Browns Outlook After Watson Injury (Hour 1)

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Until we say goodbye to you at 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Pacific. So, I gotta start off the show today with the Deshaun Watson news, that he's now out for the season after having to undergo season-ending shoulder injury, and he's gonna need surgery on that. I was shocked this morning when I woke up. And I understand whenever you see the news, it's shocking, because after the game, we were told, oh, it was an ankle injury, and even he said he would be fine, and then you further find out when they were taking a look at him. Not only was it an ankle, it was also he felt something in his shoulder. But after the game, because I remember right before halftime, he leaves, and he left with some injury to go into halftime, I guess to get some work done right before the end of the half.

And then when pressed about it after the game, he said it was just some ankle injury, he does not feel great right now, but he'll be fine next week with the Cleveland Browns big upcoming game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern, up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the way that I saw this news earlier this morning was there was one account, ML Football, I think it is, which is a really good follow on Twitter, and I woke up this morning, and I sound like I'm in a Sopranos episode, and when I went to look at Twitter, the first thing I saw was how about Tom Brady to the Cleveland Browns? And I'm like, what?

And everyone has like a moment of good trolling and good fun, and you know Twitter is a cesspool, X is a cesspool. So when I saw that at first, I go, oh, that must just be a stupid tweet, and then I put my phone down, I got up, I brushed my teeth, and I went to the bathroom, and then I went back to my phone, I saw the news story that Deshaun Watson is out for the season. And I was like, what's going on?

And you know what I felt really bad for? I felt really bad for Ken Karman and Anthony Lima, because last week when I saw them get that victory and have that crazy come from behind effort and take down the Baltimore Ravens, like there's just something about seeing Ken Karman who has hosted here on CBS Sports Radio, does local radio in Cleveland, he's magnificent. When the Browns are good or when the Browns just win, he's happy, and he's jolly. And like you look at Ken Karman, and it's fun to follow on Twitter. So the first thing I did when I saw that news was I said, let me use my Odyssey app, let me go to 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, and I want to listen to when that news hit The Fan to just see their reaction.

And properly so you would have thought that someone just like stole your dog, or you just lost a loved one. They didn't even know what to say. And it's one of those moves and one of those things that happens where even though Watson wasn't having this great season, even though it's really tough to root for Deshaun Watson, when you look at the Cleveland Browns, they've been bad for so long. And once you get a positive kind of season, and this team is six and three, and they really have no offense right now, and their defense has been this dominant, and you have the big hype and buzz around this game coming up on Sunday, the Browns were starting to become an interesting, fun, intriguing story, whatever word you want to use. But right now, if they don't find a way to go get the proper quarterback and that's always going to be tough.

Well, this team is screwed. Well, they could still make the playoffs, like when Watson got hurt earlier in the year, they were winning games that were close and they got the fortuitous bounces towards the end of the game. But in the year of 2023, a great defense and a lethal defense can only take you so far. And each and every year, there are teams that just get hit with the injury bug. You look at the Baltimore Ravens, that's been them for the last two or three seasons. And for Cleveland, you go into the season where you wanted to figure out two things. One, how much rust does Deshaun Watson have to knock off still? And also, can he still be a great quarterback? And when you just look at the offensive side of the ball, not only now do you have multiple injuries with Deshaun Watson, but he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, and he's been dealing with other things. And earlier in the year, your best offensive player and your most valuable offensive player in Nick Chubb suffered a second serious leg injury. So this is not just, oh, Deshaun Watson's done, Deshaun Watson's out for the year, and now the Browns' season basically gets flushed right down the toilet.

It's not just that. You have to legitimately wonder, what's the long-term future and what direction are the Cleveland Browns heading in? And I don't think Kevin Stefanski's seat should be warm with what he's done through the first 10 weeks of the season. And now, I don't think you just get rid of him if they don't make the playoffs.

He should be back. But you look at the rest of the offense, you know the defense is damn good, but offensively, now you have a running back who's so great and one of, if not the best backs in the league, and he's now suffered two major injuries. You have a wide receiver in Amari Cooper who's been underappreciated and underrated, but Amari Cooper isn't getting any younger. He turns 30, I believe, in the summer, and now you have a quarterback who has not played a full season since, what, 2019? So I don't care how young Deshaun Watson is.

I don't care that, yeah, they gave Deshaun Watson a fully guaranteed deal. We all know he's going to be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns next year, but can he get back to being a top eight quarterback? Can he get back to being a great quarterback in the NFL? And this is a guy that the last time, even though his team stunk, because he played that full season in 2020, his team stunk, but he played really well, that was the last time we saw him get through an entire season. Because 2021, he missed the entire year with not only what was going on off the field, but before that he was already done with the Houston Texans, people forget that.

