Turning the Page to PIT and Talking QBs - Cleveland Browns Daily - 10.8.25 - Cleveland Browns Podcast Network

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
So live on a first Friday Miraicle edition of Clean
Lebronze Daily. I am merely bo he is the great z.
How are you living?

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Buddy?

Speaker 3 (00:09):
Hello? Nice? Good to see it falls here. It's crisp
in the air. Yes, yes, six Wednesday now, so we're
allowed to start to build our optimism and enjoy. What
do you got? Give me? Hello?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Gimme?

Speaker 4 (00:25):
He clicked on, we heard you click on? How are
you fine? I was letting him go. He was starting
to finally wake up.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
I thought you had. I thought you already wake up. Start.
We just started violence right out of the gate. Out
of the gate, the gates. We've got crazy. It's funny
when people don't push.

Speaker 4 (00:41):
The buttons today and now he's going to get it
all day.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
What happened? Have you been? It's something an airing of
the grievance normally I don't care.

Speaker 4 (00:53):
There was a question about some of the things that
have been booked on the show today, and now I'm
just like, you know.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
What if you want to dance with the but let's
go gosh.

Speaker 3 (01:02):
I did not see this coming up. He was trying
to remove he wants to be smirch ben baby. I
didn't smirch ben That is comfactually incorrect. G Man, get
Young Gabriel over here. Boy, you realize Young Gabriel help
with a clip that we needed. Yeah, Young Gabriel. Yeah,

(01:23):
he's right there.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Look at him.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
He's ready to go. Young Gabriel. Hello, Young Gabriel. He was.
He just characterized what had happened earlier that apparently got
him very unhappy as me besmirching Ben Baby. Did I
have a smirch Ben Baby?

Speaker 5 (01:35):
You didn't besmirch him?

Speaker 3 (01:37):
No, duh, I know that.

Speaker 6 (01:41):
There was no attack on Ben Baby. We love Ben
Baby a lot more than most people.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Yeah, Ben Baby's great. Why don't do most people not?
I'll be honest with you. On my Bengo card for
the first thing we'd be talking about Ben Baby was not.
Now he's going to be on yeah before thirty, and
he's great. But I didn't have that on my Bengo card,
the first one.

Speaker 6 (01:57):
I'm saying, we love more than we love him most
other people. Oh, I got, that's that's my character.

Speaker 3 (02:02):
We've had a glacious allegation that lobbied at me. I
want to come up more than I'm just going to
make up. As we go to well at least he admitted,
at least that you made it up.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
I put his bike.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
What have I done?

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Unbelie?

Speaker 3 (02:19):
So we have and we'll play the full. Look at him,
So he's checking out screens over there, he's coming. Look
at this, a little bit of this. Look at the
shortest hand. The shride. That's what he's got, his teeth.
That's what you need. Too much, too much, David, Hey, no, no,

(02:39):
I really need to talk. Sorry. Sorry, we're trying to
actually do business. Something's like, wait, the show started, You're
gonna make my walk. I gotta follow me over here
the other hiding. Here's my rose petals for me to
walk on. Damn it, my son works. That would be
the best part.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
If that's what it could be, Well, we'll get that's
that will happened at some point. Corporate bo is going
to make sure that happens at some point that we
have someone throwing rose pedals for him to walk on
as he walks around to see swag.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
It is Pittsburgh week. It is here.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
The team practicing started about five minutes ago on a
crisp autumn day here in northeast Ohio. The Cleveland Browns
have signed quarterback Dom Jones to the active roster for
the practice squad. In addition, the team has signed cornerback
d Williams to the practice squad and place cornerback a
Mere Speed on practice squad injured list. So there you
have it there. The headline here today was the first

(03:34):
time that we've heard from Kevin on what happened yesterday
with the trade to Joe Flacco, and we'll have those
that full conversation with the media and Kevin coming up
here shortly after you heard it. Yep, what did your
Did your opinion change at all in terms of how
it came about, why it came about, and why the

(03:55):
deal was done.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
No, it didn't. The bank looked at their situation, they said,
this is untenable. Who could we maybe go get? Hey,
the Browns, you know, put Dylan Gabriel in, so they're
going in that direction. Let's call them Brown's. Oh really, okay, Yeah,
that's what happened. It wasn't Joe flat couldn't say trade me.
The Browns were not expecting. I think people are making

(04:17):
reading way too much into you know, the surprise coming.
Their Browns were just surprised that the Bengals called them
It's not like they were saying, oh, we're going to
trade Joe Flacco. Now somebody called them. They didn't put
anything out there. Bengals call and said, hey, we want
Joe Flacco.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
That bit of audio is being wildly misconstrued. It is
not locally and also around the country, it's being widely misconstrued.
We have isolated just the one thing that's getting a
lot of attention. So let's let's go ahead and play.

Speaker 7 (04:43):
It decided if Shador is going to be your number
two active quarterback for this weekend.

Speaker 8 (04:52):
Yet, well, first I'd tell you is that Joe trade
took us by surprise.

Speaker 9 (04:57):
That was not something that we saw coming.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
You know they and.

Speaker 8 (05:02):
You know that's uh. It was happened very fast and
happened not too long ago. So still working through all
roster type of things. I just I always have to
be mindful of our players and our players' development, and
you know, I want to make sure that I'm always
doing what's best for our players and of course our team.
But you know, with young players, I'm always thinking about

(05:24):
last week making the change to Dylan. You have to
think long and hard about that because these are these
are young players that you're so invested in their development.
So I'll let the week play out make a decision
later on that.

Speaker 3 (05:35):
All right, So I've heard a great many people incredible
first question for this prescottference. It was, but it's also
absolutely yeah, incredible.

Speaker 1 (05:46):
But I think, and I've seen this nationally, I've seen
this locally. It's being misconstrued as if Kevin is surprised
by the deal that was made by Andrew Berry, Like
that's the way that this is being presented. I don't
believe that's the case at all. I think what he's
saying when he says the collect like us surprised, the
collective us. Every football decision in this building is made

(06:08):
by Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski, Paul de Podesta ownership. That's
the way those things are done with football handling it.
I don't think that there's in the time that Andrew
and Kevin have been here, I don't think there's a
single major decision that's been made without both of them
turning their key at the same time.

Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, that's how works, That's how it works here.

Speaker 1 (06:24):
Yeah, But it's being presented though, like Andrew is under
has undermined Kevin with the with the trade.

Speaker 3 (06:31):
You misread this. Yeah, no, they're surprised us. When they
went to bed Monday night, they were not thinking about
trading Joe Flacco and then they get a call from
the Bengals who say, actually we want Joe Flacco. Oh
you do? Yes, Well here's what it's going to be. Okay, okay,

(06:52):
and now we make the trade. Yeah, Kevin would absolutely
be involved in it. All football decisions are made by
Andrew Berry and Kevin and I would amagine depot, I
mean owner. Yes, they get told what's going to happen,
or if there's a situation where they have to lay
out a bunch of money, like hey, are you okay
with this? But no, they make That's how they make
the decisions. It's not like a b was like, hey dude,
I just traded Joe Flacker and Kevin's like what wait what?

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Huh?

Speaker 1 (07:15):
No, not how it works. It's never worked that way here.
And that's not what he was saying.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
We got made up allegation Jones back here, and now
we got other made up allegations all around town.

Speaker 1 (07:25):
Made up narrative Jones is around town. They're everywhere. Yeah,
it's just a misread. And I can I'll give everybody
you know, I can understand it. How you Sometimes you
hear things in a certain way, and then you read it,
you hear it back and it's in another way. Sure,
maybe because of how familiar I am and you are
with how the process works around here. Sure I didn't

(07:45):
hear it the other way. I heard it the way
I heard it. Well, the collective us, we as a team,
were surprised. Christ That's how I went to bed.

Speaker 3 (07:54):
We'd train Joe flacka was even on our mind, and
then the Bengals said, we'd like put this on your mind,
and we said.

Speaker 1 (08:01):
Oh, okay, what do you think, as you've had twenty
four hours to kind of sit on this? From Dylan's perspective,
how does this change the job for him?

Speaker 3 (08:14):
If at all? It doesn't. I think when you make
a switch like that from the veteran to the rookie,
his transha has begun. And I think for him it's
the same as it always was, Like you don't want
anybody else to have to play, and you do that
with your play. I don't think it's changed at all. Honestly,
I think it's you know, we're going to have to

(08:35):
address head on things. I mean the fact that the
first question in the press conference wasn't even about Joe
Flacco or anything, like Kevin had to take a question
that was is Shador the backup and actually say here's
what happened with the trade. Yeah, So there's still there's
fallout there because whether or not Door is the backup

(08:56):
or Bailey's Appy as the backup, it's going to have
massive social media ramifications and talking head media ramifications. Yeah,
and I have. And I mean there are national shows.
It's not just here. Mary Kay asked about Chador. It's
nationally that one of the and I think it was

(09:18):
the ES been with Mad Dog and the headline was
what does this trade mean for Shador? I mean, the
guy is, he's ratings, he's clicks, he's all of those things.
And I think that the one part of it is
that if he is the backup, I think it has
the potential to make an unfairly to Dylan, because I
don't think he deserves this, but I think it has
the potential to make our home crowd, or any crowd

(09:39):
even potentially no matter where we are, somewhat hostile to
him should he perform less than brilliantly.

Speaker 1 (09:47):
Which is what I mentioned yesterday that he is. He's
been put in some really tough spots. Yeah, from the
get go, from the get go as a third round quarterback,
and the attent obviously that draft weekend is everybody around
here has said was to get one quarterback. They got
him in the third round, didn't envision drafting another one.
And then Shadour fell, and we've been over the reasons

(10:07):
for that. It's been well documented. He fell, and all
of a sudden, you got a chance to get talent
that tape wise looks like first round tape. You got
a chance to get him, and so you do. You
take that lottery ticket. But from the Dylan part of
that is really tricky because it's already hard enough to
be a rookie quarterback in the league. But this was

(10:29):
a guy that obviously the Browns liked more than Shaudur
in the draft. They took him in the third, Shadur
in the fifth. He's done everything right, played pretty well
in the opener. And to your point, the first question
is what it is. And again I don't blame Mary
Kay at all because he Shadur is not a fifth
round pick in any sense of the word other than actually,

(10:50):
that's it. Every other characteristic around him, isn't that. I mean,
this was him and his dad and Travis. They took
college football by storm. They became one of the most
interesting stories in the sport for two straight years. If
you go back to the draft, that's all anybody talked
about for three days. First it wasn't cam Ward on
day one, it was where should are going to go?

Speaker 9 (11:09):
On Day one?

Speaker 3 (11:09):
Then it gets today two, Where should you're going to go?
Day two? Day three, where's he gonna go? Like that,
that's the whole story.

Speaker 1 (11:15):
So this is I get it because people are interested
in him because he is a celebrity in every sense
of the word.

Speaker 3 (11:22):
Yeah, people are news yeah, is business yes, and he
is good for business yeah yeah. I think that people
need to understand and just like, first of all, Dylan's
leads our team in passing touchdowns and the guys played

(11:42):
a game and a handful of snaps. Beyond that, just
give him a shot and if he's not good, then
you're going to get other opportunities as the season goes on.
But I think if you're a Browns fan, you should
want him to do well. I think The other thing
you have to understand is that Shadoor went where he went, like,
this is not a league where they're oh, we're gonna

(12:04):
punish somebody, or we're gonna we don't like his dad,
which you not like Dion, So we're gonna just let
a guy that we think could be a quarterback for
our franchise just slide. I mean, it's just not how
it works. No, And I think if anybody who was
with us at the COMBA, if you've been listening to show,
I was as big as shador fan as there was

(12:25):
on the I want to take him number two. Oh dude, Now,
I mean how many shows we do with talking about that? Now,
I didn't know what I didn't know. I just knew
what I watched on tape. And I think, and we
go back to it, everybody watched him on tape thought
he was a first or at the minimum, you know,
or the worst case scenario like a second round a
Day two guy, but a second round guy. I think
the lowest number was thirty eight, so something like that.

