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Antwan Staley details Browns' advantages over Jets, Deshaun Watson's impressive start and young talent
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00:00And we bring in Antoine Staley. He is the Jets beat reporter and columnist for New York Daily News.
00:07And like myself, he is a Yankee hater. I am happy that the Yankees is out of the playoffs.
00:13I am excited about my Cleveland Guardians opportunity to get to the next round and then knock off the Tampa
00:20Bay Rays, who knocked off the Yankees.
00:22Antoine, good morning, brother. How you feel?
00:24I'm good. America wins every time the Yankees lose. I'm all about it.
00:30So now we just need the Dodgers to get eliminated and I'll be good.
00:34Yeah, we'll be good. But listen, man, before we get into this Browns Jets game, you know, you joined Spencer
00:40and I in April before the draft.
00:42And one of the players I wanted to talk about was Cleveland native, Ohio State dog, Arville Reese.
00:48Not that David Bailey isn't balling because he is.
00:51I remember us having a conversation about their decision, you know, feeling like Bailey was the better player.
00:58What's the temperature around that inside the organization and then around a fan base?
01:02Do they regret not taking Arville Reese number two?
01:06The organization does not. The organization feels comfortable with David Bailey.
01:10They feel like he's been, you know, doing a good job.
01:12I mean, he has two sets. I mean, I think a lot of the Jets fan base see what Arville
01:18Reese is doing.
01:18Let's see what a guy like Jacob Rodriguez is doing in Miami, although they are 0-4, but he's been
01:23tremendous.
01:24And they just kind of, you know, have like, you know, buyers regret, like, you know, regret a little bit.
01:29But the organization is fine. Like they love Bailey Bailey. They think he's doing a good job.
01:34They wish they were probably getting more pressure on the quarterback right now because that's part of one of their
01:38issues.
01:38But, you know, I think Bailey is leading, you know, as far as rookies and pressures and one of the
01:44league leaders in that category.
01:45So, yeah, I think all in all, he's doing a good job. I just think people want, you know, these
01:50guys to come out instantly ready-made as players.
01:53And that's not always the case. I mean, Myles Garrett with Cleveland, like he had seven sacks his first year.
01:57I think TJ Watt, the same, similar type thing. So people just have to be patient.
02:02And I think David Bailey is going to have a good year when it's all said and done, probably like
02:05eight sacks or so, which I think is a good number for a rookie.
02:09Antoine, coming into the season, I don't think anybody had Browns and Jets week five circled on their calendar for
02:16a good quarterback matchup.
02:18But Geno Smith is playing good quarterback for you guys right now.
02:22He at least hasn't thrown an interception compared to five touchdowns.
02:25Deshaun Watson's led the Browns to three game-winning drives.
02:29Right now, who are you putting more stock into, Geno and what he's doing this year for the Jets or
02:35Deshaun and what he's been able to do in these last three wins for the Browns?
02:39I've been impressed with Deshaun Watson. I mean, all things aside and everything, y'all know better than I do
02:45the temperature that's been there in regards to him for a variety of different reasons.
02:49But, you know, he's been playing well. And I think, you know, a lot of those jump, like a lot
02:53of those draft picks that they, you know, selected, you know, in the last couple of years are really hitting
02:57on and, you know, contributing early.
03:00Even, you know, the guys from this year, Concepcion, Boston are really helping out, too, as well.
03:04I think their offensive lives, things like he's at least in the Steelers game, played decently.
03:09So, yeah, I think Deshaun Watson has a bit of an edge.
03:12I think Geno, like all things considered outside of last weekend, which is disaster on a lot of different levels.
03:17I think he's been solid, you know, hasn't necessarily, you know, taken a lot of chances.
03:21I mean, it's been a lot of talk about his interception rate coming into this year, and he hates hearing
03:26it.
03:26But, you know, the fact of the matter is he turned the ball over at an alarming rate.
03:29But, you know, I also feel like now he's trying to take care of the football a little bit more,
03:34something he didn't do in Vegas and also his last year in Seattle.
03:38But, you know, he's not necessarily taking those chances like I think a lot of people thought he would.
03:42And, you know, I think some of that has come to the coaching staff, but also I think Geno just
03:46wants to, you know, let the game come to him.
