Zac Jackson on Dillon Gabriel’s struggles, Shedeur Sanders’ timeline & the Browns biggest issues

Zac Jackson on Dillon Gabriel’s struggles, Shedeur Sanders’ timeline & the Browns biggest issues

Let’s do it, guys. Today’s show is brought to you by something we all need, especially if you’re a Browns fan, and that is therapy. And BetterHelp is where you should be going to get your therapy if you need some extra help. As the days get shorter and the nights come earlier, it can start to feel a little heavy, especially when life is already packed with work, family, and everything else. This season, it’s so important to reach out and check in with friends, family. Or even yourself, just like checking on a teammate or reconnecting with someone you haven’t seen in a while can lift your spirits. Reaching out for therapy can make a real difference too. BetterHelp makes that first step easier by connecting you with a licensed therapist online from wherever you are. This month, don’t wait to reach out, whether you’re checking in on a friend or reaching out to a therapist yourself. BetterHelp makes it simple to take Take that first step. UCSS listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/lockdown. That is BetterHelp.com/lockdown because the sooner that step toward support might just leave you wondering, why didn’t I do this sooner? You know, the last time the Browns were good, of course, consistently was when Bernie Kozar was the quarterback and obviously, Bernie’s going through it right now. He had an emergency procedure last night. He’s, uh, waiting on a transplant. It’s, you know, he’s obviously in serious condition right now, and obviously, I think all of us are texting with him a little bit, you know, he even when he’s going through all this, he’s always reaching out to people like, make sure you’re doing this, or, you know, like, but, um, anyway, uh, if anybody has some thoughts, I, I just want to say, you know, I’m thinking of Bernie, but I hope, I hope. Man, we can use, we could use all the prayer soldiers out there, man, you know, you know, Bernie is, uh, you know, over the last couple of years I got to know him like on a personal level, uh, just because of some of the health conditions I went through and, and, and he would always check up on me. I’m like damn, that’s kind of cool, but. You know, I get to see him at this point, and you know we’re just praying for his, uh, speedy recovery and, and to, uh, yeah man, because I mean he’s a, I mean he’s a big part of the community. He’s a big part of Browns fandom in the community. So Bernie, we are praying for you, uh, we, we know. You matter and you’re gonna get back on your feet. So you’ve known him longer than anybody here, yeah, I think we wander into hyperbole sometimes, get wound up, but like he’s an icon. He is a Northeast Ohio icon, right? And like I was in kindergarten when Bernie started playing for the Browns. I remember watching the games, right? And he’s been around, so everybody’s rooting for. Just saw him last, like two Thursdays ago, right here, right? Talked to him, and he’s a genuine. good person. He really is. He’s so kind to everybody. He’s always willing to sign an autograph. He’s always willing to take a picture with people. I mean, he’s all over the place. Like, it’s like Bernie’s in Miami and Bernie’s here and Bernie’s there and he’s, Taylor Swift. I know, right? It’s just crazy and it’s, it’s hard to believe. I didn’t even think about it. I obviously, unlike you guys, I, I didn’t grow up here, but You know, as, as, uh, uh, a big football fan as a kid, like watching Bernie Kozar when you get to watch him on TV, it was like, and now the guy’s in you, you’re texting with him, and it’s hard to believe as a kid that I would be friendly with, with Bernie Kozar, but, uh, — stop
— traffic to talk to each other. That’s true. The first time I ever talked to Bernie one on one, like he launched into this story where he drew up a play. In like 1989 to beat Rod Woodson and he knew the exact detail. Like he was grabbing a Gatorade cup and showing like this is where he was looking and this is what I did and it was like, you know, 2009 when this happened and it was like, oh, OK, that’s pretty cool. He’s still, he may like forget the rest of everything else, but he still remembers plays and who did this and I, I pick it off Belichick. I told them I, I, I sent an email to the Cleveland Browns front office and said you call Dylan the supercomputer, that’s taste infringement. The first and only supercomputer no doubt is Bernie Kozar. Understand this people, Bernie Kozar called his own plays. Understand how crazy that is. That means protection schemes. That means it’s, he was almost like a catcher. I’m gonna. And call what I feel like and get in the flow. How do you, how does that even work, man? How does that even, that’ll never happen again. It’s Crazy. It is amazing in my opinion. There is clout to do that super clout in my opinion, the organization really hasn’t done right by him over the years, but, uh, I guess that’s another story. Patrick Mahomes, get well, — Bernie
