00:00But we're going to continue the conversation with one of our favorite guests.
00:03We have him every single Wednesday here at 4 p.m.
00:08on the Why Start Right? We Make It Right.
00:10Call Kyle Wright Hotline.
00:12This NFL Insider Call is presented by Nationwide
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00:19Odyssey NFL Insider Ross Tucker joins us now.
00:22Ross, welcome to the show.
00:23What's up, Ross?
00:24What up, guys? How are you?
00:26Never a dull moment.
00:27Yeah, never a dull moment with the Browns here.
00:30So how much differently do you see this game from the Browns' vantage point
00:35and your thoughts on them winning it from Deshaun starting versus if Shador starts?
00:44Yeah, well, that's a great question.
00:46I guess I don't really know until we see what Shador looks like in Todd Munkin's offense.
00:52We haven't really gotten a great look at it.
00:54I know he's not as mobile as Deshaun Watson.
00:58I don't envision him being as clutch as Deshaun was late in these games.
01:07I do think, unfortunately, that he has a similarity to Deshaun in terms of taking sacks
01:16that he shouldn't and taking too many sacks.
01:20I'm hopeful that Shador can get the ball out of his hands and not let that be the case
01:26with former Buckeye Chase Young coming off the edge.
01:30I mean, I don't feel great about Shador in this spot,
01:37but I thought last year at times he equated himself pretty well,
01:42and we know Deshaun has played a lot better than anybody anticipated under Munkin's guidance,
01:50under Munkin's offense.
01:51So I'm kind of glad and looking forward to Shador getting this opportunity
01:57and seeing what it looks like.
01:59Maybe he lights it up.
02:01And it's a lot different, by the way, than the preseason.
02:04I mean, it's November now.
02:06So he's got a lot more time on task, even if he doesn't get a ton of reps.
02:10He's just been in the system a lot longer.
02:12He's been watching Deshaun.
02:14He's been there in every meeting.
02:17So I'm not glad that Watson's in the concussion protocol,
02:22but it is certainly intriguing to see what Shador can do with a full week of practice,
02:29knowing he's going to be the guy.
02:31It's middle of the season.
02:32It's an important game.
02:33This is a massive, massive opportunity for him.
02:38If it's only one game, and let's say Shador looks awesome,
02:41is there a chance that he could Wally pip Deshaun,
02:44or has Deshaun done enough to make that conversation a non-starter?
02:49He can absolutely Wally pip Deshaun if he plays incredible.
02:53I don't know that that's going to happen,
02:54but if he throws for 300 yards and four touchdowns and no turnovers
03:00and the Browns' offense looks incredible,
03:03I don't think Watson's done enough that you have to be like,
03:06oh, you can't take – you got to put Deshaun Watson back in.
03:10You can't bench him.
03:11I mean, Deshaun's done some good things, but let's not kid ourselves.
03:15I don't even think he's been a top half of the league quarterback.
03:19You know, if you look the whole game, he's been mobile.
03:23He's been clutch late when they need it.
03:25But, you know, that is in the realm of possibility.
03:29There's a lot of possibilities.
03:30I mean, he can play really poorly.
03:31He can play well enough that if Watson performs poorly,
03:37his leash is shorter.
03:39He could light the world on fire.
03:41I mean, there's all sorts of myriad of possibilities
03:44of what can happen in this game.
03:47All right, Ross.
03:48Obviously, the Browns are coming off a pretty disgusting loss
03:51to the Steelers there.
03:53They are still 5-3.
03:54So, we're halfway through the season.
03:56Where are you on the Browns after a 5-3 start?
04:01Well, they've certainly exceeded my expectations.
04:05And I was always on Team Munkin and thought he was outstanding.
04:09I just can't overstate how important this game is.
04:16This is a very winnable game.
04:19And there's a gigantic difference between 6-3 and 5-4.
04:266-3, in my mind, you're highly likely going to the playoffs.
04:335-4, you're really battling.
04:36You're really in it.
04:38Because I always felt like as long as you're above .500,
04:43you're in a great spot.
04:446-3, you're way above .500.
04:465-4, you're barely above .500.
04:49And they're going to have some tougher opponents coming up.
04:53I think, you know, the Saints are favored for a reason.
04:57And that says a lot about what the market, I guess, let's call it,
05:02still feels about the Browns or how the market's treating the Browns.
05:06And that was before the Deshaun Watson news, by the way.
05:10But this is a very winnable game for the Browns.
05:14These are the type of games they've won this year.
05:17And, man, it would be huge.
05:19I mean, to have your backup quarterback go down there on the road,
05:24still find a way to win, kind of feels like if they win that one,
05:29they're going to the playoffs.
05:31Odyssey NFL insider Ross Tucker with us.
05:33And Nationwide is so much more than a great insurance company.
05:36They're one of America's largest financial service companies, too.
05:41Nationwide is on your side.
05:43All right, so if we had eight weeks ago,
05:47eight wins would have seemed like a huge success.