(12:47):
And that's just based on that. That's based on the tape,
and obviously there's a lot more that contributed to his fall.
But you know, you all know how much I liked him.
If I thought he was like ready to go out
there and rip it right now, I would be big
on Shador. I don't think he is. I think there's
a reason. And we talked about the development and the curve,

(13:08):
the learning curve that he's going to have due to
the fact that he wasn't asked to do a lot
of things in college that you've got to do in
the NFL. And I think that if he, if he
were the best quarterback on the Browns right now, he
would be playing quarterback. Yeah, if he were. And if
he is the second best quarterback on the Browns right now,
he will be the backup. Yes, there's really nothing more

(13:32):
to it than that. So we'll find out where they
believe he is in his developmental stage when we find out,
And I think it's kind of I also and maybe
they got to go through a bunch of stuff. It's
also hard when on some level you're going to you
give an answer like if Kevin goes out there and
gives the answer Schador is the number two quarterback, Yeah, Okay,

(13:56):
that sets off a whole nother train of things. Yeah,
if he comes out and says, actually, Bailey's appy's going
to be the number two quarterback. We're going to elevate
him from the practice squad. He'll be the number two quarterback.
Shador will be still the emergency third. That sets off
a hole other set of reaction, and then there's that
when you don't give an answer. Now, it's going to

(14:18):
be a question again and again until he talks Friday,
but it's gonna be a talking point between now and then.
And the funny thing about that is the only person
we're not talking about is Dylan Gabriel, who actually is
going to be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns,
which in the event that he remains healthy. Yeah, he's
the only quarterback who's gonna play. Yeah. Yeah, So we're

(14:42):
in it. So that goes back to your kind of
your original point about that Dylan's been in a very
difficult situation this whole time just because it doesn't matter
what he does, It doesn't matter how he you know,
conducts himself. It doesn't really matter how he performs because
and he even caught some I thought some there were
some very from people that I wouldn't think would necessarily

(15:05):
do that. There were some harsh rebukes of his performance
last week, and I would just say he's starting his
first game on not really a full week of practice
against a Brian Flores defense, that's right, which has been
lights out. Did he go out and win you the game? No,

(15:28):
but he didn't lose it. He did not lose. And
I don't think he was asked. I don't think he
was tasked with, dude, the game is on your shoulders,
and he was tasked with, if we can get in
the red zone, let's get seven. He did that twice
off of his arm, two passing touchdowns. Don't turn it over, nope,
don't lose the game for us. Don't be the reason
we lost this game. And he wasn't. No, he wasn't. Now,

(15:50):
as a quarterback, matures, and as you things go on,
you're going to ask him to do more than that
and to be like a true franchise guy. Is the
reason in many cases the ultimate team game. But that's
the reason you do win games. That's not where he's
This guy's a third round pick. Yeah, he made his
first start, and I thought he did a fine accounting himself.
Do you have to get the ball down the field,

(16:10):
of course, But if we win that game. He did
exactly what he wanted. All we needed to do with
our good run game and are at number one defense
is just don't lose the game for him and we
should win. And we should have won. We didn't. But
he did that part. Oh yeah, he did that part
very well. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (16:30):
No, I mean there's a long he's going to have
a long runway here to see what he can be. Yes,
but I think the thing with Gabriel that I learned
week one being thrown into the fire in a way
that you just described, is none of this is going
to be too big for him, and his floor is
pretty pretty high. It's a pretty high floor, yes, because

(16:54):
he's ultra smart. Yeah, the ball is out quick, he's
crazy accurate. I've talked to college folks who scouted him
last year and loved him, loved him on tape. Thought
he was a very difficult player to prepare for. Thought
the ball was out quick, accurately in the right spot.
Thought he was a little friskier with his feet than
people give him credit for. And thought before the game,

(17:16):
I think he's going to play well in London. I said,
well that I think he will too. I think he'll
play well, and I think he did.

Speaker 3 (17:22):
I think, as we said it all along when he
was drafted, if he ends up being a long term
backup or having one of those careers where you're like
a case Keenum, that's a really good third round pick.

Speaker 2 (17:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (17:34):
If he ends up being more than that, that's a
home run. That's a lottery ticket. So that's kind of
where you're at with him. And now we're going to see,
you know, what can he be? What will Dylan Gabriel become?
I thought the first thing was good. He's going to
operate the offense. Do you have to take steps beyond
that to be a quarterback of consequences League? Of course?

(17:54):
And I think if you read all the reporting about
for everybody wants to know, well, when should when should?
We're going to play?

Speaker 9 (18:00):
For me?

Speaker 3 (18:00):
And rapport to Mary Kay who have commented on it,
they if he's not the backup, I don't even know
that it necessarily means that he is not the second
most talented quarterback here. I think he probably. I think
it's he is. He is either the most talented or
second most talented. But there's so much more that goes

(18:22):
into playing the position. I think it's more of because
all the reporting has been they would want him to
get like full weeks of work. All of that is
the backup. You're not you don't get that, you're not
gonna get any reps. So, like I think if the
when the time comes, or if the time ever comes,
and Dylan gabriels job is to make sure the time
never comes right by his play, but if that time
ever comes, my guess is you're gonna want to give
him that long runway and give him all the reps

(18:44):
and have a game plan that he is very comfortable.
Because we saw when he was kind of comfortable and
he got some of that stuff in Carolina, he looked
very good. Now that's preseason, but he looked good there.
Then when he was we were more kind of in
like a more of a regular season mode before the Rams,
that didn't That was not good. So I think that
that's part of it as well, that I think people

(19:05):
are going to jump to you know, I'm going to
get out my jump to conclusions, Matt and jump to
a conclusion. It's a nice job. At you.

Speaker 2 (19:13):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (19:13):
I hope some of you got that. I think that
it is a great idea it's a great idea, a
fantastic idea. All right, good job at you. Those are
your hot topics today.

Speaker 1 (19:23):
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Speaker 3 (19:43):
We're often running.

Speaker 1 (19:44):
Cleveland Runs Daily were presented by ballely Bete official sports
winning partner your Cleveland Browns on a fifty ESPN Cleveland
All Right, welcome back, gave Cleveland Browns Daily. Presented by
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Please bet responsibly Timed ahead of to the podium, Presented
by Vivid Seats Perchers official fan experience package Today for
the ultimate Game, here is Brown's head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Speaker 8 (20:03):
All Right, great challenge road and you know division opponent
excited about these opportunities, these rivalry games when you're going
against UH division opponents. Obviously, they're atop the division right now,
playing really good football. I think they're plus seven turnover margin,
doing a nice job taking it away. They're they're playing
very well on the offensive side, and then they always

(20:25):
are played great on special teams. So really good players
coaches I have a ton of respect for. So it's
division football, it's AFC North. We know what to expect.
But with that, I'll take any questions.

Speaker 7 (20:36):
Excited if Shador is going to be your number two
active quarterback for this weekend.

Speaker 8 (20:41):
Yet, Well, first I tell you is that Joe Trade
took us by surprise. That was not something that we
saw coming. You know, they called us and you know
that's uh. It was happened very fast and happened not
too long ago. So still working through all roster type
of things I do. I always have to be mindful
of our players and our players development, and you know,

(21:06):
I want to make sure that I'm always doing what's
best for our players and of course our team. But
you know, with young players, I'm always thinking about last
week making the change with to Dylan. You have to
think long and hard about that because these are these
are young players that you're so invested in their development,
So I'll let the week play out, make a decision
later on that it's late Monday afternoon.

Speaker 2 (21:26):
You didn't plan on trade and Joe Blackham, No, why
did it happen? Though? What why didn't.

Speaker 3 (21:32):
You trade them?

Speaker 8 (21:33):
Well, you know, obviously I'll ab makes those decisions. I
trust a b We talk about every decision we make.
They wanted to, they wanted Joe, they made the phone call.
Obviously it gives Joe an opportunity to go play again.
But you know, I trust in our decisions. Explain to
the fans all the training camp reps devoted the flack

(21:55):
and we pick it.

Speaker 2 (21:56):
Why was it a waste of time? As it turns
out it's October? Neither a here.

Speaker 8 (22:01):
Well, I mean there's a lot of unknowns in football
and sports. You can't always predict injuries, you can't predict trades,
those type of things.

Speaker 9 (22:10):
So it's just that sports. Joe, do you feel like
there's a leadership void in that young room? Do you
have a quarterback?

Speaker 8 (22:16):
Yeah, it's a young room, but you know, I believe
in those guys that they're all working very hard. Obviously,
Bailey's the elder statesman right now. But with Deshaun's in there,
you know, can provide great insight to the young guys.
And you know I trust in coach Muskrave, coach Reese,
those type of things making that deal. What's the concern
level that you traded Joe to a division rival that

(22:38):
need starting quarterback. Yeah, I think we talked through all
those things. I would let Andrews speak to that.

Speaker 3 (22:43):
I don't.

Speaker 9 (22:44):
I don't want to speak for him, but I trust
in his decisions.

Speaker 2 (22:48):
We're disappointing with the way I did for Flaco.

Speaker 8 (22:52):
You know, Joe and I had a lot of conversations.
I'll keep those private. Obviously. He's somebody that we in
this building think very highly of. I think highly of
the person, think highly of the player. Disappointed in where
we are, you know as as a team, of course,
but you know, hopeful for him. But really our focus

(23:13):
turns into what's in front of us, which is you know,
Steeler week.

Speaker 9 (23:18):
Or two have never won a game.

Speaker 2 (23:21):
Do you think this could be a case of ignorance?

Speaker 10 (23:23):
Is bliss?

Speaker 2 (23:23):
They know they're not knowing their history, this team.

Speaker 8 (23:27):
Living thanks Tony. Honestly, it's the game of football. It's
the past doesn't really matter, you know, what's in front
of you matters everyone. When we ask you about having
so many rookies, but what are the challenges whether it's
during the week or game day from having so many

(23:48):
young guys? Day you counting, Yeah, the thing I would
tell you, Scott is we're counting on a lot of
young guys. A lot of young guys are playing, but
they're not playing like rookies. These guys are very mature.
They work very hard. So I know what it might
say on the roster in terms of experience for them,
but we trust them. They've put in the work and

(24:11):
a lot of these guys are playing good football, but
they're going to continue to get better. I expect all
these guys to continue to get better.

Speaker 10 (24:18):
When you're looking at the back and the number two,
how do you balance short term versus long term in
terms of what you're looking for when you you know,
whether it's you know, putting Sure there or you know,
bring Bailey up or whatever.

Speaker 8 (24:31):
Yeah, I think it's really important to stay in the
short term when you're making these type of decisions or
any decision for your team. You know what's most important
is this week. Obviously, we have long term development plans
for all of our players at every position, but really
this week is what's most important.

Speaker 3 (24:50):
It's got a bad obviously, it's got a great job
on the what you see from him, and you know, like,
at what point did you.

Speaker 5 (25:00):
Feel comfortable really be able to league and give him off.

Speaker 8 (25:04):
Yeah, I think again going back to the previous point,
these young players will just get better and better. And
I think he was a great example of a guy
that you know, we've tried just to not put too
much on his plate in that first game or the
second game, would slowly bring him along and I think
every step of the way he's answered the bell. He's

(25:24):
got a great demeanor on the field, He's got a
great demeanor around this building in terms of his intensity
to this football team. And you know, he's a guy
that again we're counting on. He's a big piece of
our system.

