January 3, 2026 • 29 mins
Ken talk s with Dr. Bo Kabala about the US' attack on Venezuela, and Zach Jackson about the state of Ohio's two NFL teams, the Bengals and Browns, ahead of their season finale matchup.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Now your host Ken Brown on News radio seven hundred WLW.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
There you murd it an extraction from Venezuela overnight. As
our Gary Jeff Walker said this morning, in this week
of transfer portals in college football, Nicholas Medoro and his
wife have entered the transfer portal and they have a
visit in New York this week in front of a
in front of a jury, in front of a judge
(00:32):
on indictment charges. The legalities of all this are interesting.
The political ramification of what has occurred is interesting. And
apparently now the United States is running Venezuela. I don't
know where to begin on this one other than the
guy was a thug and I'm glad he's gone by
hooker by crook.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
But on the other.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Standpoint, you're going to probably see a lot of legal
hoops that the United States is going to have to
jump through, and the howling on the left has already begun.
Things are getting crazy, And when things get crazy politically,
I want to bring in doctor bo Cabala. He is
the tall estate professor of law and doctor how are
(01:11):
you on this glorious Saturday?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Doing great?
Speaker 4 (01:14):
Thanks for having me, ken Ye talk about an extraordinary day.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, I'm saying I was enraptured by the whole extra
extraction of these two people. And then out of the blues,
Trump says, and we're going to be running Venezuela.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
How does that work? How can he do that well?
Speaker 5 (01:33):
Direct?
Speaker 4 (01:33):
And to the point of course Vice President now has
already been sworn in, and the noble laureate in Venezuela,
Maria Machado, has expressed tremendous hope. So you know, I
think in the interim, to ensure an orderly transition of power,
the US will be will be running things. I didn't
(01:55):
take that to be a sort of long term declaration
of conquest by any means.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
And he re sizes or will re seize the oil
operations in Venezuela, which we're taken.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
By the way, I think this hasn't been pointed out yet.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Those oil operations were taken over by Hugo Chavez and
his protogy. Now Maduro, they seize those operations from American
oil companies. I think one company gave it back with
under the point of a gun saying you're either going
to give it to us or we're going to kill you. Yeah.
So those are rightfully possessions of the major oil companies
(02:30):
of the United States, which the United States government helped
fund all those years ago, twenty five years ago. So
that should not be murky ground, should it.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Exactly, it should not. You're talking about expropriation which also
detrimentally impacted, you know, the people of Venezuela when the
socialist inspired party of both Chaves and Maduro did that.
So no, that's an absolutely fair point, you know, to me.
Ken to the extent that people are going to trying
to make hay out of this, it'll have to do
(03:02):
with the UN Charter, uh and talking about state sovereignty.
But I would say remember at that point, even the
UN Charter, the way it sort of sets up state sovereignty,
says states can do this when it's a question of
self defense. And I don't think there's too many questions
about just the amount of drugs that were being funneled
(03:24):
into the US, uh, you know, by this narco terrorist regime.
So I agree with you. The point about the oil
companies and the broader point about you know, America defending
itself all relevant.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I would think, Yeah, the the old f A f
O applies here, I mean Trump, Trump was blowing up,
blowing up these drug boats, and it was like a warning,
you know, you better stop, you better stop. And he
gave the guy several off ramps that he just chose
not to get the off ramp. Now, doctor, this is
a exactly this exactly this is this is something else
that I think will be of interest. You can get
(03:59):
a judge to you anything in the United States, and
I'm sure that there are groups right now assembling judge
shopping to get this case in front of that judge
or having it challenged in the Southern District of New
York to try it, if nothing else in Barris Trump.
But my question to you politically is why would the
(04:20):
Democrats embrace a guy like Maduro? What would the pushback
be on Trump for this? Knowing full well that we
have a margarita sipping senator from Maryland that already has
cozied up to an MS thirteen gang member, what would
the point be of the Democrats trying to push back
on this?
Speaker 5 (04:40):
Well, and I.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Agree with you, and just like you know, those optics
you know of sipping the margarita were incomprehensible to me,
I would think this is incomprehensible as well. You've got,
you know, clearly a dictator who is not there legitimately,
who's pu untold numbers of Americans responsible for.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Death and destruction.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
Is it possible that there are some people who are
sincerely objecting based on process?
Speaker 5 (05:11):
You know, I'm open.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
I work with people of different persuasions at a university.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Sure, I'm open to that.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
But I agree with you.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I don't think it's most of the activists right now
who will be judge shopping. I think that's an attempt
to make political hay out of this, and to the
extent that it's you know, Judge Alvin Hellerstein there on
the US District Court who is presiding. I don't know
that there's going to be a lot of judge shopping
to do based on what I know of his record.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Yeah, no, well there should not be. But I think
my point of finding a judge to take any case,
because the judge is an activist judge and he aligns
himself with whatever wacko ideologically ideology that he embraces, I
think it could. I mean, the possibility of this thing
getting derailed between now and when and if it goes
(05:59):
to trialle I think is remote. I think you're right,
but you know, there's always hope out there.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Now.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I'm just here's the other thing I was wondering about
when I watched this today. This seemed to be a full,
full pronged event. Here you had Rubio, you had hag Seth, obviously,
you had the President. BONDI wasn't there, and I honestly
think that was a good thing. And then and then
you you also had the DEA, which actually carried out
(06:27):
the arrest. So this wasn't you know, Trump sending in
the seal team and saying, all right, get this guy
out of here. This was this was an entire government
effort here.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
No, that's right.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
And in terms of the intense phase of the extraction,
you know, which took thirty five minutes, I think delta
forces were in play there. But I agree with you
in terms of the justification I'm seeing at this point
for you know, why the US military had to be
involved protecting law enforcements absolutely, you know, seeing this as
(06:59):
a US criminal law matter essential. I absolutely agree with
you on that.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Okay, So in his news conference, the President fired yet
another warning shot across the bow of the Columbian president.
We already know that the Mexican president. She president of Mexico,
she is. She's all up in arms about this thing
because Trump obviously knows. And in Mexico the cartels pretty
much run that country too.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Right.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Does this bring these these other people back to heal
or do you think that they're just going to go
merrily along? You know, it's kind of like doctor, It's
kind of like, you know, you do your taxes. I
do my taxes, but if the guy across the street
from you gets audited by the IRS, we do our
taxes extra best. You know, we were really we're really
got to rye on the ball if that happens. What
(07:48):
do you think happens here with these other South American
countries that are, if not as complicit as Venezuela are,
certainly they certainly have their hands dirty in cartel business.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
Well?
