00:00Spencer, when we talked about this show, Deshaun Watson and a possible contract extension came up in a rundown.
00:07Daniel said he wrote a piece on it.
00:09I heard that on these airwaves Friday.
00:11And I'll say this before I let you give your opinion on it.
00:16First and foremost, I am happy for Cleveland Browns fans that Deshaun Watson is playing well.
00:22I'm happy for Todd Bunkin that Deshaun Watson is playing well because it's making him look justified in his decision
00:30to name him the starting quarterback.
00:31For Deshaun Watson personally, I am happy that he's playing well.
00:36He's been miserable for the better part during his tenure here in Cleveland.
00:40But I bring it back to the fans.
00:43Of everybody that's involved in this situation, I'm more happy for Cleveland Browns fans.
00:49Because we know what the fans had to endure this entire time that Deshaun Watson has been a part of
00:54our organization.
00:55And for us to finally be getting some sort of return on investment from the Browns trading for him, signing
01:03a contract and dealing with everything that we've had to deal with.
01:06I think it is refreshing and it is exciting right now through four games to be getting some type of,
01:13you know, reason to cheer or to be happy.
01:16But I do not think that that should warrant conversations this early about contract extension talks.
01:23I think it's a bit disingenuous and a bit unfair to try to automatically simulate to the end of the
01:30regular season like we play in Madden.
01:32And then try to figure out how the quarterback room is going to look last year where we're dealing with
01:37this regular season in real time.
01:39When we know we've got to take this thing a week at a time in real time.
01:44As it comes to Deshaun Watson, he has not put it together for four quarters yet in one singular game.
01:53But then I ask myself on the flip side of that is, does he absolutely have to?
01:57Because when you think about, you know, football and what comes with it, what do we ask quarterbacks to do?
02:04How well do you play in situational moments, right?
02:06The end of a two minutes in the first half, the end of a two minutes in totality in the
02:12game.
02:13What do you do when your team is trailing?
02:15How do you play when your team has to lead and you're trying to hold on?
02:19What do you do in critical moments to show up for your football team?
02:23And so far in the three wins that the Cleveland Browns have,
02:27Deshaun Watson has done more than enough to come through for this football team in a clutch.
02:32He's responsible for three game winning drives.
02:35But that doesn't erase, in my opinion, after four games, the tenure that Deshaun Watson has had since he's been
02:44in Cleveland.
02:45And I just find it funny that a lot of people want to talk about potential contract extensions from the
02:51Browns point of view.
02:52When you've heard me say, brother, this is a two way street.
02:56I don't care how things are going now.
02:59Now, who's to say that Deshaun Watson still wants to be here?
03:01What if this is a situation to where I'm going to be a pro's pro and do everything that I
03:07need to do with the Cleveland Browns on the last year of this contract,
03:10win as many games, play as well as I can so that I can earn the opportunity to continue my
03:16NFL career elsewhere?
03:17Well, that all comes down to, like, how he feels personally when he gets to the end of the season.
03:23I don't know, like, maybe in his heart of hearts, if he plays well and the team wins enough games
03:28or whatever,
03:29and he's, like, exploring his options, maybe he'll, maybe he'll, maybe he would be a guy that's like,
03:35you know, I still owe this city something because the last five years haven't gone so well.
03:39You know, like, but we don't know what his personal decision will be when that time comes.
03:43Sometimes that's, like, projecting way too much.
03:45But, like, listen, I understand what you're saying.
03:47Like, Browns fans certainly are just enjoying the moment.
03:51They're not trying to get too far ahead of themselves, as they should.
03:54I also think, though, like, part of our job is to have fun with these types of conversations.
03:58Like, this is why we bring this stuff up.
04:00This is why we get to debate and talk about it.
04:01Like, we, we, we, that's what this job sort of is, right?
04:04So I enjoy being able to talk about these things and just kind of have some fun exploring, like,
04:08what's, what, what if this happens, you know?
