00:00I'm going to say Lamar and like, I mean, it's about you want this game to be like the best
00:06version, right?
00:07Like you want these teams to be the best versions of themselves when you play them or at least close
00:12to it.
00:12I think that for this Browns team, a really good litmus test is going to be what does this look
00:18like against Lamar?
00:19And so much of this defense is going to be predicated upon how healthy they are.
00:23But for years, we've kind of talked about they've been built to specifically sort of counter what the Ravens do.
00:30And I think a lot of that has come with the linebackers.
00:32A lot of that has come on the D line.
00:34But, you know, I'm curious more than anything to see what this looks like going up against Lamar Jackson without
00:40Myles Garrett,
00:40because we know Myles was one of those rare DNs with his size could move the way he could.
00:45That made life really difficult for Lamar.
00:47But, I mean, I think there are other key pieces on this defense that they are pretty well positioned to
00:52stop him.
00:53Ashley Bastak on yesterday's show, Cleveland.com, the Orange and Brown Talk podcast,
00:58talking about the want to face Lamar at 75% rather than Tyler Huntley.
01:04And I just disagree.
01:06I'd rather the win.
01:07Yeah, I mean, Tyler Huntley's a much better go.
01:09And here's the thing.
01:10I understand what she's saying.
01:12I think there are people out there who want the, you know, the notch in their belt of,
01:18hey, that's a real win by the Browns over Lamar.
01:21And I'm not saying I wouldn't take it.
01:22But I'm just saying I'll take an easier win, or sorry, an easier path to win with Tyler Huntley.
01:30I don't really feel that I'm in the I-need-to-prove-it business with the Browns,
01:36because I think, quite frankly, after this, you have a bunch of wins you can kind of stack.
01:41Like, to me, if they're still playing, if they're still winning in December,
01:45that's the validation I need, not the specific win over Lamar in October.
01:50Yeah, I just never subscribed.
01:51I got in fights with Baskin about this.
01:53Baskin takes that old wrestling mantra of to be, what is it, to be the best?
01:58To be the man, you got to beat the man.
01:59Yeah, I just don't care.
02:00Like, it doesn't, that's not, nope, doesn't matter to me.
02:04I say, like, Guardians, for instance.
02:05Guardians, ALCS, you got past the White Sox team that I think you're better than.
02:10Does it diminish the ALCS appearance?
02:11Not in the slightest bit to myself.
02:13Like, I just, I don't, I, your, your path is your path.
02:15You can only dictate, you only control what you can control.
02:18I don't think there's any bonus points for making your life harder.
02:21So, I think, I think, like, if this was the Baker-era Browns, right, it's a little different.
02:27Like, that's a guy that you're going to, you would have to be paying a lot of money,
02:30and you're trying to validate what you've built, right?
02:34Even the early Deshaun era.
02:36Yeah, but even 75% Lamar, it still leaves room to be like, did we actually even beat
02:41the real Lamar Jackson?
02:42Well, but I just think, like, this idea of, I need this to be 100% real, it's like, well,
02:47it's real because, any win that you get this year is real because you've got a bunch of
02:52young guys who are going to be here next year.
02:54So, them learning to win, even in ugly wins, is something that you can build on long-term.
02:59But in terms of the validation of it's real with Deshaun, it's like, I just want to win
03:05as many games as possible.
03:06Like, as of right now, like, I'm not trying to rewrite the Deshaun contract, I'm not trying
03:11to validate anything about this season.
03:13If you win nine games, it's valid.
03:15However, however you win nine games, when Vegas says you're a five-and-a-half-win team,
03:20that is valid to me.
03:22In a season where I don't have to ask, well, what are you going to do in January?
03:27Because, honestly, if you get to January, that in and of itself is icing on the cake.
03:32And there's still enough good pieces in this Baltimore team that if you get the win,
03:35it's kind of what I want to go back to in the first segment.
03:38Like, Tyler Huntley should be a layup of sorts.
03:41I think in most years you'd think that.
03:42But this Ravens team has shown you the past couple weeks, Tyler Huntley is not a layup
03:46necessarily.
03:47Now, it's not as if they beat juggernauts.
03:48They beat the Titans and the Falcons, okay?
03:50So, let's get honest about it.
03:51But we're not considered a juggernaut either.
03:53So, like, I just, I think people are looking past, even if it's Tyler Huntley.
03:56There's still, it's not a, I'm not going to say it's impressive or as impressive as
03:59beating Lamar, but there's still substance to beating a Ravens team, even if it is their
04:03backup quarterback.
04:04Do you value the chance to validate the Browns' early success by beating Lamar, or are you
04:11where JP and I are, which it's just, I just want to win the damn game, and we'll talk about
04:15validity.