03:49But also, you know, don't do anything to jeopardize, you know, the Jets' offense, too, at the same time.
03:53Now, you are what your record say you are, but you also have to sit down and watch football with
03:58your eyes.
03:59And what I've seen outside of that game last week against the Chicago Bears, again, from afar, is a New
04:05York Jets team that I think is scrappier than what people thought, more talented than what people thought,
04:11but a team also that's responding to Aaron Glenn much better than what people anticipated.
04:17Talk about this young Jets team and what has you excited about their future.
04:23I mean, I don't know if I'm excited about this thing.
04:27I need to see what it looks like at the quarterback position before I exactly say that.
04:31But what I will say is they do have some young players that, you know, we talked about David Bailey,
04:36Omar Cooper Jr.,
04:37who they really like, had a really big play in Tennessee.
04:39He's been hurt.
04:41The Jets have had a lot of injuries.
04:42And, you know, I think they're trying to overcome that.
04:45D'Angelo Pond, somebody they also really like.
04:47Like, he came back from an injury, basically missed all the training camp and early games this season,
04:53still trying to acclimate himself in the lineup.
04:55I will tell you what, King and Sadiq is somebody that I think should have Jets fans excited.
05:00You know, tremendous guy as far as tight end position, athletic, can block, can do a lot of different things
05:06there.
05:07I'm just concerned the fact that they're just not using him to his school capability,
05:10especially when you have a guy like Garrett Wilson on the other side,
05:13who's going to command so much attention, especially in a game tomorrow where, you know,
05:17I'm sure Denzel Ward is going to try to, you know, be on Garrett Wilson as much as possible.
05:21You need a guy like King and Sadiq to really step up.
05:23But the Jets didn't go to the ball.
05:25I mean, they threw him the ball last week, but he didn't have a catch at all.
05:28But he's going to have to play more like how he did against Detroit,
05:31where he ended up having seven catches for 105, as opposed to last week we had zero on four targets.
05:37How big is the absence of Brees Hall going to be for the Jets, Antoine?
05:42I mean, they need to find a way to run the football better anyway, with Brees Hall out there or
05:48not.
05:48Like, they really wasn't doing a good job when he was in the lineup anyway.
05:51I mean, the Packers did a good job to stop him.
05:54The Lions did a good job.
05:55I think, you know, a lot of people are putting seven or eight men in the box to try to
05:58contain him.
06:01Braylon Allen did a decent job last week, but they just didn't have enough possessions.
06:05I mean, the Bears had more first downs than the Jets offense had possessions.
06:09So, yeah, it did because I think now with all the injuries that they had at the wide receiver core,
06:14you know, not only is Brees Hall a dynamic runner, but he's also a good safety valve for Geno Smith
06:18out of the backfield.
06:19So that hurts, too.
06:20And now, yeah, you have Braylon Allen in there who can carry some of that load,
06:24but he's not nearly as good of a pass catcher as Brees Hall is,
06:28which I think he might be the second-best receiver on their team, to be quite honest with you.
06:32But without him, you know, a lot more attention gets put on Garrett Wilson,
06:35so it's going to be a lot of pressure on him, especially considering how well Cleveland is playing coming into
06:41this game.
06:41So when you talk about that and you look at both of these rosters, in your opinion,
06:45what's the single biggest matchup advantage for the Jets?
06:49And then what's the biggest mismatch that concerns you against the Browns?
06:54I mean, the biggest advantage, I would say, well, I think I would have at least came into this game
06:59outside of last week.
07:01I would have said maybe the offensive line, but they're not necessarily performing the way that they're supposed to either.
07:06So I don't know.
07:08I don't know if the Jets have one singular matchup that they have an advantage over Cleveland,
07:13and to be quite honest with you, maybe, you know, not even Garrett Wilson over Denzel Ward,
07:17because I think that really kind of cancels each other out, both are really tremendous players.
07:21Maybe the tight end position with Sadiq, when you've got a guy like Quincy Williams,
07:25who he is going to be motivated, especially considering he's a former Jet
07:29and everything that kind of happened with his departure last year.