05:50From here, is eight wins still a successful result for the Browns
05:54after a 5-3 start?
05:56Yes, no question.
05:58I mean, at this point, it'd probably be a little bit disappointing
06:02because I'm sure people are hoping for nine or ten or whatever.
06:07But, I mean, let's go back to that Jags game week one.
06:11But, holy cow, guys.
06:13I mean, I wasn't sure how many games they would win at all.
06:18So, for them to be here with some of the wins they have this year,
06:22beating the Ravens, beating the Steelers, I mean, just think about that.
06:27You know, I love that so much for Browns fans that they've already gotten
06:33home wins over those two teams to enjoy.
06:38You know, even that, to me, is a very large victory.
06:44But how you finish matters.
06:47And you're going to remember the second half of the season
06:50more than you remember the first half of the season.
06:53And I think you want to see that this group continues to build.
06:56I mean, it's still a really young team,
06:58so you would think that they'd be fresh,
07:00and you would think that they would continue to improve during the year.
07:04Ross, last time we looked at a game that the Browns should be winning,
07:07but then Vegas didn't see it that way.
07:09The Browns lost that game, and that was the Jets.
07:11Vegas right now has a three-point spread in favor of the Saints.
07:15What do you see about this New Orleans team,
07:17or what is Vegas seeing that says that this isn't necessarily favored for the Browns
07:23and doesn't necessarily have to go the Browns' way this weekend?
07:28So, let me tell you something I think is notable about that, okay?
07:32Because I do the Even Money NFL betting podcast every week,
07:37which is very popular, by the way.
07:40Correct me if I'm wrong.
07:41Were the Saints a point-and-a-half favorites,
07:44or two-and-a-half before the Deshaun News came out?
07:48No, it opened at three-and-a-half, and now it's sitting at three.
07:53It opened at the Saints favored by three-and-a-half?
07:56It opened at three-and-a-half, and now it's sitting at three, yeah.
07:59Wait, so we believe – is that right?
08:03I mean, let me check something.
08:04Yeah, I'm looking at it right here.
08:05It opened at – over-under was 41-and-a-half.
08:07It opened at three-and-a-half, and now the current line,
08:10the current spread is three.
08:12Now, it got down to two-and-a-half,
08:13and then I think it popped back up a half a point, but yeah.
08:17Oh, okay.
08:18That might have been what happened.
08:20The reason why I'm asking is it's fascinating to see
08:24what they think the difference is between Shador and Deshaun.
08:31So, not to get too in the weeds,
08:35but when I recorded the Even Money betting podcast yesterday,
08:39the Browns were getting two-and-a-half.
08:43So, the reaction since yesterday, now that they have the Deshaun Watson news,
08:50is a half a point.
08:52Correct.
08:52So, I mean, listen, a half a point matters,
08:56but look at how much the line changes with certain other quarterback moves.
09:01You know, like when Lamar's going to play or not,
09:04or when so-and-so's going to play or not.
09:06Yeah, Lamar's like a seven-eight-point swing.
09:08It's crazy.
09:09The fact that it's only a half a point difference
09:14between Deshaun and Shador says a lot about a lot.
09:20Ross, I came up with a genius idea
09:22to solve the NFL's backup quarterback problem,
09:26and JP was lukewarm on it,
09:29but I want to throw it by you.
09:30Are you ready for it?
09:32Sure.
09:33All right, so everybody has their starting quarterback.
09:35We know that, and they can also have any amount of quarterbacks they want
09:40within reason that have within five years of NFL experience.
09:44But the veterans, a la your Drew Locks, guys like that, right?
09:48Jacoby Brissetts, they would go into a giant pool,
09:52getting paid as NFL players do,
09:55and when a team loses a quarterback,
09:58like the Ravens have lost Lamar and now Tyler Huntley,
10:00or any of the big injuries, Jalen Hurts, right?
10:04You get to basically a live TV event
10:07where you get to play a big bucks no whammy,
10:10and you get to try and basically play the quarterback lottery.
10:14You hit a button, and then it pops up a quarterback name
10:17from this quarterback pool,
10:19and then you get a chance.
10:21You get one chance.
10:22If you don't like it, you can hit it again.
10:24And that quarterback goes back in the hopper,
10:27and then whoever comes up next is your quarterback
10:29for the next four weeks.
10:31What do you think?
10:33I think that's amazing just because I want to hear people,
10:37because I haven't heard it since I would stay home from school sick.
10:42I haven't heard no whammy, no whammy, no whammy
10:45in a very, very long time.
10:47Yeah, but that's the only thing you liked about it.
10:51Ross, hold on.
10:52That's the only thing you like about the idea, though, right?
10:53It's the suspense of it.
10:54It's the drama of it.
10:55You just like the no whammy, no whammy, no whammy, no whammy.
10:58No, no, no.
10:59No, I actually think it's a hilarious, awesome idea by Nick.
