00:00Mike Sando has a piece, Athletic, on the AFC.
00:06Partial friend of the show.
00:07Yeah.
00:07And so what they did in this piece, I'll give you the headline.
00:13Was bury the Browns.
00:16I mean, I can even find a little bit of positivity in this.
00:19Oh, really?
00:20Yeah.
00:20You're reading something I'm not.
00:21No, there is a tiny bit of positivity in this.
00:26NFL executives rank the AFC teams.
00:30AFC executives rank the AFC teams.
00:34Bills lead the contenders.
00:37And then their next headline is, does anyone trust the Chiefs?
00:39Okay.
00:40So as I told you, they have Bills, number one of the –
00:46not every team voted in this, right?
00:48Only six?
00:49No, there were only six executives.
00:51Six executives from the NFL,
00:54which may not mean that they were all AFC either, right?
00:58They ranked all 16 AFC teams along with each voter's full ballot,
01:06which is what I'm looking at right here, right now.
01:07Okay.
01:08So Buffalo, number one of the six that voted, only one –
01:15nope, sorry, two had them at number two.
01:18Two of the six.
01:20The other four said they are number one, no question about it.
01:23You're talking about the best executives in the league.
01:25They are in Buffalo.
01:29Now, in the interest of time, I'm just going to go through the AFC North for you.
01:32How does that sound?
01:33Yeah, they're not – he's not ranking the executives.
01:35He's ranking the teams.
01:38Yes.
01:39Oh, did I say they're ranking the executives?
01:40I'm sorry.
01:41The six people who voted in this thing and gave their thoughts are ranking the teams.
01:46I'm sorry if that came out the wrong way.
01:48Sorry, but I apologize.
01:49That's all right.
01:51So as they rank the teams, I do think this falls out pretty normal
01:55for what most of us would think.
01:56Coming in at number five would be the Baltimore Ravens.
02:01The highest they were ranked was two by one executive.
02:05The lowest they were ranked was seven by another.
02:08So that puts them in at number five with a median score of 4.5.
02:12The next team, not too far away, the Cincinnati Bengals.
02:16Congratulations to you on your success down there in Hamilton County.
02:19You were ranked seventh.
02:22One person thought you were the number two team in the AFC.
02:27And one person thought you were the 10th best team in the AFC.
02:30So a pretty big discrepancy there, don't you think?
02:34Sure.
02:35Okay.
02:36Just playing along.
02:37The next team, so you're probably saying,
02:39all right, well, it's either the Steelers or the Browns.
02:41Who do they think is better?
02:44Consistently across the board, these executives thought that Pittsburgh was the 10th best team in the AFC.
02:51They ended up at 10.
02:54Their highest ranking was an 8.
02:57And this is the same person that thought Cincinnati was a 10.
03:01But for the most part, everyone thought they were 10 or 11.
03:04So that leads you to the Cleveland Browns.
03:06And you know the best part about this?
03:08They weren't last.
03:10That's how low the bar is.
03:11Is that good?
03:12They weren't.
03:13Miami was the worst.
03:14So the Browns ended up 15th.
03:17I don't know.
03:18Maybe that's because it's our 15th anniversary here at the fan.
03:20I don't think so.
03:21But they were ranked 15th.
03:23Good attempt for a tie-in.
03:24Yeah, I was trying.
03:26The highest ranking person in this group said the Browns were 13th.
03:32This is also the person that thought Cincinnati was 10th and Pittsburgh was 8th.
03:37Maybe this sounds like this person.
03:39You're confusing the you-know-what out of me.
03:41Oh, good.
03:42This is where you live.
03:43So the best of the six thought that the Browns were the 13th best team.
03:50Two of the people in this poll thought they were the 16th worst team.
03:54Thought they were the worst team in the AFC.
03:56And Miami's last.
03:57So just for the record, Buffalo 1, Baltimore 5, Cincinnati 7, Pittsburgh 10, Cleveland 15.
04:03Does that clear it up a little bit for you?
04:05I'm still confused, but that's okay.
04:07Okay, here.
04:08Let me make it easier.
04:08Buffalo's the best.
04:09Baltimore should win the North.
04:11And the Browns should come in last.
04:13There you go.
04:14Is that the easiest way to put it?
04:15Browns are 15th out of 16 AFC teams, according to these six executives.
04:19Yeah.
04:19I wish he had a couple more.
04:20I would feel better about the pool that he used, that he only had six.
04:25You know what I'm saying?
04:26So anyway, here's what he's going to be with us tomorrow.
04:28You can tell him.
04:29Okay, so I'll tell him straight up.
04:30Maybe he just couldn't get anybody to vote.
04:35In the story, it says, self-contained here, that the Browns remain, at least for now,
04:40defined by their quarterback situation, which led them to start Deshaun Watson over Shadour Sanders
04:44entering week one.
04:45Here's the quotes.
04:46Hang on.
04:47One executive said, they doubled down on Toxic.
04:53I don't know how anybody can think they're headed in the right direction.
04:57That's one executive.
04:59I wonder who that was.
05:01Somebody in Pittsburgh?
05:02What do you think?
05:03Pittsburgh has nothing to do with it.
05:05Well, it could.
05:06You don't know where the six executives are from.
05:08I got a one in 32 chance.
05:10I probably have a two and third, or something like that.
05:14Next quote.