Speaker 2 (25:39):
We're in the division a long time with Aaron Rodgers.
What do you make of his game right now?

Speaker 9 (25:44):
Yeah, outstanding football player.

Speaker 8 (25:46):
Might be the best thrower of the football I've ever seen,
just from the arm, talent, the skill that he has.
Have a ton of respect for what he's done in
his career. Playing at a high level right now, extremely accurate.
That's a good feel for what they're doing. Allows his receivers,
tight ends, running backs get good yards after the catch.

Speaker 9 (26:06):
He's playing at a very high level.

Speaker 3 (26:08):
All right, there you go.

Speaker 1 (26:09):
That was from the podium, presented by Vivid Seats persu
Official Fan Experience Package today for the ultimate game day
time to meet the Steelers. It's presented by Vivid Seats
Official Fan Experienced partner of your Cleveland Browns. I want
to attend the next Brown's home game on October nineteenth
in style. Head to vivid seats dot com slash Browns
and purchase here one of a kind package Today. The
Pittsburgh Steelers are three to one on the season. They

(26:30):
are a top the AFC North. Their head coach is
Mike Tomlin. He is in his nineteenth year in the
National Football League with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's the longest
tenured coach in the NFL. His record is a robust
one to eighty six, one oh eight and two. The
series record Pittsburgh leads eighty two, sixty four and one.
Last time out, Pittsburgh won twenty seven to fourteen in

(26:52):
Pittsburgh in December of last year. Last time they played.
They played the same team we played. The last time
we played, Theirs was a win in against the Vikings
twenty four to twenty one. They are coming off the buy.
Their offense is ranked twenty ninth overall, thirty first in rushing,
twenty seventh in passing. Their defense is twenty eighth overall,
nineteenth and rushing thirtieth in passing. Their turnover differential and

(27:14):
here's where you're saying, well, bo, how are they three
and one? Here's how they are plus minus seven, which
is second best in the NFL. They are three in
one despite statistically not being a marvel at all. For
more on the Pittsburgh Steelers, we turn it over to
Duc Dizzy.

Speaker 3 (27:29):
Yeah, they've been out gained in every single game this year.
Every single game they have been out gained. That includes
the Jets in Week one, That includes the Seahawks in
Week two where they lost. That includes the Viking of
the Patriots and we three where there were five turnovers
by the Patriots, two inside the opponent's two yard line.
And that includes last week against the Minnesota Vikings or

(27:50):
two weeks ago, i should say, against Minnesota Vikings in Ireland.
So they've been out gained every game. There's not a
single team in this division that has a positive point differential.
The Steelers are minus two, the Bengals are minus seventy one,
Ravens minus thirty six, Browns minus fifty. In fact, this
is crazy. This is the worst combined division point differential

(28:12):
weeks one through five since the year two thousand and two,
which is not great. No, I mean not very burrow
Lamar injuries. Here are the worst combined point differentials by
division in the league this year. AFC North minus one
hundred and fifty nine man NFC South minus sixty seven,
AFC East minus nineteen, AFC West minus five. And I'm

(28:35):
not a mathematician, but I'll pretend to be one real quickly.
Sixty seven plus nineteen is eighty six plus five is
ninety one. So the rest of the losing divisions there
are divisions that have winning differentials. The rest of the
losing divisions add up to just ninety one. Yeah, and
this division is one fifty nine. So they're not They

(28:57):
are not world beaters by any stretch of the imagination.
That just goes back to, man, why it's such a
bummer We could not execute and finish that game off
against the Vikings, because then now you have a chance
to go in there and almost like catapult yourself to
the top of this division. Yeah, you know, Cincinnati with
Joe Flacco, they got green Bay this week and Flacco

(29:19):
is gonna start. That is still going to be a
tough matchup for them. The Ravens have the Rams without
Lamar Jackson, They're probably gonna lose. So you had a chance,
you know, really if you could have gotten that win
in Minnesota to come in here with some momentum. Then
you have the Dolphins next week, and I still look,
you're at one and four. You win this one, you
have a chance the Dolphins, you'll be favored. That'll be
one of the rare games. The Browns are favored. You'll
have a chance to get to three and four, and

(29:40):
that'll kind of could put you in the mix. Steelers
go us Cincinnati. Then they have a tough stretch green Bay,
Indianapolis and the Chargers. So we'll see how it plays out.
But now this team is not They're not great. Kenneth
Gainwell leads a team in rushing with one hundred and
fifty four yards and four games averaging four point four
yards carry. He had a career game last wee week
one hundred and thirty four total yards two touchdowns with

(30:02):
Jalen Warren out. Warren's averaging just three point one yards
to carry and as a running back. As their second
leading receiver, they brought in John new Smith, who was
a pro bowler last year. Yeah, and Arthur Smith very
familiar with him, brought him to Atlanta with him. Yeah,
he was a pro bowler last year. He had eighty
eight catches for eight hundred and eighty four yards and

(30:23):
eight touchdowns. Even in that season with Arthur Smith fifty
for five eighty two and three, He's got fourteen catches
for seventy one yards. He's averaging five point one yards
of catch, which is nuts. Part of that is because
Aaron Rodgers is getting the ball out so quickly. Aaron
Rodgers is getting the ball out and under two and
a half seconds, got one of the small shortest time

(30:43):
to throws in the league. And his air yards per
attempt seven point five air yards pert tempt, So everything
is kind of close to the line of scrimmage, not
really pushing the ball down the field, but you know
it's wild. You look at their tight end um john
Smith played thirteen reps last game, thirteen snaps. Pat Fryarmuth.

(31:05):
Pat Fryarmuth was a big part of what they used
to do. Yeah, I mean, I think he's got a
couple at least one seven hundred yard season under his belt. Yeah,
had seven hundred and thirty two yards and twenty twenty
two last year had sixty five catches for six fifty
three and seven touchdowns. He's got seven catches on ten
targets for sixty five yards, so it's very odd. I mean,
their receivers, Calvin Austin's third on the team. He's got

(31:26):
ten catches for one hundred and thirty nine yards. DK
metcalf is the leading receiver, twenty two targets, fifteen catches,
two sixty one and three touchdowns. He scored in three
of the four games, but last week were one hundred
and twenty six of his two to sixty one. So
the first three games were one hundred and forty so
under fifty yards a game. Just not prolific. Aaron Rodgers
isn't even averaging two hundred yards passing per game. He's
at seven hundred and eighty six yards and four starts

(31:46):
doesn't have a single game with two hundred and fifty
yards passing, but he does have the eight touchdowns, three interceptions,
and a rating of one oh three right at his
career mark, which is an incredible one oh two point six.
I mean, his current numbers are staggering. Sixty three thousand yards,
sixty five percent completions, five hundred and eleven touchdowns to
one hundred and nineteen picks. I mean, just bonkers. Their
line has been very good. Their line is only given

(32:08):
up thirty pressures all season, so they've been very good upfront.
Broderick Jones, the left tackle, their first round pick in
twenty three, is a week link. He's given up four
sacks and ten pressures. Really, the tackles have given up
four sacks, eighteen pressures. The interior of the line two sacks,
twelve pressures. So you got to get them off the edges.
But yeah, they're not. There's nothing dangerous about them right
now on offense, with the exception of DK Metcalf. Defensively,

(32:30):
that's where you know, that's where a lot of the
talent is they've got up front. You know, Cam Hayward,
Keanu Benton was a second rounder Derek Harmon. Their first
round is now played in two games. Hayward's got a sack,
Kean new Benton's got a crew high one and a half.
Harmon's got a sack second level. They've got great linebackers
Patrick Queen and Peyton Wilson, both on pace for well
over one hundred tackles this season. Queen has been a
Pro Bowler twice. TJ. Watt is a seven time Pro bowler,

(32:53):
five time All Pro Defensive Player of the Year. He's
got He leads a team with three sacks. You know
he's a stud. He's always going to be good, and
all three of come in the last two games. He
had a stretch gdate back the year before, six straight
games without a sack. He has gotten three in his
last two. Nick Herbig out of Wisconsin has been playing
very well for them. He's second on the team with
two and a half sacks, leads a team with fourteen pressures.

(33:15):
He's got crazy stats eleven career sacks, seven force fumbles.
TJ watts thirty four force fumbles are the most any
active player right now. Thirty four force fumbles, one hundred
and eleven sacks. Alex high Smith has been out of late.
They hope that he can be back, but he's a
guy who obviously can get to the quarterback. In twenty
twenty two, had fourteen and a half sacks, five force fumbles.
Secondary is kind of a new look secondary. They brought

(33:37):
in Darius Slay. These guys are getting torched. Darius Lay
seventy five percent completions, one hundred and thirty seven rating
and coverage this year. Deshaun Elliott's playing well the safety
and he's a second game back. Jalen Ramsey's seven time
Pro bowler, three time All Pro, but he's given up
seventy percent completions in ninety two rating. Wan Thornhill might
surprise people to learn that he's giving up eighty nine
percent completions and one hundred and fifty five point eight

(33:58):
rating in coverage. So the guys have been playing well.
Brandon Eccles has played well. James Pierre has played well
for them as well at corner so far. But some
familiar faces from Thornhill. Gabril Peppers is there, daniel Aqualay
is there, who is a defensive tackle that spent some
time with the Browns, So it's who you know. This
is a team that's gonna come out and they're going

(34:18):
to play single high. They're gonna play man and cover
three like we do. Basically they play that, you know,
basically two thirds of time is going to be man
or Man one or Cover three, and they're gonna challenge you. Now,
they've got twelve busted coverages. They can be busty most
second most in the NFL, and hopefully they get Browns
get some of those and take advantage. But we've struggled
as an offense against man. Yeah, so I would get

(34:43):
ready for a heavy dose of it. That's I think
what you're going to see as a heavy dose of
man in this one, and you've got to be ready
to deal with it.

Speaker 1 (34:51):
Should we do a guest the stats with the gm
N he's usually pretty good, He's very good.

Speaker 3 (34:54):
Let's do it.

Speaker 1 (34:55):
I'd like to, Hey, g Man, can you name the
list of NFL quarterbacks who have more m vps than
Aaron Rodgers.

Speaker 6 (35:04):
Joe Montana's got to be one of them.

Speaker 3 (35:11):
So he has four, that's right.

Speaker 5 (35:14):
Tom Brady.

Speaker 3 (35:16):
Does not. Neither is Joe. Oh no, I didn't think Joe.

Speaker 5 (35:20):
Are there any there's one? That's the question.

Speaker 3 (35:31):
No, he's the one. Yeah, he's what we're compared to.
Maybe's still on London timebe is thinking about Nachos Manning,
man Manning, Peyton.

Speaker 1 (35:42):
Manning is the only quarterback in NFL history with that
has more MVPs than Aaron Rodgers. Rogers has four, Manning
has five. That's the list four most valuable players at quarterback.
When you were doing that stuff with like his statistical accumulation,
it's crazy because it's it's really like, because of some

(36:03):
of the off field stuff the last four or five years,
it's almost like people sometimes forget what he was. And
I think the same kind of happens with Manning, which
is why I wanted to have that conversation that with
g man Because if you weren't of a certain age
at that time and you didn't realize who Manning was,
you see him in all the ads and you see
Manning cast or whatever, and you think, well, it was

(36:24):
this guy ever a serious player? Yeah, he's the most
decorated regular season quarterback in the history of the game.
He has moral pros and and Rogers was right there.
He was just a rung below.

