DeShaun Watson play?
And how does he play in Houston?
How is the reception to Houston? I grew up down there.
I know how the reception is going to be, it's not going to
be friendly. So I think that this this
played out exactly as the NFL wanted it to play out. I think
all along they would have been satisfied with the love and
games. I think they I think in some sense they wanted him to
come back and play in this game
they will get ratings. They will get a lot of money out of
this game. And both team, neither team, probably wanted
this to be the game that DeShaun Watson came back to.
I'm sure that the Browns would
have preferred that that game been in one of the games,
the first 11 games, as it worked out, or the first six games or
whatever it was. So he didn't have to play in that particular
game. You've been hanging around me for too long. I'm not
even willing to go that far. And let me explain, I'm not
willing to give them enough credit to being able to pull
this off to be that strategic. I really don't think. That was
the case. I think it came down to something as simple as
DeShaun Watson in the nflpa were dug in at 10.
The NFL was dug in at 12 and they eventually had to do this
compromise and it was kind of like, oh crap, we recognize his
first game back. Is going to be at Houston. Well,
at some point, he's going to play at Houston over
the balance of his career. It's going to be a big deal when it
happens. Let's go ahead and make first game back
which is going to be a big deal
coincide with first game back in Houston. Which was always
going to be a big deal. Let's just get it out of the way now
and I don't agree with the idea that they're going to slide
this into 4:25 p.m. Eastern, they're opening themselves up
for tremendous criticism
and I don't think they want to bask in that they don't want to
have ratings flowing from hey let's tune in to watch what
a train wreck. This will be, let's tune in so we can hear
what kind of chance
are going to make it over the noise and through
the microphones of the announcers. They don't you know because
I every once in a while there will be
A suggestion that
the league Flex into Primetime,
you know, if there's a team that's going 40 and 16 when
the Browns were a few years ago, or if there's a game that decides
the first overall pick in the draft, the NFL doesn't want
games like that. To have a
big platform. I don't think that one's going to be moved to
4:25 p.m. Eastern, unless the two teams are really, really
good, then it's unavoidable. And I don't expect both teams
to be really, really good.
I don't think the league went into any of this.
Intending this outcome because I'm not willing to give them
the credit to pull something like that off. I really do
think they would have preferred ideally that it not happened
but 12 but
they're willing to
they're willing to deal with it because you work your way
through it you say okay yeah he's going back to Houston at
some point we may as well just do it now and be done with it.
Let's not get hung up on that. Let's just be done with it
because they're dug in on ten.
We're dug in on 12. We got to split the difference in the middle
or we just got to go ahead and suspend him for the full year
and And
walk into whatever federal court process. They're going to
drag us through one. Last point though, we made this yesterday,
but I want to make sure everybody understands this and
I wrote about it last night.
It actually could have been better for the Browns if he
would have been suspended the whole year because then they
would have had him under contract through 2027.
They would be paying a million dollars. Next year in salary,
instead of 46 million,
they're getting him back at a point in the season.
When how much help is it going to be?
It'll be twenty three months since he last played in
a regular season game. We don't know what their records going
to be. If they're four and seven, five and six. How much
difference is he going to make?
Are they going to make it to the playoffs? Is it a Lost
season for the Browns and it still counts as season one of
his five year contract. So
that's one thing where if the Browns were being honest,
they'd say,
we'd be better off. Just not having him at all this year.
Yeah, Mike. And I think that's exactly right because the,
the Colts tried what the Browns are trying right now. They tried
Jacoby Brissette. You remember, he played 15 games in 2017,
when luck had the shoulder injury and then in 2019,
when luck abruptly, retired on August, 24th of that offseason
of that preseason,
then Jacoby, Brissette played 15 games that season. He's 14
and 23 is a starter. This is not going to go well for
the Browns, they
Five playoff teams from last season plus the Chargers, plus
the Dolphins. So you know
I just don't think this is going to go well for the Browns
when he comes back. Maybe there since there's an extra wild
card, team the third wild card team. Maybe there's a chance.
They're still in contention for that third wild card team but
I didn't expect that
to be the case. So at that point
I think you're just getting ready for 2023. You're letting
him get some of the rust off him and get back into it and
then you get ready to Come back in 2023, but this to me looks
like a Lost season for the Browns.
So, contract wise. You're right. Mike. If he had not
played this season, it would have been far better for
the Browns, but then he sat out two years and
I just don't know how this is going to go. I will be
interested when he comes back. How he plays at the end of
your, he looked terrible in that preseason game. And
I don't know that the five attempts that he had really
gets the rust out, and I don't know that you can do that in
practice, and I
don't know that you can do that in joint practices, I think.
Get something that you have to get out there
and do. So that's what how the end of the season is going to
play out for the Browns is going to be trying to get that
rust off a dish, on Watson to get him ready for 2023.
