00:00We're going to go ahead and continue talking about the Bruns.
00:02A little bit of a bothersome weekend for the Cleveland Bruns.
00:06Not sure if you remember.
00:07Have you heard about this?
00:07Have you seen about this?
00:0827-6 was the loss to the Steelers.
00:11You know our next guest was hot about it because he's a very passionate
00:15Cleveland sports fan.
00:16The man is killing it on Fanta in 60 on NBC Sports platforms.
00:21He's everywhere.
00:23The guy does baseball.
00:24He does basketball.
00:25College basketball is back.
00:26He was half-time with the Ohio State game this weekend.
00:28He had the big, what do you do on that?
00:30He was fantastic.
00:31Very much impressed Vanessa when I was like, oh, my buddy John's on this one.
00:34Oh, so I thought about that too.
00:35My in-laws were, because everyone's over for trick-or-treating and Halloween,
00:38and I thought about it on the couch of being like, oh, you know,
00:41I happen to know that guy that's right there on the TV right now at half-time.
00:45And I decided against it.
00:46Now the downside was Vanessa then was like, why don't you want to do something
00:49like that?
00:50I was like, thank you.
00:51Thank you for that, Vanessa.
00:52That's it.
00:52They just hand those things out.
00:53Yeah.
00:53I do love that when people are like, so when SportsCenter next for you?
00:59I don't think you realize it's not really the trajectory that I'm on here.
01:02Also, the age of this has made it a very tough one.
01:05This is it.
01:05We've done this.
01:06This is it.
01:07We're going to head out to the Wiseheart, right?
01:08We make it right.
01:09Call Kyle Wright hotline.
01:10He joins us every single Tuesday at 420, the great John Fanta,
01:16Cleveland's very own.
01:17John, welcome back, buddy.
01:19Now let's send it to the sidelines to Jonathan Peterlin.
01:22See, I mean, I could totally nail it right now,
01:24but if this was my big audition, I'm just, I'm melting.
01:27I'm a puddle right now, John.
01:29Come on, guys.
01:31Here we go.
01:32Great to be with you.
01:34Hope all is sunny.
01:35And look, in the words of many coaches through the years,
01:40we're on to New Orleans.
01:42We are on to New Orleans.
01:43But first, let's talk about that Pittsburgh game, John.
01:46All right.
01:47Where is your concern level with Jared Verse and with the defense
01:50after what you saw on Sunday?
01:53I would say that it's moderate.
01:55I'm not ready to say that I'm panicking or that it's extremely high
02:01because of the fact that they've played eight games
02:03and this was the second real clunker from the defense to week one
02:08against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
02:11Look, the Browns had it coming to them on Sunday,
02:14and the Steelers, they gave them a whooping.
02:17It was just a good old-fashioned beatdown.
02:20Now, it doesn't help when your offense starts the game
02:24with multiple turnovers, stuck in neutral.
02:27When you're playing a heavyweight game, you can't make mistakes that soon,
02:33nor alone any time, but that soon.
02:35The slow starts have to stop.
02:37They've got to stop.
02:38They've got to stop right now.
02:39You have to stop digging holes.
02:42I appreciate the in-game adjustments.
02:44I think it's why Todd Munkin took the football.
02:47I think he took the football because in his mind it was like,
02:50let me try to get off to a good start here.
02:53I feel like I've got a formula to get us down the field.
02:56It did not work out.
02:57It did not work out.
02:58It was kind of a disaster there because Watson goes out,
03:01and now you've got Shador.
03:03It felt like watching the game, it was more of the same refrain.
03:07I'm not hugely concerned about the defense.
03:11I think this is a get-right spot against a New Orleans team
03:13that does not really run the football well.
03:16They've been trying to find a running game.
03:18It has been a revolving door,
03:20and they've struggled to keep people on the field in their backfield.
03:24So, you know, the Browns are a very solid football team.