07:32But I think that's an opportunity for the Jets to maybe take advantage of,
07:36throw some passes over the middle, you know, get Sadiq involved there.
07:39And then you look at a matchup where I would be concerned about, you know, with the Jets,
07:43is the lack of pass rush, because they've just not been able to get home recently.
07:47And now, you know, you might have Whit McDonough out of the lineup, too.
07:50He ended up popping up on the injury report yesterday.
07:53So without him, it's even going to put more pressure on David Bailey and that defensive line.
07:58And they were having problems getting home before.
08:00And now without a guy like Whit McDonough, who's an established veteran,
08:03they could have even more issues on Sunday.
08:06Ed's one, where are you at with Aaron Glenn?
08:10I've got a headline pulled up right now that reads,
08:13that reads Jets record with Aaron Glenn as second worst in franchise history after 21 games.
08:19You had Todd Munkin this week on our side of things kind of coming out and saying,
08:24you know, he's an Aaron Glenn fan, and he brings that Detroit mindset,
08:28and these guys really fight for him.
08:30But at the same time, the Jets are a work in progress.
08:33And it feels like that's just something that's accepted around the National Football League.
08:37Where are you at with Glenn's future in New York?
08:41And 4-17, we've played that game a lot here in Cleveland, man.
08:44When you get these coaches that just have multiple losing seasons, it's so tough.
08:49I mean, yeah, they like Glenn because they're able to beat him.
08:52I mean, that's the main reason why you really like Aaron Glenn.
08:55But, you know, all things aside, the heat is the temperature is up.
08:58Anytime you're mentioned with Rich Cotite and the Jets, that's a bad thing.
09:02Because he's considered around here the worst coach of all time in franchise history,
09:07or at least one of them.
09:08So I know Lou Holtz is kind of thrown in there, too, as well.
09:11But at least Lou Holtz had a little bit of an established college career, too, as well.
09:15But, yeah, to be mentioned with Rich Cotite, which Aaron Glenn played on those teams,
09:19quintessentially enough, he understands the temperature is being raised, too.
09:24Ultimately, it's a results-based business.
09:26Yeah, you can talk about how much they've improved, which they have.
09:28I mean, it was a very low bar last year.
09:30The Jets and the Raiders were one of the worst teams in football.
09:32But if you look at Pete Cleveland, look at the Raiders right now.
09:36They're both 3-1.
09:37And I think a lot of Jet fans are saying, why can't that beat us?
09:40Why can't we beat a surprise team in the league?
09:42Instead, you know, they're still considered one of the worst teams in football.
09:46You know, they might be scrappy.
09:47They might be in just about every game that they've played in so far.
09:50But the fact of the matter is, like, Aaron Glenn has to win.
09:53And he knows that.
09:54The fan base knows that.
09:55And if they end up winning three or four games again,
09:58I have a hard time believing that they're going to bring them back.
10:00Except because, do you want him picking your quarterback?
10:03You know, you have three first-round picks next year.
10:05I don't know if you want a guy like Aaron Glenn, who is not going to a consistent level,
10:10being the guy making that decision, to be honest with you.
10:12So, yeah, they're going to have to find a way to reel out some wins there.
10:16I think tomorrow is a must-win game for the Jets.
10:18Because you've got to go to Foxboro and play New England.
10:21And, yeah, they've been uneven.
10:22But that's been a house of horrors for the Jets.
10:24And they could really be staring at a 1-5 start of the season,
10:27come back home to play Miami in a couple weeks.
10:29So, looking at Cleveland from the outside, right?
10:32The Browns are 3-1.
10:33We've won three straight.
10:35In your opinion, how legit do you believe this team is?
10:38And what's your perception of Todd Monk in his first year?
10:42And if you've been around the league, what's the perception of Todd around the league?
10:46Well, the Jets, I mean, he interviewed for the Jets' job.
10:49So, he's thought highly in the building, too, as well.
10:51I've always been a fan of his, when you talk about his time in Tampa
10:55and, obviously, you know, University of Georgia, too, as well.
10:58So, yeah, I always liked Todd Monk.
10:59And they really think highly of him.
11:02And, you know, my perception of the Browns are, basically,
11:05I think they're one of the, you know, up-and-coming teams there.