— still doing the hand plays — because he don’t get to call his own
— stuff. That’s crazy. Yeah, Shout out to Bernie. All right, Mike. You guys have Zach. Ask away. — Oh
— yeah, I was like we just did a read. Well, Zach, what was your thoughts after the two, after the Jets lost? Is that a new low, a new like, uh, in a way, right, um, look, there were some offensive improvements which kind of sums it all up. Right, I thought the new play caller injected a little bit of life. The rollouts gave the quarterback a little bit of a chance, right? They mixed some things up, but the same story, 95 yard drive, super impressive, punt punt right after, you know, opportunities to get more, they miss. And then on 4th and 1, what is going on. On there, right, like he’s got to get rid of. It reminded me of last year on 4th down in Las Vegas. You got to throw up. You gotta give the guy a chance, right? It’s 4th down. What’s the worst that’s going to happen? That’s right. And then they should have gotten the ball back, but we all know it probably wasn’t going anywhere. But it was just a bad football game. And so yeah, is that, is that bottom when you give up 2 returns in the same quarter. And when you’re jumping offsides when they’re not running a play, when you’re picking up defensive holding when there’s no way in the world that they’re throwing that ball, like that’s, that’s just bad football and that’s how you lose. The Jets are in person. The Jets’ defense was as bad as Cincinnati’s, just so slow, so out of place. The Browns got 20 points. I know bad ball, Titus. You gotta put it like you are the aficionado of bad ball. So me and G was looking at some stuff yesterday, and we was, we was looking at, it was a play where that 4th to 1 play. Do you think that the hype thing is just, do you think it’s the hype? Do you, because I’m like he should have anticipation on David the joke who, even if not, he should be able to scan back and see Cedric Tillman. Do you think it’s the height, or do you think he just don’t have the anticipation? I do think there are times that the height does come into play, but I think on this one he looked the wrong way. He, he made the wrong hot read. He was supposed to look this way, the blitz came. I think Joel Batonio said it, and Dylan kind of said it himself after the game that they anticipated the blitz, and when they saw it coming, he, he looked the wrong way, ended up having to tuck it in and get sacked for the 6th time. So but that is like you should probably be running in that spot. Probably, but definitely you have to throw it to somebody. Have to. It doesn’t give them a chance. chuck it up for grabs, beg for PI or the ball to get tipped up and somebody else catches it. It’s not supposed to. Do you think that the receivers are frustrated? Oh, no doubt. I mean, I think they’re frustrated in general, right? And it’s been a frustrating season. I don’t put week one on the kicker. I put it on the two interceptions that came on passes that went off the hands, you know, Jerry Judy finally looked like an NFL receiver last week and they lost, right? It wasn’t a perfect game by him. It wasn’t a perfect game by the quarterback. I think that was part of what was better, right? Let’s get Judy the ball in favorable positions. They saw some coverages. They threw underneath to him. They got him going. You want him to catch it. Room to run. Catching, it’s been a struggle, you know, it’s just like you have to sometimes you can win 20 to 17, and if you’re going to win this week, that’s your blueprint, maybe 1615, maybe 10, 9, right? But like if you’re only getting to this point, mark, if you’re only if you’re just hitting the ceiling, and that’s what they’ve done, no one puts all the blame on Dylan, right? No one knows for sure if there’s a better alternative. But Dylan’s numbers are worst or 2nd worst in the league in every single category, and that it has nothing to do with the numbers. It matches what we see, right, right, absolutely. You know, what’s crazy to me is like you think about it. You have the best defensive player in the league on your D-line. Your, your rookie linebacker is the favorite, a big favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. Your top corner is maybe the best corner in the league, certainly top 5 in the league. So you have an absolute superstar at all three levels. — Grant Del put is playing to me some of the best football he’s
