- 28 minutes ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00All right, Nathan's on the wise heart, right?
00:01We make a right called Kyle Wright Highline.
00:03Okay, we got James J. Dillon, all right?
00:06Arn Anderson, he's the one who made the name up.
00:08Ole Anderson, okay.
00:11Ric Flair, Ric Flair.
00:13Oh, wait, no, Barry came after Tully.
00:16That's right.
00:17Yeah, Barry's later.
00:17Damn it!
00:18Here's the other thing.
00:19Hold on a second.
00:19I have a huge problem with what you just did there.
00:21First of all, I think one of the reasons you were put on this planet
00:24was to do a Metallica concert read, which you just did with great aplomb.
00:28However, if the code is horseman, it's not H-O-R-S-E-M-A-N.
00:34Yes, that's an individual, but they're the four.
00:36Hossman, and it's M-E-N.
00:39Listen, listen, it's horseman is how it's written here.
00:42I got to say horseman.
00:44They refer themselves as a horseman.
00:45You know what?
00:45Honestly, I'm so glad you've cleared this up because I bet there's going to be
00:49a lot of people who write it with the E.
00:51You're like, dude, give me the cover.
00:52So horseman.
00:55Horseman is the word.
00:56There's four of them, and if you're just one of them,
00:58you're a horseman.
01:00No, that's not how they'd refer to themselves with a horseman, daddy.
01:03Well, they go together is where they go.
01:06You understand that?
01:08Luger.
01:08Well, you know that.
01:09Yeah, Luger was part of it.
01:10Luger.
01:11Hillman had a period in there.
01:13Oh, my gosh.
01:13The one guy that no one mentions anymore.
01:15No.
01:16Wow.
01:16Yeah, he as well.
01:17They were in together.
01:18I remember him pulling a gun on Steve Austin.
01:20That was a day.
01:21That was something.
01:24Anyway, let's get ready for this game, Nathan.
01:26Carolina Panthers in town.
01:28Take on the Cleveland Browns.
01:30Nathan's on the wise heart right.
01:31We make it right.
01:32Call Kyle Wright hotline.
01:34What does Deshaun Watson have to do?
01:36Let's just start it.
01:37What's Deshaun Watson have to do to get this game won by the Cleveland Browns?
01:42Keep doing what he's been doing.
01:44I mean, in the second half last week, 17 of 21, 193 yards, two touchdowns.
01:48He converts five of the last seven third downs they face in the game, two of them with his legs.
01:54The play where he makes one that's a completely busted up play gets the ball to Harold Fannin.
01:58He's just got to keep doing that.
02:00I thought it was a very good performance from him.
02:03I think his confidence has grown.
02:05I do think it's important to start fast in this game for the offense.
02:09I don't think you want to have that kind of lull you'd had in the first half last week.
02:13But build on that second half.
02:15Keep that going.
02:16And I really like the way Deshaun Watson threw the ball.
02:18Denzel Boston is playing well.
02:20You've got Boston leading all rookies in yards and touchdowns.
02:23Casey Concepcion leads all rookies in receptions.
02:25Harold Fannin had a nice game last week.
02:27Blake Whitehart gets in the end zone.
02:29I think the most important thing as well to help Deshaun and help this whole offense
02:33is to get the ground game going.
02:35And no team has been more generous to opposing running backs than the Carolina Panthers.
02:40And so hopefully this is the week where the Browns can get Quinshaun in the ground game going.
02:43I think that just buoys everything on offense.
02:45All right, Nathan, I said after I watched that performance,
02:49all right, that's not the electric Deshaun Watson I remember from Houston when he was a top five quarterback.
02:54But that was as decisive as I have seen him, as accurate as I have seen him.
02:59So I think he can build on those things.
03:01The question is, do you think they'll be able to go vertical and block it so they can go vertical
03:06a little more in this game
03:08with Carolina sitting around the line of scrimmage?
03:10Well, that's the question and a great one by you.
03:13First of all, I like that you talked about the accuracy because it's not enough just to complete passes.
03:18It's kind of how you complete them in the ball placement.