11:08I mean, I think they have a lot of good young talent that they really hit on.
11:11And, you know, it's playing a lot.
11:13You know, they're playing a lot better than I think a lot of people imagined early on.
11:16So, I'm not going to sit here and say the Browns are a playoff team.
11:20I mean, it's still a lot to be determined.
11:21But, you know, it wouldn't surprise me if they end up winning
11:24anywhere from eight to nine games this year and being in that divisional race.
11:28Like, it's definitely going to be interesting
11:29because it seems like Pittsburgh is really falling apart.
11:32Like, I don't know.
11:33You know, this might be the worst stilling team I've seen in a very, very long time,
11:36maybe in my, you know, entire lifetime.
11:38And, you know, I think Cleveland will have an opportunity to take advantage of that.
11:42Baltimore is going to be without Lamar Jackson maybe for a few weeks.
11:45You know, the Bengals have been up and down, too, as well.
11:48So, I think Cleveland has an opportunity to show that they can be contenders
11:52and, you know, possibly win this division.
11:54Antoine, you mentioned the three first-round picks the Jets have in the 2027 NFL draft.
12:00The Browns have two first-round picks because of that Miles Garrett trade
12:03with the Los Angeles Rams.
12:05A lot of Browns fans came into this season kind of thinking that this was going to be
12:09a race to the bottom with the Jets and the Dolphins
12:12and some of the other quarterback needy teams around the league.
12:16Do you think that the Browns have a better chance of making the playoffs
12:20or do you think that their reality is probably ends up being closer to
12:25by the time we get around to week 18 competing with you guys
12:29to try to draft the QB of the future?
12:31No, I think the Browns are definitely the better chance.
12:34I think they're going to have more wins at this point.
12:36Like, I'm sitting there looking at the schedule with the Jets
12:39and, you know, especially if they lose Sunday, like,
12:41I'm just trying to figure out where the wins may come from.
12:43They still got to play New England twice.
12:45They still got to play Buffalo twice.
12:46They got Kansas City and Denver.
12:48So, you're just doing the math.
12:50Like, you know, if they lose Sunday, then that's four losses,
12:53and then they still have six games against those teams.
12:55So, that's probably ten losses.
12:57So, yeah, I don't know if the Browns are going to lose that many games this year.
13:01I still think they're a team that's going to maybe hover around the 500 mark
13:04because you can't finish 500 now with, you know, 17 games, which I hate,
13:08but that's another story.
13:09But, you know, I think they're going to, you know,
13:11be competitive throughout the course of the season.
13:13And, you know, the Jets, like, it's really a gut check for the players.
13:16Like, how much do they really buy?
13:18They say all the right things that they're buying into Aaron Glenn.
13:20Let's see it because you're going to have to prove it out there on the field.
13:23If you want Aaron Glenn to return next year
13:25and to be part of this organization moving forward,
13:27they understand their mission.
13:29And the mission is to get wins and, you know, get them at a quick rate
13:33because otherwise then the Jets are probably going to be looking at 3-14
13:36like they were last year.
13:37And I'm probably going to be covering another coaching change.
13:42So, we have in Cleveland been monitoring and tracking the weather for the game on Sunday.
13:48I'm pretty sure you all are doing the same thing in New York.
13:52If you can give our audience some type of update about when the weather might hit,
13:56do we have any window during this game of no weather at all?
14:00And if weather comes about, I think people have a vision in their head
14:04that there's going to be some type of monsoon, wind everywhere,
14:07basically unplayable conditions.
14:09Give us some insight if you can.
14:11Well, basically, well, first of all, let me just preface it by saying
14:14the Jets have not played in a, you know, weather, a rainless game
14:19at MetLife Stadium in over 300 days.
14:21It's almost been a full year since the last time they did so.
14:24So, every, it's been like just about every home game for the Jets, it rains.
14:28So, this is pretty much par for the course.
14:31But as far as the, I'll play weatherman for the minute, for the moment.
14:35It's supposed to start about noon tomorrow
14:36and then supposed to last the entire day.
14:38So, it's not going to seem like it's going to let up.