Speaker 3 (36:34):
With the four.

Speaker 1 (36:35):
MVPs he won back to back MVPs in twenty and
twenty one. Guys, this wasn't like all from twenty twelve.
He won one in eleven, one, one in fourteen one,
one and twenty and one, and one in twenty twenty one.
So it's yeah, he is a he is a cruise
in first ballot, gold jacket, full approval.

Speaker 3 (36:53):
It's like the.

Speaker 1 (36:54):
One the guy from Indy who had the whole presentation
for Peyton Manning and just said it's Peyton Manning and
he sat down. Yeah, that's what you do. Whoever presents
Aaron Rodgers, it's Aaron Rodgers and you sit down.

Speaker 3 (37:03):
I think that the one thing that is on Rogers
that takes away from it also a little bit is that.
And you can correct me if I'm wrong on this,
but I don't think I'm wrong. He's only played in
one Super Bowl, doesn't he have two?

Speaker 9 (37:21):
No?

Speaker 3 (37:21):
He lose one to Oh no, no, he beat Pittsburgh.
He beat Pittsburgh. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:25):
Well they lost those NFC championship games to San Francisco
all the time when they'd be in the cold.

Speaker 3 (37:29):
In twenty ten. And that's the last thing they want,
like to only get one super Bowl, only get in one,
only get in one is crass, a little bit of
the demerit on him. Yeah, it's weird. Now in twenty sixteen,
I got to look up this twenty sixteen playoffs here,
twenty and sixteen, let's see, because that year he is phenomenal.

(37:54):
He loses to Atlanta in the Oh the Ryan in
the championship game and he throws for two eighty seven
with three touchdowns. They smoke the Giants. He throws for
three sixty two four touchdowns. Then they beat Dallas thirty
four to thirty one. He throws for three to fifty
five and two touchdowns. And then that game he throws
for twenty seven and three touchdowns and they they lose. Yeah,

(38:16):
they lose forty one to twenty forty four to twenty
one to Matt Ryan. So I mean part of it is,
like that's part of it. Then he's only gotten one
super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (38:26):
It's crazy. I mean we kept looking at like McCarthy
and all of it and like why is he not?
Why haven't they won more?

Speaker 3 (38:32):
And I know it's this is it's not fit. You
can only play who's put in front of you. But
he beat and I'm pretty sure I have this right. A. J.
Cutler led Bears team in that NFC. Yes, in that
NFC championship game, in a game in which Jay Keller
got knocked out. He got hurt, and he beat Caleb
Haney to go to the Super Bowl and then they
beat Pittsburgh. Yeah, and they won that game twenty one

(38:53):
to fourteen. Yeah, Caleb Haney. Yeah. I think that game
was in Chicago. It was in Chicago. I remember watching
it that I was frozen at Victor and Golia's house
and she would sing say that guy's name to the
tune of the Mickey Mouse on v I C E
T E O R E n g e O g
L S.

Speaker 1 (39:11):
Speaking of s, he's gonna like the next segment College
Football Nate coming up next to listen to Clear the
Browns Daily presented by bally Bet on eight fifty ESPN
Cleveland Add more funder your fan of the bally Beat
Sports Book app. Download today, get fifty back in bonus
beest you place your first wager of ten or more
bally Beat Official sports betting partner of your Cleveland Brown's
Time for the segment that continues to sweep the nation.
Four Downs with your Uncle Bo and College Football Nate

(39:34):
Tollo gibback.

Speaker 4 (39:35):
My gentlemen, were you uh fine? Working through some technical things.
But I don't like that we're figuring it out. I'm
not quite sure what's going on. Been a day, No,
not yet.

Speaker 3 (39:47):
It's almost twenty hours to go.

Speaker 4 (39:48):
Actually previews show tonight's Friday, fancy show tomorrow, first Friday.

Speaker 3 (39:53):
I will act accordingly.

Speaker 1 (39:54):
Have yourself a cocktail, absolutely, maybe four bronk out the
apple Apple cider, old fashion. I think I'm gonna break
out tonight season, so we'll little taste keep you warm
late at night.

Speaker 3 (40:05):
Nice, the clowns fired up.

Speaker 2 (40:08):
Love that guy.

Speaker 4 (40:09):
Your burner is really crushing it today.

Speaker 1 (40:11):
I haven't from yours yet, your boy today, Our guys, remember,
burners have given up a busy.

Speaker 3 (40:22):
Our burners in the towel.

Speaker 4 (40:27):
My car hit it first down. Ohio State is the
best team in the Big Ten. We can all agree
on that. Who are the top four in the Big ten?

Speaker 3 (40:36):
Can you give me number? Two, three, and four? College football? Nate.
By the way, I have to say it's the best
team in the country. I've been saying. Really, if you
just like we're hanging out here for a while, I
told you Penn State was going to lose last week
because they're frosters, all right. The best teams are number
one Ohio State, yep, and then second may as well
be eighth. But we'll play a long Number two. I'm

(40:58):
gonna say, is Oregon I like it now, It's gonna
get dicey one thing do I like? Do I like
the the Trojans at all?

Speaker 1 (41:09):
I would just well, you know, college football is omniscient.
College football and Notate's omniscient. The one thing that I
think when you think about that third spot is you
have to think about Zog's and you think about people
that he was fond of, and that he would be
fond of a certain place that is playing really good football.

Speaker 3 (41:24):
In the league who had a coach. This is good
that Zogs liked a lot, the general Robert Montgomery Knight Indiana.
Let's go number three for me. That's Indiana's gonna be
a good job. Then try try trying on one second
and then we get one more and one more. Let

(41:45):
me just dive in this little.

Speaker 4 (41:46):
Bit more for real.

Speaker 3 (41:48):
Well for what uh we're gonna find out I think
they are. Then I'm gonna go again, or I'm gonna
go I'm gonna stay even I'm gonna stay with Michigan.
I was just gonna say s SO Ohio State or
again Indiana, Michigan. That's my top four.

Speaker 4 (42:02):
Sitka's a little it's an interesting one.

Speaker 3 (42:05):
Is US. USC is not that fighting an fighting line.
I host Ohio State at noon.

Speaker 4 (42:11):
I've been there for one of those noon games. It's
weird things happen in Champagne. Yeah, it's a basketball school.

Speaker 3 (42:17):
I've only ever been there.

Speaker 1 (42:18):
When I go there, it's pure hell because it's always
been in November and it's gray and windy, cold and awful,
just awful.

Speaker 3 (42:26):
I can't wait to get out.

Speaker 1 (42:28):
But everybody who's who I know who's been an alumnus
loves it, so that'll be interesting. I do think the
Big ten is widely I get to make sure I'm
not stepping on something widely undervalued. In the top twenty five,
there's like nine or ten SEC teams ranked. For whatever reason,
USC and Washington are't ranked. They both deserve to be ranked.
But I think you had the right four and Michigan

(42:49):
Bucke fans are gonna go to hear this, but Michigan
is going to be They're formidable now with the run game,
and Underwood's coming along and it's only going to get
only going to get more.

Speaker 3 (42:58):
So why is Wisconsin come a cesspool? If it's a
long talk, but it is.

Speaker 1 (43:07):
Yeah, Luke, really the whole thing really blew up, blew up.

Speaker 4 (43:12):
I was thinking about putting that in for next week
because Ohio State plays Wisconsin next week, because it's amazing.
At one point, I was like, next to Michigan, Wisconsin's
the rival for Ohio State. Well, Wisconsin goold beat Ohio.

Speaker 1 (43:24):
It really wasn't Michigan even at the Wisconsin was a
much bigger threat to Ohio State in the late two
thousands to in the early twenty tens, much bigger threat,
and where the I think they were the second best
team in the conference for a while.

Speaker 3 (43:38):
So yeah, it's been sad. Next second down is Penn State's.

Speaker 4 (43:43):
Lost to UCLA more damaging than Michigan's infamous loss to
Appalition and State in two thousand and seven.

Speaker 3 (43:52):
So yes, because I think this one puts a nail
and a coffin that is already chock full of nails
on James Franklin because he is not he's not a
real coach, He's not a big game coach, and at
some point they have to decide what do we want

(44:13):
to be. Do we want to be this very average,
mediocre pa.

Speaker 4 (44:17):
You want to be in Iowa? Or do you want
to win nine or ten games y year?

Speaker 3 (44:19):
That's what they are, yeh, that's what Or do you
want to like be what you purport to be? And
so I think it's more damm. The Michigan one was embarrassing,
but it was such a fluke. It was just a
to me, this is this is the final this is
the final straw.

Speaker 1 (44:37):
So they got to write a fifty six million dollar
check to get rid of Franklin. Then he got to
hire the next guy with seventy five million bucks, all
the while pay for a roster and a stadium renovation.
So I don't think Penn State can do anything unless somebody,
you know Key and Michael Key writes a check for
two hundred million dollars to make it all go away,
Like that's what it would take. So I think they're
kind of stuck with them because of the playoff. They're

(44:58):
actually not out of it. They if they go ten
and two, they beat Ohio. I'm not saying they will,
but they're not totally out of it yet because of
a twelve team playoff. Here's the other thing about the
Michigan thing. That loss was the catalyst to the end
of Lloyd Carr, which then became Rich Rodriguez. But it
started there. It ended with the loss of Michigan to
Ohio State in the High State Michigan game, and then

(45:19):
it went to Rich Rodriguez after So that.

Speaker 3 (45:20):
Was not necessarily not really set the program back. Yeah,
so yeah, both are damaging them. I think listen, hold
on Penn State. Number one, they're not getting in the playoff.
Number two, if they got into the playoff, that would.

Speaker 2 (45:30):
Be like.

Speaker 3 (45:32):
Sending Bootsies team int the playoff. That's what the chance
they have a winning.

Speaker 4 (45:35):
I'm gonna tell you this. I think USC gets in
before Penn State.

Speaker 3 (45:39):
USC is frist. Penn State's not beating Ohio State.

Speaker 1 (45:41):
So they're gonna have three loss and it's it's irrelevant,
but I do think they could go nine to three
and it's a long season. Like go look at the
SEC teams and who they all play. There's gonna be
a bunch of them at nine and three. Like in
a year where there's where I think Ohio State has
a chance to be perfect where Oregon's going to be
eleven and one and there's some other teams like that.
There are going to be a glot of teams at

(46:01):
nine and three that get in a ton of them.
So it's it's just way more wide open than it's been.

Speaker 4 (46:08):
All right, next turn down through five games. Grade the
job Bill Belichick has done at North Carolina?

Speaker 3 (46:18):
Are we doing letter grades? Sure? All right? E embarrassment.
It's an absolute disgrace. And the only person who I
think has done a worse job than Bill Belichick is
Mike Lombardi, who should be I mean that general manager.
Performance embarrassing. They are a disgrace. They've been beaten when

(46:39):
they played real teams, real teams. They lost by thirty
four to TCU, they lost by twenty five to UCF,
and they lost by twenty eight to Clemson, who's not
very good.

Speaker 1 (46:52):
Bills scoring drive chart of the first four touchdown drives
for Clemson, one for seventy five, it's like two for
forty six, three for fifty seven, six for sixty. It
was twenty eight nothing in four drives. They've beaten In
the first quarter, it was twenty eight nothing. Charlotte and Richmond. Yeah,
that's it. Here's the thing that makes this, I think

(47:12):
for people who talk so much about college football like
I do, the arrogance that Mike Lombardi and Bill Belichick
had taking over that job.