— played, — and he’s
— playing great, — and you’re getting good play throughout the defensive
— line. Malik Collins has been great. Mason Graham has not been great every game, but he’s been great in a few of them. Like, — it’s
— the Browns’ offense only needs to be mediocre. For them to be a player, a legit, maybe not a team that can win the Super Bowl, but a team that can be a playoff team, — and it’s just so far from mediocre that they’re not even close to being in
— a playoff. We’ve been talking since October 1st about if you just float along and just beat the Jets that you set up, you’re still alive in mid November. It’s, it’s a bad product across the division, across the league, but they could have been alive. Instead, now it’s like, well, at least you’re still alive for the number one pick because they wouldn’t have been if they’d have won last week. But, however you look at it, whatever excuse you make, this is going to be two straight 3 win seasons. You have an offensive head coach and you have a front office that obviously made a huge mistake and had a chance this year to at least show they’re moving forward, and there’s some good rookies, but this doesn’t feel like a rebuild. No, no, it just feels like bad football all over again because the offensive numbers are the same. The offensive product is unwatchable again and again you have these defensive standouts. You have one more than last year, 1.5. The Dolphins definitely having a better year. But where do you think this is going? Right. The best players on this team are still the older guys with the exception of, of Schlesinger, right? And the offense is still unwatchable, right? If the Browns end up with the number one pick, do they have to take Fernando Mendoza? I mean, you know, him or Ty Simpson, probably. Do you have to take a quarterback in that situation? Sure. You know, Dane Brugler, who I trust, the best tackle is number 10 on his early list. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t take him, right? But you would probably in this situation have to take the quarterback. And then that would, — that would open up the whole rest of your draft
— time. They trade. Well, if, if the quarterback is that good, you would have to take him. — What does Dane
— think about these quarterbacks? He’s, he’s worried. which I can understand. Well, and look, and Ty Simpson’s on the charge. He’s got what, 13 career starts, 13 career appearances, I think he’s gonna have 13 by the end of the year, you know, depending on how long they go, right? In Mendoza, you know, he graduated from Cal in 3 years. He played pretty high level football. He’s obviously playing a super high level this year. Like he is kind of a. Himself, but everybody else is a project, and all the senior quarterbacks have flopped. Clubnick, Nessmeyer. Now there’s different reasons in there, but yeah, type of, this could go a million different ways and we will have this conversation a million different times. But if you have the number one pick, you almost have to take the quarterback, and then it’s open from there. Um, sorry, go ahead, go ahead. No, I, I, I, I’m sorry. I haven’t got in there quick enough because, uh, it’s all right, let me wrap my head around this, OK, if they drafting a quarterback. Right, and cause I, they got the, the first pick. Are these guys the ones drafting that quarterback? To me, no. To me there’s no chance. We’ve been over it. What’s your resume, Deshaun Watson and Dylan Gabriel? There’s no way that this is the new, no way I trust him. Yeah, like, so the 2nd, 2nd part of that question is, um, I can’t help but feel a level of tension, an air of, uh, from the outside looking in. It, you know, at one point in time it felt like everybody was saying the same beat to the same drum, but now I don’t kinda see that. I see that, you know, one guy