03:29The league is very inconsistent.
03:31There are a lot of bad teams in the NFL.
03:34The Browns are not one of those teams.
03:36I just think it was a bit of a reality check.
03:38This team has gotten off the map of four.
03:42There's no reason why I would think that they can't do that again,
03:45and with their schedule, they should do it again.
03:47What was your read on the eight sacks with Deshaun Watson?
03:50Did you feel like that was more on the offensive line or more on Deshaun?
03:53The offensive line played a horrible game.
03:56You know, I really, I just, he has had an up-and-down season
04:04in the first three quarters of these games this year.
04:07His fourth quarter performance, game on the line,
04:09you got to give him a grade of an A, fellas.
04:12I think we all would because he's closed out games.
04:15But he needs time to throw the football, to make his progressions.
04:19Who does not?
04:20The Steelers have something to do with this too.
04:22You know, this is not a four-and-four Pittsburgh team.
04:26This is not a five-and-three Pittsburgh team.
04:28You know, they are right now, I'll say, a top four or five team in the AFC.
04:36After that, the AFC gets pretty blurry.
04:39The Browns are somewhere in that mix of teams.
04:42But this was the Steelers out for revenge.
04:44And the Browns offensive line wasn't ready for the challenge.
04:48I mean, the injuries are certainly a problem for the Browns offensive line.
04:54They've had multiple different things happen to them.
04:56And to this point, they had been, you know, relative to where I thought they'd be,
05:02you looked at preseason PFF stuff, you know, that wasn't exactly encouraging
05:07when they talked about the Browns' ability to protect Deshaun Watson.
05:10And I thought that they had done a pretty decent job with pass protection.
05:15But they couldn't run the ball.
05:17They couldn't protect him.
05:18It was a disaster.
05:19So, I put him more on the offensive line than I put it on the quarterback of the football team.
05:24This leads us to an interesting point here.
05:27After everything you just said about Deshaun, and I don't disagree with most of what you said about Deshaun,
05:31by the way, although I do think nine-step drops are one way to go ahead and make your tackles
05:36really mad at you.
05:38Ben Solak, the aura farmer, who I've often said is the John Fanta of the NFL world,
05:45because y'all, you got aura for days, he said in his seven things today that the Browns, Vikings, and
05:51Jets
05:51should all call the Chargers about Justin Herbert, and that he thinks the price would be two first-rounders
05:57instead of three first-rounders, even if he does think the Chargers would say no.
06:02So, with everything you just said about Deshaun, would you be for or against the idea
06:06that Browns trading for Justin Herbert before the deadline?
06:11Justin Herbert is a broken quarterback right now.
06:17So, where he lands, there's a lot to get into here if you take him.
06:26Is Cleveland's situation going to set him up for success?
06:31And this is an honest thing with Deshaun.
06:34But, guys, I am not sure if I'm making a move like that, and I'm giving up multiple assets.
06:42So, two first-rounders, right?
06:45This is what we're talking about here, not three?
06:47Yeah, two, not three.
06:48Yeah.
06:48We're talking about two first-rounders, not three.
06:51I give it thought, but Nick and JP, he's been so rough in some big spots in the league
07:00and this season, that I am not going to sit here and say it's just on Mike McDaniel
07:06and it's just on Jim Harbaugh.
07:09Like, I'm not just going to do that.
07:12To me, no quarterback has gotten protected by national narrative more than Justin Herbert
07:18in recent years.
07:19I'm so tired of hearing about how the Chargers, you know,
07:23oh, situations don't set him up for success.
07:25Well, here's the thing.
07:27First off, the Jets, the Jets, I mean, if they called, if I was Herbert's agent,
07:33I'd tell the Chargers, we will forever scorn you if that's what you do.
07:39They're the worst situation in all of football, okay?
07:42The Browns, they have talent.
07:46They have some things to figure out at the line of scrimmage,
07:48and I don't think that he's taking them to the promised land if he comes here.
