again by ABBA, and I don't
04:15have to do that anymore, because he pulled it out of the fire.
04:18The fans were ready to turn.
04:19Yeah.
04:20Like, the fans came out, and credit to the fans, they were loud.
04:24They, they, they were not, they, they, they were doing what I think the team was hoping
04:29they would do, which is be their 12th man, be a home field advantage.
04:34That's all the, the team was asking for.
04:36Give them a shot.
04:36I thought they were very supportive.
04:38To be a home field advantage.
04:38And they were, for the most part, I thought it was, it was, at least on TV, it was definitely
04:44showing, and people in the stands were talking about how deafening it was, you know, throughout
04:49that game.
04:49The young players were talking about that.
04:51But eventually, hey, if you don't get first downs, if you can't keep the defense off
04:56the field, and then you cough up the lead because of it, then the fans are going to
05:01turn.
05:01That's, that, that, that's what happens anywhere in, in most venues come third quarter.
05:05What was crazy was we had a 10-9 lead, and the Boo Birds started coming out.
05:09So, I was like, man, I thought it would take us to be losing for the Boo Birds to come
05:13out.
05:14No, they, they were winning.
05:15But because the offense was just incapable of, they, they couldn't run the ball at that point.
05:21You know, Judkins, when I checked there, the third quarter was still at like, you know,
05:25three, barely over three yards a carry.
05:29Deshaun could not, could just, the timing was off.
05:32He was late.
05:33He was nowhere close.
05:35He also was getting harassed.
05:36He had guys in his face again.
05:37You know, just like the Tampa Bay game.
05:40You know, which is, I think, a, a developing note throughout these last two games is that
05:45Watson has regained some of, not the identical form of him running around, making plays, looking
05:52like a freak athlete in Houston.
05:53Okay, he's not that now, but his ball skills and, and pump faking and, and, and getting
06:01guys while keeping his head up and making guys miss, that seems to be back.
06:05I didn't think we would ever see that again, but that was important because he was under
06:10duress so much of this game that they still have a lot to work on in the passing game in
06:16general.
06:16But I do think Deshaun has been able to show for the first time since I've seen him in
06:21Cleveland that he's, he kind of can put the team on his back in some big moments in the
06:27fourth quarter.
06:28I think he, at least let his wide receivers and tight ends make plays.
06:31He played more confidently there.
06:32No, I don't like the whole, like, well, wait until the fourth quarter for him to heat
06:35up because I don't want him to go thinking that.
06:37And then it's just not there.
06:38And then all of a sudden you just have problems.
06:40Like, and I don't think he feels that way either.
06:42I think you want to put together complete football games and go out there and win.
06:45But what we are seeing here is, you know, there's some credit has to be given.
06:49No, like the numbers aren't, it's not Peyton Manning, Elway.
06:55It's not any of that.
06:56It's not Mahomes or anything like that.
06:57But what it is, is, and I can't even say it's solid throughout four quarters.
07:01It's just, it's what you need at the right time.
07:03And with so many, I mean, so many bad quarterbacks in this league right now, so many guys not playing
07:09very well.
07:09Even good quarterbacks that we thought were good.
07:11Even good quarterbacks not playing very well.
07:13I mean, good God.
07:14Did you see the low lights of Cam Ward yesterday?
07:17Now, I don't know how much good play there's been from Cam Ward, but it looks like he is
07:20broken right now.
07:22And yesterday was the one that really did him in.
07:24Like, there's such bad quarterback play.
07:27I don't need him to go out there and throw for 405 touchdowns, whatever he had said that
07:32one time.
07:33And I don't think anybody does because they were able to run the ball a little bit in the
07:37first half.
07:38Things got slowed down.
07:40Then towards the end, they were able to run the ball again.
07:42So they were able to do that.
07:43There were just some things that they got together that they were able to hold on to.
07:46If that defense continues to play that way, I mean, that's an offense that scored 30 points
07:51plus over their last two games.