likes one quarterback, and there’s people who obviously drafted another quarterback that they say they’re gonna see him. De Podesta decides to take a job. Maybe that was, oh, hey, you might wanna go find something because we might not bring you back type deal, and the general manager ain’t speaking. I mean, are these guys kumbaya like they used to tell us all the time? I don’t think so. I mean, it’s gonna be 6 wins in 2 years, and that, that, you know, that’s the main discussion point, right? Let me throw this at you. Do you want to take one at 1, or do you want to trade pick 34 for Mac Jones and go forward that way? what? Pick 34, you’re, you’re in your second round. Why I gotta be that one? Because he’s under contract for making no money. So why wouldn’t someone else want him? Why, why couldn’t you? Why, why would the 49ers just take a third? Why wouldn’t they just ask for, for more? They’re probably gonna ask for pick 14. I’m gonna tell them to kick. OK, OK. Then you, then you gotta take one. You want to trade a first round pick for Mac Jones? No, I’m saying you want to take, yeah, no, no, no. — The starting point’s gonna be the top of that 2nd or Kyler
— Murray. Well, like definitely not Kyler Murray. I like Kyler Murray better than Mac Jones, but I don’t want him either. Here’s what I’m gonna say. I like Kyler Murray better than Mac Jones. It’s the same thing as Dylan. — It’s
— just he’s at least had a, at least with Kyler Murray, you can be mediocre. You can’t make the case for Kyler Murray here. No, no, no, no, he’s too small. He’s busted. He makes too much money. Mac Jones makes the minimum contract. That’s why he’s gonna get traded. — I think he’s a
— better quarterback than Mac Jones. — I’m not saying trade
— him, probably, so, but he’s not gonna succeed. I don’t want him either. I don’t want him either. And I, I’m not saying Mac Jones is gonna succeed. I’m just throwing out this scenario. So, so, I got you. So if that’s the, if that scenario, if, hey, listen, hey, uh, hey, hey, uh, uh, Jimmy, let me talk to you real quick. If that’s the scenario, big dog, uh, listen, after this Ravens game. Hey, hey, the risk gotta be up. All right, we ain’t got no time to be talking about more time and give him an opportunity and that 160 game. Shado Sanders might be in this game against the Raiders because if you go, if we’re moving that way that fast and it’s Mendoza or Simpson, I need a 567 game runway. I gotta see him play immediately. I’m done looking at the rest of this stuff then. Can I ask Zach a question real quick? what you just said? No, you can’t. Thank you, uh. We kind of discussed this in layman’s terms and, and on the perimeters earlier in the week, but I heard Mary Kay on the radio this morning. She was on with Ken and Lima, and they asked her, Have you heard from any players clamoring for Shador behind the scenes, like calling for him? It’s his time. I’m just curious. You’re in there as much as anyone else. Have you heard any? She said, no, by the way. No, I, I have not heard that. And, and Lima’s been beating that drum, right? Like it’s, it’s a fair question because you do. That generally, but I think people have hit the wall. I think what I heard was the frustration about the defense, the penalties last week, the obvious frustration about the special teams. But like you just look, he’s not a developmental quarterback right now. He’s a quarterback who’s hit the wall, right? You have your picture painted of who Dylan Gabriel is because he has done nothing but go backwards since that first game. That’s right. He is overmatched and the numbers say that and the eye test says it. The reality says that he always was, but they put him out here. They rushed him in. They didn’t do him any favors. They’re not doing him any favors with this receiving corps, but it’s very clear he is not going to be an NFL quarterback, and that has been the case since the spring. And that’s why I can’t listen to this. Shado Sanders is not ready, because even if he’s not, neither is Dylan Gabriel. So just play him and if he stinks, he stinks. Well, you know, so bad. That the argument automatically takes off in a different direction, right? Like those two are not really related. Like, was Dylan ready to play? Sure, he just can’t do it. It’s totally different. Yeah, that’s true. And like we have said maybe the one way out because we’re talking about Mac Jones here two weeks before Thanksgiving, right? Maybe the one