07:53I don't like it.
07:54So, to Ben Solak, I say no to that theory.
07:59I don't think that that's making that big of a world of a difference for the Cleveland Browns,
08:04and I don't trust that Justin Herbert's going to come in
08:06and significantly boost the offensive performance of this team.
08:10That is aura farmer on aura farmer crime right there.
08:15Fanta on Solak.
08:16You hate to hear it.
08:17Well, I do want a little bit more of a breakdown on that, John,
08:19because a couple years ago he had three interceptions in the entire season,
08:22then he gets to the playoff game and throws four in one game.
08:24Like, his postseason isn't great.
08:26We've established that.
08:27We know that.
08:28But there is talent there, and I agree with you.
08:30And I tend to be, John, more on the side of where you're at in that he had gotten protected
08:35way too much by the NFL media abundance, and there was way too much of he can do no wrong.
08:42Well, clearly he can do wrong.
08:43But no one thinks he's 35th out of 35 in EPA and 34 out of 35 in PFF.
08:52Like, no one thinks he's this bad.
08:54What is actually happening?
08:55Go under the hood.
08:56What's actually happening with Justin Herbert right now?
08:59And don't blame Madison Beer.
09:00We like her.
09:01No, he's in his own head.
09:03You know, I was watching the game on Sunday, and I thought he just never made these throws early in
09:09his career.
09:09Like, there were throws that he was making.
09:11He threw an interception in the first half of that game.
09:13I don't know how closely you guys were watching.
09:15Like, it was into triple coverage.
09:18Did you see that pick that he threw over the middle of the field?
09:19Yeah, he threw it into the team meeting.
09:21Yeah, yeah.
09:22Yeah, into the team.
09:23Exactly.
09:23It's a great way of putting it.
09:24And I'm just thinking to myself, this is a guy who's not seeing the field right.
09:27Like, it almost, you know what it reminded me of?
09:31When Baker really hit a wall in Cleveland.
09:33Like, when Baker hit a wall, and it was clearly over in that situation.
09:40And, you know, it took Baker time, you know, and a couple franchise changes to then reestablish his rhythm.
09:46But then what ultimately was Baker Mayfield?
09:49What ultimately is Baker Mayfield?
09:50Um, he's a quarterback who on his best day, I suppose, could be ninth or tenth in the league.
09:56On his worst day, could be like 23rd in the league.
09:59And he's a quarterback who will never even sniff a conference championship game.
10:03Because that's just how the NFL works.
10:06Like, when we come down to it, you've got to be top five to seven in the league.
10:12And he hasn't shown that over a 17-game season that he can be that.
10:16And that's the thing with Herbert.
10:18Herbert hasn't shown me that he can be with the likes of Allen.
10:22And that he can be with the likes of Mahomes.
10:25That he could be in that class of guys.
10:27And frankly, Bo Nix has proven in bigger games, all these comebacks, that he can find a way to come
10:32back.
10:33That he can overcome not having a running game in a game.
10:36That he can overcome a game that's muck it up.
10:39So, Herbert looks broken.
10:41Can he get fixed?
10:42Sure.
10:44If I'm the Browns, and I'm looking at the situation.
10:49I've drafted so well.
10:51I've crushed multiple drafts in a row now.
10:54Why am I going to give up capita where I could find my franchise quarterback instead of having to repair
11:01one where there's no guarantee of the repair happening?
11:04Eh, there's no guarantee of one of those quarterbacks actually working out either.
11:10There's not.
11:12Like, who do you think, legitimately, who do you think has a higher ceiling in the NFL?
11:17Justin Herbert at his best, which we've seen multiple times in his career.
11:21Or Drew Mestemaker or Darian Mensah.
11:25It's not even, like, it's an unfair question today because...
11:29The only kind we ask?
11:31Yeah, I...
11:32Honestly, I love Mestemaker.
