00:00I mean, I don't think it's a guarantee that Deshaun Watson has his starting job throughout the bye.
00:05But I also think we're kind of on the same page where I don't think that it's even with a
00:11bad result today for Deshaun, a guaranteed you're going to the bench either.
00:15I don't think so.
00:17I don't think it guarantees it.
00:18But I do think a loss today creates another interesting conversation.
00:22I said that last week.
00:24It got clipped.
00:25People below the responses were absolutely trolling me.
00:30Tell me it wasn't a conversation at the end of the game about if they were going to give the
00:34job to Shador Sanders the rest of the way.
00:37I think that's what happens here.
00:38I do think with the Browns loss today, that conversation picks right back up Monday morning.
00:44We're going to be talking about what is the right thing to do here.
00:47Is it continuing to stick with Deshaun Watson?
00:49Or could you turn the page to the 24-year-old in Shador Sanders?
00:53Now, I'll tell you this, Jake.
00:54I do find it very telling that they kept all four of these quarterbacks after the NFL trade deadline because
01:00you are still positioned, even at 5-5, to make a potential postseason run.
01:06And you're using a lot of roster spots on that quarterback position.
01:09My guess is there is an intention to look at maybe Shador and Dylan both by the end of the
01:16season.
01:16So, I definitely don't think this conversation is going anywhere.
01:20I do ultimately think, like, if I was a betting man, which I am, and if there was a way
01:24to bet on this, I do think the bet would be that they continue to let Deshaun start even out
01:31of the bye.
01:32Like, even against Vegas out of the bye, I think Cincinnati, that next week, is maybe where you start to
01:38look at a potential, you know, what are we doing here type of conversation.
01:42I just don't think they're going to want to quit on this season at 5-5.
01:46And, like, I'd probably sit in that same boat, but it is interesting, Nick.
01:49Like, you brought up the playoff odds.
01:51Like, they lose today.
01:52You're talking about somewhere close to a 5% chance.
01:54Yeah, you're on 5%.
01:555%, 6%, 7%, somewhere in there.
01:57Like, that's not good.
01:59That is very much so unlikely to be ending up in a playoff spot.
02:04And I think it'll tell you a lot of what this organization kind of thinks of Shador in a lot
02:09of ways.
02:09Like, I mean, if you do think that there is a potential for him to be the answer, right, and
02:13that he can be your franchise quarterback moving forward, again, I have no clue what the Browns legit have been
02:17feeling on that is.
02:18But if you did feel that way, at 5-5 with a 5% chance to make the playoffs, only
02:23seven games remaining in the season, you give Shador much less of anything than seven games, you're probably moving on.
02:31Or making a very bold call to say, you know what, we're not touching the quarterback spot next year.
02:35We're just going to hand it to Shador.
02:36We believe in him blindly.
02:39I can't see that happening.
02:40I don't see that happening either.
02:41So, like, you're walking into a scenario where you have to see it at some point, and with a 5
02:45% chance to make the playoffs, if the team currently sitting at 5-5, a lot of teams are going
02:49to be better than that following your bye week, probably.
02:52You probably have to turn to the idea that, like, the rookie in that sense, like, where the bye is,
02:56this natural evaluation point, it also, organizationally, it's not like it makes zero sense at that point to turn to
03:02Shador either.
03:03Again, I think that it's hard to convince a team that's 5-5, was sitting at 5-2, they can't
03:08get back to playing good football, with some easy games left on that schedule.
03:11There's still a push to make.
03:13But I do think there's that reflection.
03:16Like you said, the conversation, how do you avoid it?
03:19I look at it, too, through the lens of, when you understand what your actual playoff prospect is, that it's
03:27probably not very good, even as we sit here right now, they have less than 10% chance of making
03:32the NFL playoffs.
03:33And when you know that this is going to just be the number one conversation again this offseason, it makes
03:40it that much more enticing to look at Shador if you think that there's anything in there.
03:44Because I've heard the conversation, and I think that the angle is right, that if the Browns thought that Shador
03:50would be their quarterback of the future, he'd probably be playing now.
03:54I think there's something to be said for that.
03:55I think that's true.