way out is for Shador to be the answer, for Shador to be the starter, right? Oh, why not number 4. Because we’ve seen him play, he’s made 19 starts here in Cleveland. He’s making a comeback. I don’t think so. I, I, I still am, he’s not gonna play. I still be very surprised if he’s on the field. He’s the Browns, so you never know. The door is open. And can I debunk it? Can I, this, this talking point gotta die too. uh, the whole, if somebody would have saw him play and the players would have seen him, somebody would have been saying something. Name being the last player that jumped on record when a reporter said, Hey, what do you think about the quarterback? Well, not on record. Nobody’s gonna say something. guys could be saying something off the record. I don’t know how many, — so let me just tell you the
— last time a backup got any recognition for being good and should be playing was Brock Purdy, when he was a rookie. There’s back to Joe Flacco in 2023, we were hearing about in practice he was tearing up the, I mean, Jason came in and was like, these dudes won’t stop talking about how Joe Flacco torched his defense. Maybe I, maybe I gotta just stand. Do I gotta do backflips off this table? Because I done told you multiple times on this show. I said my phone went off the hook last week. I don’t even know these folks. They’re like, oh, listen, we’re tired of seeing this. We’re tired. Yes, we’re tired. I, and by the way, I keep trying to, these ain’t no special teamers. You do the math. It ain’t special teams dudes running down on kickoff. I hear you. So yeah, I don’t, so here’s the thing, the, the reality of the situation is. It ain’t up to the players to decide who it is. The, the decision is on Kevin Stefansky to play the guy who gives you an opportunity to do something. And we’ve obviously seen. That that he’s not the dude we, we’ve seen it, but we have to sit here and pretend. Why are we pretending? I don’t. Are we? Yeah, no, no, we’re not pretending. We’re not pretending. Some people are pretending. Yeah, some people are, — some people
— still pretending, but no, I’m talking about, I’m not talking. I’m talking about in a, in a bigger picture. — I think it’s a small percentage of people that are pretending at
— this point. Look, I, Shador played in the first preseason game on a Friday night, right? And then the next week they went to Philly for the biggest part of the training camp, and he got hurt. He did not participate that week. Then he played the next week and. Flopped, so he did not do himself any favors because that’s when development ends, right? Immediately you’re into season mode and they traded away Kenny Pickett and they chose Dylan Gabriel. Now they went off their own timeline. They traded Flacco, benched Flacco, 6 weeks before they ever wanted to, or at least 2 weeks before they ever wanted to. But here we are, and it’s, there’s no developing going on. He’s, he’s flopped. He’s done, right? So it’s time. It’s time for Shador and if is not ready, then a part of it is on them. But that’s the timeline that should like to pretend that Shador has any trajectory. Is, is, is, is, he doesn’t. No, Shador, I see. Yeah, yeah, yeah he was, he was so they benched him in the preseason, did not let their own draft pick run a two-minute drill against the Rams’ fourth teamers. So is there an agenda here beyond I mean that to me agenda is a strong word and I don’t think so. Like, do I think the situation is just awful and they’re all suture, but, but an agenda to keep him out. I don’t, I don’t, I don’t see that. — So
— then if he, if, if, unless Dylan Gabriel shocks us and plays well against Baltimore. — You feel like he has to play the next
— week. Coming out of my week. I thought he’s got 8 quarters left. Yeah, right, 4 of them. The Raiders, that’s a perfect game to put him in for the first time. They stink, you know. I know it’s on the road, — or I think it’s
— on the on the road, yeah, yeah, yeah, — but like they don’t have a big home field
— advantage, and no, it’ll be all Browns fans. — Will
— attendance play a part in this decision? No. But look, the optics are coming because Dylan will get booed off the field on Sunday if he doesn’t play. If Shaddo Sanders is playing the next home game, everybody’s there. — It’s a packed
— house. — But
— who said that? — What didn’t I say that like two