Speaker 3 (47:20):
We're going to be the thirty third NFL team. Thirty
there's a one hundred and thirty third NFL teams. When
I got to Tallahassee and O one, that's what they
were doing. That's two thousand and one. Ohio State has
an infrastructure is that mirrors this and has since the
end of Tressel. And then when Urban got there, it
went nuts. That's a dozen years plus. They thought they

(47:42):
were reinventing the wheel. Brother. They're not.

Speaker 1 (47:45):
Is the general manager has no relationship with high school coaches,
and he thought he's gonna.

Speaker 3 (47:48):
Go poll kids to Carolina. What are you talking about?
They're not even illusional. They're not even the thirty third
college team. I got one for You want to hire
eighty eighth out of one hundred and thirty six. They're
even worse than that.

Speaker 10 (48:01):
Here.

Speaker 3 (48:02):
This is worse than Urban in the NFL. It's on
that level. Well, you've got the like if drama part
of it. If you take the offield stuff from urban out.
It's worse. Yeah, yeah they are. What are the next steps?
They're going to fire that environment? Find a buyout is
what they gotta do. Gosh, imagine being that You're like,
how could this go bad? It's would you think that

(48:24):
it would go good? Because they're a year old man
who has no point of reference in the sport. No, right,
it's not the same sport. It's not the same sport.
Next spoor it's down by the way.

Speaker 4 (48:37):
Is a Duke fan anytime North Carolina can fail in
anything and that This is just colossal excitement and happiness
for me.

Speaker 3 (48:45):
I love every part of it.

Speaker 4 (48:47):
How many of Texas's issues, what percentage of Texas's issues
are on arch Manning versus the rest of the team.

Speaker 3 (48:58):
I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm a little surprised
by what I have seen and what appears to be
the talent drop off for a program with that type
of financial backing and just prominence from last year to
this year. So I do think arch Manning has not
been what people assumed he would be just because his
last name was Banning. But the team around him is

(49:18):
compared to like last year's he would smoke this team.

Speaker 1 (49:21):
Yeah, they can't block it, so he has no protection.
They can't run it, so they can't really have any
play action, which doesn't make sense. They have five star
kids at running back, it makes no sense. They've really
been on the outside. Who's scary. Their number one defensive player,
kid named Colin Simmons, has no sacks on the year,
and he was a guy people projected as a top
ten pick. So they've got a litany of problems. And

(49:42):
he's also struggling mightily, in part because of those litany
of those problems, in part because just mechanically he's in
a really weird place right now. He does not look
physically like the kid who threw last year and looked
very natural slinging it.

Speaker 3 (49:54):
He doesn't look like that at all.

Speaker 1 (49:56):
It looks like when you watch him play now, it's
almost like he can't wait to duck to tucket and run,
like you can't wait to just get out of the
pocket and go Yeah, And that's.

Speaker 3 (50:03):
Never a way to be successful. That's not the man anyway.

Speaker 4 (50:05):
No uh bonus time game in a Century Saturday zero
and five UMass versus one in four Kent State in
what ESPN writer Ryan McGee dubbed Saturday's pillow fight of
the Week of the Year of the century, Mega Bowl.

Speaker 3 (50:22):
So you got I once saw a flight of the
concords at Kent State. Kent State wins.

Speaker 1 (50:28):
There's a man sitting in that room who is an
alumnus of Kent State. And I'll be damned if I'm
going to standford besmirching of his university on this fine show.

Speaker 3 (50:37):
Give me the flashes by a billion yes, same bye,
a billion. Good uniforms too.

Speaker 4 (50:43):
Let's go, and I'll say this Kent State all day long,
because you shouldn't be allowed to be in a conference
and be a football only school.

Speaker 3 (50:52):
Are they in one of those Oh yeah, that we
welcome in as a football Hey, get your ass in.

Speaker 4 (50:57):
Here is a basketball in Let's go.

Speaker 3 (51:00):
What's keeping you mass out there? Not Yukon Marcus Camby's
a long time ago, man boat racism. It's been a minute.
All right, good job, there you go.

Speaker 1 (51:09):
Four downs College Football night, and your uncle bo Christian
Jones sits down with ze coming up next to listen to.
Cleveland Browns Daily were presented by bally Bad, official sports
switting partner of Cleveland Browns on eight fifty ESPN Cleveland.

Speaker 3 (51:19):
Welcome back to cleveand Browns Daily, brought to you by
Bally Betting, official sports betting partner of your Cleveland Browns.
Very happy to be joyned now for the first time
by Browns tight end coach Christian Jones. Christian, first of all,
this is the first time we've gotten to talk, so
welcome to Cleveland.

Speaker 2 (51:31):
Happy to be here, very.

Speaker 3 (51:32):
Happy to have you. So for people who may not
know your background, let's go back twenty nineteen. You're a
member of the Minnesota Vikings. Who else was a member
of the Minnesota Vikings at that time, but our head
coach Kevin Stefanski. Did you know when he departed after
that season that someday you guys were gonna work together again.

Speaker 2 (51:50):
Not at all. I had accepted that we were just
two ships passing it a night.

Speaker 11 (51:55):
I got the opportunity to work with him, and honestly,
you know, I was very thankful to have the opportunity
to be in an NFL.

Speaker 2 (52:01):
I thought I'd be a college coach my whole.

Speaker 11 (52:03):
Career, okay, and getting to see that level of football
work with Gary Kubiak, Who's somebody I grew up watching
I'm from Houston, so I was a big.

Speaker 3 (52:12):
Texts fan, so you know Matt job and Andre Johnson
all of that.

Speaker 11 (52:15):
Oh yeah, the Cortland Finnean fight, Oh yeah, absolutely, Closter
on my wall. So it was great and just really
encouraging to see that I can kind of hang at
that level of football.

Speaker 2 (52:24):
So I was just really thankful for the opportunity.

Speaker 3 (52:26):
So you have that opportunity there, you worked with wide receivers,
then you go to the Giants, work with quarterbacks. So
three years in Minnesota, three years there, now your seventh
season in the NFL, So certainly you've made a career
out of this. How did we get to this point?
How did you get a call? Did they say, hey,
are you interested coming in? How did we get to
you being sitting here right now?

Speaker 11 (52:46):
It was a simple, you know, they told the team
they reached out to me, and they went through the
proper channel to reach out to me, and I got
the opportunity and I took it. I thought, you know,
there's no better opportunity to learn than doing it. And
you can always sit on the sidelines and say, man,
I think i'd be good until you take that leap.

Speaker 2 (53:01):
You'll ever know.

Speaker 11 (53:02):
So it was all about taking a risk, showing what
I can do. And again I'm thankful for another opportunity
for Kevin.

Speaker 3 (53:07):
So is this your first this is your first time
with your own room.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
Yes, it is.

Speaker 3 (53:10):
So that's very cool, and you know Kevin's story. I mean,
Kevin worked with every single part of the offense and
you're starting to build that resume now as well, from
receivers to quarterbacks. And then they say tight ends is
the one room where you're in everything. You're a part
of the run game, You're a part of the pass game.

Speaker 11 (53:24):
As I've learned, As I've learned, it's been great. I
mean the learning I've had since I've stepped in this
building has been exponential.

Speaker 2 (53:31):
It has changed me in so many ways. From dealing
with the players.

Speaker 11 (53:36):
You know, Dave's an awesome guy to work with, like
to work with, manage, help out during the season.

Speaker 2 (53:41):
Harold's been great to work with.

Speaker 11 (53:42):
We've got Blake Whitehart in the room, had Brendan Bates
and salth Canela, and they've all been awesome. I really
appreciate each one of them for helping me learn something
new each day, Like all of them teach me something.

Speaker 2 (53:53):
These States. It's been great to learn from all.

Speaker 3 (53:55):
Right, So you get this opportunity to come here, Like
you said, you're liking working with the room. What has
it been like to see your guys now through five games.
You know, Harold's leading the team in receptions, he's third
in yards, David is second in reception, second in yards.
Very productive part of what we're doing here, and probably
ties in a little bit too. You know what you
saw earlier in your career in Minnesota.

Speaker 11 (54:17):
I think it's a testament to the guys and how
they came in and worked and how they've been accepting
of the message from Tommy, from Kevin.

Speaker 2 (54:24):
You know, it's from the top down.

Speaker 11 (54:25):
Kevin wanted a certain ideal from the team, you want
a certain identity, and they fully embraced it. I'm just
there to deliver the message and motivating the and encourage
them to chase that standard that we've been setting.

Speaker 2 (54:36):
So it's a testament to them.

Speaker 11 (54:38):
They've worked hard, they've done the job that you asked,
the jobs that we've asked him to do, and I
can't be anything but proud of them for that. Now,
that's a long season. It's a long season. It's a
good start. Yeah, it's a great start.

Speaker 3 (54:48):
This is a very good start. You got a pro
bowler obviously, and then you've got a guy coming in
his rookie year, and he mentioned Blake as well in there.
But those are the two kind of main guys. Did
you know coming into the season, or when you first
came here and took the job, that we were gonna
be so twelve personnel heavy that you weren't gonna have
to just get one guy ready every week, two of
them are going to be out there the majority of
the time.

Speaker 2 (55:07):
Yeah, I got my mind right on that.

Speaker 11 (55:09):
Immediately I went back and watched the film, saw how
they were in twenty one. All the way up to
this year, I knew I'd have at least more than
one guy in there. So the adjustments we've been making
as the years have gone on have been a fun
adjustment for me and having to learn and take on
more of a role.

Speaker 2 (55:22):
But it's been something I've been ready for.

Speaker 3 (55:25):
How interesting is it working with and he've worked with
obviously some elite players, certainly when you're with the receivers
in minnesot justin Jefferson and didn't need to see him
do so much in London. But nonetheless he's that's what
the great ones do. To have a guy like David
who's been a pro bowler, who has very much you know,
been in this league a long time now, drafted back
in twenty seventeen, and then having Harold come in from

(55:46):
the area kind of unheralded coming out of high school
and now all of a sudden finds himself as one
of the more productive young tight ends in the game.

Speaker 11 (55:54):
Dave has been fun to work with in the sense
that he brings a lot of energy, a lot of
joy to the building and.

Speaker 3 (55:59):
It's it hard to paral at times.

Speaker 11 (56:01):
No, I mean, you jingle the keys sometimes, just keep
his attention locked in. But I mean, keV, they're the
resources here have been awesome and that's that's a credit
to the ownership here. And you know, we have a
walk through room that we can get guys on turf,
they can feel the grass. It's a different environment for
them they have to learn from, yeah, and that's something
that's been very beneficial for him. And with Harold, you
know coming in, you know he's a rookie trying to
get adjusted to the room. Dave's really good at getting

(56:23):
guys to come out of their shell and be themselves
in the room. So it's just been great to see
him grow into you know, more of a vocal player,
helping guys out on the field, being locked in, like
Harold's gotten better every week.

Speaker 2 (56:35):
Yeah, and that's something that you see from him when
he first got here.

Speaker 11 (56:37):
So it's been great to see Dave encourage him and
help him grow and Harold just embrace that, embrace his role.
And I mean he's been getting used more than most
people I've seen in the league, and he's embraced that
a lot, and it's been really impressive to see.

Speaker 2 (56:50):
I'm very proud.

Speaker 3 (56:51):
Well, I think we all knew if you watch his
hape that he was gonna come in here. He's gonna
be able to run routes and catch the football. You
don't know about blocking. He wasn't asked to block. They're
not taking their best player and asking him to block
at Bowling Green. But you know, you talk to any
of the guys on the offensive line, he is willing.
He gets in there in the mix. So that probably
is the biggest adjuntsman and I'm sure that's something you're
very proud of for him to be able to embrace

(57:12):
it because it's blocking defensive ends in the NFL is
not easy, especially if you were basically a wide receiver
in college, which he was.