03:20I was talking with the great Greg Cosell yesterday on Cleveland Browns Daily,
03:24as we do on every Thursday for the matchup.
03:27And he's like, yeah, there was a lot of yak in this game.
03:30But he said yak is a quarterback stat.
03:33And that's because he's putting the ball in places where guys don't have to break stride
03:37and they can make bigger plays with their legs.
03:39And so I think that's important.
03:41You mentioned to get it down the field.
03:42So last week, there were two plays where Casey Concepcion was clear of the defense.
03:47Week one, there was one.
03:48They just haven't blocked it up the way that they need to.
03:51Now, with EJ Evero and this defense of the Carolina Panthers,
03:54they're blitzing 52.6%, second most in the league.
03:57But they're not converting that to pressure.
04:00They're 24th in pressure rate.
04:01So if you can pick that up, you've got chance.
04:04Now, they like Mike Jackson and J.C. Horn on the outside.
04:07They play a lot of man-to-man on the outside in their cover three.
04:10And they're the number one cover three team, top three in middle of the field flow.
04:14So what does that mean?
04:15Yes, there will be opportunities down the field if the Browns can block them up
04:18to take some of those vertical shots.
04:19I think we're kind of knocking on the door of a Casey Concepcion big one.
04:23And I personally would like to see a little more Isaiah Bond out there
04:27because last year, 18.8 yards to catch.
04:29One thing he could do was consistently get behind the defense.
04:32And I think the Browns could, you know, bring that vertical attack back.
04:35Because quite frankly, when you flip it around, that's going to be the key for the Browns.
04:39Defense is stopping the vertical passing game.
04:41Right now, Bryce Young, who's at the top basically every quarterback stat in the league
04:44and is playing incredibly well.
04:46He has been the best deep ball thrower in the league.
04:49Seven completions of air yards of passes with more than 20 air yards.
04:53That's number one in the NFL.
04:55And so that will be kind of on our side.
04:58Yeah, get the ground game going.
04:59Get those hard play actions.
05:00Hit those shots down the field.
05:02And on the defensive side, you've got to limit those explosives
05:04because that's what made Bryce Young so effective of late.
05:07Nathan Segura joining us here on the Wise Heart Right.
05:10We make a right call call, right hotline.
05:11By the way, social media reactions on X are brought to you by
05:15Shive and Jewelers, Cleveland's premier jewelry store.
05:17Aaron Seacrest Pants has tweeted at us saying he wants 45 more minutes
05:21of the Brian Pillman Stone cold incident.
05:23Maybe on the podcast next week, okay?
05:24Maybe on the pod.
05:25Maybe we'll do it then.
05:26Why am Brian?
05:27You're talking about Quinchon Judkins, other side of the ball.
05:31You're Jared Verse.
05:33You're replacing one of the goats.
05:36And no matter fair or foul, doesn't matter.
05:38You're replacing one of the goats.
05:40People want to see some sacks.
05:41I haven't heard a lot of fans kind of upset, but he was asked questions.
05:45And I'm like, hey, you know, if you only have him focus on sacks,
05:48I don't think you're getting the player you traded for in Jared Verse.
05:51Well, I don't think anybody's going to be Miles Garrett, right?
05:55I mean, he is singularly great.
05:58However, Jared Verse, I think, is kind of adjusting to this.
06:01I think that he's learning a little bit more in the wide nine.
06:03Remember, he was kind of a stand-up guy in that Rams 3-4 front
06:07as an outside linebacker.
06:08But I'll tell you what, it's about impact.
06:11He's made a couple of tackles for a loss.
06:12And then his one big pressure in the last game came on a third down
06:17in the red zone.
06:18And had he not gotten that pressure and put that big hit on Baker Mayfield,
06:22you know, perhaps they score there and it's a different ballgame.
06:24So at least his pressure did come in a big situation.
06:27Of course, he wants to do more.
06:28We all want to do more.
06:29I'd like to see them move him around a little bit, maybe this week,
06:32give him some opportunities against Monroe Freeling.
