00:00Unfortunately, you can say the same thing about the Saints.
00:03They did the same thing.
00:05And the Browns lose by a point to a team that hadn't won a home game
00:08and was 2-5 going into yesterday's game.
00:12I'm Jeff Phelps. My buddy over here is Andy Baskin.
00:14Let's go to the Wiseheart Right. We Make It Right.
00:17Call Kyle Right Hotline.
00:19He covers the Browns for the Chronicle Telegram, brownszone.com,
00:23where you can read all of his work, including this that's out there right now,
00:27analysis. Jadour Sanders makes decision difficult,
00:33but Deshaun Watson should get the start against the Texans.
00:36The man who wrote it, Mr. Scott Petrack. Hello, Scott.
00:40What's going on, fellas?
00:42Well, we're talking a little football today.
00:44Let's get a couple of things out of the way very, very quickly.
00:48Going for two in that situation and kicking off to start overtime
00:54analytically is what's kind of the trend in the NFL right now.
00:58Wouldn't you agree?
00:59It is. Yeah, I do.
01:01I don't think that kicking off is an automatic,
01:04but I completely understand the reasons.
01:06You know what you have to do, right, if you get the ball second.
01:10You get the four downs, which I think Todd Munkin really values,
01:15as opposed to if you get, you know, third and four or fourth and four,
01:18and you're the first team with the ball, you pretty much punt.
01:22But if you know you need to score, then it's way easier,
01:25and it's a lot easier offensively to operate with those four downs.
01:29So I understand it.
01:31And I understand going for two.
01:33I like the decision.
01:35I wasn't sure about the clock management lead when the Browns got the ball
01:40for their one possession in overtime.
01:41They wasted that 45 seconds.
01:43Yeah, that was crazy.
01:45Right?
01:46But it felt like, okay, he didn't want the Saints to get the ball back, right?
01:50So run it down to the end.
01:52So I get that.
01:55But that means you're going to go for it the whole time, right?
01:57And he, when he was explaining it late in the year after the game,
02:01talked about, well, there was only one minute left.
02:03He could have made it where there were three minutes left,
02:05and then you have a different decision to make.
02:06You could go over the tie, try to get a stop.
02:08And so I think it just all played into, hey,
02:11this is going to be a two-point conversion to win the game.
02:14And I'm fine with that.
02:16I like going for it.
02:18I like the mindset there.
02:20You know, just sort of obviously seeing it work out different.
02:23And, you know, I don't know if Shudur had Denzel Boston on that slant.
02:28I would have liked to have seen him try it there as opposed to extending the play,
02:31and then we saw what happened with the penalty.
02:36The weirdest thing about the whole weekend is your regular starting quarterback
02:40was cleared to play yesterday, and he was standing on the sidelines.
02:44God, your chuckle.
02:45Your chuckle is telling.
02:47To me, that's the big mystery of the weekend.
02:50Yeah, what was going on?
02:51Yeah, I mean, I don't think there's a whole lot beyond it that what Todd Munkin said
02:56is that he likes his quarterback to practice during the week.
03:00And when Deshaun Watson didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, he made the decision.
03:07I think it shows you that, which this is not news to anybody,
03:13but if it's Pat Mahomes or Josh Allen or Joe Burrow and they clear on Saturday,
03:18they play on Sunday.
03:20Deshaun Watson is not those guys.
03:23You have a young guy, Intrader Sanders, who I think the Browns do want to see,
03:27and they were able to see him with the week of practice with the first team,
03:31with the starting offense.
03:33And it just, you know, for lack of a better term, worked out that, okay,
03:37so now you get to see Schroeder Sanders.
03:39You didn't have to force Watson out there without practice.
03:45But to me, it just shows that it's a different tier, right, Watson,
03:50with the established franchise quarterbacks across the league
03:54and that the Browns don't know who the future quarterback's going to be.
03:58And I think that was clear how the week progressed.
04:01I think it was clear after yesterday, right?
04:03You liked how Shroeder Sanders played,
04:06but I don't think I saw anything yesterday that says, okay, you know,
04:10you got to not go get a quarterback this offseason, right?
04:13Like, I think the Browns at 5-4 are a great story.
04:16They're still hanging around in this playoff chase.