04:16Like, I think this is the thing.
04:18It's really hard to win over 18 weeks in the NFL.
04:22So, even if there isn't one specific game on the season you can point to and go, valid.
04:27Look how valid we are.
04:29If you go, if you're a 500 team in going into December, and then you end up on the right
04:35side of 500, meaning I think you'd have to go 4-2 from December on, that's validation.
04:41Like, if you're winning when everyone's trying to win at the end of the season, or when the
04:45best teams are trying to make the playoffs, you're good in my book.
04:49I just don't need a measuring stick side of this.
04:52I just, and I can acknowledge, I mean, I think we both agree, Ravens' toughest team on
04:57the schedule, even if you just put it out to the rest of the year.
04:59I mean, it depends what you think about the Bengals.
05:01I think the Ravens are a better team than the Bengals.
05:03There's a chance that Texans game is going to change itself in the next three or four
05:07weeks.
05:07I never bought the 0-4.
05:09I know, but they're a 1-4 team.
05:11The Ravens are going to be better than them, I would imagine.
05:14They might have a better record.
05:15I think this Texans team's about to turn around.
05:18D'Amico took over the defense.
05:19I know their offense is still just not good enough.
05:21Yeah, CJ Stroud's kind of carried them early.
05:24They don't run the ball very well.
05:25But as an offense as a whole, they have a bad offensive line.
05:27They have no run game.
05:29It's not good.
05:31I still don't, I think that it is just in the conversation.
05:35But again, we're getting kind of stalled here.
05:36But the point is, and I think this is where Ashley is trying to really kind of be like,
05:39hey guys, this is why you want to face Lamar, is because if you think this is the absolute
05:43best, which, I mean, by the way, it's not as if we're not playing Baltimore again.
05:47You'll play them in, what, the third, last game of the season?
05:51Like, Baltimore's still on the schedule.
05:53You're going to have a chance to play December game against Lamar Jackson.
05:56So if you need that at some point this season, you're still going to get that if that's your
06:01wish.
06:01Yeah, and this kind of feels like if you take care of this game on Sunday, no matter who
06:05the quarterback is, it allows you the chance to then have, not a free roll.
06:10Is it, dare I say, a BOGO?
06:11Yeah, you could.
06:12You win this game, it's a buy one, get one.
06:14I'll go ahead and say you win the Titans game too.
06:16Okay, I like that too.
06:18Well, yeah, well, I mean, you look at the Titans game, the Saints are coming after, like,
06:22if you win this game.
06:23That Saints game has a sneaky feel to it, I don't like.
06:25What don't you like about the Saints game?
06:26It's got a sneaky feel to it.
06:28What's the sneaky?
06:28Tyler Shuck can put up a lot of points.
06:30He can, but the rest of the team kind of stinks.
06:32I know, but he can and he does.
06:33He puts up a lot of points.
06:34You know how you stop that?
06:35You beat the crap out of him, which is what they have done.
06:38I mean, if they can slow down Bryce Young, who in every game that he hasn't played the
06:43Browns, he's kind of lit everybody up, I think he can slow down Tyler Shuck.
06:46I don't know why it's like an intimidating 1-4 team.
06:49Maybe it's that Week 1 Lions game.
06:51This is a team, by the way, that the Saints that did beat the Ravens in Week 2.
06:55There's something that's just a little sneaky about that Saints team for myself.
06:58I'm going to, I almost sarcastically guaranteed a win against the Saints.
07:03I'm not doing that.
07:05Not against the Saints, though.
07:06It's against the Titans.
07:08Oh, you're done with your predictions?
07:09For a minute.
07:10You're tabling, tabling, tabling predictions for a little bit?
07:13I'm going to let it breathe for a while.
07:14Okay.
07:14I'm not going to talk about preferences.
07:16I'm not going to talk about, you know, leaning heavily in any direction.
07:21Yeah.
07:21No, no, no, no.
07:22I'm just happy.
07:23I can't wait to see.
07:24I'm going to see how it plays out, Jonathan.
07:26That's, yeah, I know that.
07:27For about a month or so now.
07:28Yeah.
07:29I did wonder.
07:30I was like, oh, geez, would he take?
07:31If they end up moving game five to Sunday, is he taking game five of the ALCS?
07:37Or is he taking a Ravens win against Lamar Jackson?
07:40Get the people going.
07:41Oh, no.
07:41I'm taking that ALCS.
07:43Let's get that win, guys.
07:44That's good.
07:44That's good.
07:45Not even a doubt for me.
07:46I wouldn't know what kind of idiot would say.
07:48I mean, this is ALCS.
07:49It's not like it's the ALDS or something like that.