03:56Even if you're intrigued by him, and you don't know if he can be part of the future, maybe he
04:01is, maybe he's not, I do think that that's a situation where you probably want to find out the answer.
04:06And when you have less than a 10% chance of making the NFL playoffs, even if you're 500, and
04:12I get there's some vets on this roster who might not want to throw in the towel on the year
04:15and want to keep fighting to try to make the postseason, I do think that this is a Browns organization
04:21that probably wants their answer on the quarterback thing to be final.
04:25They wanted to know, when they made the decision to go back to Deshaun in week one, if there was
04:29any juice left in there.
04:30I think they had their answer.
04:32There was a little bit of juice left in there, and enough to get you five wins.
04:35The question now becomes, and part of the question will be answered today, is there enough juice to continue winning
04:41with Deshaun Watson?
04:43That's what they've got to answer before they decide to figure out whether they want to make a change or
04:47not.
04:47Okay, so what is the expectation walking in for Deshaun Watson?
04:50He wants to keep his job, he wants to continue starting past the bye, wants to continue to find Brown
04:54success.
04:55What is the expectation that he has to come in and kind of overachieve to put that conversation to bed?
05:01Because for me, it's as simple as, I think if you pick up a win today and you do it,
05:05heck, even if you do it in spite of Deshaun, it might be enough.
05:08I agree with that.
05:10I think if you beat Houston today, what's the point of having a conversation about it?
05:14You'd be 6-4 at that point.
05:16You'd have a 25% chance of making the NFL playoffs at that point.
05:20At the bye week, I'm trying to figure out how do I fix this offensive line the rest of the
05:23way if it looks still a little bit shaky today
05:26and figuring out how to shore up this defense, even though enforcements aren't going to be on the way after
05:31a quiet NFL trade deadline.
05:33I think, yeah, just win today.
05:35And that's going to be enough to dispel any conversation throughout a long bye week.
05:40But a loss today is going to chime up that conversation, maybe to volumes that we haven't previously heard it.
05:45Yeah, it's interesting though, like I do still think that there's a pathway, like if Deshaun looks good in this
05:50game in a loss,
05:52like yeah, the evaluation part of it's there and that's why, you know, the conversation, like I don't know that
05:56it puts it to bed,
05:57but it did 5-5, like I get it, we throw out the playoff numbers, but we know that, you
06:03know, organizationally,
06:04maybe like Andrew Barry's staring at that number, Todd Munkin doesn't care about that number.
06:07He doesn't care about what they, you can throw it out, you can tell me it's 0.1% chance,
06:11Todd Munkin's going to tell you at 5-5, this team absolutely still has a chance to make the playoffs,
06:16we just got to play damn good football moving forward.
06:19Like, I would have to think that Todd, even at 5-5 off three losses,
06:23and you know, it's one bad Deshaun game against Pittsburgh,
06:26and it's a better one today where he looks competent, where, you know, you are competitive,
06:31but you just don't get the job done.
06:32I think that's still enough to turn around and go at 5-5.
06:35Again, we got to start winning some games, you have to be better in the back half of the season,
06:39but we're alive, and Deshaun's still the quarterback that gives me the best chance moving forward.
06:44Dude, and not to keep just adding stakes into today, because we've already covered how today,
06:49regardless of the quarterback thing, is so big for what this season is going to end up being,
06:54throw the quarterback thing on top of it, where with a good Deshaun performance, win or loss,
07:00he'll keep this job moving forward.
07:02There will be no conversation to be had at all, because, like you said, Jake,
07:07like, why would you make a change even at 5-5 if I'm Todd Munkin and my quarterback just bounced
07:12back?
07:13No way am I doing that.
07:14But, if another shoe drops, and if today looks similar to what it looked like against the Steelers,
07:21even if it's not all Deshaun's fault, even if the offensive line falls flat,
07:24and he's taken a lot of sacks, we understand how this works.
07:28The quarterback is always going to get more blame,
07:31and I do think the organization that held on to their three other options at the position
07:35could be tempted, with a long week, to think twice about it,
07:38about making a change to a younger player to see if they could have some sort of spark.