Speaker 11 (57:21):
And he's got that mindset. He played safety when he
was in high school, so he's got that mindset. And
I'll tell you what, when he gets on the field, man,
he locks in. He does what he's asked. He wants
to help the team win. And again it's I'm just
happy to see him go out there and do his thing.

Speaker 2 (57:36):
Man.

Speaker 11 (57:36):
All I can do is help him understand the plays,
understander's role in the offense. He's got to go out
there and do it, and he does it. That's very encouraging,
all right.

Speaker 3 (57:42):
So in London, we get down there, you hear the
play call, I'm sure through the headset, and you probably
have a pretty good idea that maybe this is going
to be Harold's first touchdown in the league. Then it happens.
How excited were you for that?

Speaker 2 (57:53):
It felt amazing?

Speaker 11 (57:54):
And again it's for him, the things he's been through
to score where he did in London like he did,
it's nothing but great things for him, and it's gonna
be a lot.

Speaker 2 (58:01):
More in his future.

Speaker 3 (58:02):
And then you come back and the next touchdown is
your other day. David Nijoku, how about that? And that
was listen, that was a great When I watched that,
we do a little play breakdown, and that was the
play that we broke down. You know, when he gets
into Byron Murphy and creates that space and had won
the route at that point, then you just wondering will
the quarterback get back to it quick enough? And he does,
puts it on there and he makes a great contested
catch that was just perfect route. Took advantage of his

(58:25):
size and then secured a great catch in the middle
of three guys.

Speaker 11 (58:29):
And I'll say this, you know, there was questions when
we were in the off season of you know, how
do you you know, asking about quarterbacks who's playing. And
the one thing that we want to do is focus
on our job and be good for whoever's in the game.
And I think that's a testament to Dave and Harold,
like whoever's in the game, make sure you're doing your
job the right way. Make sure you're executing your job
that way you're supposed to. The ball finds you. And

(58:50):
I'm happy for Dave that he got that moment to
score the touchdown.

Speaker 3 (58:53):
Was your time in New York maybe helpful for that
because in Minnesota you had pretty good stability, I would imagine.
I can't remember if Kurt missed some time maybe in twenty,
but for it was pretty much Kirk Cousins night and
then and of course in New York in your room
there are a lot of people playing quarterback for you there,
So has that kind of helped your mindset of hey man,
show's got to go on? Because the miniso would be
very easy to say we got Kurt that he's gonna

(59:15):
he knows exactly what he's got to do. But you
saw firsthand that change. I know you had to get
Tommy DeVito ready to go and turned him into an
internet sensation for a little bit of a while there.
You know, how has that kind of helped you here
where we're already on, you know, to Dylan and and
he's playing I thought did a very good job in
his debut.

Speaker 2 (59:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 11 (59:32):
Well, I'll say this, Tommy worked hard, worked very hard,
shouted Tommy.

Speaker 2 (59:36):
Uh, he did that himself. I was there to help
him learn office, but he did himself.

Speaker 3 (59:39):
And you already speak like a head coach by the way,
Can I just say that you already got it down? Man,
you got it down.

Speaker 11 (59:44):
I'm big on helping everybody else out. I'm not, you know,
it's yeah, coach, is your success, Jimmys and Joe's not
the exson O's. I'm just here to help facilitate. But
you know, it's something where I think it comes from
my experience as a player. I played in Northwestern. I
dealt with a lot of quarterback change and understand that
like the only way to give that guy confidence is
him knowing that I'm going to be exactly on the

(01:00:04):
spot that I need to be in and I'm going
to be doing exactly what i need to be doing
when he's looking at.

Speaker 2 (01:00:08):
Throw the ball. And that's what I try to instill
and tell the guys.

Speaker 11 (01:00:11):
It's hey, it doesn't matter who's throwing the ball now,
spins different when it's a lefty versus already, but it's
all about doing your job and being ready to go.

Speaker 2 (01:00:17):
So I think, you know, being in the.

Speaker 11 (01:00:19):
Quarterback room, seeing how the mindset changes going from a
backup to a starter, and the trust that you have
to have and the guys in front of you outside
behind you at the running back spot. That's that's all
super important. All that means is do I trust them
to do their job? Can I hit my back foot
on a three plant on a ste three step drop,
get the ball out on time? Nowhere the ball no,
where's gonna be?

Speaker 2 (01:00:39):
I think that's all it's about.

Speaker 3 (01:00:40):
All right, let's go back to you just dropped in there, like, Yeah,
I played in Northwestern casually, All right, where give us
a little rundown of the Christian Jones Northwestern experience.

Speaker 2 (01:00:48):
Yeah, I played receiver.

Speaker 11 (01:00:50):
Came in at two twenty tour my cl so I
jumped up from two hundred to two twenty.

Speaker 2 (01:00:54):
Play receiver for five years.

Speaker 11 (01:00:56):
I tore my cl and had a microfracture surgery going
on my senior again, so I red shirted and went
from two twenty to two thirty five.

Speaker 2 (01:01:03):
So at that point out now you're practically tell you're
getting ready to be a tight end.

Speaker 11 (01:01:05):
I was essentially playing tight end. I was already blocking
the linebackers before. But you know, my history with injuries
also kind of guide me in my journey and coaching.
I truly, I truly try to see the player as
a person, yeah, and try to guide them along and
you know what's going to help them as being a
good teammate and in the future. So you know, that's
really what I try to lean on when I come

(01:01:27):
into football. I think, you know, you learn that the
game doesn't stop like you get hurt. In practice, they
move it up. They're gonna check on you, but they
move it up and they keep going. And so the
only way you can help somebody feel like they're appreciated,
it feel like they're valued, is to really pour yourself
into them.

Speaker 2 (01:01:39):
And that's what I try to do.

Speaker 3 (01:01:41):
That's a great mindset and as you unders said, you
have unfortunately the experience with him, we saw at m
j Emerson yep right there early in training camp, one
of my favorite guys on this team, and it sucks.
That's one of the hard parts about this business, right
is it is a very physical business. And things happened,
Dwan Jones goes down and you've got to keep going,
and it is the it is a true next man

(01:02:01):
up business. Now, if you had to go one on
one with Greg Newsom prime, Christian Jones prime, Greg Newsom
at Northwestern, you didn't know it was coming because I
didn't know it was coming. And now here we are
and it's good fun. Have you guys discussed this? Have
you guys discussed a theoretical one on one between all?
Does he even know you played Northwestern? Yeah? He does.

Speaker 2 (01:02:23):
Okay, he does. But I play.

Speaker 11 (01:02:25):
I coach for the brown So I'm gonna say Greg
News will win that rep. But my pride won't let me.
So I'm gonna say, Greg you get the rep, but
it'll probably be fifty to fifty.

Speaker 9 (01:02:32):
I like that.

Speaker 2 (01:02:33):
I like that.

Speaker 3 (01:02:33):
Let all right, what's something you want Browns fans to
know about you? Other than that you're stewarding this tight
end room with great a plom so far through the
first part of the season. What something you want to
know about you, just as a person doesn't have to
do anything with football, anything you want them to know
so when they think, Yo, Christian Jones, tight end coach,
Cleveland Browns.

Speaker 11 (01:02:51):
I am married to Jessica Carroll. She's the athlete of
the family. She went to Northwestern as well. He was
the lacrosse player national champion.

Speaker 2 (01:02:59):
All right. I got a dog, Bucky at homes Pitt
lab Mix.

Speaker 3 (01:03:02):
He's going on.

Speaker 11 (01:03:02):
He's five years old right now. And I'm a big
soccer fan, actually a Totenham fan. It's going on my
thirteenth year actually, So was that wild for you to
walk into that stadium? It's actually my second time playing there. Okay, Yeah,
so I wasn't as much you know, emotional for me then,
but it's still always great to be there. Man, I
haven't been in the game there yet, so to be
there and play a game there and coach.

Speaker 3 (01:03:22):
There is to make sure you get to a game there,
hopefully the spring.

Speaker 2 (01:03:25):
Hopefully the spring. So I mean, if you want to
send this out, yeah, no, I'm coming. I'm trying to
go there.

Speaker 3 (01:03:30):
Is that the nicest locker room in professional sports? I
was blown away by when I walked there. I'm like,
this is what we need to build right here. It's unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (01:03:39):
It's locker room, very good locker room.

Speaker 3 (01:03:41):
Yeah. Then they got at the top of the stag
they got the little what's their mask? I know they're
the Spurs.

Speaker 2 (01:03:47):
What what is that?

Speaker 3 (01:03:48):
What the bird is the cock?

Speaker 2 (01:03:49):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:03:50):
That's a beautiful it's a beautiful thing.

Speaker 2 (01:03:52):
Yeahl from the old stadium, from the old stadium.

Speaker 3 (01:03:54):
Because that they brought over.

Speaker 2 (01:03:55):
That's really cool.

Speaker 3 (01:03:56):
Play. That's really cool. So what did you think of
the whole London an experience.

Speaker 11 (01:04:01):
I think it's awesome. I've been to London a few
times before. I I love London, out door London. It's
a great time. My wife lived in northern part of England.

Speaker 2 (01:04:10):
For about a year.

Speaker 11 (01:04:10):
She went to Durham. Okay there so, but we visit
a few times. I absolutely loved it. I'm all about
full l English breakfast. I grew up in Texas. I'm
from Houston, so I love big beans. So bake beans
on breakfast. You're in h I'm in there.

Speaker 2 (01:04:21):
That was she able to make it out? She was okay, Yeah,
she was at the game. My mom went as well.
She traveled.

Speaker 11 (01:04:26):
She went a week early, went to Switzerland in Paris,
like she always finds an excuse to travel.

Speaker 3 (01:04:30):
Okay, so you've had Hugh City, You've had Minnesota, you've
had the bright lights, big city, New York. Now Cleveland.
What do you think Cleveland, Cleveland, you're getting the bast
Let me tell you, Cleveland, you're getting the absolute best
weather in the history of this city.

Speaker 11 (01:04:43):
So don't get to you so well, I drove up
in February and I drove straight into a snowstorm.

Speaker 2 (01:04:50):
So I got to see the worst. Okay, you know,
come to Minnesota, come from Minnesota. I can deal with it. Yeah,
I can deal with it.

Speaker 11 (01:04:57):
So my first week in Minnesota was my first day
was four inches of snow. Then it dropped down to
minus twenty. Then we got four more inches the next day,
then it dropped back down. I went out to my
car and my hotel was standing when I first got there,
and there's somebody scraping ice off my car, and I
was so confused what was going on.

Speaker 2 (01:05:14):
And it turns out the guy was like, oh, it
comes with the room. So I got complimentary ice craping.

Speaker 3 (01:05:18):
I've never heard of such a thing.

Speaker 2 (01:05:20):
Yeah, I won't want to leave as soon as you
said that, but it was. It was a lesson for me.
And now I'm locked.

Speaker 3 (01:05:25):
Good, Now you're locked to get well. You also know
that I think right now currently and at twenty twenty nine,
it'll be a different answer, But right now, I think
US Bank Staium is the best stadium in the league.
Like I think it's awesome, and the fact that the
people who designed that stadium are now designing our new
stadium has me very excited.

Speaker 11 (01:05:41):
I can see some hints of that in there. It's
a beautiful looking stadium. There's gonna be wandering. Looks fantastic.
It's gonna be a great time. I'm happy for the city.
I'm really so.

Speaker 3 (01:05:48):
You've had a lot of experience your domes and outdoors.
Is what is your preference.

Speaker 11 (01:05:53):
I like to have the option keep it retractable. I
like that if you want some sunlight, it's from sunlight.
You want some rain, throw them off, get some rain
in there.