06:35Last week against Tristan Morse, that's a tough matchup,
06:37you know, for anybody in the league.
06:39So we'll see how it goes with him.
06:40I like what I'm seeing there.
06:41But I will say sliding right down that line,
06:44Mason Graham was dominant in that game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
06:48Career high six pressures, sack for the second straight week.
06:51He was the one who was bursting off the tape.
06:54And I think that's very encouraging for the fifth overall pick.
06:56Because remember, this is a young group on this line.
06:59Jared Burse is still only in the third season that can grow together
07:01and be really productive together.
07:03And I loved what I saw for Mason Graham.
07:05And I feel what Jared Burse, it's going to come.
07:08I'm not too worried about Jared Burse.
07:09You know, you, you know, talking about the defense,
07:13you certainly know that Bryce Young has looked like a different player
07:16through two games.
07:17Do you think that these are just noisy stats early in the season
07:20where we say, hey, you see a lot of weird results,
07:25weird outcomes in the NFL?
07:26Or do you think Carolina is absolutely legit?
07:29I know they have a wide receiver potential injury with Coker,
07:31who was not able to practice yesterday.
07:33So we'll be keeping our eye on that.
07:35But just overall, are you believing in this version of the Carolina offense?
07:40Yeah, because you got to go back to the end of last year.
07:42They were very good.
07:43Go back and watch the playoff game against the L.A. Rams.
07:46You know, they took the Rams to the limit.
07:48He threw for a touchdown in that game, ran for a touchdown in that game.
07:51He's thrown in his last three regular season games,
07:53eight touchdowns with one pick.
07:55So he, no, he's been playing well.
07:56It kind of goes back to the second half of last year
07:58when they started to unleash a little bit more of a vertical passing game.
08:01Through the first 11 games in 2025,
08:03they didn't throw the football down the field.
08:05Once they kind of allowed him to do that, it flips.
08:07He throws a very nice deep ball, puts a lot of loft on it.
08:11And so they've been very successful.
08:12They got big receivers.
08:13Coker's 6'3".
08:14Chet McMillan, who you guys know I'm a big fan of, he's 6'4".
08:17He's had 75 yards or more in four straight games, including the playoffs.
08:20Coker would be a huge injury, though, if he is unable to go.
08:25Because Coker's got eight catches in three straight games.
08:28He is already averaging over 100 yards a game this year.
08:31And then Xavier Leggett is also banged up, did not practice.
08:34So they, outside of Leggett, Foker, and McMillan,
08:37they don't have another receiver who's caught a pick in 2026.
08:41So that would be a significant loss.
08:42But no, Bryce Young is playing very well.
08:44You can see it.
08:46And he is looking like a guy who was the number one overall pick.
08:50And I think for the Carolina Panthers, that's a good thing.
08:52I think for the Browns, like anything, you've got to get pressure on him.
08:56We did a much better job of getting pressure last week on Baker Mayfield.
08:58We have to continue that trend and limit some of those explosives.
09:02We've said so many great things about Nick Chubb.
09:04They almost become platitudes.
09:05But what can you say about Nick Chubb that maybe you haven't heard from anybody
09:09over these last 24 hours as he gets ready for his press conference
09:13to officially retire as a Cleveland Brown at 12.15 p.m. today?
09:17Yeah, first of all, I'm thrilled for Nick Chubb.
09:19And I don't know if this is any, you know, thing that you haven't heard anywhere else
09:23because the fact is Nick Chubb is exactly who Nick Chubb is.
09:27So there's a consistent regard for his characteristics, all about business, love the game of football,
09:33totally focused on what he had to do to be the best consummate team player, just did the work,
09:39his work ethic unparalleled.
09:40He was awesome.
09:41And the thing that I'll share is, you know, we all miss Jim Donovan so much.
09:46Jim Donovan is smiling down right now about this.
09:48Jim Donovan absolutely loved Nick Chubb.
09:52He was his favorite player on the Browns without question, you know, think of all the iconic calls
09:56running into the river, you know, Chubba Wubba Hub.
09:58He loved Nick Chubb.
