00:00We have a tweet from Ian Rappaport this morning as it relates to Browns and Saints.
00:03Quarterback Deshaun Watson has cleared the NFL's concussion protocol,
00:06but he's expected to be inactive today, not playing as the backup quarterback.
00:11He said, obviously, Watson only practiced once,
00:13and Shador, of course, getting the start in this one.
00:16So, no Watson. There's no threat of him being the backup.
00:19I was in on afternoon drive Friday, Jake,
00:22and Jonathan Peterlin just had this fear
00:26that Shador was going to be on some kind of short leash.
00:30And that it was going to be some sort of scene out of the Saban documentary
00:33where there'd be a halftime switcheroo,
00:35and it would be Deshaun Watson if Shador Sanders struggled in the first half.
00:39But now, even with Watson out of that concussion protocol,
00:44he's not going to be the backup today.
00:46Shador, Dylan Gabriel, Talon Green,
00:49those are going to be your three quarterbacks.
00:52And for Shador, I mean, you've got the day.
00:55The day is now yours.
00:56There's no ominous shadow behind you.
00:59There's nobody looking over your shoulder.
01:01As Todd Munkin said this week,
01:03as Travis Schweitzer said this week,
01:05go out there and let it rip, kid.
01:06There's now no threat of you being, I guess, supplanted
01:11at a halftime of this game
01:13or have Deshaun Watson come in
01:14if they feel like the game needs saved.
01:16It's going to be Shador's day,
01:18which I think is the right call to make.
01:20I mean, I guess Deshaun could still be the emergency third.
01:23Yeah, the emergency third.
01:24Yeah, you're still listed as inactive
01:25when you're the emergency third quarterback.
01:27You don't obviously count towards the dress 48,
01:29but like...
01:30I don't think that's happening.
01:31I think he's just out.
01:32I don't know if it is either.
01:33I mean, maybe they pull that
01:35and it's, hey, just in case,
01:36we don't want to have to throw Talon Green out there
01:38into the mix.
01:39And Deshaun, he's healthy,
01:41so there's that,
01:41but he doesn't have the prep this week.
01:43I don't know.
01:44Very interesting.
01:45Obviously, we look ahead to this thing
01:47and you go, okay, well,
01:48it's not like the offense has been spectacular.
01:51Now, they've had a good game or two.
01:52Obviously, Deshaun's led a lot of game-winning drives
01:54and he has the team at five and three.
01:58But you walk into this thing
01:59and you have to start playing out the scenario.
02:01Okay, obviously, Shador plays poorly in this game.
02:03You go right back to Deshaun.
02:04It's no question.
02:05Thank you so much.
02:07We're going to continue to go with what's been working
02:09and who's been winning us games.
02:11Shador plays well in this aspect
02:13and you go back to the beginning of the year
02:14during training camp.
02:15A dead close, waited long as hell
02:17to name your starting quarterback.
02:19It was a neck-and-neck battle
02:21that Todd gave Shador basically every opportunity
02:23to run through and seize that job.
02:26And Shador obviously kept the battle going.
02:29And you debate whether or not,
02:30if Shador comes out and lights it on fire today,
02:33whether or not he can essentially
02:35bully-pip Deshaun Watson for his job
02:37after he goes into concussion protocol.
02:39And Nick, I had this debate, obviously,
02:41on overtime this week a couple of times,
02:43just trying to debate what this looks like.
02:46And what I keep running into is the idea
02:48that Todd has made no indication
02:52that anything else would happen, right?
02:54He's stood by Deshaun's side.
02:56They've won games.
02:57He's obviously been very pleased
02:58with most of the product,
03:00at least walking away with wins,
03:01and Deshaun leading you to those wins.
03:04It feels like in a lot of ways,
03:06five and three is good enough
03:08for Deshaun to stay there.
03:09And the thing that I also run into is
03:12Shador has a great day today.
03:14We know the Saints' defense stinks.
03:16Right.
03:16Right?
03:16Like, they're downright horrible.
03:18And we know the Texans' defense
03:19that awaits you is pretty awesome.
03:22Right.
03:22Pretty much the opposite of the Saints.
03:24And it's not like we haven't seen Deshaun
03:26put up a good game this year.
03:27You want to talk about playing a dogwater defense.
03:29He played the Tennessee Titans
03:31and put up 300 yards in the offense
03:32is what propelled them to victory
03:34because obviously the defense
03:35was getting gashed on the ground
03:36by Tony Pollard the entire game.
03:38So, like, if you're Todd Munkin,
03:40do you not walk away from this game
03:41even if Shador plays well
03:43and basically go,
03:44you just gave me exactly
03:45what Deshaun gave me against Tennessee.
03:46Is that enough to bench Deshaun?
03:48Like, he throws for 300 yards
03:50and three touchdowns.
03:51That feels eerily similar
03:52to Deshaun against Tennessee.
03:53Does it not?
03:53Here's the difference.
