00:00And it's Coach Riz. Coach, man, I got to ask you the most important question of the day.
00:04As you do your film breakdown on ice cream parlors, is it okay for me to go get ice cream
00:10alone?
00:12Oh, absolutely. I mean, that's all about, I mean, I have no, you can call me whatever you want.
00:16I will gladly make the trip to go get ice cream. I have before. I'll put that out there as
00:21well.
00:22So I, at the scouting report tells me that is a hundred percent go every single time.
00:29Coach, as we look at Browns Jets, I feel like nobody had this circled as a sneaky good quarterback matchup
00:39going into this game.
00:41Geno Smith hasn't thrown an interception. Deshaun Watson is right in this three straight game winning drive hot streak.
00:49What's your overall assessment of the quarterback position as it pertains to Browns Jets tomorrow?
00:55Well, we know, you know, Deshaun Watson has played, I think, very, very well.
00:59I think he's playing winning football. He's got some, you know, obviously has some things he has to clean up.
01:03I've always been a Geno Smith fan. Now, both of these guys for me are playing, you know,
01:07I always describe a quarterback, a guy you can win with and because of.
01:11And if you're going to be a guy who's top of that win with, which I think Geno Smith is,
01:15Deshaun Watson can be a part of that this year where guys you can win with, but you got to
01:18have pieces around him.
01:19And him not having Brees Hall and Adonis Mitchell losing his left guard, Parham, who I think is a really
01:26good left guard.
01:27I'm not sure if he has the pieces around him to be, you know, dominant as he can be,
01:31because part of what he does really well is he manufactures. He's that ultimate point guard.
01:36I've always been a Geno Smith fan. I think he's underrated, but he's got to have the pieces around him.
01:40He's not a guy who's necessarily going to make everyone around him better.
01:43But you got to win on first down and you got to pressure him or he can beat you for
01:47sure.
01:48Coach, just looking at this game, or not just this game, before I get to the game,
01:52big picture Cleveland Browns, when you turn on a film and you got ready to do your scouting report for
01:58this week,
01:59what is the biggest thing that jumps out at you as being the biggest improvement from week one
02:04to where we are now with this Browns team?
02:07Well, obviously the rookies have been outstanding and they continue to get better.
02:10But I would say first and foremost, defensively, is the physicality, right?
02:14The idea of they're tackling fairly well and they're physical.
02:17So if you go away from that first drive, the first big drive from the Steelers, 17 plays, almost 10
02:22minutes.
02:23From that point on, the Browns defense was more physical than Pittsburgh, and that hasn't happened in a while.
02:28Now, offensively, I'm going to use the run game as an example.
02:31They haven't had a ton of success running the ball directly at teams,
02:35but they scored on a power read, which gives you two run plays with one.
02:38They've thrown little bubble screens, little jailbreak screens to both Casey Concepcion.
02:43They got Judkins out of the backfield.
02:45Those can be considered extended runs.
02:47So the idea that you're making in-game adjustments to get your guys' touches on offense,
02:51and then just the pure physicality defensively.
02:54These guys are playing at a high level.
02:56They believe, you know, all of us watch practice, and when you watch them, this is how they practice.
03:01A lot of 11-on-11 competitive sessions.
03:04And this is a physical football team who thinks they can win, and that's, you know,
03:08more than anything physically or schematically, is they believe they can win,
03:12and when you believe that, you practice better, you lift weights, you take care of your body,
03:15you sleep better.
03:16All those things are important.
03:18You can see that's working for the Browns right now.
03:20On the other side of this thing, Coach, with no Brees Hall,
03:24on a Jets team that has struggled to run the football with Brees Hall,
03:29how difficult is that going to make life on New York?
03:33Even though the Browns won't have Mason Graham or Mike Hall Jr. for this game,
03:38who do you think has the advantage in the trenches here?
03:42Well, you know, here's what happens.
03:44So the best way to run the ball for, let's say, the Browns run game or the Jets run game,
03:48is you've got to eliminate, you've got to take resources away from the box.
03:51And, you know, with the Browns, you know, with only having Garrett Wilson,
03:55I see the Browns locking up Denzel Ward on, you know, Garrett Wilson.
04:00I also think this is going to be, even though he had a couple big plays last week,
04:03I think Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has a big day against Kenyon Sadiq.
04:07That'll be a really good battle.
04:08So, I mean, big day.
04:09I think they're going to battle and get each other a couple times.
04:12But by doing that, you can crowd the line of scrimmage.
04:16And there's two ways to stop the run.
04:17You either have a healthy defensive front, which they've had,
04:19or you've got to add some resources.
04:22And the only way you can add resources is if you trust your guys and man coverage.
04:26So I think really what the Browns have to do is they have to win on first down
04:29because at second, third, and long,
04:31I just don't think Geno Smith has the horses around him,
04:34kind of like the Browns do right now.
04:36These guys around him are making plays for Deshaun Watson.
04:38I don't think he has those guys right now with the loss of Mitchell,
04:42the left guard out, and especially Brees Hall,
04:44because Brees Hall is a three-down back who does a tremendous job of pass protection.