10:00And so to me, I'll be able to kind of tie that together and get some joy knowing that, you
10:05know,
10:05Jim Donovan is going to be smiling down, knowing that his guy, Nick Chubb, is going to get to retire
10:09as a Brown.
10:11Nathan Zaguro joining us here on the show.
10:13An epidemic again of hurt quarterbacks, a couple of freak accidents.
10:17I mean, Jackson Dart, we thought he'd get hurt scrambling, got hurt in the pocket.
10:20But Jaden Daniels is just trying to brace himself.
10:23Is there anything that can be done or do we just got to deal with it?
10:26Like, hey, man, that's football.
10:27That's the way she goes.
10:28We've done enough.
10:29Yeah, I think, unfortunately, it is football.
10:32And, yeah, they are a little bit freakish in their accents.
10:34You just wonder if Jaden Daniels' elbow has ever fully recovered because that seems so innocuous at the time.
10:40Now, what's interesting about the situation, though, is do Washington and the Giants now become teams
10:44that are going to be considering quarterbacks, you know, early in this draft?
10:48If Jackson Dart hasn't been able to finish a season for the Giants, the last two seasons,
10:53Jaden Daniels has not been able to finish a season for them, or we'll see if he comes back,
10:56but certainly has missed a lot of time.
10:58And, you know, at least in the Jaden Daniels case, oh, man, in his rookie year,
11:01he took us to the NFC Championship game.
11:04With Jackson Dart, you've certainly seen encouraging signs.
11:06Do not get me wrong.
11:07But that's something they're going to have to wonder about.
11:10And you wonder, how does that affect the plans, if at all, for those franchises going into the 2027 NFL
11:16draft?
11:16So it's kind of an intriguing thing in terms of the way it happened and where it happened.
11:21Yeah, I'm just thinking right now on the spot of every time things happen like this in sports,
11:27we overreact.
11:28And all of sports now is trying to exploit the market inefficiencies.
11:32But if you can't keep a quarterback healthy, or, you know, it seems like almost a fluke,
11:39if you do keep them healthy for five years, does it change your strategy on how to attack
11:45the quarterback position in the draft?
11:49Well, I think you look for teams that want to find guys.
11:53I think you go back to one of the reasons that, you know, the Browns drafted Dylan Gabriel,
11:56where they did.
11:57They really think that Dylan Gabriel can be a quality back quarterback in the NFL.
12:00And to be able to have one of those on a rookie deal is incredibly valuable.
12:04But you're seeing teams try to have guys, you know, for example,
12:07Mack Jones in San Francisco behind Brock Purdy.
12:10You're trying to find guys that can step in when you need to.
12:13But it's hard.
12:14It's a hard position to play.
12:15It's the most important position.
12:16So, of course, you have to put every resource you have towards it.
12:19But at the end of the day, it's still a very difficult position to play.
12:21It's a difficult position to stay healthy at because of the nature of the game.
12:24But it is the singularly most important.
12:26So I do think you'll see teams, you know,
12:28not be afraid to have what they consider to be two good quarterbacks on the roster.
12:31And I don't think that is going to lead to more quarterback competitions.
12:34I think they'll be clearly defined roles.
12:36But that's the way it is.
12:38And it's kind of wild, right?
12:39You think about who's replacing Dart and who's replacing Jaden Daniels,
12:43Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston,
12:46who have a draft history themselves together, right?
12:49It's just it's very interesting.
12:51And obviously, the teams that quarterbacks stay healthy and play at a high level,
12:55those are the teams that you find often playing in the playoffs.
12:59All right, Nathan, last night,
13:01Atlanta with the 35-14 demolition of the Green Bay Packers
13:06and Bijon Robinson had 194 yards on the ground,
13:09two touchdowns, another 19 through the air.
13:12But after the game, it had us wondering,
13:14is there a new and improved Kevin Stefanski?
13:18Listen to Bijon talk about Kevin after they had started 0-2.
13:23I think last week was a big attestment to who he is as a person,
13:27but as a coach, you know, obviously we lost how we did last week.
13:30And he went right to the locker room.