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Absolutely, I think the world is watching. And whether you're
talking about the Colombian president Gustavo Petro or you mentioned,
you know, President Shinbaum in Mexico. It never ceases to
amaze me ken that the same folks who want to
talk about how interconnected of a world we live in,
how globalized. It is, you know, pivot back at times
(08:23):
to emphasizing that we're all separate, disconnected nations.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
We are not.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
And so, you know, is Iran watching as well?
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Absolutely?
Speaker 5 (08:34):
I think so.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
There to the extent that there's contested questions, you know,
can something be done or not? Technically, I think the
Trump administration showed there's no question that they can pull
this kind of operation off. I mean, compare it even
to what we did in Panama. You had twenty four
American casualties. No American casualties here, No Venezuelan casualties that
(08:57):
I saw.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
So my thought is, you bet.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Watching and people respond to incentives.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
So I agree with that.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
I couldn't agree more.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
You know, you watch what happened in in Uh in
Iran this this summer when Yeh Bomber's basically, if not
blew up, they certainly greatly curtailed Iran's nuclear capability.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
And I watched that.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I watched what happened during Iran and for for all
intents purposes, I'm sorry Israel, and for all intents and
purposes Iran and Gaza, I'm watching that. And then I
watched this, and it just leads me to wonder how
could the previous administration be so neutered when it came
to international affairs. I I just, I just it' it's
(09:41):
it's astounding. Tony Blincoln could not have pulled this off.
Certainly Joe Biden could not have pulled this off. I'm
just wondering how neutered was that that that particular regime
in your opinion, uh, the last Biden administration.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Well, and certainly on top of what you mentioned the
treatment of Iran in terms of I mean, I think
it was actual, you know, cash payouts to go along
with the nuclear deal. The contrast could not be more stark,
and I think we can say so in fairness to
(10:20):
you know, professionals across different administrations.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
There was a previous.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Attempt to remove Maduro. And you know it's not clear
the extent to which the Trump administration was involved the
private contractors in twenty twenties. So if we want to
be entirely fair, sure, you know, no administration is perfect,
but yes, overall the Biden administration allowing the invasion of
Ukraine to happen on their watch. I mean I was
(10:47):
reading a report and I think it was blinkin even
Tony Blinken, saying, as much as he disagrees on process
grounds with how Trump operates, how the president does things,
he wished is that he had the contacts and just
the ability to pull things off at that speed. So
I agree, it's not just a different vibe. I think
(11:09):
it's a different way of seeing the world. It's a
different philosophy and and and I think it has.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Very deep roots.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Well, doctor Cabala, we appreciate your rocket and rolling with
us today. It's been an eventful last ten hours or so.
We'll see how this plays out with the American population.
We'll see what the political wins look like in the
wake of this. But I would think so far, so good. Listen, well,
we can do this more in depth. I'll ring you
up this week and then we'll try and do it
(11:37):
more in depth at some point then, Will that be
all right with you?
Speaker 4 (11:41):
I would truly look forward to And I was just
going to say quickly, the way that these strikes are
carried out, and then it appears Trump doesn't fall for
the temptation of nation building. You know plenty to talk
about there, but certainly I'd be delighted. And like you said,
so far, so good. And just a historic day.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
It seems like, well, you know what, you and I
could maybe be vacationing together in Venezuela next year. Right,
he may turn it into another beachfront property. We could
all go down there and surf. Of course we'd have
to find the beach front. But nevertheless, that could be
what's on on the board next.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Or Gaza if things go at this threat who knows,
who knows?
Speaker 3 (12:23):
Gaza?
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Yeah, Trump, Plaza Gazza. All right, doctor, thanks for tom.
We appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Have a nice one, doctor Bocabala, Tarland State University, Professor
of Law. Wow Wow, Wow, twelve fifty six on this Saturday,
news radio seven hundred WLW.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Now your host Ken Brew on news radio seven hundred
wl W.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
It's what on nine and we're counting down to UC
basketball at the bottom of the hour. You see against Houston.
Houston is Houston is very good.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Anyway, we'll see how it plays out.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Dan Horde and Terry Nelson and Moeger with all the
coverage from fifth Third Arena tomorrow. It's the Browns and
the Bengals. That's how the twenty twenty five now into
twenty twenty six. That's how the twenty twenty five season ends,
same way as it began. Brown's and Bengals up in
Cleveland in Week one. And here we go today, the
(13:22):
day before the Browns and Bengals meet at pay Course
Stadium tomorrow. The Browns of four and twelve, they seem
to be a team adrift and possibly on the verge
of a major shakeup. Yet again, inside that team, it's
amazing how instability leads to just lousy records. And I
suppose if there's one criticism of Mike Brown that resounds
(13:44):
more than anything is that he is too patient. But
we're seeing in Cleveland what lack of patients is over
the course of the last twenty five years. And so
here come the Browns with Shador Sanders's quarterback, with Jerry
as their number one wide receiver. Think about that for
a second. Here come the Browns who traded Joe Flacco
(14:07):
inside the division to the Bengals in the middle of
the season. And here come the Bengals who are trying
to finish the season at seven to ten. If you
think it's been bad down here this year, it has
been a circus in Cleveland once again, and when it
comes to circuses standing by to join us as a
man who covers the Browns for Theathletic dot Com. And
(14:29):
I've said this many times and I'm going to say
it again. The best investment you can make in sports
journalism is the Athletic. There are no junk ads, no
roll up videos, just good solid sports journalism. And somebody
who is a part of that is Zach Jackson, beat
writer Cleveland Brown. Zach, how are you on this glorious
(14:51):
day before.
Speaker 5 (14:52):
The game when I'm with you? Because you and my
mom are my fan club, I'm always good. It's been
a long season since Week one deeps first tangled.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
As you guys know, is it fair to say this
season didn't go as planned for either team?
Speaker 3 (15:06):
I think that's pretty much fair to say.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Yeah, certainly for the Bengals. You know, the Browns had weird,
mixed expectations that certainly weren't as high as the other teams.
But they did have a defense that's, you know, elite.
