00:00If you look at the record and you say, hey, this is a normal NFL team.
00:05They're 3-1.
00:06Yeah, maybe there's a chance they can make the playoffs.
00:08I think that's a very realistic statement for 99% of the NFL.
00:14Unfortunately, we lived in the 1% of the NFL since this team has come back in 99.
00:21So, I'm asking, do you agree with what Mary Kay said?
00:26I do.
00:27You do?
00:28Uh, yes, I do.
00:31Yes, I do.
00:32And again, she said it based on Deshaun's health.
00:35No, she said if they stay healthy, especially Deshaun.
00:39Okay.
00:42So, they stay healthy.
00:44That's the key.
00:46Especially Deshaun.
00:47He's part of that.
00:49Here's how this team can make the playoffs.
00:52Okay.
00:53And by the way, if you're asking me to bet your money on it, I'll say sure.
00:57If you're asking me to bet my money on it, I'll say nope, not yet.
01:00Gee, thanks, Jeff.
01:02It's this.
01:03I like the defense, Andy.
01:05The defense, I think, is pretty good.
01:08And, you know, hopefully Mason Graham is able to return and is okay and don't rush him back because he's
01:14too young and don't mess him up.
01:15So, take your time.
01:17Get him back.
01:18Your defense continues to play well.
01:20Knock on wood.
01:21And your offense continues to evolve with young guys and competent quarterback play.
01:29I don't think Deshaun is anybody's idea of an upper echelon NFL quarterback right now.
01:38I don't think he is.
01:40I don't think he has played that way since he's been here in Cleveland.
01:45However, I do think he's been competent.
01:48And if you have competent quarterback play, you can get the ball to some talented young wide receivers.
01:54You can get the running backs the football.
01:57You know, you can run the offense and hand it off to them.
02:00You can check out.
02:01You can, you know, you see, you know, call an audible.
02:05Do whatever you need to do.
02:07He can do all that.
02:09But if Deshaun has to win games for you on a regular basis, and by God, he's done a great
02:15job of it so far,
02:17I just don't think that's a recipe for success.
02:20But if your defense can be as good as it's been in the last three games and your offense can
02:26keep evolving, yeah.
02:28Because you can make the playoffs in this league with 10 wins.
02:33Can you not?
02:35Yes.
02:36So if you go 7-6 the rest of the way, Andy, that's 10 wins.
02:43Think about that.
02:457-6 the rest of the way.
02:49All of a sudden, that doesn't sound as far-fetched as it used to sound.
02:53No, do you want to?
02:54Because you already got three of the wins out of the way and only one loss.
02:577-6 the rest of the way, you finish 10-7.
03:02I do think Mary Kay has a point.
03:04I think it's possible.
03:07I do, too.
03:08I think it's possible.
03:09Especially when you look at the odds coming out right away, and you're like, when you're 3-1,
03:14there's like 75% chance you're going to make the playoffs in the first place.
03:17Let me go back to something you said.
03:19Do you think the offense is getting better every game?
03:2323, 21, 27 points?
03:26I'm not even going to look at the points.
03:28You know, Watson throws for, I'm just looking, again, I'm throwing out the first game.
03:32Well, and you should for the defense as well.
03:34Yeah, so I'm just looking, you know, Watson throws for 238.
03:38He throws for 144 against Carolina.
03:41And then he comes back and throws for 268.
03:45He's been competent, Andy.
03:46The running game hasn't been, I think, where anybody wants it to be.
03:50We've failed to have a 100-yard rusher this season.
03:53In fact, we've failed to have a 71-yard rusher this season.
03:59You know, and then as far as receptions are concerned, 95 for Boston, 51 for Fannin, and then 89 for
04:07Boston again.
04:08And as far as leaders for the Browns, so is it emerging there?
04:15Is it getting better there?
04:15Yeah, I would say so.
04:16It's interesting to look at the numbers.
04:18Remember all the young guys, though, they have in this offense.
04:20I think we have to be a little patient with it.
04:22I really do.
04:24I mean, your top two wide receivers are rookies.
04:28Your running backs are second-year guys.
04:30Your tight end's a second-year guy.
04:32And you have two rookies starting on the offensive line.
04:35I mean, that's a lot of young guys out there playing football for you right now.
04:40And that's okay.
04:41But it's just going to take some time to continue to evolve.
04:45They've played all of four NFL games, the rookies.
04:50And the running backs haven't played a whole lot more because of injury.
04:55Dylan Sampson's not in there right now.
04:57I can't wait to get him back.
05:00Quinshawn missed so much of last year.
05:03Rocket Sanders didn't play a ton last year.