05:17I think their defense is not going to be good, and that quarterback situation is going to be a problem.
05:24This, according to another NFL executive.
05:27Did you read the line after double down on Toxic?
05:32Did I read the line?
05:33I don't know how anybody can think they're headed in the right direction.
05:37Yeah, I said that.
05:37That's painful.
05:40Last quote.
05:42You didn't think the situation could get worse than Deshaun.
05:46Another executive said, it got worse.
05:49Sanders is not good, and the circus he brings is almost Tim Tebow-ish in a different fashion.
05:58These are all anonymous executives within football.
06:05Go back to one of the previous lines.
06:08Which one?
06:09I think their defense is not going to be good.
06:13I think their defense, to me personally, I think their defense will be good.
06:18You think that?
06:19I think it will be at least middle of the pack.
06:23It's the depth issue that I have.
06:24But here's an exec saying that he thinks their defense is not going to be good.
06:28Or she thinks.
06:29Oh, good point.
06:31One way or the other, I think their defense is not going to be good.
06:36That, Andy, would be a problem.
06:39Because we're counting on the defense at least being pretty competitive to keep you in some football games.
06:45Early.
06:47I'm petrified of the depth issue they have.
06:51Well, can I?
06:52You lose a couple starters on defense, they're in trouble.
06:55I mean, these are all right.
06:57Let me throw this at you, though.
06:58Okay.
06:58Every team in the game.
06:59I think they have some good players front line.
07:05I'll agree with that.
07:07But those front line players are still, in many cases, young guys who have yet to establish themselves.
07:14So that's going to take a while.
07:15The depth standpoint, it did not look real good in the preseason.
07:21Let's just make sure, let's wait until we see it in a regular season game and see what it looks
07:26like.
07:27Again, I don't mean to blow smoke here.
07:32Preseason games can show you some things, but they're not going to show you everything.
07:36And I just, my fingers are crossed that the depth is a little bit better than we all think it
07:44is right now.
07:44Because, to be honest, it doesn't look very good.
07:47But let's see what it looks like in the regular season when we get there.
07:50Yeah, I agree.
07:52We always, every year, we watch the preseason and we're like, oh, blah, blah, blah.
07:58And none of it means anything.
08:00Once a year into the first quarter, the first game of the year, it's not even close.
08:05You know there will be injuries, but if they can stay healthy at some key spots, the depth will be
08:10less of an issue.
08:11So keep your fingers crossed for a little luck there.
08:15That's a harsh rip on Sanders, too.
08:20You didn't think the situation could get worse?
08:22It's not a rip, Andy.
08:23They asked for, the guy at, Sando asked for opinions.
08:26That's just somebody's opinion.
08:27It's a rip, though.
08:28I mean, your opinion could be a rip.
08:29Well, is it a rip?
08:30Yes.
08:31I could ask you for your opinion, and you could rip someone in the shreds.
08:35He said Sanders is not good.
08:37And the circus he brings, almost Tim Tebow-ish, in a different fashion.
08:41I don't know what that means, but.
08:42Yes, you do.
08:45Why?
08:45Because Tebow was so.
08:45I mean, there's so much attention around Shador, that's a thing.
08:50Turned out Tim Tebow couldn't play very well at quarterback.
08:53Hopefully, Shador can play pretty well at quarterback if he gets the chance.
09:00I keep thinking about Sanders, and I often wonder if he would have played for somebody other
09:08than his dad, if he'd be a better quarterback.
09:13Or maybe his dad put him in a position to get to the NFL and no other coach could have.
09:18Okay, maybe he got, and his athleticism should have got him here.
09:23Now, I don't know.
09:24But he's not known for being that athletic as a quarterback.
09:27I don't think he had enough offensive play calling diversity coming up through high school.
09:39You know what I'm saying?
09:39Like, how often does a player have their dad with them in high school, their dad with them
09:44in college, and then you send them off to the pros.
09:47At two stops in college.
09:48Yeah, I mean, it's just, that to me, like, I just, I wonder if that held him back.
09:55That he didn't get to hear different voices at different times.
09:59Although, he did have Pat Shurmur at one point, right?
10:02Well, and then Pat kind of got demoted, didn't he?
10:05Didn't he get his play calling duties taken away at Colorado?
10:07Right.
10:08But other than Pat Shurmur, I can't think of, you know, but then again, I don't know about
10:12his early days in college, and I really don't know about his high school days.
10:14But he's been associated to what his dad's play calling would have been on offense.
10:19Well, his dad was his offensive coordinator in high school.
10:23Point.
10:24Like, do you see what I'm saying?
10:25Like, we get guys that get to the NFL that are probably on at least their third offensive
10:30coordinator.
10:32When they get to the NFL, that's probably minimum.
10:34Deion wasn't the offensive coordinator at Colorado.
10:37But do you think there was anyone willing to say, like, Deion probably said, let's run these
10:41plays, let's do it.
10:42I'm like, I don't know.
10:43I think you're making a dangerous assumption.
10:45I don't know.
10:46I just, I wonder if there was, I just, I wish he would have had a little bit more of
10:51a different, a different game plan in front of him, I think, to see how we could have
10:58developed with the athletic skills that he has.
11:00That's, I just, I wonder about that.
11:02And let's see what happens.
11:03You know, he's with somebody else now.
11:05So maybe that blossoms this season.
11:07Let's hope for it.
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