03:55Deshaun Watson hasn't thrown
03:56a touchdown pass
03:57since the first week of October.
04:00And I do wonder, you know,
04:02with him being the 28th ranked quarterback
04:05in the National Football League right now
04:07based on QBR
04:08and his average air yards per attempt
04:11and some of the advanced analytics
04:12that the Browns follow
04:13being pretty much at the bottom
04:15of the National Football League.
04:18Yeah, the 5-3 record is great
04:20and they're excited about it
04:21because Munkin was hired to do what?
04:23Win games and develop talent.
04:25He's doing that.
04:26But I do wonder if they're curious today
04:29to see what it looks like
04:31with another quarterback.
04:32That's what this feels like to me
04:33is an opportunity to just see
04:36what Shador can do
04:37against the tremendously soft defense
04:40in New Orleans.
04:41And if he looks good
04:43and if he plays okay
04:44and if you go 6-3,
04:46I do wonder what Munkin
04:49and Travis Switzer are looking for.
04:51Remember, that was a big piece
04:52of the quarterback competition
04:53in the preseason
04:55and training camp as well
04:56is what exactly are they looking at?
04:58I don't know.
04:59Maybe they don't feel like
05:00Watson has been so good
05:02and so great
05:03and maybe they are curious
05:04to see what Shador can do
05:06for them today.
05:07I was talking to some folks, Jake,
05:09that just are in the know
05:11of what goes on
05:12in the National Football League.
05:14Fishy is the word that I get.
05:15When you've got a quarterback
05:17that's 5-3,
05:18that's healthy enough to play.
05:20Like, he cleared concussion protocol.
05:21He's good to go.
05:23He returned to the practice field
05:24this week.
05:25Crazy enough.
05:26So it's like to have
05:27that guy sidelined
05:28when he's a vet in the league.
05:30He's 31 years old.
05:31He's been a starting quarterback
05:32for about a decade now
05:34in the NFL.
05:36You just got him
05:37kind of like a game day scratch.
05:40I get that he only practiced once
05:41and I get that he went
05:42into the protocol late on Tuesday
05:44and it was a weird week
05:45and everything that goes into that.
05:47There's just some people
05:48that think that this timing
05:49of the whole thing
05:50is a bit strange.
05:51I mean, listen,
05:52like, it's weird,
05:53but at the exact same time,
05:55Deshaun has played
05:56good enough football
05:57to not be a scratch, right?
05:58Like, I don't think
05:58he's been great
05:59by any means.
06:00Like, again,
06:02he's five and three.
06:03Like, you're not going
06:04a healthy scratch
06:04to bench the guy
06:05at this point.
06:06He at least doesn't feel that way.
06:07But that's what this is.
06:08Is it not?
06:09Like, he's medically cleared
06:11to at least be available.
06:13Saturday
06:13and he didn't do
06:14any team drills on Friday.
06:16Like, I get he's kind of
06:17in team meetings,
06:18but also probably limited
06:19in that aspect too
06:20because of the concussion protocol.
06:21Like, it's this nasty
06:24back and forth.
06:25And I mean,
06:26even if Shador balls out today,
06:28like, he balled out
06:29against Tennessee last year.
06:31The Chicago game still existed.
06:33Like, bad game still existed
06:34down the stretch of that season
06:35where he was not playing
06:36particularly well.
06:37Jake, but if he balls out today,
06:38I think it's going to be
06:39a conversation.
06:40I think it's leading
06:41the postgame show
06:42if he goes nuclear today.
06:44Oh, I agree.
06:44I think Todd Munkin's
06:45getting questions about it
06:46in the postgame.
06:47And that's really
06:48what'll be the tell.
06:49You know,
06:50does Munkin keep
06:51the door open?
06:52Does this conversation
06:53with the Browns win today,
06:55of course,
06:56carry into tomorrow?
06:57Because if it does,
06:58if Munkin leaves
06:59the door open tonight
07:00for a potential decision
07:02tomorrow,
07:03I don't know.
07:03Now, obviously,
07:04Todd could just
07:04shut her down tonight.
07:05Even if Shador balls out,
07:07even if he does play well,
07:09Munkin could go up there
07:09and be like,
07:10hey, that's what good backups
07:12in the league do.
07:13And that's the truth.
07:14That's what good
07:14organizations do.
07:15They have their backup
07:16well prepared
07:17and they could go in
07:18and make a spot start,
07:19win a game,
07:20and then turn things
07:21right back over
07:21to the vet QB.
07:24This is just a vet QB
07:25that hasn't thrown
07:26a touchdown pass
07:26since the first week
07:27of October
07:28and is the 28-ranked
07:30quarterback in football
07:32right now.
07:32And even though
07:33he's led the team
07:34to five wins,
07:34the Browns are a
07:35data-driven organization
07:36that don't have
07:37a long-term answer
07:39at the position.
07:40I'm curious to see
07:41what happens today.