07:51Okay, good.
07:52All right, good.
07:52I mean, that could be the game clincher to go to the World Series.
07:56It could be.
07:57And they got a real chance to win the World Series if they're facing the Brewers.
08:01I love this.
08:01Yes, they do.
08:02You didn't even have to throw if they're facing the Brewers in there.
08:04They have a real chance even if the Dodgers claw back in.
08:07It doesn't matter.
08:08That's not influencing your decision here.
08:10Show who?
08:11Show bench.
08:15216-474-0092.
08:17I thought we were having fun, guys.
08:19We were.
08:20And then you got to tank the segment with that joke.
08:22Show bench.
08:23I mean, show who also wasn't very good.
08:25Show who was awful.
08:25It wasn't very good.
08:26I was trying to save show who.
08:28I know.
08:28I'm done saving.
08:29I'm done saving.
08:30You're done saving?
08:30I'm done saving.
08:31You were done saving on Monday there, Kimo Sabi.
08:33I'm going to let your bad jokes just sit in it, and I'm going to remember this.
08:37I'm going to remember this.
08:37I forgot.
08:38You're a.
08:39I'm a yes and guy.
08:40I'm riffing with it.
08:41I'm like, show bench is awful, but I'm going to go with it because show who was so bad.
08:45Thought we'd have a couple laughs.
08:46Yeah.
08:47A couple fun times along the way.
08:48Maybe not.
08:48Yeah.
08:49By the way.
08:49Maybe not.
08:51Yeah.
08:52Yeah.
08:52216-474-0092.
08:55Let's go with Henry in Akron.
08:57Welcome to the show.
08:58Thank you for taking my call.
09:00Thanks for having me.
09:01I don't believe Shador wants to be traded, but if somehow he managed to wiggle his way
09:06out of Cleveland, we will have a situation because I believe Deshaun Watson is not going
09:11to make the season, and now we're going to be looking at Dylan Gabriel as a quarterback.
09:16Now what?
09:17Well, if Deshaun gets injured or is hurt or anything in between, your season's essentially
09:21done in many respects anyway.
09:23I mean, that's why we both like Shador and want Shador to be around, because we think Shador
09:27could then win games and have you there.
09:30I mean, I don't know that the Browns think there's that big of a difference between Shador
09:34and Dylan right now.
09:36I could be wrong about that.
09:37I don't know.
09:38I mean, I think there's a difference.
09:39I can't get inside their heads, but if they trade Shador, then they're telling you that
09:43they don't think that there's that big of a difference.
09:47I want Shador to play, but Shador is saying, I'm not waiting around.
09:51That's what he's telling the world.
09:53I'm not waiting around for him.
09:55And I hate to say it, but I got a feeling Deshaun Watson is going to get hurt, and we
10:00going to end up with Dylan Gabriel if Shador leads.
10:04You know, Henry, I appreciate you living in your fears, because the thing that kind of
10:10got me with the Shador agent thing, and I appreciate you, buddy.
10:12The thing that got me with that is, Shador, I need you to hang on there, buddy.
10:16I need you to understand you're still going to play this year.
10:19I don't know when, but there's a high probability you're still going to play, and if you feel
10:24like, if you don't play, and then maybe this offseason, that changes things, I get it, right?
10:29Mostly because the Browns will be looking to either trade up to get their quarterback,
10:32trade for their quarterback, or they'll be in a position to get their quarterback.
10:36But I get it.
10:37But I need you to hold out through the end of 2026.
10:40So I do understand the paranoia.
10:42I just don't think he's going to get moved.
10:44I think the Browns know.
10:45Like, the value that I saw, I think it was Brandon Little, who's one of the great bloggers
10:51here in town covering the Browns.
10:52And I don't mean that in a dismissive way, Brandon.
10:54But he did something like, I think it was a seventh rounder in Shador to Baltimore for
11:01a sixth and seventh rounder.
11:03And I'm like, six, seven.
11:04That does nothing for me.
11:05I'm not trading Shador right now for that, even if in the summer, or sorry, next year
11:10you do it out of just kind of kindness to Shador, because he won't be in your plans.
11:14And we've said this before, but it's true, and it bears repeating.
11:17You have to have insurance for Deshaun Watson.
11:19He's an injured quarterback.
11:21And it's his time with the Browns.
11:22He's an injured quarterback.
11:23So you have to have a break glass in case of emergency plan.
11:26But again, if they trade Shador, then they're break glass in case of emergency.
11:30They're telling you they think that Dylan Gabriel can be just as good, if not more effective
11:35than Shador Sanders.
11:36That's why they'd make the trade.
11:37I just disagree with that.
11:38You disagree with that.