I hate to throw that word around, but I think
it's fair to say it's Penny Lee. But yeah, the
quarterback thing has been a mess. You know, they come
into Sunday and out of Sunday with uncertainty around almost
(15:28):
every level of the franchise, you know, not just the
normal roster thing, and you know, it's it's been disappointing,
sure because they this is a team that could be better,
right like this is this is the franchise isn't a
bad spot. But nobody looked at the product on the
field and said this is as bad as the Jets
and the Raiders. You know, so we'll see. I mean, now,
(15:50):
the offense has been that bad, but the defense has
been has been really good for most almost all.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Well, the fact of the matter is, you should have
won the first meeting of the season. I mean, the kicker,
you know, apples up on a couple of kicks that
look like Gimmey's, and all of a sudden the Bengals
skate out of Cleveland with a win, and that might
have started the spiral.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
I kind of look at Cleveland as you know, they're
really good in spots. I think their defense is terrific.
I think their front seven is really good. Obviously in
their secondary, they've got veteran talent and Ward and Delpit.
They they acquired Campbell. I mean it looks like they're
trying to do and are accomplishing things on defense, but
on offense, I mean it's it's just does Kevin Stefanski
(16:29):
has even delta fair hand offense Shaan Watatson thing, and
they're now having wide receivers to throw two. I don't
think it's I think that's as much a problem as anything,
is it not?
Speaker 5 (16:41):
Oh, for sure, the construction of the offense is deplorably back.
You know when you talk about Week one, Yes, the
kicks are, but really it's the two interceptions off guys
just by catching the ball. That's kind of the story
of the season. You know. The offensive line, I think
it's been nine different offensive line combinations and that makes
it harder. It's from three different quarterbacks that they at heart,
So there's been glimpses, but yeah, just been overall disappointing products. So,
(17:05):
you know, good play out of the rookies, but but
this receiving corps is bottom of the league, This offensive
line is the bottom of the league. And none of
them are under contract. None of the original starters anyway,
are under contract for next year, so a lot of uncertainly.
So yeah, that's kind of the discussion of my way ken,
the fairness of this. You know how much losing was
expected versus how much has gone on. You know what's
(17:27):
next for Kevin Stepaint. We don't know any of that.
Snor Sanders has made some strides, He's made some awful throws.
He's not surrounded by a great group. You mentioned Delpin
in Ward. Those guys would start for any team in
this league. And obviously Miles Garrett is in a galaxy
of his own, and he's coming to get the NFL
stack records on Sunday, and he probably will get it.
(17:48):
But you know, nobody also thinks that the Browns can
score more than ten points because Erhold Fannon is not
going to play, and this offensive line is a mess,
and unless they get up early and can win a
thirteen ten type game for this that history week, and
then there's going to be real trouble for this office
trying to keep up de Ice.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
I think that you know, you'd have to be an
idiot not to understand that what saves his job, it's
certainly not winning this game this week. What would, if anything,
would save his job, and.
Speaker 5 (18:17):
An internal commitment and decision that it wasn't his fault
right that he he has been a good coach. I
think the last two years to me have shown that
he's not a great coach. He's not one of the
better coaches. Like, look what Seohn Payton's done. What's in
the hand he was delt. You know, look what Kyle
Shanahan has done with the team this year that didn't
have it guys for seventy five percent of the season.
(18:38):
You know, my gut field canons that decision has been
made and he's going to be out. I think there's
a little more cloudiness with the front office. But you know,
we're talking about an organization that's never been normal. We're
talking about an organization that's been back for three decades
and has only had four winning seasons. And this ownership
group is going on fifteen years and was the one
that really signed off on the de Shaun Watson thing
(19:00):
that sunk everything. So in terms of firm predictions, until
we know it on Sunday night or Monday, I don't know.
And so when you ask that question, it's a fair
one and it's a valid one. But I could probably
tough for forty minutes that might give you a straight answer,
because there is a lot of gray area here, and
it really comes down to what what do you decide
with the biggest reason that the offense didn't get any
(19:21):
better this year?
Speaker 3 (19:22):
You know?
Speaker 5 (19:22):
And then whatever your answer is on that turns into well,
what the heck gives you hope for it being better
next year? Because you remember one receivers Jerry Judy, you
have no offensive linement under contract, who have ever really
been in your A plans? And their quarterback, I mean,
you can make a case to Shador pretty easily deserves
more development, but it gets much harder to make a
(19:43):
case that he's actually the guy that you feel really
good about going forward.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Yeah, and if indeed you go through a regime change
front office, head coach, you go through coaching staffs, you
probably lose a guy like Jim Schwartz, who it seems
to me has done a hell of a job up there.
But the fact of the matter is you're you're going
to go through all that change again and as the
next group been really going to be married to Shardoor
Sanders and if they're not, then you're going through that
process again. And since the Browns came into the league,
(20:09):
they've been nothing but change in the front office and
in the coaching staff. This is the coach here is
probably about as stable as any coach has been since
they came back.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
Right, yeah, oh six years. Yeah, that's that's sixty years
by Brown standards. They're a guy Joel Beatonio the guard
for twelve years, and he's been good enough as a
guard on bad teams that you know him at Cincinnati, right,
they know him across the league, certainly in the anfty doors.
When Joel plays what might be his last NFL game
on Sunday, can he's been playing with the twenty second
(20:37):
different quarterback that he's blacked, four starting quarterback that he's
blacked for since twenty fourteen.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Wow, that's crazy.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
I mean, how do you how do you expect to
have any kind of success with that kind of turnover.
I know everybody has draft busts and everybody goes through
head coaches, but my gosh, after a while you land
on go, don't you?
Speaker 3 (20:56):
At some point? It's amazing how this team is just
go yeah.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
And that's kind of the evaluation of this year is like, Okay,
it was never going to be good. Okay, there's some
rokis that it's certainly a better draft class than they had.
But you have to look at what was the plan
because they pulled the plot on Joe Flacco after four
weeks and then traded him to a division rival, which
is a though no, and he could still play and
it wasn't working here, and like I said, he clearly
(21:21):
turned the ball over in a couple of games. It
didn't get help from his receivers. But it was like,
what was next Dyllan Gabriel who immediately was diagnosed as
this guy can't play, you know, and certainly didn't get
any help. If there is another team in the NFL
that liked still and Gabriel, or likes still in Gabriel,
they might be willing to give him a chance because
they can look and say he didn't have the receivers,
(21:42):
he didn't have the offensive line. You know, there there
was a good quarter here and there. But when any
time you play three different quarterbacks over the course of
the year, you know you're probably in a bad, bad spot,
right and there are teams that make it work. And
when the Browns made the playoffs two years ago, they
played five quarterbacks from week one to week seventeen. More
times than that, it's you know, one was an injury
(22:03):
related move to put somebody in a bad spot. One
was a desperation move to somebody else feels. And then
when you're making the natural changes that you make along
the way, you know you're left to sit in evalue
eight what what was organically good, what could have worked better,
and what just flat out didn't work? And frankly, when
you finish the season for the second straight year ranked
(22:23):
in the bottom three or four in every single major
offensive category, then it's hard to give an offensive head
coach another year.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah, Zach Jackson the Athletic dot Com. You know, it's funny.