07:52One a win, one a loss, obviously.
07:54But they were putting up points.
07:56To hold them to just 18 points late yesterday, that was a great defensive performance.
08:00And it was exactly what a lot of people thought it was going to be.
08:03Shorter quarterbacks, a gap pressure, lots of guys being sent right through the middle.
08:08Saw Jared Verse come right off a guard's hip.
08:11It creates some problems.
08:12And then Mason Graham obviously feasted yesterday.
08:14He was fabulous.
08:15He was awesome.
08:16I also feel bad that we didn't mention him yet.
08:17Like, he was the player of the game, right?
08:20I think for the Browns.
08:21Well, he made sure, I mean, a lot of those drives ending in field goals is because of
08:26those timely rushes by the defensive line.
08:30And a lot of it was Mason Graham playing like a man possessed.
08:33And I mean, if you go back to the top 10 of Mason Graham's draft class, he's probably
08:37number one or number two right now.
08:39Yeah.
08:39Now, Travis Hunter did get his first D&D yesterday.
08:41Travis Hunter got an interception yesterday.
08:43And then got into a scuffle with an equipment guy who refused to give up the ball.
08:47And then tried to claim assault.
08:50Assault.
08:51I didn't see that.
08:52Oh, you've got to see it.
08:53The equipment guy tried to claim assault or?
08:55Yeah.
08:55Yeah, it was bizarre.
08:56He touched me.
08:57He touched me.
08:57All right.
08:58That was.
08:59Wouldn't let the guy have his ceremonial first ball.
09:03Write that down for later.
09:04Anyway, again, two and one.
09:07It's a, yeah, I think it's a little bit.
09:09I think a lot of Browns fans are just surprised that we're here.
09:12I know I'm surprised that we're here at two and one.
09:14I know it's a quick turnaround.
09:15It's Thursday night.
09:16You got the Steelers coming to town.
09:18We usually do pretty well on Thursday night.
09:20Regardless, we've had, we've had a break.
09:21We've had a pretty decent run against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night at home.
09:25It's just a good Thursday night football team.
09:27It's been a, it's been a game that I look forward to every year.
09:29Cause usually they play pretty well in that Thursday night game.
09:32So there's a lot of good things to get into.
09:34And I didn't, you know, there's so many other things that I didn't think that were going
09:38to go well that I thought did go well.
09:40I mean, again, the offensive line, there was some struggling there.
09:44I know that you and I disagreed about some things at the beginning of the show about,
09:47you know, certain guys, but really it just turns into, it's a quarterback league.
09:50Do you trust Deshaun Watson yet?
09:52Yeah, no, I wouldn't say I trust him, but it's, it's been so much better.
09:58The, the big moments have been so much better than anything I've seen from him in four years.
10:022-1-6-4-7-4-0-92.
10:05I, I think that there's been a little bit more confidence here and I don't know where it comes
10:11from.
10:11I, I, I know some people look at the 55 yarder against Jacksonville and garbage time.
10:16I don't know.
10:16I think it's very easy, easy to get cynical about that.
10:19I, I can't find it in my heart.
10:21Like, it's a good story.
10:22Like if they ended up being good this year and he ends up playing well, that's a good
10:26story.
10:26Like, eh, you know, we found some in that, in the beating that we took, we found that
10:31thing with the 55 yard touchdown and things to like, that's a good story.
10:35I just don't know what it is.
10:36I, I, I, I don't think that that's what it is personally.
10:39I think that your wide receiver group group is, uh, way better than what it's been over
10:43the last couple of years.
10:44And I think Todd Munkin has done a very good job coaching them up.
10:48That decision at the end of the football game probably would have killed that sentence right
10:52there, dead in the road.
10:54But I think he's done a pretty good job getting these guys all together on the same page.
10:58And I, I mean, they're a young emotional group and he's, he's a older guy, but he's, he's
11:03having a lot of emotions and he's having a lot of fun.