07:42I think there is
07:43a real world
07:44where if he plays
07:45well enough,
07:46I don't know,
07:46maybe Munkin
07:47would make the decision
07:48to just go to him
07:49from here.
07:50So it's interesting
07:50because you brought up
07:51earlier what was Todd Munkin
07:53and what was Travis Whites
07:54or what were they looking at
07:55to try and determine
07:56who their starter
07:56was going to be?
07:57Well, it felt like
07:58we had that answer,
07:58right?
07:58It was Operation,
08:00who can get to the line
08:01quickly,
08:01who can get the play call out
08:02and that is where
08:04everybody kind of came away
08:05and said,
08:05okay, this is probably
08:06where Deshaun had the advantage.
08:07For a lot of reasons,
08:09I think a lot of us,
08:10Nick,
08:10walked away from that preseason,
08:11walked away from
08:12watching training camp
08:13and went,
08:13George Sanders is a better
08:14thrower of the football
08:15right now.
08:16Yep.
08:16Right?
08:17And we talk about operation,
08:18especially down the stretch.
08:20Now, there's been
08:20offensive line penalties
08:21and all of these.
08:22Like, that's not necessarily
08:23on Deshaun when you're getting
08:24like false starts
08:26or the one fuzzy one
08:27where it's like,
08:28okay,
08:28is the snap count
08:29being relayed right?
08:30Is that something
08:31where everybody needs
08:32to be on the same page
08:32and the quarterback
08:33needs to do better?
08:34But like,
08:34when we talk about holdings
08:35and it feels like
08:36a lot of these false starts,
08:37it's probably on the
08:38offensive lineman.
08:39Like,
08:39and it consistently ends up
08:40being like tight
08:41as Howard jumpy.
08:41It's like,
08:42when four of the guys
08:43do the job correctly
08:44and one guy messes up,
08:45you figure that's
08:46an offensive lineman mistake.
08:48Two weeks in a row,
08:48you've had an eligible man
08:50downfield.
08:51I don't know that that's
08:52really on the quarterback.
08:53But again,
08:54here's another thing.
08:55He's the most sacked QB
08:57in football
08:58with 33.
08:59So maybe are they
09:00trying to find out today
09:01is some of the issue
09:03with the offensive line,
09:04the quarterback,
09:05is some of it the fact
09:06that they don't know
09:07where he's at
09:08because of these
09:0912-step drops
09:10where he's breakdancing
09:1312 yards behind
09:14the line of scrimmage
09:15while they're trying
09:16to hold for him.
09:18I don't know.
09:18And obviously,
09:19with Shador,
09:20that's one of his
09:21big red flags, too,
09:22is his tendency
09:24to drift back
09:25and not step up
09:26and throw it.
09:27I just,
09:28the whole thing
09:29is fishy to me,
09:30Jake.
09:30I'm sorry it is.
09:31It's weird.
09:32It is really weird.
09:33I just,
09:34the operation would have
09:35to look flawless today.
09:36And like,
09:36because Deshaun Watson,
09:38you can argue
09:38whether or not
09:39it looks good
09:39for four quarters,
09:41operationally
09:41in a two-minute drill
09:42at the end of games
09:43where you need one drive,
09:44Deshaun has been
09:46damn near flawless
09:47in the execution of that.
09:49And like,
09:49the operation has looked good.
09:50He's gotten the ball out quickly.
09:51Like,
09:52he has looked good
09:52in those moments
09:53and maybe those moments alone,
09:55but he has looked
09:56damn good in those moments.
09:58I just feel like
09:59the operation
10:00would have to be so clean.
10:01And that's the part
10:01where you have
10:02a ton of questions on
10:03can Shador do this?
10:04Can he operate flawlessly
10:05in that version
10:06of the offense?
10:07And I don't know.
10:08Like,
10:08even in the small plays
10:09that he's walked into,
10:10you're talking about,
10:11you know,
10:13illegal formation penalties,
10:14ineligible men downfield,
10:15and it does feel like
10:17the one where
10:17Shador probably picked it up
10:19was an instance
10:19of the ball needed
10:20to come out quickly.
10:21Right.
10:21Like,
10:21that's an offensive line
10:22timing play,
10:23and the ball seemed
10:25to be in Shador's hands
10:26maybe a little bit too long.
10:27And some of Deshaun's mistakes
10:29are also like
10:30some of the flaws
10:31that we talk about
10:31in Shador Sanders.
10:32So,
10:33again,
10:34I think it's a big impact
10:35on what happens today.
10:36Obviously,
10:36you have to go out
10:37and play well.
10:38You have to go out
10:38and win the game
10:39to even start that conversation.
10:41I just don't know
10:42that Todd's going to be feeling it.
10:43But,
10:44I don't know.
10:44We'll see what he says
10:45after the game.
10:46But I want to know
10:46from you guys.
10:47216-474-0092.
10:48Does Shador have an opportunity
10:50to take the starting job today?