04:18But come March, we're probably going to be talking about what they can do
04:23to go improve the quarterback position.
04:26Scott Petrack joining us from the Chronicle-Telegram.
04:30Is there anything that they can do on the offensive line?
04:33Anybody they should elevate?
04:35Anybody they should sit?
04:36Or is this it?
04:38No, I think this is it.
04:40But, you know, you got a couple of young guys that you have to live
04:43with the growing pains.
04:44You know, I think Spencer Fano is going to be good.
04:47I think he's going to be fine.
04:49The last two games are not his best.
04:51And those are tough spots to be in.
04:53You're on the road.
04:54It's a, you know, silent count a lot of times,
04:56so you don't get the same movement off the ball.
05:00You're a little delayed.
05:01That gives the edge rushers an advantage.
05:03He went against really good edge rushers with the Steelers
05:06and then, you know, Chase Young with the Saints.
05:08And so I thought Fano struggled the last two games after –
05:11and I thought he played pretty well.
05:13But that was good to be expected with a rookie,
05:16especially making a move from right side to left side.
05:18So he's not going anywhere.
05:20I think Austin Barber overall has been good.
05:22They're right guard, but there's plays where you go, okay,
05:26that's a rookie right guard.
05:27And the other two guys are veterans.
05:29I think, you know, without breaking down every run play,
05:32it feels like Elton Jenkins has been good at center.
05:35You know, Titus Howard gives up a little at right tackle
05:38and Zion Johnson does it left guard.
05:39But I think that's going to happen.
05:41I think, you know, the quarterbacks don't help with the protection.
05:45You know, whether it's Deshaun Watson, Orscheter, Sanders,
05:48those guys hang on to the ball too long.
05:50And I think that makes the protection look worse.
05:52I think both of them look to get out of the pocket, maybe prematurely,
05:56and that makes the protection look worse.
05:59Now, what's concerning is the run game has been inconsistent,
06:01and I think you can put a lot of that on the line.
06:04Yesterday, it didn't feel like a whole lot of opportunities,
06:07but that's where I think the line needs to be better.
06:12And against Tennessee, it felt like, okay, the line is better.
06:15And then it just hasn't, I think the last two weeks,
06:18they just really haven't had a lot of opportunities
06:20to build on that Tennessee performance.
06:24Are they keeping four quarterbacks after tomorrow, 4 o'clock?
06:27I think so.
06:28Well, I don't think anybody's coming for, you know,
06:32Shader, Sanders, or Dylan Gabriel, or Taylor Green.
06:35So, I think they'll have four.
06:36Now, if they add a couple guys at the deadline tomorrow
06:40and need to clear a roster spot, then no.
06:43Then I take it back, and they're going to have to make a decision.
06:46And I don't know if that decision would be Taylor Green or Dylan Gabriel.
06:50I would lean, I think they would lean toward cutting Taylor Green
06:53and hoping he clears waivers and gets back on the practice squad.
06:57But that's, I think they're comfortable keeping four
07:00unless moves at all the positions require them to pick up a roster spot.
07:07Scott Petrax joining us from the Chronicle Telegram, brownzone.com.
07:11And again, his story out right now, an analysis about the situation at quarterback.
07:15You said, Deshaun, I get that early on when we started the show.
07:21I said, if they deem their play to be equal, why wouldn't you start Shadour?
07:28Why would you go Deshaun?
07:30Well, I mean, that's how I felt before the season, right?
07:33Yeah.
07:33I did, too.
07:35Yeah.
07:35And then we watched Watson win five games in eight tries with five
07:39when he drives in the fourth quarter.
07:40So I think that should mean something, that he won those games.
07:45I think the operation is still cleaner with Watson.
07:48Now, it would get better the longer Sanders plays, right?
07:52But yesterday, there were a couple of plays where you are now,
07:55if Watson was in there, maybe that doesn't happen.
07:57You know, and it's easy to point to the fourth down at the goal line
08:00where it's discombobulated.
08:02I don't know if Sanders turns the wrong way, whatever.
08:05The timing gets thrown off.
08:06He bumps into Austin Barber and they don't get it.
08:08And that's a huge play in the game.
08:09And I doubt that that would happen if Watson were in the game
08:12just because he's played so much more football
08:14and started eight games this year.