11:05They're playing don't stop believing at the end of the practice on Friday or the end of stretching
11:09on Friday.
11:09He's wearing a hat backwards in the, in the locker room afterwards.
11:13Like there, there's some, uh, there's some good feelings, man.
11:17There's some really good feelings, some really good stuff going on.
11:21And frankly, I don't know exactly what road I want to go down.
11:25I want to start talking tough against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
11:28Well, I, I do.
11:29And I'm just, I'm, I'm holding back a little bit here.
11:31Yeah.
11:32I did not expect, and they boy, Aaron Rogers bounced back in a big way yesterday when I
11:36thought his career was basically over after watching the first two games.
11:39I did not think there was going to be a world where three games in throughout by the end
11:45of the first home game, based on what we saw, especially in that Buffalo game, second half,
11:49I did not think there was a world that we were going to live in where Deshaun Watson is coming
11:55off the field to a hero's welcome to where the fans are, are, are chanting his name.
12:02I saw the videos emerge on, on social media last night.
12:06There were sections chanting for Deshaun Watson.
12:10He came off the field with a smile on his face.
12:12James Harden in the bowels of the stadium talking about Deshaun Watson, Deshaun Watson.
12:19Like, I did not see that coming from a mile away.
12:23I, I, I, I'm flabbergasted.
12:26Like, what a 180.
12:27And, and I'm not saying every fan believes, because I certainly see on social media, there,
12:31there are fans that refuse to even apparently like the Browns and embrace victories.
12:36And I, I don't know how to have conversations with them.
12:38I think I'm just going to bypass them.
12:40Like, we're just going to, we're going to be in two separate places.
12:42Cause I, I can't really, I got to break down the guys that are eligible to play football
12:46and on the team.
12:47And it does us no good.
12:49If we're just going to sit there and say, he shouldn't be in the league.
12:51He shouldn't be on the team.
12:52He shouldn't be playing.
12:53Okay.
12:53Well, they're two in one.
12:54And I'm going to talk about the guys that are there and he's the quarterback and he's
12:57had two huge fourth quarters for this team and a huge reason they're two in one right
13:02now.
13:02One of the surprises of the NFL.
13:04He's one of the reasons it's a, it was a, it was a wonderful day yesterday considering to see
13:10everybody, the, the home opener, the pomp, the circumstance that goes into that.
13:14We have a house band now again, which is fun.
13:16Game changer.
13:17Get total game changer.
13:18Got the Ohio state band marching out there.
13:20Had all the legends, Nick Chubbs.
13:22Brian Brennan.
13:23I like, I was like, I don't know what to do with my hands.
13:25I don't like, he starts clapping.
13:26He's like, I know I'm not supposed to clap because for me, but it's weird.
13:29I don't know what to do with my hands.
13:30Brian Brennan was there.
13:31Brian Brennan was there.
13:32Alex Mack was there.
13:32It's a big day.
13:33It's a big damn day.
13:34And again, your Browns, you wake up, they're two in one and things are looking pretty good.
13:38That defense, that defense was fabulous, was fabulous.
13:42And I love the pressure that Mike Rutenberg put in there.
13:45I think a lot of credit needs to be given to him, but it starts, it finishes with the
13:48quarterback.
13:49I want to know, are you starting to trust Watson?
13:52There's no, again, I don't think anybody really trusted him in the first place, but are you
13:57starting to trust Deshaun Watson after what you saw yesterday?
14:01Cause he started that fourth quarter, man.
14:02He had 67 yards passing.
14:05And if they lose that football game yesterday, we are having a much different discussion this
14:10morning.
14:11Credit where it's due.
14:12He picked it up.
14:13They picked it up.
14:14They got themselves a big win at home.
14:162-1-6-4-7-4-0-0-92.
14:18Ken Carman, Anthony Lima, take us with you to work on the free Odyssey app.