The Bengals have, I think, without question, the best wide
receiver quarterback combo in the division, maybe in the entire FC.
But they've got that. The narrative down here, which I
think is hilarious, is Okay, you've got that, But the
defense is such a disaster despite nice pieces, that it's
(22:53):
going to take one, maybe two off seasons to fix
it to get it to a point where it can
contend for a Super World championship. Again, I guess my
question to you, knowing that for a team that has
the offensive proficiency that Cincinnati has, what do you I mean,
you've seen this, this this act play out. How many
how many off seasons is Cleveland before Cleveland? Is any
(23:15):
work close to contended?
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (23:18):
I mean I think I just said that someone earlier today,
and I've probably said it ten times over the last months.
The situation that this franchise is in the next time
you're really taking it of temperature check is about Halloween
of twenty seven ten. Next year is going to be
worse talent wise because a lot of these older guys
who have produced, whether they're still doing it or not,
(23:39):
are going out the door. You know, it's a completely
blank played at quarterback in less shit or somehow becomes
your answer, like as t easier quarterback for first four
games next year? What does That's all?
Speaker 3 (23:49):
You know?
Speaker 5 (23:49):
The receiver group needs remade, the offensive line group needs remade,
and the defense turn as good as the event has
a lot of older guys, and if there's a new
coach and a new coordinator, it's not going to be
the same defense. And even if it is is it's
hard to replicate what Schwartz has done. So Schwartz has
been phenomenal and in the small chance that there is
a head coaching change in Cincinnati has the first guy
I would call Jim Schwartz because this defense continually shows up.
(24:13):
It played under these circumstances, and in the six years
of the head coach and GM from Cleveland, the one
thing they really have built the identity of the way
Schwartz's defense is play right. And it's not just Hey,
Miles garretta because he is he was that before. Schwartz guy.
I think he's playing the best now. But they really
built that identity and they showed it last week. They
(24:34):
kind of got to take a whole victory lap against
the Steelers like that. I think they'll come out and
they'll give burrough Fits something that I just don't know
that the Browns can score enough to even begin to
keep up.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Yeah, their front line is terrific, and like I said,
we talked about the second or.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
I think that's that's good too.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
And you know, you can make an argument for Cleveland
being one of the top four or five defenses in
the leg and statistically higher than that.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Hey, Zach, thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
I guess we'll say enjoy the season finale, but the
enjoyment will be it is the season finale, and then
the real starts. The story's never ended in Cleveland. Do
they simply don't know?
Speaker 5 (25:07):
No, Hey, you have to get two things. Can You
have to get past the point where everything you hear
is believable about wild stuff that goes on. And you
have to get past the point where the off season
is the season. You know, you build in the off season,
you set the groundwork, but it has to be to
where you're playing in games and evaluating guys and going
in a straight line. And they just have not gone
(25:27):
in any kind of straight line. When you play twelve
different quarterbacks over three seasons, there's no straight line. Right
when you look at mid season and say we're pretty
hopeless that wide receiver and offense client, there's no straight line.
It's just what it's beat.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Keep up the good work.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
You're one of the reasons why I subscribe, and I'm
sure a lot of other people out there as well.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Zach, take care of Happy new year. We'll talk down
the road.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
Thanks, all right, We'll see you too.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yeah. And the other thing about tomorrow is the sack record.
Does Miles Garrett, defensive lineman extraordinary, best in the business.
Does he get the sack record? Sack record in the
NFL is twenty two and a half, twenty two and
a half sacks in one season. That of course set
by Michael Strahand in the calendar year twenty eight thousand
(26:11):
and one, actually twenty twenty one. TJ one equal that
as well. Strahan, who was shut out from a sack
last week by the Steelers and they admitted that was
one of their top goals. Strayhan needs just half a
sack half a sack to equal twenty two and a
(26:33):
half on the season, and if he gets one, then
he has the record. He has sacked Lamar Jackson twelve
times in his career. He has sacked Joe Burrow twelve
times in his career. Somebody asked him if he knew
that stat going into this game.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
What I've known absolutely.
Speaker 5 (26:54):
I've seen his face on the ground looking up at
me saying high Miles and Hi Joe.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Too many times. So yeah, I think you'd be at
the time.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Well, we'll see tomorrow. I mean, it's one of the subplots.
The other subplot is is what happens going forward with
this Bengals franchise. It needs so much. I think there's
a tendency to get caught up in recent events the
last month of the season, get caught up in exactly
what is transpired against weaker opponents. Come on, they haven't
(27:25):
played anybody the last couple of weeks. In games that mattered,
they couldn't win. Joe burrowed down for a majority of
the season. Okay, if you want to rely on that
as an argument, great, Okay, fall back on that. All
I know is this, Joe Flacco came here and put
up some decent number. Is good enough to win the
(27:46):
Jets on October the twenty six. Defensively, you give up
five hundred and two yards two hundred and fifty four
yards on the ground, and fuddle that up with another
home game against the Chicago Bears five hundred and seventy
six total yards, two hundred and eighty three on the ground.
(28:06):
So yeah, okay, Burrow not being here major factor. Flacco
comes in Flaco, puts up numbers that are winnable in
at least two games, and then who knows what the
temper and the UH and the demeanor of that team
is if you win against Chicago and you win against
the Jets.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
We'll never know, But I do know this.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
They need a more than just a makeup, touch up
on offense on defense going into the twenty twenty six season.
So the Browns have major, major problems, and at least
on one side of the ball, the Bengals have significant problems.