08:16So there's little things like that.
08:19I do think I have to give him credit for those fourth quarter drives
08:22early in the season.
08:25And I just, you know, I don't think the one performance
08:29from Shadir Sanders is going to make Todd Munkin change his mind.
08:32And I agree with him.
08:34Having said all that, if Watson struggles,
08:36and we're talking maybe it's one game, definitely if it's two games,
08:41then there's a quick hook and you're going to see Shadir Sanders.
08:44So that's a tough way to coach.
08:45That's our end of the story.
08:47It's a tough way to coach.
08:47It's a tough way to play quarterback when you know a change is possible.
08:51But that's the life the Browns are in right now,
08:54not knowing who the future quarterback is.
08:56So I think, you know, the number one goal should be trying to get to the playoffs.
09:01And I think Deshaun Watson gives them that best chance right now.
09:06So that's why I think they should and will go with Watson.
09:11But I don't know how long that lasts because if there are struggles
09:15offensively and from Watson, then I think it's easy to make that move to Sanders.
09:19You think they're sold on Deshaun?
09:21And if so, Scott, and I understand everything you said there,
09:26but it's so weird that he was cleared on Saturday.
09:29If they're sold, he would have started yesterday.
09:31Yeah, that's what I wonder.
09:32Well, I mean, I guess what do you mean by sold?
09:35Well, he's our guy.
09:36He's our starting quarterback.
09:38Todd even yesterday said, I'm not going to talk about the quarterbacks,
09:41but I'll be happy to talk about Shadir, which I understand him saying that
09:46in that moment, but all he had to say was, hey, Shadir stepped up
09:50and did a nice job as our backup quarterback.
09:52Deshaun's our starter.
09:53Yeah, no, I get it.
09:55I completely get what you're saying.
09:56I know they're not sold on him being the guy beyond.
09:59This year?
10:00Right.
10:01Now, when it comes to this year, I think the way they handled it
10:06makes it seem like they're not sold on him for even the short term.
10:12And I think there's reasons for that.
10:13I mean, I said all the good stuff about him winning five games
10:16and running a cleaner operation, but it's not like the offense is lighting it up.
10:20Overall, right?
10:21The first quarter's been awful.
10:23He's been inconsistent from an accuracy standpoint.
10:27You know, they entered the game averaging 17-point-whatever points a game,
10:30which is 29th in the league.
10:32So there's been plenty of hiccups with Watson.
10:36But I believe that the late success that he had and the wins should carry some weight there.
10:44And I think they do carry some weight.
10:45And I don't think Munkin wants to be a guy that his quarterback misses a game
10:50for concussion reasons.
10:51Obviously, he could have played.
10:52But the reason he didn't start is because he had a concussion and missed practices.
10:56So I don't think he wants his guy to lose his starting job for that,
11:02especially when the guy who came in, I mean, he played well at the end,
11:05Shudder Sanders, but he wasn't great throughout.
11:07No, and they didn't win.
11:08And they didn't win.
11:09And they didn't win.
11:10Right?
11:10So I feel like it's hard to make that move.
11:13If you're Todd Munkin, you have a young team,
11:15you're still trying to establish yourself with this team.
11:19I just think that's a difficult and probably the wrong decision to make
11:22is to bench your quarterback.
11:25Scott, great stuff at brownzone.com.
11:27I'd suggest everybody go read it.
11:29Scott's analysis is outstanding.
11:31And we always appreciate your time.
11:33Thanks, buddy.
11:33Thanks, man.
11:34Hey, thanks, guys.
11:35Brownzone.com.
11:36Chronicle Telegram, Scott Petrack.
11:38Joining us on the Wiseheart Right.
11:40We make it right.
11:40Call Kyle Wright Hotline.
11:43I agree with Scott.
11:45If they think that Deshaun gives them a better chance, yes.
11:50But I said earlier, if they think it's even after what happened,
11:55they didn't win.
11:56Right.
11:57They didn't win.
11:58But if they saw enough from Shadur to think that he can do the same things
12:02Deshaun can, why don't you go with the young guy?
12:06I think Todd Munkin has a decision to make.
12:09I would think he has a decision to announce at 2 o'clock.
12:13You'll hear it right here on the Facebook page.
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