— months ago? But that’s what’s looming out here. That’s what’s looming out here is that if, if it goes the way that the other. Last 4 have gone. Then the Bluebirds are coming at home on, on Sunday, and it’s a division game, right? It’s your only 4:25 game of the whole season, right? Like that’s what can change. — Did you do fence
— riders this week? No, no, I gotta, I gotta go to. I gotta bring up. — I wanted him to at least
— answer. Well, ask him, — ask him what one you wanna ask
— him. What do you wanna ask the one of the questions is, will, — will he get boohooed before or after the end of the first
— quarter? That was crazy. — That was a lot
— based on the script, I would say after, but. Tell me about 9:25 to go in the second quarter. Well, if they go 3 and out in the first time, — the Brews are
— coming. I, yeah, they might. It’s, — it’s
— that
— kind of toxic. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I, and I don’t know what the crowd is it gonna be old Ravens fans there? — People knocking
— tickets are going for like $11.06 dollars. Jeez, 6. — This is $6 to
— get you in the dough. I think it costs more to go to high school football these days. It does, yeah, yeah, they, — they go
— up there at night. — Let’s talk
— about something positive. Two rookies I want to talk about. We referenced Schlesinger earlier. Like, what’s the, it’s so rare these days. Like when we were younger, it was more common, but for a middle linebacker to be this impactful, it doesn’t happen that often, — and he’s very
— impactful. Yeah, it’s good scouting. It’s good scheme fit. It’s good scouting. It’s great instincts, and I mean he wasn’t supposed to play. He had a high ankle sprain, right? He only had one practice, but he wanted to play. Saw him out there running around about 11 o’clock Sunday morning, and I was like this guy. The guy’s gonna play and he didn’t show any ill effects so I’m sure he hurt like crazy, right? But man, he’s, he’s good. Yeah, he’s really good he’s good and he’s everything you want them to be. Yeah, and Judkins, like I in this last game, like he’s not getting a lot of big runs because he’s getting hit in the backfield all the time, but you see the vision. You see his like patience back there and then his ability to explode through the even the tiniest, the holes. I mean there’s no reason he can’t be a superstar, right? I mean, I don’t know about superstar, but he and Fannon both, you look at them and you’re like, man, on a real offense, oh my God, these guys would be so much better. And, and Judkins did not have a training camp. Ty is out of control right now. He’s cracking up because I said some words that can respond in a, in an inappropriate direction. It’s not your fault. It’s not your Ty got a facial yesterday. Calm down, guy. No, a facial treatment. All right, go ahead, Ts. This is why is it that, OK, so it’s the same scouting department, right? Why is it that our scouting department does a phenomenal job for defensive players but not offensive players? I would say Jim Schwartz has some influence, and I would say each, each case really is different. I mean, they didn’t have a first round pick for 3 years, right? Jed Wheels, Anthony Schwartz, David Bell, yeah, uh, Pon Winfrey. Yeah, right, Sakki Ika, right? I mean, nobody talks about that, but yeah, that was as bad as he did in the league, yeah, he is. He’s in the league. He’s in the league. You practice squad. No, he was on somebody’s active. No kidding. Good for him. That’s hard to believe. It was hard to believe when I saw it, — but I
— just feel like, like Zach Center. — I
— feel, yeah, right. They’ve drafted one offensive lineman in the last two drafts, and he doesn’t dress on Sundays. No, — that blows
— my mind. They did draft James Hudson. They drafted, — did these
— guys draft James Hudson? Yeah, he was their developmental tackle. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nasty work. Yeah, yeah. The only reason he’s not back is because the Giants gave him money that was out of the Browns’ price range, right? And then they benched him immediately, James Hudson got a real check from the Giants, which is hard to believe because he was terrible. That’s, that’s the state of offensive line play right now, — wasn’t he
— the which is — scary
— to be in this spot. It’s the state of quarterback play offensive line, yeah, right. He was the one that got killed by TJ Watt that game. They did him no favors. It’s Baker’s last game on Monday night. I mean, — it’s really
— hard to. Do you have anybody in mind? In terms of coach GM, have you started thinking about that? — I