Speaker 3 (01:05:59):
I'd imagine you've been you spend your time on the
offensive side, You don't you like perfect conditions for everything
is just perfect for your quarterback.

Speaker 2 (01:06:06):
I don't like when it's cold. Receivers do on like
when it's cold?

Speaker 9 (01:06:08):
No?

Speaker 2 (01:06:08):
Right, Organ and Ryan, So you're right?

Speaker 3 (01:06:09):
Yeah. Indoor, Oh you're always open. I mean you know
what I mean. There's too much space there. You don't
get anybody. Christian. Great to get to meet you. It's
awesome to have you on the staff. Done a great
job so far. Excited to see what you guys keep
get going. And then obviously big challenge this week with
the Pittsburgh Steelers. Your first taste of Brown Steelers. So
that's gonna be you excited for that.

Speaker 2 (01:06:25):
I'm very excited. I can't wait. Yeah, so I cannot wait.

Speaker 3 (01:06:28):
What I need you to do is help us go
get a win there in the regular season. So I've
been here, like I said twenty thirteen, I have at Okay,
So we're gonna bring you in here. I like the
confidence that you're exuding right now. We're gonna work on that. Christian,
thanks so much for the time.

Speaker 2 (01:06:41):
I appreciate you having me all right.

Speaker 3 (01:06:43):
It was Christian Jones, Brown's tight end coach and a
nice edition of the staff. I gotta enjoyed getting a
chance to talk with him. When we come back, we're
gonna talk with Ben Baby about the Joe Flacco trade
from the Cincinnati perspective. That's when we return here. Including
Brown's Daily on eight fifty ESPN Cleveland. Brown's head to
Las Vegas this November and you can be a part
of the action through Brown's Takeovers powered by True Fan Travel.

(01:07:06):
Head to the Cleveland Browns dot com slash Takeovers to
book today and receive a three night hotel stay, opportunity
to hang with Brown's alumni Christian Kirksey and Kevin Mack,
a ticket to the game, and an all inclusive pregame Tablegate.
Visit Cleveland Browns dot com slash takeovers to learn more,
and let's take over Vegas. In twenty twenty five, Joe
Flacco is looking to take over Cincinnati and that's why

(01:07:28):
we go to the hot line, the Twisted Tea Hard
Iced Tea Hotline presented by Twisted Ta Hard Iceed Tea,
the official sponsor of the Cleveland Browns. Keep it Twisted
Cleveland and welcome in. Ben Baby, ESPN NFL Nation reporter
for the Cincinnati Bengals. All right, Ben, we heard that
Kevin Stefanski Andrew Berry, the Browns organization, they were very
surprised to get the phone call from the Bengals saying

(01:07:49):
we would like Joe Flacco. How surprised were you? Not
so much at the Bengals wanted to get a new quarterback.
I think we all saw that coming, but that it
was Joe Flacco and that the Browns were willing to
send him down to Cincinnati.

Speaker 12 (01:08:04):
Yeah, you know, obviously very surprised that Placo was the guy.
You know, when talking to people here, it seems like
there wasn't a ton of great options, especially when you
look at the price it would take to get somebody
who's essentially going to be a rental for one season,
if you can get him through the whole season, you know,
I think that's the big question. And then when they
looked at it, they liked what Placo had a lot

(01:08:25):
of arm power, a guy who's played a lot of football,
who understands basically anything you could possibly ask him to do,
and to get him up to speed quickly in this
offense going into Sunday, I think was important. And so
you know, I asked that Taylor and kind of how
it happened, and it sounded like Duke Tobin, their the
facto general manager, was one who spearheaded, you know, this
decision to go out and get Joe. He ran it

(01:08:46):
by Zach and Zach gave his approval. And then you know,
the next thing Zach found out was that, hey, the
trugger had been pulled and they went ahead and made
the decision to trade for Flacco. And so that's why
he was here where at number sixteen went at a
Begals practice. Definitely a strange turn of events, but ultimately
one that had to be done given how the offense
has looked.

Speaker 3 (01:09:06):
Yeah, and you know, people are saying well, why would
they think they could go with Jake Browning. But you
go back a couple of years ago when he had
to step in and he played just fine, seventy percent
completions looked good. What changed? What happened?

Speaker 12 (01:09:19):
It's interesting because you know, I give Jake a ton
of credit. He talked to reporters today talk from the
person time after being benched. He had some words on
his feelings that we can't say on radio. But you know,
he's been taking this. You know, I think it's been
very realistic about how this is. When he took his
share of the playing for you know, the bad football
d and played the amount of turnovers. It was interesting though,

(01:09:40):
and I asked him kind of a differences in the offense.
He didn't really want to get into it a ton
and he did kind of allude to you know, he
understood his part, but there were other factors as well
that were played a part in the situation. So I
thought that was an interesting comment. When you look at it.
There are some schematic differences between this time and last
time when he came in for Burrow when he was injured.

(01:10:00):
But you know, the main thing in talking to Dan
Pitch with the Bengals offensive coordinator is that it seemed
like the confidence and rhythom that he had in twenty
twenty three, it just wasn't there this year. And I
think that has got to be the bigger concern. You
want a quarterback who's in the right headspace. I think
it's clear right now it is not necessarily where Browning is.
That he's got to try to go out and make
some plays resulted in some interceptions, and so now that's

(01:10:23):
why they had to make a change.

Speaker 3 (01:10:25):
Well, you're getting Joe Flack, a guy who certainly can
make plays, but interceptions have been his issue too, even
in the best of times in late twenty twenty three.
How do they expect, you know, because he's not the
most mobile guy, how they expect to protect him? Because
I know that's been a big issue so far this season.
But if you give him time, he's going to get
the ball to Chase and Higgins and Yoshavasha, and I
think they're going to have a great time with him

(01:10:45):
throwing them the ball.

Speaker 12 (01:10:47):
Yeah, I think there's going to be a whole lot
of the receivers who are down there somewhere. I mean,
I went back and watched that twenty twenty three tape
and Joe won't push the windows that you probably should
not be pushing Truck Street to squeeze the ball into there.
And sometimes that goes great. Sometimes on a first down
late in the game, it will end up an interception.
So I'm very serious to see how that looks protection plan.

(01:11:08):
I think they're going to have to figure that out.
It hasn't been great this year when with a more
mobile quarterback, and I think that's something that isn't being
talked about enough, is that Browning had at least some mobility, yeah,
to be able to to you know, when when things
would happen. I think they're hoping that they can get
the ball out quickly and that you're you're able to
go out and take advantage of some quick game and
then see what your spots are and get some one

(01:11:28):
on ones, hopefully with Jamar Chase and Ti Higgins. You know,
Zach Taylor didn't note the arm strength that the Flaco
has allows you to, you know, wait a little bit
longer and you know, and I think that's something that's
a big benefit, you know, even compared to Joe Burrow,
who throws with great anticipation. As as Zach said, Flaco's
got the arm strength that you can try to maybe
push the ball a little bit downfield. So that's a

(01:11:50):
very interesting, you know, situation that they're going to be in.
But like you said, they're going to have to protect
him because even this year, you see the numbers, especially
against the Blitz, you know, it does not go well.
They're gonna have to find ways to put him in
good situations to see.

Speaker 3 (01:12:03):
What are the what are what should be the realistic
expectations for this team. They can't run the ball, and
I don't know if that's just because Joe Burrow's been gone,
but they've struggled to run it. They've not been particularly
good on d What are the realistic expectations? And does
the trade for Joe Flacco with the hope that he
can get them, you know, into the playoffs.

Speaker 12 (01:12:23):
I think the best case scenario is that you get
somebody who kind of changes the momentum of what now
things are looking. Offensively, He's able to make the plays
that are presented, get the ball out quickly, you know,
find the right looks, find the right reads, and then
take your shots downfield. It's enough to get this offense.
I mean, just about anything is better than what this
offense is done, especially early in these last three games.

(01:12:45):
So I think that is the hope. You know, realistically,
is that possible, I don't know. I mean, he was
benched in Cleveland for a reason. His total QBR is
actually worse than Jake Browning's all things considered, you know,
And now Jakes does get patted a little bit by
the late game garage against the Detroit Lions. But you know,
I think that it's a very fair question. I think
they're going to try to hope and see if they

(01:13:06):
can get some wins, and I don't you know, this
week might end up being a wash. It's really on
the five games direct where you play the Steelers twice,
you have the Jets, the Bears, and the Patriots. If
you can fat some wins there, now all of a sudden,
you're going to be back over five hundred and Joe
Burrow's timeline to get back gets a little bit closer.
So I think that ideally is the best case scenario.

(01:13:27):
Whether Flacco's good enough to deal with that or not,
you know, that remains me seen. Now, I will say,
since this is a Browns broadcast year. I'm gonna be honest,
I love this trade for the Cleveland Browns. I think
that Andrew Berry and the Browns are a big winner
in this. They were they take advantage of being able
to move up into the fifth and when you look
at what they're doing this year, I think if you're
a Browns fan, you've got to be thrilled at this.

(01:13:48):
You get an additional draft pick, you get a full
runway on the young quarterbacks that you have, and if
this year doesn't go the way you know you want
it too. In terms of wins, you're able to evaluate
and really take advantage of twenty twenty six and really
be in a good position to compete at a high
level moving forward. If they can continue to.

Speaker 3 (01:14:07):
Drop, well, yeah, that certainly is the hope here. And
we've seen Andrew Berry use fifth round picks to get
Jerry Judy and Amari Cooper in the past, so getting
one of those is certainly not a bad deal at all. Ben,
thank you so much for the time. Joe Flacco chance
to beat the Green Bay Packers twice in six weeks
with two different teams is kind of crazy, so at

(01:14:27):
least you know he knows their defense. He knows that
well and should be able to get up to speak quickly.
But that'll be a fun one to watch. Ben, thanks
so much. Okay, thank you all all right. Ben baby NFESPN,
NFL Nature reporter for the Cincinnati Bengals just joined us
via the Twisted Tea Hotline presented by Twisted Tea Hard
iced t official sponsored the Cleveland Browns. Keep it Twisted
Cleveland Want to Ryannie That OBM is a preferred provider

(01:14:48):
copiers and document services for the Cleveland Browns who can
tackle any size office called two and six forty five,
two thousand, or visits Ohio Businessmachines dot Com. When we
come back, we're gonna guess the lines. Baby, Yes, yes,
I got it done. Last week we've disobeyed it. We're
flown about. Last week was a little bit tougher. We
got the new rules here. We're five and oh can

(01:15:09):
we get to six?

Speaker 2 (01:15:09):
And oh?

Speaker 3 (01:15:10):
Find out when we return here on Cleveland Brown's Daily,
brought to you by Bally Bet Score Big with Howard Hannah,
The official real estate partner of the Cleveland Browns is
Northeast Ohio's number one real estate provider. They're dedicated helping
you make the best move. Visit Howard Hannah dot com
slash Go Browns to explore your winning options. Today time
to guess the scores for Week six of the NFL season,

(01:15:32):
Go Hi.

Speaker 4 (01:15:34):
Also a reminder Brown's preview show tonight seven to eight
on the University Hospitals Cleveland Browns Radio Network. Aiden Huntington
and Andrew Siciliano joined Carmen and Cherry. Let's go so
we've got that as well, but right now, there's always time. Yeah,
you demanded it.

Speaker 3 (01:15:54):
I tried to demand it. You tried to get rid
of it, right so people love it. I know, I
just had to fit it in. And then he attacked me.

Speaker 4 (01:16:02):
Eh, I mean it's it's such a trivial word. And
the two of you both smirk it like he's smirking.
You smirk at each other's for a wall.