04:10But that's why we work, because we have a different idea of what fun is sometimes.
04:15And because we see things differently, I think it makes for a better show.
04:18Yeah, yeah, no, for sure.
04:19Like, I don't, I'm not trying to sit here today and sell anybody on,
04:24hey, sign the extension right now.
04:28Like, I've seen enough.
04:28I know I've been tongue-in-cheek.
04:30Jax knows this.
04:31I've been filling in a lot this week.
04:33And I was, I was going out and doing, like, five more year chants and, like, playing around,
04:37like, messing with you guys a little bit.
04:39But at the same time, like, again, there's a lot more that we have to uncover here
04:42before we get to this actual conversation.
04:44I just think, from our standpoint, where we sit, this is what sports radio is about,
04:48is having these types of conversations, exploring, like, hey, what if he does?
04:51So that's why I'm enjoying, I'm enjoying doing this with you.
04:54But what I would say is this, like, I'm with you.
04:58I think right now, if we're, we're trying to project far enough ahead, I still don't know.
05:04Like, here's the thing.
05:05Daniel's right.
05:06He hasn't played so well that I'm sitting here like, oh, they got to extend this guy.
05:13He's their quarterback of the future, at least for now.
05:15Like, I'm not saying any of that.
05:17He's played well enough where it's like, hey, it's about time.
05:21The fans can enjoy it.
05:22He's getting some wins.
05:24But I think, Earl, like, for me, it would ultimately still take him taking this team on, like, a deep
05:32playoff run
05:32and him playing, like, top 10 quarterback play for the entire season
05:36and starting to put together, like, more consistent games, like, full games,
05:41before I can sit there and, like, truly entertain and extend you.
05:45Because it doesn't erase the four previous years.
05:48It doesn't erase the fact that, like, just sticking with this, when you have this young team
05:55that you're trying to build up and empower and add the quarterback to
05:59to sort of finish this rebuild off, like, I just, I can't go there with it.
06:04I just can't.
06:04Like, right now I'm not there, but I do think, like, it's on, the onus is on him.
06:09Like, if he keeps playing well enough, it's going to become a real topic as the season goes on.
06:13And see, this is where my real-life personality and, you know, my profession sometimes clashes
06:19because I think this is a healthy conversation.
06:22We see it two different ways.
06:24But I don't look at it as a time to be playing around, joking about five more years, anything like
06:29that,
06:30because during the entire offseason, damn near, everybody who had the opportunity to bless this microphone
06:37when they was on their respective show said that they didn't care how well Deshaun Watson played this year
06:42under no circumstances, they wanted him back in a Browns uniform, you being one of those people, right?
06:48And so I just find it kind of funny now that we're sitting around
06:51and Deshaun Watson has had three game-winning drives
06:54and the Browns are sitting at three and one, that on this station,
06:58we're talking about contract extensions when, damn near, every single host has said,
07:03there's no way I want to deal with Deshaun Watson past this season.
07:07No matter how this season turns out, I'm cool, let it be done with.
07:11And I think a lot of people are always looking at this just from the Cleveland Browns standpoint
07:16or just from the Cleveland Browns point of view.
07:19Deshaun Watson is involved in this as well.
07:21And if Deshaun Watson has any of the personality traits that I have,
07:26I don't forget how you make me feel.
07:28I don't forget how you treat me.
07:29And when things is going wrong, that's when I really focus in on that.
07:34So, yeah, we can finish this thing and we can end this thing on a high note both ways.
07:40But I think, like, we should just go ahead and let this be done.
07:43If the Browns happen to win eight or nine games this year and Deshaun Watson is healthy
07:49and he plays pretty damn good, okay, cool.
07:53We got something out of this.
07:55It's not like we walked away and we didn't get nothing.
07:57What did Denzel Washington say?
07:59I'm leaving here with something.