04:49Obviously, he runs the ball, but he's a good route runner.
04:52He goes into that Bucky Irvin where he's just at the focal point of their offense.
04:56So losing him is huge.
04:58You know, I see the Browns putting eight in the box,
05:01saying I don't think Wilson can beat Ward.
05:03I don't think Kenyon Sadiq can handle Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
05:07We'll give him a little safety help over top if needed,
05:09and they crowd the line of scrimmage.
05:11I think it puts the Jets in a problem
05:14because they're going to lose first down most of the day.
05:16Now, Coach, we know that the weather should play a major factor.
05:20So, of course, the easiest thing is to just turn around and run the football.
05:24But if we were to happen to get a window to where weather didn't have an impact,
05:28maybe for a quarter or two,
05:30what is the next step in the, you know,
05:33ever-evolving process between Deshaun Watson and Todd Monken?
05:38What's the next step there,
05:40and how do you anticipate him playing this Sunday against the Jets?
05:43Well, I think he's going to play really, really well
05:45because they're putting him in great situations.
05:47And as I said, when he was playing poor,
05:49you know, when he didn't play really well against the Jags,
05:51he played poorly, so did his teammates.
05:54And part of him playing really, really well are his teammates.
05:56So it's never, it's always, as a quarterback,
05:59you always get too much blame, too much credit.
06:01And this season's kind of been an example of that.
06:04Week one, he was terrible, had to be out.
06:06Teammates were terrible.
06:08They were combined.
06:09Same thing when everybody's saying how great he's playing.
06:11And, yeah, he has done some great things.
06:13But part of that's his teammates.
06:14And I think Monken has put him in a great spot of getting rhythm.
06:17And one of the questions I'm always asked, is this sustainable?
06:20And I always tell people, yeah, winning football is always sustainable.
06:23So if they give you short checkdowns, if they give you bubble screens,
06:26if they give you those short things, you take them.
06:28And then over the last couple weeks, we've seen them stretch it a little bit.
06:31Even though they haven't completed everything,
06:33that idea that they'll stretch everything.
06:35Now, when you have rain, there's a couple things we always talk about in the rain.
06:38Throwing on first down becomes a little bit more important
06:40because the footballs will be a little bit drier.
06:42Early in the game, the footballs will be a little bit drier
06:44than they will later in the game.
06:45I'm not exactly sure how many footballs they use,
06:47but I know keeping that ball covered as long as possible,
06:50those are real things that they've got to worry about.
06:53But once again, I think the short passing game,
06:56it will be very, very important.
06:58But I think the Browns this week, with these edges, McDonald,
07:01Igimbari being out, when you have McDonald and Bailey,
07:03these guys like to pass for us.
07:04They don't like to play the run.
07:06Browns got to get that edge run game going a little bit,
07:08to kind of insert their physicality,
07:10which I think this is the week they can do it
07:12if they press those edges a little bit.
07:15Coach, over on Cleveland.com,
07:17you just put up a great breakdown on Jared Verse.
07:22And there's still a lot of fans that are upset over the fact that Verse
07:27just hasn't had that huge splash impact yet.
07:31He doesn't have that big sack and a big moment for the Browns yet.
07:35Obviously, he is still doing a lot of the things with the pressure,
07:39which is what we heard so much about when he came over here from Los Angeles.
07:42What are you seeing, though, out of Jared Verse specifically,
07:46and the impact that he's making for the Browns in these games?
07:50Well, everybody sees it differently.
07:51And the end result, it's just like a quarterback.
07:53There's a lot more that goes into playing quarterbacks than completions.
07:55Obviously, that's the thing that measures you,
07:57so you have to do that well.
07:58It's the same with sacks.
07:59For me, sacks are the most overrated stat in football.
08:02And here's why.
08:03Pressure is what quarterbacks struggle with.
08:06A and B gap pressure, making them step up,
08:08making them get off their spot,
08:10making them get through their progressions faster than they want.
08:13So just kind of being a pain in the butt.
08:15So the first thing that Jared Verse does is,
08:17first and foremost, his leadership cannot be understated,
08:19and his physicality cannot be understated.
08:22You have to account for him every play
08:24because he plays the same way every single rep
08:27of every single practice of every single day.
08:29So you have to prepare for that.
08:30The other thing he's doing pretty well
08:32is he's playing the run pretty well inside.
08:33So that physicality.
08:35Now, week one, he didn't set the edge very well.
08:37Last two weeks, he's played very well.
08:38And for him, he's a part of a group
08:40that's trying to win on first down
08:41so they can earn the right to rush on second, third, down, and long.
08:45So he's got great leadership.
08:46He's playing with great physicality.
08:48He's playing the run pretty solid.
08:49And then what he does as good as anybody in the NFL
08:52is he pushes the pocket.
08:53So what do I like him to work on?
08:55I'd like him to work on half the man, right?
08:57Get in that edge like we used to see Miles do.
08:59That's not really his strength yet.
09:01But if he keeps pushing the pocket
09:02and getting that guy off the spot,
09:04that is just as impactful.
09:06And then obviously just continue to work
09:08to finishing those sacks.