Speaker 3 (01:16:15):
Because man knows, we know now you're now you're now
you have you have like a real time fact checker
in there to keep you honest. And I don't think
you liked that, Just like when when the Internet was
invented and I could check my father in real time,
being like, no that's not true, dad. He didn't like that.
You could check.

Speaker 4 (01:16:32):
I'll tell you what I'm wrong. I'll lead it off
with I'm wrong, but I'm still gonna die on the hill.

Speaker 3 (01:16:38):
Yes you will. There you go. Wednesday Night Tapes, Week.

Speaker 4 (01:16:42):
Six in the NFL. Time to guess the scores. Thursday
Night Football. Not really looking forward to this one, although
Thursdays are weird. Eagles on the road. I guess there
was some player only meeting going on with them. Eagles
at g Men with Al Michaels, kirkurb Street, Kaylee r.

Speaker 3 (01:17:00):
Definitely a little trouble in paradise here, but I think
the Eagles are just fine. Eagles minus seven and a half.

Speaker 4 (01:17:08):
Boy six and a half under the old rules, you
got it, new rules.

Speaker 3 (01:17:13):
Not so my friend.

Speaker 4 (01:17:17):
London Sunday morning again they're a twiging him. There's a
team arriving today, Tottenham, Tottenham, not twigging. I'm sorry, tried
to get out of there.

Speaker 3 (01:17:28):
They're staying where we stayed.

Speaker 4 (01:17:30):
Yeah, I think it's the Broncos, the Denver Broncos. Broncos
taking on the Jets, the windless Jets. Rich Eyes and
Kurt Warner. Sarah Walsh on the call. Sarah Walsh was
there this past Sunday Long Time in.

Speaker 3 (01:17:45):
Loven Broncos minus seven minus seven and a half. There
you go. There won one and one so far.

Speaker 4 (01:17:53):
To the one o'clock Slate, Cardinals visiting Indianapolis games on
Fox with Kevin Coogler, Moose and Alison Williams.

Speaker 3 (01:18:04):
Colts are one of the best teams in the league.
Colts minus seven and a half. Colts minus six and
a half. I mean, I should be three in that
right to see six and a half. Murray is not
even playing. What's that is Kyler Murray not playing? I
don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:18:24):
Crazy, g Men's fantasy league's going crazy because someone is
training for quarterbacks to replace Kyler.

Speaker 3 (01:18:32):
So I don't know. All right, let's go.

Speaker 4 (01:18:36):
In the one o'clock Slate, Los Angeles The Chargers on
the road visiting South Beach in the Miami Dolphins, Andrew Cataline,
Charles Davis, Jason mccordy, aj.

Speaker 3 (01:18:47):
Ross Chargers minus five. He's so disappointed in you. You
disappoint him so badly. Don't worry, g man, we got
a long way to go.

Speaker 4 (01:19:01):
Charger's minus three and a half.

Speaker 9 (01:19:05):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:19:06):
I mean, I guess going across country maybe, huh. Okay, yeah,
I don't really have any answer for that one. Uh,
Patriots in the big easy taking on the Saints. Patriots,
will there be a letdown? Spirodidas Adam Marchalletta Addi.

Speaker 3 (01:19:24):
Kinkawala Patriots minus three and a half, Right on it.
Smile g Man, you.

Speaker 4 (01:19:30):
Know he got you gotta you gotta Tiger Woods fistmas.

Speaker 3 (01:19:33):
Can we get a g Man cammel is going on?

Speaker 4 (01:19:35):
That's that is something I've discussed as well, getting a
camera for the entire group here and additional mic maybe
in the new studio. Brown's visiting in the land that
smells like hot dog water.

Speaker 3 (01:19:50):
You love your Pittsburgh peepie. You can't wait to get
those as squealers. I don't. Maybe there's other people in
this room that do, though not me. Steelers minus five and.

Speaker 4 (01:20:02):
A half, Steelers minus six and a half.

Speaker 3 (01:20:06):
Did that change today? He said? Yes.

Speaker 4 (01:20:10):
G Man's one who made the sheet man JJ watt
Evan washburn Man. Looking forward to seeing our guys on Sunday.

Speaker 3 (01:20:18):
This is join us for pre That was the one
that comes on my notes. So, like I usually am
pretty good with ours because the developing situation, well it's
hurtful when by developing, I mean you are not off
to a great start. This is tough. This is a
tough scene right now.

Speaker 4 (01:20:38):
Okay, we continue with the one o'clock slate down on
the road visiting Carolina, Adam Iman, Greg Olsen.

Speaker 3 (01:20:46):
Pam Oliver, Dallas minus three and a half. Right on it.
There you go, welcome back. What are we? Three and four? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:20:58):
Next up the Jazz and he hangover from that big
Monday night football win, Jags hosting the frisky Seattle Seahawks.
Seahawks at Jags Chris Myers TBD because I was supposed
to be Mark Schans, Sanchez and Christina Pink.

Speaker 3 (01:21:17):
I think because the Jags won on Monday Night, they're
gonna be favored. I think the Seahawks should be favored.
So I'm gonna go Jags minus one and a half.
Right on it. Let's go four and four. We're back,
g man, we're back three out of four. He exhales.
He's so he's passionate, and I appreciate that.

Speaker 4 (01:21:36):
No, he's not rounding out the one o'clock I'm going
down that road. Los Angeles, the Rams boy both LA
teams visiting the East Coast, Rams at Ravens Burkhart, Brady
Andrews Rinaldi. I think Fox has the early main game

(01:21:57):
because they have MLB later in the day. But Rams
visiting Baltimore.

Speaker 3 (01:22:02):
This shouldn't be the main game. I don't even know
what should be the main game of one o'clock. Honestly,
Seahawks Jag should be the main game. It's not well.
The Ravens are are garbage. Now Rams minus is it
seven or is a ten? Is it seven or is

(01:22:24):
a ten? Rams minus seven, Rams minus eight and a half.
That's a big score.

Speaker 4 (01:22:34):
Baltimore, like Baltimore is not going to get that same
effort twice. I'm just throwing it out there. They're terrible. Sunday,
the four o'clock slate Titans at Raiders, Tennessee visiting Vegas.
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Megan o'leve. They get a break

(01:22:54):
from our game and they get the Raiders.

Speaker 3 (01:22:57):
And the Titans Raiders minus four, Raiders minus four and
a half. All right, five, five, gotta break through, Gotta
break through, Gotta break through.

Speaker 4 (01:23:11):
Four clock Slate continues, Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins,
Bengals and Joe Flacco visiting Green Bay. Joe Flacco's last
NFL win the Green Bay.

Speaker 3 (01:23:24):
Packers green Bay minus fourteen minus fourteen and a half.
That is a big score. That's a big score. I
like the Bengals on that one.

Speaker 4 (01:23:40):
This is America's game of the work. Yes, this is
Dan's romo. Tracy Wolfson Niners at Tampa Bay.

Speaker 3 (01:23:48):
I don't even know who's playing for the Niners at
this point, doesn't matter.

Speaker 4 (01:23:51):
Bucks, It's like brock Purty practice today.

Speaker 3 (01:23:54):
Bucks minus.

Speaker 4 (01:23:59):
Fo Box minus two and a half. Wow, a lot
of love to the Ninas.

Speaker 3 (01:24:09):
I didn't see that coming. I gotta go two into
one here, two and one. You got three games to
go all in prime time Sunday night football. Yeah, you'll
wait up all day for this one. Leon's visiting Arrowhead
and the Kansas City Chiefs Chiefs minus three, Chiefs minus

(01:24:30):
two and a half.

Speaker 4 (01:24:32):
Gotta go one in one here. Hey, we're back to
another double header on Monday night or simul cast that,
simul sure whatever whatever this is that they like us
the first one. Actually, both of them not too shit,
not bad. Buffalo visiting Atlanta, Chris Fowler Orlowski, Riddick, Kate

(01:24:54):
George Peter Scheger g Mannle make an appearance someone else
in section one thirty two.

Speaker 3 (01:25:03):
Bills minus five Bill's minus four and a half. Let's go, baby,
g man start celebrating six and oh so happy? Six
and oh made the man happy? Yeah, all right, bears
at commanders. Here's commis to wrap it up with commanders

(01:25:24):
minus three and a half.

Speaker 4 (01:25:28):
Well, luckily you got the first two right, commies minus
four and a half.

Speaker 3 (01:25:32):
So far. I didn't miss a single one by more
than a point, not a single one exactly. Wait, one
of them, there was one.

Speaker 12 (01:25:38):
It was.

Speaker 3 (01:25:40):
Rams Ravens. Maybe I think yeah, I think so, all right,
winning week. There we go six and oh six and
oh not too shabby. But a few minutes. Yeah, well
am I talking now for minutes? Yeah, there's no commercial.

Speaker 4 (01:26:00):
No, I can give you the brown I can give
you the active A little bit about injury report, please
do say it. Maybe if my phone cooperates.

Speaker 3 (01:26:13):
Well, I'll do it for the Browns. Joel Buttonio not
it was limited, not injury related rest, Malachi Corley Groin limited,
Malik Collins not injury related rest limited, Grant Delpit full ankle,
Miles Garrett limited ankle Mike Hall limited knee, Shelby Harris
DNP not injury related rest, but also knee. I don't

(01:26:36):
know how you can how can you put that it's
either not injury related rest or he's got knee injury.
Katie Leviston limited with a calf, Craig Crusome limited with
a hamstring, David Djoku full with knee, Ethan Posok limited neck,
Denzel Ward limited with a hip injury. For the Pittsburgh Steelers,
Calvin Austen does not practice. The wide receiver third leading

(01:26:58):
receiver shoulder, Cam Haya limited not injury related rest, Alex
Heismith limited so could be back. He's missed the last
couple of games. Limited with an ankle. Joey Porter Junior full,
so he should be making his return hamstring. Jalen Ramsey,
though did not practice with the hamstring, something to keep
an eye on. Ben Scronik limited with an illness, Darius

(01:27:18):
Slay not injury related rest, did not practice, Jalen Warren
will be back knee full, and t J Watt not
injury related rest. Did not practice. So the ones that
pay attention on their side would be Jalen Ramsey. That's
a and Calvin Austen on our side, I don't think
there's really much concern right now.

Speaker 4 (01:27:39):
Going to me, Shelby was the only one not out
on the field when the when the session was open
to the media.

Speaker 3 (01:27:46):
Yeah, so you know, I mean that's for week six
so far. Not not too shabby. And for those of you.

Speaker 4 (01:27:57):
That are on backup quarterback watch for the for the
Cleveland Browns from Daniel Oyafusi at ESPN. Local media not
permitted to film qbs throwing to pass catchers during viewing period.
Dylan Gabriel was on one side of the field throwing
to starters and active roster players and individual drills like usual.
Typically the backup QB has thrown alongside the starter. Shador

(01:28:21):
and Bailey Zappi were on the other side of the
field throwing to practice squad players like usual. One minute
so the Brown's not tipping their hand in the portion
of practice open to the media.

Speaker 3 (01:28:31):
All right, there you have it. Appreciated Gibbe, think Ben
Baby for joining the program. G Man was perfect. JMX
did a great job turning that interview legends. Yeah, we
want to thank Christian Jones are tight end coach as
well for joining the program for the first time. Enjoy
these beautiful days while they last, Folks. ESPN Radio is

(01:28:53):
up next. Thanks for listening to Cleveland Browns Daily, brought
to you by Bally bet On eight to fifty, ESPN
Cleveland

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Turning the Page to PIT and Talking QBs - Cleveland Browns Daily - 10.8.25