00:00with one of our absolute favorites to do it do not miss Fanta in 60 every single Monday
00:06on NBC Sports platforms two weeks ago he had Todd Munkin uh the man talks a fair amount of
00:13uh Browns football there Gardo's when they were in the World Series and of course
00:17leaving voicemails as well NBC Sports San Ignatius Cleveland's own one of the best
00:21our guy John Fanta on the wise heart right we make it right call Kyle Wright hotline what's up John
00:28good evening gentlemen great to be with you happy Tuesday happy Tuesday uh we have continued to
00:35carry over for victory Monday into victory Tuesday uh where are you now that the Browns are five and
00:41two where are you placing credit for this start well um I'm gonna start by saying this
00:48um I was dead wrong and um I'm proud to be wrong I had a couple people uh in my
00:54mentions on Sunday
00:56and uh I'm so happy about this football team I mean that's where I'm at you know when I when
01:02we
01:03were talking in the in the preseason and uh I said the things that I said about you know I
01:08feared
01:09that Todd Munkin was in a situation where he he could end up being the scapegoat because of where
01:16the Browns are at picks wise in the draft and where they could be looking at a quarterback you know
01:23I
01:23thought would they do what a lot of other organizations have done over the years and just
01:27you know have this be a a one-year situation uh and and hit reset on everything uh because I
01:35wasn't
01:35sure I wasn't sure how many jobs Todd Munkin would have gotten in the National Football League
01:41and um wow man wow I mean the luck that we have here and how many times have we said
01:48that as Browns
01:49fans guys not many not many times have we said the Browns got fortunate and look we're seven games in
01:55but I don't know how you couldn't be impressed this guy his game management the way his team adapts
02:02for me I don't know how you both felt um I'd be curious to know a little bit but like
02:0814 nothing
02:09you go down and you're sitting there watching the game and you're thinking oh god this is not going to
02:14be our day I don't care who it was against I know they're not a particularly good football team
02:19but the way that the Browns sort of just shook that off scored a touchdown settled into the game
02:24that's a reflection of your coach that's a reflection of your coach and what he's building
02:29and what he's doing and it makes you believe in this team every week we're talking about is this
02:36sustainable enough enough let's enjoy this ride let's enjoy this ride and who knows where it leads us
02:44you know I've seen a lot of discourse about oh give Deshaun and and is it past this year and
02:49all
02:49no no no I'm enjoying five and two I'm going to Pittsburgh game saying they've got a shot they've
02:54won twice in my lifetime in Pittsburgh now once in the regular season they got a chance on Sunday
03:00uh they got a good chance because they got a defense they can ride in an offense that that
03:04for the most part is playing mistake free football the thing I'm most curious about from Sunday is
03:10can this running game is is any part of that sustainable or was that just a bad Titans defense
03:17I was that was the thing for me I was so encouraged by they were able to run the football
03:21yeah I mean
03:23average six yards a pop in that game John like if they can run the football that's the funny thing
03:26we
03:26keep going back to at least I keep going back to is uh everyone's like oh well it finally came
03:31all
03:31together and it's like well yeah no it did the running game did six yards a pop but Deshaun Watson
03:35threw for 300 yards you had almost 500 yards of offense like is that is that going to be the
03:40new
03:40offense because if that's it obviously it's great but that's that's that seems like a high bargain
03:45that felt like everything went right in that game John yeah on that front for sure JP I mean it
03:50it it
03:51it doesn't seem like it's going to be every single time out but you do what it takes to win
03:55and to get into a rhythm albeit against a weaker team I mean for me the thing that you said
04:02going
04:02into this season that you both that you both alluded to uh when we were talking was your hope
04:10was there's some young talent on this roster yeah Casey Concepcion is not going to have 129 receiving
04:18yards every week but if they're learning how to better involve him in the passing game and if and
04:22you know I thought Munkin one of the more revealing things he said after the game was Harold Fannin Jr
04:28who's
04:28the idiot who wasn't involving him you know like I appreciated that like the things that we say all
04:33week the coach is thinking it too and so like they have weapons guys I don't remember the last time
04:41that we said the Browns have multiple threats on the field I mean last year you I don't know if
04:47they
04:47had one I mean it's probably probably Odell and Jarvis you gotta go back there yeah you gotta go back
04:53there but like I don't know about you guys Odell didn't feel and I'm not saying that these guys
04:58are now Mr. Reliable they're they're they're young they're young but there's more there's just there's
05:03upside Jarvis Jarvis was a seasoned vet who did his job he was fantastic he was he put a lot
05:09of good
05:09time in for the Browns uh and did a lot of really good for the Browns and changed the culture
05:13as you
05:14both know I have been highly critical of Deshaun and the reason why I was critical of him was I
05:19just
05:19wanted him to play football I wanted him to go out and play football not be concerned with the fans
05:25and the discourse and what people are saying about him look at what's happening now he's going out
05:31there and playing and uh I know somebody's gonna you know listen to this and say oh how you have
05:36turned well I he was a starting quarterback for this team and with this coach he knows how to perform
05:43in the fourth quarter uh is it early yeah but you asked me the question today and when I'm a
05:51Cleveland
05:51Browns fan like like uh everybody listening to this show I go off of what you've done when the game's
05:58on
05:58the line this guy has led five game winning drives are you paying him the same figure as you've been
06:04paying him um no but you asked me am I am would I extend him I would I would take
06:13a meeting I'd be
06:14asking him for a meeting and asking his people for a meeting because the guy that's been showing up