And that sets the scene for tomorrow when we will
reconvene at nine oh six from the Holy Grail to
(28:50):
preview the Bengals and the Browns season finale at pay
Course Stadium. Stand by coming up in just a couple
of minutes from fifth Third Arena, it'll be the University
of Cincinnati against the University of Houston in what ought
to be what should be a major attraction on the
UC schedule this year home game against Houston.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
You're listening to seven hundred WLW
Now your host Ken Brown on News radio seven hundred WLW.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
There you murd it an extraction from Venezuela overnight. As
our Gary Jeff Walker said this morning, in this week
of transfer portals in college football, Nicholas Medoro and his
wife have entered the transfer portal and they have a
visit in New York this week in front of a
in front of a jury, in front of a judge
(00:32):
on indictment charges. The legalities of all this are interesting.
The political ramification of what has occurred is interesting. And
apparently now the United States is running Venezuela. I don't
know where to begin on this one other than the
guy was a thug and I'm glad he's gone by
hooker by crook.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
But on the other.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Standpoint, you're going to probably see a lot of legal
hoops that the United States is going to have to
jump through, and the howling on the left has already begun.
Things are getting crazy, And when things get crazy politically,
I want to bring in doctor bo Cabala. He is
the tall estate professor of law and doctor how are
(01:11):
you on this glorious Saturday?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Doing great?
Speaker 4 (01:14):
Thanks for having me, ken Ye talk about an extraordinary day.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, I'm saying I was enraptured by the whole extra
extraction of these two people. And then out of the blues,
Trump says, and we're going to be running Venezuela.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
How does that work? How can he do that well?
Speaker 5 (01:33):
Direct?
Speaker 4 (01:33):
And to the point of course Vice President now has
already been sworn in, and the noble laureate in Venezuela,
Maria Machado, has expressed tremendous hope. So you know, I
think in the interim, to ensure an orderly transition of power,
the US will be will be running things. I didn't
(01:55):
take that to be a sort of long term declaration
of conquest by any means.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
And he re sizes or will re seize the oil
operations in Venezuela, which we're taken.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
By the way, I think this hasn't been pointed out yet.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Those oil operations were taken over by Hugo Chavez and
his protogy. Now Maduro, they seize those operations from American
oil companies. I think one company gave it back with
under the point of a gun saying you're either going
to give it to us or we're going to kill you. Yeah.
So those are rightfully possessions of the major oil companies
(02:30):
of the United States, which the United States government helped
fund all those years ago, twenty five years ago. So
that should not be murky ground, should it.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Exactly, it should not. You're talking about expropriation which also
detrimentally impacted, you know, the people of Venezuela when the
socialist inspired party of both Chaves and Maduro did that.
So no, that's an absolutely fair point, you know, to me.
Ken to the extent that people are going to trying
to make hay out of this, it'll have to do
(03:02):
with the UN Charter, uh and talking about state sovereignty.
But I would say remember at that point, even the
UN Charter, the way it sort of sets up state sovereignty,
says states can do this when it's a question of
self defense. And I don't think there's too many questions
about just the amount of drugs that were being funneled
(03:24):
into the US, uh, you know, by this narco terrorist regime.
So I agree with you. The point about the oil
companies and the broader point about you know, America defending
itself all relevant.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I would think, Yeah, the the old f A f
O applies here, I mean Trump, Trump was blowing up,
blowing up these drug boats, and it was like a warning,
you know, you better stop, you better stop. And he
gave the guy several off ramps that he just chose
not to get the off ramp. Now, doctor, this is
a exactly this exactly this is this is something else
that I think will be of interest. You can get
(03:59):
a judge to you anything in the United States, and
I'm sure that there are groups right now assembling judge
shopping to get this case in front of that judge
or having it challenged in the Southern District of New
York to try it, if nothing else in Barris Trump.
But my question to you politically is why would the
(04:20):
Democrats embrace a guy like Maduro? What would the pushback
be on Trump for this? Knowing full well that we
have a margarita sipping senator from Maryland that already has
cozied up to an MS thirteen gang member, what would
the point be of the Democrats trying to push back
on this?
Speaker 5 (04:40):
Well, and I.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Agree with you, and just like you know, those optics
you know of sipping the margarita were incomprehensible to me,
I would think this is incomprehensible as well. You've got,
you know, clearly a dictator who is not there legitimately,
who's pu untold numbers of Americans responsible for.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Death and destruction.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
Is it possible that there are some people who are
sincerely objecting based on process?
Speaker 5 (05:11):
You know, I'm open.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
I work with people of different persuasions at a university.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Sure, I'm open to that.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
But I agree with you.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I don't think it's most of the activists right now
who will be judge shopping. I think that's an attempt
to make political hay out of this, and to the
extent that it's you know, Judge Alvin Hellerstein there on
the US District Court who is presiding. I don't know
that there's going to be a lot of judge shopping
to do based on what I know of his record.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Yeah, no, well there should not be. But I think
my point of finding a judge to take any case,
because the judge is an activist judge and he aligns
himself with whatever wacko ideologically ideology that he embraces, I
think it could. I mean, the possibility of this thing
getting derailed between now and when and if it goes
(05:59):
to trialle I think is remote. I think you're right,
but you know, there's always hope out there.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Now.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I'm just here's the other thing I was wondering about
when I watched this today. This seemed to be a full,
full pronged event. Here you had Rubio, you had hag Seth, obviously,
you had the President. BONDI wasn't there, and I honestly
think that was a good thing. And then and then
you you also had the DEA, which actually carried out
(06:27):
the arrest. So this wasn't you know, Trump sending in
the seal team and saying, all right, get this guy
out of here. This was this was an entire government
effort here.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
No, that's right.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
And in terms of the intense phase of the extraction,
you know, which took thirty five minutes, I think delta
forces were in play there. But I agree with you
in terms of the justification I'm seeing at this point
for you know, why the US military had to be
involved protecting law enforcements absolutely, you know, seeing this as
(06:59):
a US criminal law matter essential. I absolutely agree with
you on that.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Okay, So in his news conference, the President fired yet
another warning shot across the bow of the Columbian president.
We already know that the Mexican president. She president of Mexico,
she is. She's all up in arms about this thing
because Trump obviously knows. And in Mexico the cartels pretty
much run that country too.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Right.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Does this bring these these other people back to heal
or do you think that they're just going to go
merrily along? You know, it's kind of like doctor, It's
kind of like, you know, you do your taxes. I
do my taxes, but if the guy across the street
from you gets audited by the IRS, we do our
taxes extra best. You know, we were really we're really
got to rye on the ball if that happens. What
(07:48):
do you think happens here with these other South American
countries that are, if not as complicit as Venezuela are,
certainly they certainly have their hands dirty in cartel business.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
Well?