13:31And I don't know if he drank some coffee or something,
13:34but he said this speech.
13:35It was like Martin Luther King was in there, man.
13:37Like, I was like, yo.
13:39You know, I think with Coach Stefanski,
13:40just how fair he is as a coach.
13:41And, you know, he respects the whole game.
13:44Audio courtesy of Amazon.
13:47Comparing Kevin Stefanski and his vocal talent to Martin Luther King.
13:55Your thoughts, Nathan?
13:57It's not a comparison I was expecting.
14:00And to be honest with you,
14:01when I saw it on social media this morning,
14:03I thought it was, you know, some Falcons fan doing hyperbole.
14:07But obviously very much a real quote there.
14:09And good for Kevin, because I think that was the one thing that everybody
14:12who got to know him like I did wanted him to be able to do
14:16was to show more personality, show more of who he actually is.
14:19Because he is a dude from Philly.
14:21He can give you that kind of motivation, that kind of talk.
14:24So I'm glad for him that he did it.
14:26That was a big win for them.
14:27How about this for a little trivia is that Drake London and Bijon Robinson
14:31have three games now in their career where they each have more than 150 yards
14:35rushing, obviously, for Bijon, receiving for Drake London.
14:37That's the most of any duo in NFL history.
14:40Like, think about that.
14:41That's insane production.
14:42But it goes back to the question you asked earlier, right?
14:45How important is quarterback play?
14:47It's so important.
14:48Michael Penix is out there.
14:49They look a heck of a lot better than they did with Cooper Rush.
14:52Let's not forget, just a week ago,
14:53this was a team that put up three points on the Carolina Panthers.
14:56The Panthers' defense outscored the Falcons' offense.
14:59In goes Michael Penix.
15:00And they have a much different outcome.
15:02And let's not forget, the Panthers gave up 59 in week one
15:04to the Chicago Bears.
15:06They had a 56-point drop-off in terms of their week one defense points allowed
15:11to week two against the Falcons, which, by the way,
15:13second biggest in NFL history.
15:14The biggest goes back to 1968.
15:16So you haven't seen something like that in quite some time.
15:19But, yeah, having a quarterback matters.
15:21Michael Penix looked good.
15:22They looked good.
15:23It was a nice win for them.
15:24I am concerned, though, about the Green Bay Packers, Ken.
15:27Not concerned about the Rams, Ken.
15:29Are we back?
15:30Or do you agree with me?
15:31Are we back with the Rams?
15:31I'm not all the way back, but I am concerned with you about the Packers.
15:36And they did not like being booed yesterday at Lambeau.
15:39Oh, no, they didn't.
15:40They were upset.
15:42Well, listen, you win, they cheer.
15:45Todd Bunkin gets this, I think, better than anybody.
15:48He says it very plainly, right?
15:49If you win and play well, they cheer you.
15:51If you lose and play poorly, they boo you.
15:54That's the way that it goes.
15:55That's this business that everybody in the NFL has chosen to enter into.
15:58And if you don't like it, you've got to win a game like that at home against a Falcons team
16:02that, you know, had looked pretty bad the first two weeks.
16:06That is not a game.
16:06They barely eked out a win over the Jets.
16:09So I think that the Packers fans are certainly not pleased with what's going on.
16:14That was a team that was supposed to be, you know, competing for that division title
16:18and having Super Bowl aspirations.
16:20And clearly on defense, they missed Micah Parsons.
16:22There's no doubt about it.
16:23But, you know, offensively, it does not look good.
16:26They missed Josh Jacobs clearly running the football.
16:28But it's been a – that's been – that's probably one – they and the Chargers
16:32have been probably the two most disappointing teams in the early going.
16:36Nathan, thank you for the hot times.
16:37We'll talk to you on Sunday, friend.
16:39Yes, and it's horsemen.
16:41But for this in particular case, it's horseman.
16:44Horseman, yes.
16:45M-A-N.
16:46Horseman.
16:47Thank you so much.
16:48Nathan, take care.
16:49Goodbye.
16:50The – I almost called him the luxurious Nathan Zagura.