08:00The Browns will be in a situation to where they can leave here with something.
08:04I just don't think that no matter how this thing plays out that you should continue the relationship one way
08:10or another.
08:11I think too much has happened, too much has taken place, and it's probably best for both sides to move
08:17on,
08:18regardless how this thing plays out.
08:20And if it ends on a high note, at least those are the lasting memories.
08:24Because what happens if you sign him to a contract extension and then it's back to what it used to
08:28be
08:28or he gets injured again, et cetera.
08:31And so, like, instead of even projecting that far down the road after we've played four games,
08:37I would much rather give the fans content that allowed them to stay in the moment,
08:43right here where we are, celebrating a team that nobody really expected to be where we are,
08:47and then talking about, okay, this is a flawed team that's winning games.
08:52So, how can we correct some of those issues and errors and continue to build on what we have right
08:58now
08:58and be a better version of ourselves when we get to the end of the season?
09:02Yeah, no, and that's 100% what we agree, Earl.
09:05Like, I think right now this season just feels like it's, all right, you know what?
09:09It hasn't gone well.
09:12Here's Deshaun playing well for Browns fans, and Browns fans finally get some sort of payoff in this.
09:17Probably not the payoff they wanted or expected, unless this ends in, like, a Super Bowl.
09:21No, but that, like, that should be enough.
09:24And I think for Deshaun, it's like, it's probably just best that we part ways.
09:28Again, four games doesn't erase all the tension, all the animosity.
09:33Like, it's dissipated it.
09:35It's made it kind of go to the back burner.
09:37But we know the second he plays bad or the team's going three and out for, like, three or four
09:44straight series,
09:44the second that happens, these fans are going to be ready to, like, go back to everything that they said
09:49before.
09:49Like, it's not gone.
09:51Like, the feelings aren't gone.
09:52Maybe I'm wrong in this, but I just feel like I'm not giving either party any wiggle room to change
09:57their mind on it.
09:58Every fan, every host has said they don't care how this thing plans out.
10:01I'm with you.
10:02Be done with it.
10:02Yeah, I'm with you.
10:03Deshaun Watson has said almost everything, but I don't like the city of Cleveland.
10:07I don't want to be here.
10:08And so I just feel like this is a straight-up business partnership at this point.
10:13It's been that from the beginning.
10:14And it's been that from the beginning, but I am not one.
10:17I'm not about to give the fans or him wiggle room to change their mind.
10:21Both people.
10:22I see what you're saying.
10:23Both sides stepped where they was on this thing before the season even started.
10:27So now all of a sudden people want to change their tune.
10:29And that's why all this feels like to me is the divorce is still happening, but maybe, listen, before this,
10:37the couple was, they were on terrible terms, didn't want to be around each other.
10:43They were going to fight for custody over the kids, all this stuff.
10:45Now it's at a point where it's like, all right, you know what?
10:48At least do four games.
10:50And that's why I think I need to be better because I'm one of those people you made your bed,
10:53you lie in it.
10:54You said this is where you stand, stand on that side of the fence.
10:57Don't try to come back over here.
10:58But to your point, it's still going to end, but at least now it feels like it's trending towards, okay,
11:03this can end amicably.
11:04It can be, all right, thank you.
11:07Thank you for the memories.
11:08Thank you for the fun season, but we got to move on.
11:12We can't keep doing this.
11:13And he can be like, listen, not a lot of good memories.
11:16There were some bad moments.
11:17I'm glad we ended on a high note, but I'm going to go do my own thing too.
11:21I've now kind of put myself in a spot where I can maybe get another job somewhere else because that
11:24probably wasn't the case until this stretch.
11:26Now we can start talking about that again for him.
11:28Like, that's kind of what it feels like.
11:30It was a divorce that was ending towards a very ugly, messy breakup.
11:34Now it might end amicably.
11:35And maybe that's the best that we can ask for for all of this in the end.