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Absolutely, I think the world is watching. And whether you're
talking about the Colombian president Gustavo Petro or you mentioned,
you know, President Shinbaum in Mexico. It never ceases to
amaze me ken that the same folks who want to
talk about how interconnected of a world we live in,
how globalized. It is, you know, pivot back at times
(08:23):
to emphasizing that we're all separate, disconnected nations.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
We are not.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
And so, you know, is Iran watching as well?
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Absolutely?
Speaker 5 (08:34):
I think so.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
There to the extent that there's contested questions, you know,
can something be done or not? Technically, I think the
Trump administration showed there's no question that they can pull
this kind of operation off. I mean, compare it even
to what we did in Panama. You had twenty four
American casualties. No American casualties here, No Venezuelan casualties that
(08:57):
I saw.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
So my thought is, you bet.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Watching and people respond to incentives.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
So I agree with that.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
I couldn't agree more.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
You know, you watch what happened in in Uh in
Iran this this summer when Yeh Bomber's basically, if not
blew up, they certainly greatly curtailed Iran's nuclear capability.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
And I watched that.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I watched what happened during Iran and for for all
intents purposes, I'm sorry Israel, and for all intents and
purposes Iran and Gaza, I'm watching that. And then I
watched this, and it just leads me to wonder how
could the previous administration be so neutered when it came
to international affairs. I I just, I just it' it's
(09:41):
it's astounding. Tony Blincoln could not have pulled this off.
Certainly Joe Biden could not have pulled this off. I'm
just wondering how neutered was that that that particular regime
in your opinion, uh, the last Biden administration.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Well, and certainly on top of what you mentioned the
treatment of Iran in terms of I mean, I think
it was actual, you know, cash payouts to go along
with the nuclear deal. The contrast could not be more stark,
and I think we can say so in fairness to
(10:20):
you know, professionals across different administrations.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
There was a previous.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Attempt to remove Maduro. And you know it's not clear
the extent to which the Trump administration was involved the
private contractors in twenty twenties. So if we want to
be entirely fair, sure, you know, no administration is perfect,
but yes, overall the Biden administration allowing the invasion of
Ukraine to happen on their watch. I mean I was
(10:47):
reading a report and I think it was blinkin even
Tony Blinken, saying, as much as he disagrees on process
grounds with how Trump operates, how the president does things,
he wished is that he had the contacts and just
the ability to pull things off at that speed. So
I agree, it's not just a different vibe. I think
(11:09):
it's a different way of seeing the world. It's a
different philosophy and and and I think it has.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Very deep roots.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Well, doctor Cabala, we appreciate your rocket and rolling with
us today. It's been an eventful last ten hours or so.
We'll see how this plays out with the American population.
We'll see what the political wins look like in the
wake of this. But I would think so far, so good. Listen, well,
we can do this more in depth. I'll ring you
up this week and then we'll try and do it
(11:37):
more in depth at some point then, Will that be
all right with you?
Speaker 4 (11:41):
I would truly look forward to And I was just
going to say quickly, the way that these strikes are
carried out, and then it appears Trump doesn't fall for
the temptation of nation building. You know plenty to talk
about there, but certainly I'd be delighted. And like you said,
so far, so good. And just a historic day.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
It seems like, well, you know what, you and I
could maybe be vacationing together in Venezuela next year. Right,
he may turn it into another beachfront property. We could
all go down there and surf. Of course we'd have
to find the beach front. But nevertheless, that could be
what's on on the board next.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Or Gaza if things go at this threat who knows,
who knows?
Speaker 3 (12:23):
Gaza?
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Yeah, Trump, Plaza Gazza. All right, doctor, thanks for tom.
We appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Have a nice one, doctor Bocabala, Tarland State University, Professor
of Law. Wow Wow, Wow, twelve fifty six on this Saturday,
news radio seven hundred WLW.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Now your host Ken Brew on news radio seven hundred
wl W.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
It's what on nine and we're counting down to UC
basketball at the bottom of the hour. You see against Houston.
Houston is Houston is very good.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Anyway, we'll see how it plays out.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Dan Horde and Terry Nelson and Moeger with all the
coverage from fifth Third Arena tomorrow. It's the Browns and
the Bengals. That's how the twenty twenty five now into
twenty twenty six. That's how the twenty twenty five season ends,
same way as it began. Brown's and Bengals up in
Cleveland in Week one. And here we go today, the
(13:22):
day before the Browns and Bengals meet at pay Course
Stadium tomorrow. The Browns of four and twelve, they seem
to be a team adrift and possibly on the verge
of a major shakeup. Yet again, inside that team, it's
amazing how instability leads to just lousy records. And I
suppose if there's one criticism of Mike Brown that resounds
(13:44):
more than anything is that he is too patient. But
we're seeing in Cleveland what lack of patients is over
the course of the last twenty five years. And so
here come the Browns with Shador Sanders's quarterback, with Jerry
as their number one wide receiver. Think about that for
a second. Here come the Browns who traded Joe Flacco
(14:07):
inside the division to the Bengals in the middle of
the season. And here come the Bengals who are trying
to finish the season at seven to ten. If you
think it's been bad down here this year, it has
been a circus in Cleveland once again, and when it
comes to circuses standing by to join us as a
man who covers the Browns for Theathletic dot Com. And
(14:29):
I've said this many times and I'm going to say
it again. The best investment you can make in sports
journalism is the Athletic. There are no junk ads, no
roll up videos, just good solid sports journalism. And somebody
who is a part of that is Zach Jackson, beat
writer Cleveland Brown. Zach, how are you on this glorious
(14:51):
day before.
Speaker 5 (14:52):
The game when I'm with you? Because you and my
mom are my fan club, I'm always good. It's been
a long season since Week one deeps first tangled.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
As you guys know, is it fair to say this
season didn't go as planned for either team?
Speaker 3 (15:06):
I think that's pretty much fair to say.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Yeah, certainly for the Bengals. You know, the Browns had weird,
mixed expectations that certainly weren't as high as the other teams.
But they did have a defense that's, you know, elite.