11:34I mean, I think he has a chance to be...
11:35Brandon Whedon?
11:36...a phenomenal...
11:37A phenomenal...
11:38No, no, he's better than...
11:40He's better than that.
11:41I mean...
11:42Jay's all in on him right now.
11:43Do you see that?
11:43Everyone is all in on him.
11:44All in on him.
11:45The traits.
11:45The traits are unreal.
11:47He's big time.
11:48And, you know, he's not playing for Georgia.
11:50He's not playing for...
11:52He's not playing for Miami.
11:55He's not playing for Alabama, where you've got so much receiver talent and so much talent around you.
12:01He makes everybody around him better.
12:03I mean, here's the thing.
12:05What percentage chance do you think that the Browns would have of fixing Herbert and of Herbert coming out of
12:11it,
12:11making the Browns a lead horse contender in the AFC?
12:14I don't think it would have...
12:15It sounds to me like...
12:16Go ahead, sorry.
12:17What's that?
12:17No, what were you going to say?
12:19I don't think it would happen this year.
12:20Meaning, like, I wouldn't expect immediate results this year.
12:24If we talk 20-27 beyond, I would take Justin Herbert over any of the quarterbacks in this class.
12:30Okay, so...
12:31So, wait a minute then.
12:33If it's not going to happen this year, you're going to trade multiple first-round picks?
12:38If you trade multiple first-round picks for Justin Herbert, you better...
12:40You're 5-3.
12:42You better be making the playoffs this year.
12:45Well, it's more about the three years of control you have after this year, I feel like.
12:50Contractually.
12:51Yeah.
12:54In that regard, I mean, it's...
12:56You know, this is where we only have 18 minutes.
12:58I see your point.
13:01No, I see your point with that.
13:02I can understand that.
13:04I just think there's some risk involved.
13:06I think he takes a lot of hits.
13:11I mean, he has not proven in his career that he can successfully slide game in and game out,
13:17stay durable, and stay in the pocket.
13:20I mean, he's had some talent in Los Angeles, okay?
13:26You could argue he's had more talent, you know, around him and with the Chargers than we've seen the Browns
13:33ever put, you know, around a quarterback.
13:34I think you'd be right.
13:36And couple that with the defense.
13:38I mean, the Chargers defense in the past, not this year, has been very, very, very good.
13:42So, I just get wary because it's like, we're waiting, we're waiting, we're waiting, and I understand what you guys
13:48are saying about regular season,
13:49but I can't unsee what's happened when he's played in some big games.
13:53So, it's hard for me because you're right.
13:59This quarterback draft class in college was overrated.
14:02That is an unequivocal truth.
14:05I don't even need to see the combine because we branded this quarterback class as an elite class, and I'm
14:10not ready to say that.
14:11There's more questions than answers with this college draft class in the spring.
14:17But the Browns, to me, are on a really nice trajectory, and I do think that you could find your
14:26quarterback of the future in the draft.
14:28And I just, I go back to, I get the control of Herbert, but, man, he's really broken right now.
14:34So, it would have to be Munkin.
14:36I mean, this would have to be Todd Munkin saying, I could fix this guy.
14:40I could make him ours.
14:41He could be our franchise quarterback for the next six, seven years.
14:45Six, seven.
14:46All right, John, we appreciate you, buddy.
14:48Good stuff.
14:48Thank you, John.
14:49Rich debate.
14:50I'm going to listen and see where you guys stand on this.
14:52All right.
14:53I appreciate it.
14:54We're going to put you on hold so you can listen then.
14:56Why did that sound the way that it sounded?
14:58I don't know.
14:58It did sound a way, though.
14:59I didn't mean to.
14:59It did sound a way.
15:00Good Lord.
15:01John Fanta on the Wiseheart Right.
15:02We Make It Right.
15:03Call Kyle Wright Hotline.
15:05We Make It Right.
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