07:42Again, I caution them, because it did not work in week 9,
07:45but I don't know, maybe they'd try it again.
07:47It's interesting, because, again,
07:49the debate becomes that you got Deshaun-esque play out of Shador last week.
07:56I don't think any of us disagree.
07:57It was three bad quarters, and then the team was forced to throw the football a little bit more,
08:01and Shador dialed in.
08:03There's also the argument that that was where the first three quarters of football Shador Sanders played,
08:08and then he put together his last two quarters being really good.
08:12There is argument still to be made,
08:14especially if Deshaun does not play well this week,
08:16that you turn around and go, well, Shador gives us a damn good chance to win, too.
08:20And he's led game-winning drives before.
08:21He's done that in his career.
08:23He's done that in the NFL, I believe, just once.
08:25But I get it.
08:26Deshaun's done it five times.
08:27If I'm getting similar play, and I'm getting it out of a very young quarterback,
08:33that's now a conversation to be had.
08:34That's now something to point to that can work in our favor.
08:38So I don't think that conversation is just completely buried.
08:42Again, Deshaun wants to put it to bed.
08:44You go find a way to pick up a win today.
08:47That's what puts it to bed, is winning today.
08:51Nathan Segura mentioned this earlier on Friday, too.
08:54It just feels like an offense that needs to, in a lot of ways,
08:58they did it the same way last year,
09:00maybe put a little bit less emphasis on protecting the football.
09:03Because it feels like that has been, and I get it,
09:05it has brought them some wins.
09:08We've seen when push comes to shove, I've got to push the ball down the field.
09:11Deshaun looks really good.
09:12Shador looks really good.
09:13And I get, like, that's not, you can't run, like, a two-minute offense for a full 60-minute game.
09:18That's not how the NFL works.
09:20But as soon as they have opened it up and gone, okay, well, guys, we've got to make a play.
09:23We're going to have to put the ball into danger.
09:25Like, Deshaun has looked really good in those moments.
09:27I'd be curious to know, like, how did the Browns themselves feel about that?
09:31Just because I think their formula for this year is to just be good enough offensively
09:36and try to drag teams down in the mud and play good defense
09:40and win the field position battle and win games that way.
09:43But, like, what would happen if you let your quarterback turn loose?
09:46What would happen if the Browns could play with, like, I don't know, let's dream for just a second.
09:52I don't think this is going to happen today.
09:54What would happen if you went up 17-0 in a game?
09:57Yeah, I mean, the only time we've seen them do anything close to that was Pittsburgh.
10:00And, obviously, the late game got really ugly.
10:03But Browns come out and win that game, and you felt really good going into the half.
10:06And that was your fast start.
10:07And, by the way, that's when you were taking shots down the field.
10:10That's when you were pushing the ball.
10:12Like, there is something to look at Deshaun and say as a quarterback.
10:16Like, go look at him play in Houston.
10:17Go look at him play in the fourth quarter.
10:19Again, when push comes to shove, when you need the ball to go down the field,
10:22Deshaun didn't play safe football in Houston.
10:25It was anything but that.
10:26He was letting the ball rip.
10:28Like, they were taking shots.
10:29He was throwing a boatload of touchdowns.
10:30He had a fair share of interceptions.
10:32I kind of like what I've seen.
10:34And, like, at this point, you want answers on the quarterback position.
10:37Like, I don't hate getting a little bit more of that,
10:39and I don't think it necessarily buries you either.
10:40Again, you can't have too many turnovers.
10:42But even playing safe, Deshaun's still fumbling the football left and right.
10:45Like, turnovers are still happening.
10:46He's getting sacked all over the place.
10:48I don't know how much worse it can be.
10:49I think he has seven fumbles and eight starts this year.
10:51Yeah.
10:52So, that's going to be another thing today, too, against Daniil Hunter.
10:55I know Daniil Hunter.
10:57Against Jadavian Clowney, rather.
10:59And Will Anderson, who is the one that is playing today,
11:02was who I meant to say, you got to take care of the football.
11:05You can't be fumbling around out there.
11:07No, definitely not.
11:08No, definitely not.
11:08No, definitely not.