05:07And Deshawn hasn't played in two years.
05:11So it's going to take some time.
05:13But I do think for the first time in a real long time,
05:17there's some talent on the offense that is exciting, fun, and talented.
05:24I mean, talent is the right word now.
05:27Jeff, they're averaging almost 24 points a game just thanks to the 27 they got.
05:31I mean, that's 10 points better than what they did last year.
05:35That's how you win.
05:36And you don't turn the ball over.
05:37That's the other thing that they haven't.
05:39I mean, as long as you're not throwing picks, you've got a chance in every one of these games.
05:44And they don't feel pretty.
05:47Sometimes they feel completely disjointed.
05:48I thought Pittsburgh was disjointed.
05:50They probably should have won by at least 10 points against them.
05:53But the stupid penalties just keep piling up.
05:56I mean, if you could play a turnover, penalty-free game, oh, man.
06:01Imagine what that would look like.
06:03I think that would be...
06:04Those don't happen in today's NFL, Andy.
06:06Well, you're also talking about Todd Monk and saying, we can play better.
06:09We can play better.
06:10Those are the two places where I think you clearly can play better.
06:13I also think if they can get the running game going a little bit more.
06:16I don't know that they need Watson to propel the running game like he did against Carolina.
06:21And it would probably be more like Pittsburgh when he needed a big run.
06:24He came up with a big run.
06:26He's been pretty consistent on that.
06:28And it's actually been pretty fun to watch.
06:30I think Sean's played just fine.
06:32Yeah.
06:33Honestly.
06:33And he's played better than I thought he would.
06:36You know?
06:37I think he's done a real competent job.
06:40Not denigrating what he has done at all on the football field.
06:44I think he has been exactly what this team needs.
06:48And most importantly, Andy, we can look overall at his overall body of work here in these four games.
06:55He's brought the team back three times.
07:00That's quarterback play.
07:01Yeah.
07:02You know what I mean?
07:02Yeah.
07:04That's where you make your money.
07:07In the fourth quarter.
07:08Well, your team needs a touchdown drive.
07:10Your team needs to get into field goal position.
07:13Can your quarterback pull it off?
07:15And that time of the game is on your quarterback.
07:19And he's done a good job.
07:24I'm looking forward to what happens here in the next couple weeks, too.
07:27Especially because the schedule is so just odd.
07:30I mean, you're looking at four out of your next five games are on the road.
07:34Four out of your next five games are on the road.
07:37New York, and then you're home for Baltimore on October 18th.
07:41Then you are on the road for the next three weeks.
07:4425th, 1st, 8th, at Tennessee, at Pittsburgh, at New Orleans.
07:50If you survive just being on the road and picking up a couple wins.
07:53Let's just say you pick up two, right?
07:55I'd be happy with two wins in that.
07:56Especially if they're against AFC North.
08:00So that would give you, well, just Pittsburgh.
08:01I think it's the only team we'd say.
08:02So even if you can get the win against Pittsburgh and take the season series against them, man, that would
08:06be amazing.
08:07But then you catch a break.
08:09You're home for five weeks.
08:11Because the bye week is a week when you would be home.
08:14So you host Houston.
08:16Then you have a bye week.
08:17Then you host Vegas.
08:19You host Cincinnati.
08:20And then the Stefanski Bowl when Atlanta comes here on December 13th.
08:24The Stefanski Bowl.
08:34You can never turn your back on the Stefanski Bowl.
08:37Well, good luck in that one.
08:38Because he won't turn his back on you.
08:40His team is playing well.
08:42Yeah.
08:43I want to talk about him coming up here in a second.
08:45We will.
08:45I want to talk about the Falcons here in just a moment or two.
08:47I just, it's a good time to be optimistic about them.
08:51I mean, I thought at the best they were going to walk out of these first four games at two
08:57and two.
08:57At the best.
08:59And after the Jacksonville game, I didn't think they were going to win any of those games.
09:04I thought we were a clear-cut, easy favorite for the first pick in the draft after that first week.
09:10They were so bad at Jacksonville.
09:13Just so bad on September 13th.
09:15Yet, they took it to heart.
09:17They got super mad about what people were saying and how they could do against Tampa.
09:21And they came back and won.
09:22Then they came back and beat Carolina.
09:24And then what we saw on Thursday night, the Thursday night dominance against Pittsburgh continues and rolls on with a
09:3027-24 win on Thursday.
09:32Now it's the Jets.
09:34On paper, you should say Browns.
09:36But it's still the Jets.
09:37And, man, they have found some wacky ways to lose to the Jets along the process.