He won't play again in the preseason. That's something
coach. Kevin stefanski said yesterday, let me ask you this,
before we go to break, and we're way over. But what
the hell? What's another couple minutes, Jimmy Garoppolo?
I think there's no way that they would trade for him. The
question becomes
if he's cut
and he's available.
As a free agent who can be signed by anyone, would they be
interested? I just think with the Sean coming back.
Presumably, presumably,
yeah.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna revisit everything I've thought and
said about Jimmy Garoppolo the past day or two because my
reaction was, it's only 11 games,
you get through them with Jacoby per set. And you bring
back to Sean Watson for the stretch run. If the Browns are
at all concerned
that the Sean's not going to be able to get back in.
If there is any legitimate worry based upon what he said
yesterday.
Maybe you are interested in Jimmy Garoppolo because you're
thinking, there's a chance we're not going to have DeShaun
Watson this year.
That's the great unresolved question
as to whether or not he gets back in
as it relates to what we've been talking about whether or
not he shows. True, remorse, true Contrition, true
acceptance of responsibility. But Shereen, if he's out, it's
just changes the dynamic. If they know, they're not going to
happen for the whole year.
And I think Rob Lowe makes sense.
If they're confident, they going to have 46 games,
I don't know. You want to go down that path.
Well and that's the thing, Mike, you feel like if you're
the Browns that you have a really good team that you have
a chance to contend for a Super Bowl but I don't know that they
can do that with Jacoby Brissette and even if you get
Jimmy Garoppolo in there,
how long is it going to take him to be ready? You remember
the trade that they 49ers when they traded form? Everybody
kept saying, when are we gonna see Jimmy wise learning
the offense? Well, he's getting comfortable, you know, it's
just going to take some time and it week after week after
week went by before he finally saw Jimmy Garoppolo
In with the 49ers and things went really well for the 49ers
that there were 5 and 0 with Jimmy Garoppolo at the end of
that season. So, even if you get him in there, if you would
make that trade next week, it's still a long time before he's
going
to be able to play. And by the time he's able to play,
they hope that DeShaun Watson is close to coming back.
I guess that's it. Mike, if there's any internally any
thought that maybe DeShaun Watson won't get back this
year, that
then I think you make that trade because I don't know.
Know that you have a chance to win a Super Bowl with Jacoby
Brissette. And this is a really good team. I agree with them.
I think it's a great team, but I don't think that they're going
to win many games with Jacoby prosthetic quarterback.
And you know what?
To the extent that there is
lingering resentment toward the Browns for giving him the huge
contract. And we know that owners were upset about it
because they said so on the record stunningly because
collusion is always
rattling around in what the owners collectively do.
There's value in, keeping the Browns in the dark,
there's value in, not letting them know
whether or not the shaw. Watson has jeopardized his ability to
return for week 13 at Houston and Beyond because if they
know,
then they go get in the running for Jimmy Garoppolo
either via trade or signing as a free agent,
if they don't know,
what do you do? So, I think he will be kept.
They will be kept. The Browns will be kept in the dark by
the League. And we'll just have to see how this all plays out.
And, and look part of it. Let's be realistic. Part of what
the legal limit. He does, with Sean Watson is going to be driven
by the public reaction.
We are just two voices.
We don't really count all that much in the grand scheme of
things. What are other people saying about? This are other
people waking up on Friday saying, this really doesn't sit
well with me. That the guy
supposedly was taking his medicine and then he spit it
out of his mouth.
When the commissioner wasn't looking,
I think That how others
handle this? What others believe about this? How loudly
fans complain about it? That's all going to be a factor in
what the league does going forward, Shireen? Because we
know,
we know that's always a factor in what the league does.
Yeah, they base all decisions on PR money and this is PR and
they want to know how what the reaction is outside of the NFL,
how our fans Hanley this, and I suspect based on what I've seen
on social media that this doesn't sit
well with anyone outside of Cleveland. Now,
Browns fans have already accepted him there. Like
Jimmy Haslam, they know that he's the future of
the organization and they're going to stick by him through thick
or thin. And so that's the only place that you're seeing
people.
Shawn Watson outside of that outside of
Cleveland, that group of Browns, fans, you're not seeing
that Mike. And I do think that clearly plays to the NFL, they
are going to listen to that over this next week
weeks months. However, long it is that we talk about DeShaun
Watson but they are going to be hearing that and it will be
interesting to see how this thing
plays out once we get closer
to that week 13 when he's supposed to come back or maybe
even when in October when he's supposed to come. Back to
the team facility,
my prediction is that the subset of Browns fans who have
periodically flashed anger
at those in the media who have pointed out issues and
problems. And and again they've been put in that position by
their team.
I feel badly for them but I think that subset is going to
become increasingly angry