06:20when the game is on the line has been winning football games and that that's what I judge you on
06:25uh that that's what he's judged on as an NFL player and um it's been it's been fun to watch
06:32good for him that he's found a way to figure things out on the football field uh but yeah I
06:39I would be open to the idea of an extension after watching what he's done here and I don't think
06:44he's
06:44done like I I I'm tired of it of the fluke talk I I don't believe it anymore um they're
06:51going into
06:51November they're five and two so if they lose seven in a row that's a huge disappointment this
06:57football team has capabilities and is good they they are a good football team are they an elite
07:02football team I'm not going to sit here and say that I don't think that they're elite when I talk
07:07elite I'm talking Super Bowl are they good enough to make the playoffs in the AFC the answer to that
07:14question is yes because they have a coach who has total buy-in a defense that is very very strong
07:21and an offense that is making progress that's a good sign if this does go sideways John why do you
07:28think it'll end up being if that does happen oh hey the most important position on the field I mean
07:36it it does rest on the quarterback because guys these are one drive one score games look at the
07:43Browns they've played uh outside of the Jacksonville game every single game has been decided by five
07:51points or less it's crazy but you're judged upon whether or not you come through on that drive
07:57so yeah it's it's it's him primarily being able to make plays and it's do they have any run game
08:05because against the Steelers on Sunday you're not going to win if you can't move them around a little
08:11bit like it if you're stuck in third and eighth the whole afternoon at some point I got to imagine
08:17unless Rogers has a miserable day which by the way that's possible although it seems like they've
08:22found a bit of a mesh and McCarthy's found some some nice things to their offense that they've been
08:27able to find some momentum and you know DK Metcalf can can get explosive plays and Rico Dottle uh has
08:34been good for them has been pretty steady for them and was steady for them against New Orleans and Jalen
08:38Warren looked the part I mean he rushed for over 100 yards the the Browns if they're not able to
08:44run
08:45the ball at all uh that's where this can go sideways because then it's third and long third
08:50and long third long when you're playing better teams more talented teams that are on your schedule
08:54even though the schedule's not great it's not or excuse me it's not like loaded up with with
08:58tremendous teams but you're going to run into problems and this could go sideways but um yeah it's
09:05everything for the Browns every week it feels like we're we're asking ourselves are they going to
09:10come through on this drive um can he be better earlier in games to Sean well he was in Tennessee
09:15after the interception he responded quite well on Sunday you guys can disagree if if you do great
09:22they can't go down 14 nothing in Pittsburgh Sunday and and and think that they're going to come back
09:27from that they they got to be sharp out of the gates all right John uh the World Series going
09:32on
09:32Brewers have a chance to wrap it up tonight I'm sure we'll get to that if there was a World
09:37Series of food
09:38who would you back to win Milwaukee aka Wisconsin or you know Tampa Bay aka the Gulf Coast food region
09:49oh come on Wisconsin he goes come on I wanted to make sure I didn't know if you were going
09:55to be
09:55like I really love turgeon or sturgeon that's what it is turgeon is something else curds burgers
10:02spotted cows wings all things that I love having to mention the pastries pastries I want to see them
10:11win the World Series if it couldn't be I wanted a Milwaukee Cleveland World Series obviously I want
10:15Cleveland to win that but I could at least stomach them you know I'd like I want to see them
10:19win it
10:20I think it's a great story by the way it's one of the greatest postseason baseball runs if they win
10:24tonight you go 11 and 1 in the playoffs and you won over you you will have won 114 games
10:30uh and you
10:31run differentials out the wazoo so I mean it's this is we're not nationally it's because it's the
10:37Brewers but they ran the Dodgers off the field it'd be one of the great postseason runs we've ever seen
10:43uh John Malik Thomas called himself a star after last night's game you buy in that Malik Thomas is a
10:48star
10:48in the making yeah well let's let's give that some time I mean I covered him in college um and
10:55I
10:56thought that that he he was a really dynamic guard who was a spark plug player for John Calipari it
11:04wouldn't be the first time he looked was he overshadowed by Acuff in your mind or no yeah he
11:10was it's a great point he was and when you look at his numbers JP he averaged 16 points a
11:15game on 42
11:16percent from three and the SEC and for those who don't know the SEC has become the most athletic
11:21conference in college basketball it is it is stacked we just we always talk about football in the SEC but
11:27Malik Thomas showed it in college so um it was when they made that pick I thought it was a
11:33home run
11:33because I thought it was an upside swing and I really like the the wire to score ability in a
11:40league
11:40that's judged on that so uh I love the confidence you play for John Calipari you are going to
11:45automatically have confidence and he's 20 years of age it's fun he's he's really fun and that was
11:51fun last night it's a great win for the Cavs you know I know everybody you know we were upset
11:56about
11:56the loss in Philadelphia Minnesota through three games look like as good as anybody in the NBA
12:02it's a nice win last night they needed it John we needed this we appreciate you buddy we'll talk to
12:08you next week thank you John can I have some fun with you guys to close is that is that
12:13allowed
12:13yes yeah yeah we like we like fun how about your fans how about them I'm not touching that no
12:23last
12:24time I touched that John I didn't get a text back for a day I got it I got it
12:29I got the message don't
12:31come at the king you best not miss appreciate you guys thank you very much you're the unit you're
12:38the unicorns of Cleveland media god bless just I was gonna make a horn joke but I'm not gonna do
12:44that well John Fanta NBC Sports