I hate to throw that word around, but I think
it's fair to say it's Penny Lee. But yeah, the
quarterback thing has been a mess. You know, they come
into Sunday and out of Sunday with uncertainty around almost
(15:28):
every level of the franchise, you know, not just the
normal roster thing, and you know, it's it's been disappointing,
sure because they this is a team that could be better,
right like this is this is the franchise isn't a
bad spot. But nobody looked at the product on the
field and said this is as bad as the Jets
and the Raiders. You know, so we'll see. I mean, now,
(15:50):
the offense has been that bad, but the defense has
been has been really good for most almost all.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Well, the fact of the matter is, you should have
won the first meeting of the season. I mean, the kicker,
you know, apples up on a couple of kicks that
look like Gimmey's, and all of a sudden the Bengals
skate out of Cleveland with a win, and that might
have started the spiral.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
I kind of look at Cleveland as you know, they're
really good in spots. I think their defense is terrific.
I think their front seven is really good. Obviously in
their secondary, they've got veteran talent and Ward and Delpit.
They they acquired Campbell. I mean it looks like they're
trying to do and are accomplishing things on defense, but
on offense, I mean it's it's just does Kevin Stefanski
(16:29):
has even delta fair hand offense Shaan Watatson thing, and
they're now having wide receivers to throw two. I don't
think it's I think that's as much a problem as anything,
is it not?
Speaker 5 (16:41):
Oh, for sure, the construction of the offense is deplorably back.
You know when you talk about Week one, Yes, the
kicks are, but really it's the two interceptions off guys
just by catching the ball. That's kind of the story
of the season. You know. The offensive line, I think
it's been nine different offensive line combinations and that makes
it harder. It's from three different quarterbacks that they at heart,
So there's been glimpses, but yeah, just been overall disappointing products. So,
(17:05):
you know, good play out of the rookies, but but
this receiving corps is bottom of the league, This offensive
line is the bottom of the league. And none of
them are under contract. None of the original starters anyway,
are under contract for next year, so a lot of uncertainly.
So yeah, that's kind of the discussion of my way ken,
the fairness of this. You know how much losing was
expected versus how much has gone on. You know what's
(17:27):
next for Kevin Stepaint. We don't know any of that.
Snor Sanders has made some strides, He's made some awful throws.
He's not surrounded by a great group. You mentioned Delpin
in Ward. Those guys would start for any team in
this league. And obviously Miles Garrett is in a galaxy
of his own, and he's coming to get the NFL
stack records on Sunday, and he probably will get it.
(17:48):
But you know, nobody also thinks that the Browns can
score more than ten points because Erhold Fannon is not
going to play, and this offensive line is a mess,
and unless they get up early and can win a
thirteen ten type game for this that history week, and
then there's going to be real trouble for this office
trying to keep up de Ice.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
I think that you know, you'd have to be an
idiot not to understand that what saves his job, it's
certainly not winning this game this week. What would, if anything,
would save his job, and.
Speaker 5 (18:17):
An internal commitment and decision that it wasn't his fault
right that he he has been a good coach. I
think the last two years to me have shown that
he's not a great coach. He's not one of the
better coaches. Like, look what Seohn Payton's done. What's in
the hand he was delt. You know, look what Kyle
Shanahan has done with the team this year that didn't
have it guys for seventy five percent of the season.
(18:38):
You know, my gut field canons that decision has been
made and he's going to be out. I think there's
a little more cloudiness with the front office. But you know,
we're talking about an organization that's never been normal. We're
talking about an organization that's been back for three decades
and has only had four winning seasons. And this ownership
group is going on fifteen years and was the one
that really signed off on the de Shaun Watson thing
(19:00):
that sunk everything. So in terms of firm predictions, until
we know it on Sunday night or Monday, I don't know.
And so when you ask that question, it's a fair
one and it's a valid one. But I could probably
tough for forty minutes that might give you a straight answer,
because there is a lot of gray area here, and
it really comes down to what what do you decide
with the biggest reason that the offense didn't get any
(19:21):
better this year?
Speaker 3 (19:22):
You know?
Speaker 5 (19:22):
And then whatever your answer is on that turns into well,
what the heck gives you hope for it being better
next year? Because you remember one receivers Jerry Judy, you
have no offensive linement under contract, who have ever really
been in your A plans? And their quarterback, I mean,
you can make a case to Shador pretty easily deserves
more development, but it gets much harder to make a
(19:43):
case that he's actually the guy that you feel really
good about going forward.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Yeah, and if indeed you go through a regime change
front office, head coach, you go through coaching staffs, you
probably lose a guy like Jim Schwartz, who it seems
to me has done a hell of a job up there.
But the fact of the matter is you're you're going
to go through all that change again and as the
next group been really going to be married to Shardoor
Sanders and if they're not, then you're going through that
process again. And since the Browns came into the league,
(20:09):
they've been nothing but change in the front office and
in the coaching staff. This is the coach here is
probably about as stable as any coach has been since
they came back.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
Right, yeah, oh six years. Yeah, that's that's sixty years
by Brown standards. They're a guy Joel Beatonio the guard
for twelve years, and he's been good enough as a
guard on bad teams that you know him at Cincinnati, right,
they know him across the league, certainly in the anfty doors.
When Joel plays what might be his last NFL game
on Sunday, can he's been playing with the twenty second
(20:37):
different quarterback that he's blacked, four starting quarterback that he's
blacked for since twenty fourteen.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Wow, that's crazy.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
I mean, how do you how do you expect to
have any kind of success with that kind of turnover.
I know everybody has draft busts and everybody goes through
head coaches, but my gosh, after a while you land
on go, don't you?
Speaker 3 (20:56):
At some point? It's amazing how this team is just
go yeah.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
And that's kind of the evaluation of this year is like, Okay,
it was never going to be good. Okay, there's some
rokis that it's certainly a better draft class than they had.
But you have to look at what was the plan
because they pulled the plot on Joe Flacco after four
weeks and then traded him to a division rival, which
is a though no, and he could still play and
it wasn't working here, and like I said, he clearly
(21:21):
turned the ball over in a couple of games. It
didn't get help from his receivers. But it was like,
what was next Dyllan Gabriel who immediately was diagnosed as
this guy can't play, you know, and certainly didn't get
any help. If there is another team in the NFL
that liked still and Gabriel, or likes still in Gabriel,
they might be willing to give him a chance because
they can look and say he didn't have the receivers,
(21:42):
he didn't have the offensive line. You know, there there
was a good quarter here and there. But when any
time you play three different quarterbacks over the course of
the year, you know you're probably in a bad, bad spot,
right and there are teams that make it work. And
when the Browns made the playoffs two years ago, they
played five quarterbacks from week one to week seventeen. More
times than that, it's you know, one was an injury
(22:03):
related move to put somebody in a bad spot. One
was a desperation move to somebody else feels. And then
when you're making the natural changes that you make along
the way, you know you're left to sit in evalue
eight what what was organically good, what could have worked better,
and what just flat out didn't work? And frankly, when
you finish the season for the second straight year ranked
(22:23):
in the bottom three or four in every single major
offensive category, then it's hard to give an offensive head
coach another year.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah, Zach Jackson the Athletic dot Com. You know, it's funny.