11:03Why don't you be quiet, Jonathan?
11:04Hilarious, awesome idea, but you don't like it.
11:07That's my guy, Ross Tucker, right there.
11:08Hilarious, awesome idea that you don't like
11:10and you know you don't like it.
11:11No, I like it.
11:11No, I like it.
11:12You want this for the NFL?
11:14I think it'd be amazing.
11:15Ross, I don't think you understand.
11:17He's going to bring this up all the time now
11:18and take it as a genuine idea if you keep going with this.
11:21You're killing me here.
11:22You're killing me is what you're doing.
11:24All right, what's your own idea?
11:25I have my own idea about it, which is
11:28I don't think they should allow Jameis Winston
11:32or Joe Flacco to sign with any team
11:37and they should pay them very respectable,
11:415 million, maybe 10 million,
11:43and they're the all-time primetime game backup quarterback.
11:48Oh, yeah.
11:49Like hockey has their fill-in, their emergency goalies.
11:52The one that's emergency for both teams.
11:54Right, like if the game is going to be in primetime
11:56and we all have to watch it,
11:59as opposed to watching one of these backup quarterbacks
12:03that is not good and not entertaining,
12:08the team must put in Jameis Winston or Joe Flacco.
12:12Flacco, we can decide, maybe Minshew,
12:14we can decide who else goes into this cauldron,
12:19who else is in the hopper,
12:21that they're the all-time primetime backup quarterbacks
12:25so that we all agree, okay, yeah,
12:27if it's going to be Flacco, okay, I'll watch Flacco
12:30or I'll watch Jameis.
12:32It's got to be, like Ryan Fitzpatrick would have been the dream guy.
12:36Yeah.
12:36Okay, he's going to throw four touchdowns or four picks.
12:39He's probably going to get smoked a couple times by a linebacker.
12:42But you know what?
12:43It's going to be entertaining.
12:44It's going to be worthwhile.
12:45All right, but Nick's idea doesn't give you
12:46the entertaining option out of the gate.
12:48Dude, there's a large chance you end up with somebody
12:51you don't even want, and then you no-whammy it,
12:53and then you end up with somebody that you don't want as well.
12:55And then we're stuck watching the worst of the worst,
12:57not even the guys that you wanted.
12:58See, Ross, what I'm hearing is I came up with a great idea.
13:02Not a great idea.
13:03You came up with a great idea.
13:04Also not a great idea.
13:05Jonathan does not have a great idea to counter with.
13:07You guys are simpatico in your backup quarterback love.
13:10I want to add to your idea.
13:12Sure.
13:12You get to do one pass, right?
13:15Like one no, I want to go again.
13:17Yep.
13:18If you don't like the second guy,
13:22you can give up a third-round pick to hit the button.
13:25I mean, I'm sorry, a seventh-round pick to hit the button again.
13:28You just keep hitting it until you can catch you.
13:29If you don't like the third guy,
13:31you can give up a sixth-round pick to hit the button again.
13:35Yes.
13:36But then you're really – I mean, I would watch the crap out of that.
13:40That would be amazing.
13:41See, Jonathan doesn't think in TV terms.
13:44It would not be amazing.
13:44You've got the visual acuity to pull this off there.
13:50I think it would be – I mean, people watch the NBA lottery.
13:54This would be way better than the NBA lottery.
13:56People watch the NFL schedule release game.
13:59Like, how could they not watch the quarterback carousel?
14:03I think you guys are both just trolling me at this point, and that's okay.
14:06No, I think you're trolling us.
14:07No, I get it.
14:08You know, only Nick Wilson gets a shout-out on the Ross Tucker podcast
14:12on Afternoon Drive as if I'm not a part of the show at all.
14:14So, I know the cahoots you guys are in.
14:16So, I get it.
14:17I get it.
14:18I know what's happening here.
14:19It's a great show.
14:20Great show.
14:22It's an objectively hilarious, wonderful idea that would be better
14:28than some of the other guys that we have to watch play.
14:31And, listen, the whole thing is an entertainment product.
14:34It's an entertainment product.
14:35Let's enjoy it.
14:36Yeah, exactly.
14:38By the way, Ross has got the Broncos-Panthers.
14:42That's only a two-and-a-half-point game this weekend.
14:44Enjoy Carolina and my good people in Charlotte there, Ross.
14:48Always great catching up with you, buddy.
14:50Yeah, feel free to text me, like, your favorite barbecue spot, Nick.
14:53I know you have five or ten.
14:55Oh, hell yes.
14:56Absolutely.
14:57All right.
14:57Later, dude.
14:59Later, dude.
14:59Bye, Ross.
15:00Sad we can do that because that's a Ross and mainly.
15:02Yeah, you guys are really good friends here, aren't you?
15:04Odyssey NFL Insider, Ross Tucker.
15:06This NFL Insider call is presented by Nationwide.
15:09For your insurance and financial needs, Nationwide is on your side.