14:41It's going to be, I wouldn't say a monsoon,
14:44but it seems like it's going to be a lot of rain headed that way.
14:46So, I expect the running games to be a bit fatter in this game.
14:49And the winds could be a bit of an issue, too, as well.
14:51So, yeah, especially the Browns and the Jets
14:53to both try to, you know, move the ball with the ground game.
14:56And kicking can be a problem, too.
14:58So, and Jason Sanders, you know, he and his first year with the Jets,
15:02they've had a decent season, too, as well.
15:03But still some questions with him, especially coming off a hip injury.
15:07So, it'll be interesting to see what the kicking games look like
15:09for both of these teams and also the ground game.
15:11Well, Antoine, we good over here.
15:13Andre Schmidt ain't missed a kick in I don't know how long.
15:15So, we straight this way.
15:1622 straight attempts.
15:18I feel good this way.
15:19Go ahead, dig it.
15:21Yeah, I think y'all in good shape with both the ground game
15:24and also the field goal as well.
15:26So, y'all are good.
15:28Antoine, when I look at some of the specific players
15:32and matchups in this game,
15:34I hear a lot about Quincy Williams talking about this week.
15:38If New York City is Gotham City,
15:40he's looking forward to playing the role of Joker in this game,
15:44playing against his former team.
15:46What do you make hearing those comments from the former Jets linebacker?
15:50Do you feel like that he's a player that New York misses?
15:53How are they faring in life without Quincy Williams?
15:56Well, I mean, I think he'd be helpful on this defense, to be honest with you.
16:03Jamin Sherwood has not played well, to be quite honest with you.
16:07Demario Davis has.
16:08So, to have a guy like Quincy Williams there who's flying around,
16:12and I actually tweeted out during the Steelers-Browns game,
16:15I was like, you know who the Jets can use?
16:16Quincy Williams right now.
16:18So, yeah, he's been inconsistent in pass coverage and time.
16:21I know a lot of people, especially a lot of Jet fans,
16:23pull up that clip of him in Jacksonville.
16:26But, you know, I think he's a guy that loves to fly around,
16:28really impactful player at the running game,
16:30and especially run defense.
16:32And, you know, the Jets have had some issues there,
16:35especially the last couple of weeks stopping the run,
16:37whether it be against Amir Gibbs or the Bears last week in general,
16:41rushing for over 200 yards.
16:42So, yeah, I think they kind of missed Quincy Williams.
16:45But we knew last year, once he got benched midway through the season,
16:49that he wasn't going to come back.
16:51Like, I actually thought he was going to get released or traded,
16:53to be quite honest with you,
16:54because it seemed like him and Glenn were not necessarily on the same page.
16:57And I think that kind of led to, you know, his departure.
17:00So, Quincy is coming back with a chip on his shoulder.
17:03Got it.
17:03Oh, yeah.
17:04I mean, he's a guy that always had a chip on his shoulder.
17:06I mean, just undrafted guy, you know, his story, yeah,
17:10he's always had a chip on his shoulder.
17:11So, yeah, he's going to let them prove a point
17:12and further put the Jets in a bigger hole than what they already are.
17:17All right, Anton, I'll get you out of here on this.
17:18Just give me a score prediction how this game turns out and why.
17:23I'm going with the Browns.
17:24Like, you know, I'm not trusting the Jets at all.
17:27Like, I think, you know, I think it's going to be a close game.
17:29I do, you know, especially with the weather being the way that it is.
17:32But, you know, I just think Cleveland is the better team right now.
17:34I think they have the better quarterback.
17:35I think they have the better young players.
17:37But, yeah, I expect it to be 20-17 Browns.
17:40You know, they're going to win them a field goal at the end.
17:42As you alluded to, you have a really good kicker.
17:44So, yeah, I like the Browns slightly in this one.
17:47And I think the Jets are headed to a 1-4 start heading to New England next weekend.
17:51Antoine, man, it's always great when we can touch bases and talk some football, man.
17:55Thanks for making time on this busy Saturday morning.
17:58And I look forward to talking to you again in the near future.
18:01All right, sounds good.
18:01Thank you all.
18:02All right, no problem.
18:03That's Antoine Staley, New York Jets beat writer by way of New York Daily News.
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