— mean, I’ve got lists that I started working on last year that, but I, I mean, I’m not gonna, you know, I don’t know what they’re thinking, and I don’t, you never know what they’re thinking, you never know what they’re thinking, and I think everybody needs to take that into account. But it is good. I, I mean, even though we didn’t know exactly what he does, it’s, it’s good that the Podesta is gone, right? Um, I think it says that the exit ramp is open, yes, you know, and I think you can fairly say that and the rest. Zach, why is it that Going into this season, everybody said the Browns wouldn’t win no more than 4 games. Now that we’re here, — why is it that it’s a huge
— uproar? Because of your fault, because of how it looks. I’m — the
— only, — I’m the only one that
— should be upset people’s expectations. — So that means when I’m
— upset, that’s fair because I had expectations. — It’s you 3
— did not. Tvis, it’s easy to, I, I said it all. Offseason it’s easy to sit here and and say when there’s no games happening that if we, we’re only gonna lose, we’re gonna win 3 games, we’re only gonna win 3 games. But when you’re in the moment and you’re sitting there week after week after week and you’re seeing the way it looks, reality hits you in the face, — but you knew
— that you truly don’t know. You truly don’t know until it hits you in your mouth. — And when
— you lose every close game outside of the, the Packers game, like games you had a chance to win, — they lose the
— same thing last year. And it was bad last year too. Well, — I
— mean, and I wanted him to go back and they and they ran everything back. So like, God, what was, — what did you think was gonna happen
— you talked me. Shut up, boy. You’re gonna keep running over blame me. — You’re the one
— who said it. I, I’ll give you this real quick. At some point when I look at the, when I look at the Giants and I look at Dable getting fired, they’re in the same position as the Browns. They drafted high. They actually drafted the quarterback, and he actually plays decent, so his offense is better than the Browns. He got fired. Why would, like, what makes this different from the Giants? Well, I think probably a lot does make it different from the Giants, but I’m, but it’s a valid question, right? Like Dable’s time was up. He had to win this year and he didn’t, and he didn’t make it to Thanksgiving, right? And like this team’s not winning and every game looks the same, and he’s played all his cards, including a second straight unprecedented giving up the play calling, right. There’s no quarterback plan. There’s no punch in the offense. There’s no way to score. Like it, it looks too much the same to me. This is just the inevitable. What do you really solve, Garrett, in a midseason coach fire? — I
— know he can stay around. He can stick around and call the plays, right? I’m just saying to me, to me this has been on an easy path. This has been on an easy path since, since mid-October. Zach, good stuff. Thank you for joining us as always. I’ll talk to you tomorrow morning on, on the podcast, and, uh, that’s it. — All
— right, Zach. Thanks guys.

Welcome back to the #AskinJackson Cleveland Browns mailbag, where it’s not all rainbows, butterflies and extra draft picks. Browns fans are mad, understandably, and the questions reflect that. The team is 2-7, the offense is broken (again) and folks are scorned, sad and exhausted. Ideally, I’d give shorter answers in this space to make sure I can get to as many questions as possible. But there’s nothing simple or ideal about this situation. So, while I tried to choose wisely and be as brief as possible, it’s not like folks want to know about one specific linebacker or how the Browns will match up in the trenches with the Baltimore Ravens Sunday. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6802274/2025/11/13/browns-mailbag-deshaun-watson-contract/

But Browns fans are darn loyal, and the response to our mailbag callout was strong. That’s appreciated.

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The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show is your daily source of the best conversation about the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeyes, as well as sports throughout Northeast Ohio. Produced by Mike Lucas, Anthony Antonelli, and Earl Mauldin. Hosted by Jay Crawford, Adam the Bull, G Bush, Jason Lloyd, and Tyvis Powell.