09:09But if you're getting great pressure
09:11or you're coming off the edge
09:12and you're taking the C-gap
09:13and opening up a guy around the edge
09:15because you're doing a job
09:16or you're opening up a tackle on a tackle and stunt,
09:20he's a team player.
09:21He's a really good player
09:23on a really good defensive line.
09:25Is he generational?
09:26Probably not.
09:27But there's a big gap
09:28between being all pro
09:29and outstanding and generational.
09:31In fact, I think that gap
09:32is bigger than being a non-starter to a starter.
09:35Those generational guys,
09:36that generational term is used too much.
09:38Jared Vers is a really good football player
09:41on a really good defensive line
09:42and he does his part.
09:44He's just not going to have 23 sacks.
09:46But that's okay
09:46because as a unit,
09:48they may have more.
09:49You might play the run better.
09:51And the bottom line is
09:52it comes down to winning games.
09:53Browns are winning games right now
09:54and he's part of it.
09:56You know, Coach,
09:57when you look at this team,
09:59they've said all the right things this week
10:02when they was asked about this being a trap game.
10:04You hear about Todd Monk
10:06talking about Browns not hurting Browns.
10:08And there's so much left there in this tank.
10:12This is a game nationally,
10:14you know, we're underdogs.
10:16But locally,
10:17we feel pretty damn good about our football team
10:19that we can come away victorious.
10:22If the Browns were to win this game
10:23and not really have that let down,
10:26talk about the significance of that
10:29and changing, you know,
10:30the same old Browns mentality here in Cleveland.
10:34Well, I think it comes down to,
10:35if you give me an example,
10:36week one when, you know,
10:38there's always,
10:39football is the number one thing in the world
10:41when it causes impulsive reactions by everybody,
10:44coaches, fans, players.
10:45It's just an emotional game.
10:46So everybody's really impulsive.
10:48And that's what makes being a head coach
10:49sometimes really hard
10:50is you got to stay at the course
10:51and you got to stay level-headed.
10:52So after week one,
10:54I said, you fix it, you flush it.
10:56Everybody's down,
10:57but you got to be the one
10:58that goes back to practice.
10:59You have to be the one,
11:00the attention to detail,
11:01the enthusiasm,
11:02making sure you're scouting reports,
11:04doing all those things that you have to do.
11:06After a loss.
11:07Now you have to do those same things after a win
11:09because now everybody's telling you how great you are.
11:11Everybody,
11:11you go from a coach who's not,
11:13who's going to be a one and done.
11:14It won't make it to the dome
11:15to now you're going to be the coach of the year
11:17after 12 quarters.
11:18You still have to flush that as well.
11:20You kind of got to go back to work.
11:22And when you think about a trap game,
11:23a trap game to me is where
11:24you think you're better than anybody else.
11:27Munkin doesn't feel that way.
11:28When you watch them practice,
11:29for me,
11:30I get the sense that
11:31regardless of what's going to happen,
11:32they're going to have the same attention to detail
11:35in their scouting reports,
11:36how they run practice,
11:37their inside run,
11:38their blitz pickup,
11:39their hot,
11:40everything they do to get ready for a game.
11:42That's going to be the same.
11:43That's what culture is.
11:44That's what a winning organization is.
11:45So sometimes you don't win every game,
11:47but the reason I always say,
11:48want to know it's because that,
11:49that drives your practice plans.
11:52That drives how,
11:53how,
11:54you know,
11:54are you prepared when you get trapped in a game?
11:56It's because you're not prepared.
11:57Like you normally are.
11:58The Browns are,
11:59the Browns are a better roster right now.
12:01There's injuries,
12:02key injuries for the jets.
12:03I totally expect them to go out and win this game and not win it
12:06comfortably because the NFL,
12:08but they should be in control of this game because they're better.
12:10And if you practice that way every single time,
12:13since Munkin's been here,
12:14which he has,
12:15that's when you don't fall for the trap games.
12:16Cause the Browns don't think they're better than anybody else.
12:18They don't have the right to do that yet.
12:20Be hungry because everybody's still waiting for you to fail.
12:23Just don't let it happen.
12:24Hey,
12:25this is a perfect time to tell everybody,
12:27up right now to gear for game day with the fan,
12:29but like tailgate show Sunday morning at 7 a.m.
12:32with Jake Volnick and Nick Padone.
12:34Coach Riz is going to join the program at 10 a.m.
12:37Then teams up with Jonathan Peterlin at 11 a.m.
12:40to break down the latest right up until kickoff.
12:42Plus you'll get live updates throughout the morning from Daryl Ryder.
12:46The fan,
12:46but like tailgate show is brought to you by the Valley automotive group,
12:50smiley one heating and cooling plumbing and Bryant doing it,
12:53whatever it takes.
12:54Make sure you're tuned in a 92,
12:56three to fan.
12:56Again,
12:57the radio home of the Cleveland Browns coach.
12:59As always,
13:00man,
13:00we thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you soon.
13:04Absolutely guys.
13:04Have a great day.
13:05Great show.
13:06And we'll,
13:06we'll talk soon.