The Bengals have, I think, without question, the best wide
receiver quarterback combo in the division, maybe in the entire FC.
But they've got that. The narrative down here, which I
think is hilarious, is Okay, you've got that, But the
defense is such a disaster despite nice pieces, that it's
(22:53):
going to take one, maybe two off seasons to fix
it to get it to a point where it can
contend for a Super World championship. Again, I guess my
question to you, knowing that for a team that has
the offensive proficiency that Cincinnati has, what do you I mean,
you've seen this, this this act play out. How many
how many off seasons is Cleveland before Cleveland? Is any
(23:15):
work close to contended?
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (23:18):
I mean I think I just said that someone earlier today,
and I've probably said it ten times over the last months.
The situation that this franchise is in the next time
you're really taking it of temperature check is about Halloween
of twenty seven ten. Next year is going to be
worse talent wise because a lot of these older guys
who have produced, whether they're still doing it or not,
(23:39):
are going out the door. You know, it's a completely
blank played at quarterback in less shit or somehow becomes
your answer, like as t easier quarterback for first four
games next year? What does That's all?
Speaker 3 (23:49):
You know?
Speaker 5 (23:49):
The receiver group needs remade, the offensive line group needs remade,
and the defense turn as good as the event has
a lot of older guys, and if there's a new
coach and a new coordinator, it's not going to be
the same defense. And even if it is is it's
hard to replicate what Schwartz has done. So Schwartz has
been phenomenal and in the small chance that there is
a head coaching change in Cincinnati has the first guy
I would call Jim Schwartz because this defense continually shows up.
(24:13):
It played under these circumstances, and in the six years
of the head coach and GM from Cleveland, the one
thing they really have built the identity of the way
Schwartz's defense is play right. And it's not just Hey,
Miles garretta because he is he was that before. Schwartz guy.
I think he's playing the best now. But they really
built that identity and they showed it last week. They
(24:34):
kind of got to take a whole victory lap against
the Steelers like that. I think they'll come out and
they'll give burrough Fits something that I just don't know
that the Browns can score enough to even begin to
keep up.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Yeah, their front line is terrific, and like I said,
we talked about the second or.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
I think that's that's good too.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
And you know, you can make an argument for Cleveland
being one of the top four or five defenses in
the leg and statistically higher than that.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Hey, Zach, thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
I guess we'll say enjoy the season finale, but the
enjoyment will be it is the season finale, and then
the real starts. The story's never ended in Cleveland. Do
they simply don't know?
Speaker 5 (25:07):
No, Hey, you have to get two things. Can You
have to get past the point where everything you hear
is believable about wild stuff that goes on. And you
have to get past the point where the off season
is the season. You know, you build in the off season,
you set the groundwork, but it has to be to
where you're playing in games and evaluating guys and going
in a straight line. And they just have not gone
(25:27):
in any kind of straight line. When you play twelve
different quarterbacks over three seasons, there's no straight line. Right
when you look at mid season and say we're pretty
hopeless that wide receiver and offense client, there's no straight line.
It's just what it's beat.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Keep up the good work.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
You're one of the reasons why I subscribe, and I'm
sure a lot of other people out there as well.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Zach, take care of Happy new year. We'll talk down
the road.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
Thanks, all right, We'll see you too.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yeah. And the other thing about tomorrow is the sack record.
Does Miles Garrett, defensive lineman extraordinary, best in the business.
Does he get the sack record? Sack record in the
NFL is twenty two and a half, twenty two and
a half sacks in one season. That of course set
by Michael Strahand in the calendar year twenty eight thousand
(26:11):
and one, actually twenty twenty one. TJ one equal that
as well. Strahan, who was shut out from a sack
last week by the Steelers and they admitted that was
one of their top goals. Strayhan needs just half a
sack half a sack to equal twenty two and a
(26:33):
half on the season, and if he gets one, then
he has the record. He has sacked Lamar Jackson twelve
times in his career. He has sacked Joe Burrow twelve
times in his career. Somebody asked him if he knew
that stat going into this game.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
What I've known absolutely.
Speaker 5 (26:54):
I've seen his face on the ground looking up at
me saying high Miles and Hi Joe.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Too many times. So yeah, I think you'd be at
the time.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Well, we'll see tomorrow. I mean, it's one of the subplots.
The other subplot is is what happens going forward with
this Bengals franchise. It needs so much. I think there's
a tendency to get caught up in recent events the
last month of the season, get caught up in exactly
what is transpired against weaker opponents. Come on, they haven't
(27:25):
played anybody the last couple of weeks. In games that mattered,
they couldn't win. Joe burrowed down for a majority of
the season. Okay, if you want to rely on that
as an argument, great, Okay, fall back on that. All
I know is this, Joe Flacco came here and put
up some decent number. Is good enough to win the
(27:46):
Jets on October the twenty six. Defensively, you give up
five hundred and two yards two hundred and fifty four
yards on the ground, and fuddle that up with another
home game against the Chicago Bears five hundred and seventy
six total yards, two hundred and eighty three on the ground.
(28:06):
So yeah, okay, Burrow not being here major factor. Flacco
comes in Flaco, puts up numbers that are winnable in
at least two games, and then who knows what the
temper and the UH and the demeanor of that team
is if you win against Chicago and you win against
the Jets.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
We'll never know, But I do know this.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
They need a more than just a makeup, touch up
on offense on defense going into the twenty twenty six season.
So the Browns have major, major problems, and at least
on one side of the ball, the Bengals have significant problems.
And that sets the scene for tomorrow when we will
reconvene at nine oh six from the Holy Grail to
(28:50):
preview the Bengals and the Browns season finale at pay
Course Stadium. Stand by coming up in just a couple
of minutes from fifth Third Arena, it'll be the University
of Cincinnati against the University of Houston in what ought
to be what should be a major attraction on the
UC schedule this year home game against Houston.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
You're listening to seven hundred WLW
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.