Last year he was suspended for the first, what, 11 or 12 games of the season, and then this year he's now the guy from the start, but he was dealing with a multitude of injuries. So if you look at it, in the last three years, 2021, 2022, 2023, Deshaun Watson has only played 12 games. We used to have conversations, even when the Texans started to bottom out, and when the Bill O'Brien era was very quickly unfolding right before our eyes, what's the ceiling for Deshaun Watson? And in that 2020 season when the Texans stunk, but he was throwing nearly 5,000 yards and had 33 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, I said Deshaun Watson's a great quarterback. I said Deshaun Watson looks like he could be an elite quarterback in this league, and you know the guy is a winner going back to his days at Clemson, but now we're so far removed from 2020. Like I know a lot of stuff happened in 2020, a ton of stuff, and now when we talk about that era, like that seems like a long time ago, but when you're a quarterback and there are questions of how great can you be, can you get back to form, can you still be the guy, can you still be the man, and there's a lot of reasons off the field why you would question Deshaun Watson, and I'm talking about this being on the field, but when you get to on the field, when you legitimately have not played for any consistency in the last three years, I just don't think you're going to be able to get back to that greatness that you once displayed or that greatness that people once hoped they would see from you. We're talking about missing all of 2021, basically all of 2022, and now basically all of 2023, and now there's going to be more rust that you're going to knock off, and you're going to need to knock off. So even if you come back next year, and he'll be the guy next year, we thought this was going to be the year where he would knock off that rust, and then it would be like, okay, 2024, it was go time. But now you have to knock off that rust and stay healthy in 2024, and then it's go time in 2025.

So we are getting further and further and further away from the last time you displayed greatness on a football field. And this isn't like a Geno Smith story, where you barely play for a decade, then you have one good season. You are now a guy that has a fully guaranteed contract, there's nowhere else to turn to, you are the guy in Cleveland, and they're paying you and they give up those draft picks for you to be the guy. And I'll tell you, not that anyone roots for injury, but owners are loving the other 31 teams that Watson has not panned out in Cleveland. Because if Watson panned out in Cleveland, even though we've seen other quarterbacks get paid, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and a bunch more, and they didn't get fully guaranteed deals, other quarterbacks would have a leg to stand on with the Deshaun Watson structure. But owners always win.

The NFL owners, they're basically undefeated. Like, look at what transpired this offseason with running backs. The guy up until that point that was the last guy to receive a long-term extension running back, Nick Chubb, he got hurt this year. And then, when you get to the Deshaun Watson, it was, how would you give that guy with everything going on, how do you give that guy a fully guaranteed deal? And we have never seen Deshaun Watson pop off in Cleveland.

And this was the year where maybe he would pop off and he couldn't stay healthy. So the Browns have nowhere else to turn to in terms of who's their long-term future. It needs to be Deshaun Watson, but I'm not confident he's ever going to get back to being a great quarterback. Bare minimum, I think Deshaun Watson could only be a good quarterback moving forward.

And if that's the case, and if that's the apex, I guess Cleveland could still win if this defense stays healthy and keeps it up to this level. But now that's right out the window because Deshaun Watson is done for the season. So we'll see what Andrew Berry does in the next 24-48 hours. You could throw out all the names there, Brady's not coming, Big Ben's not going, maybe Phillip Rivers wants to come out of retirement, Matt Ryan maybe he says, we got a three-man booth at CBS. Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan, maybe just Catalon and Tiki for the rest of the year. And he goes, swoops in and plays for the Cleveland Browns and says, here we go Brownies, here we go. But it's crazy how quickly you could go from having optimism and having hope in the NFL to now you don't feel good about the rest of the season, even when Watson wasn't playing great. And also you wonder, where's this team going long-term because long-term if I had stock in the Browns, I'd be selling it right now.

I would because as much as the fans, he looks like he could coach as much as the defense is great. Their two best players on the offensive side of the ball are both coming off injuries. Now, Chubb, second big injury in his career, Watson hasn't played really since 2020 and now he's dealing with multiple injuries. That's not a formula for guys that I think will come back, bounce back and get back to greatness and take the Browns to a level that they've never gone before, which let's not lose sight of this today. That's the expectation for Deshaun Watson when you give a guy a fully guaranteed contract. Let's hear from Andrew Berry, the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, on plans for Deshaun Watson at the QB position after the whole Watson injury. We will add a quarterback at some point in the near future.

What that looks like will be a little bit to be determined. Knowing that he was already beat up, why not pursue with a quarterback in the trade? Again, we feel good about the room. Obviously, before this new injury, he was completely healthy in a good spot. It's football.

Guys do get hurt, you know, playing it. Like I said, we're going to move forward in the room and continue to win games. Well, you don't believe in the QB room because if you believed in the QB room, you would start P.J. Walker this week, which all the reports say it's going to be Dorian Thompson Robinson. Because Dorian Thompson Robinson was originally the guy, then you bring in P.J. Walker, then P.J. Walker plays, then Watson comes back. So if you believed in the room, you would think that P.J. Walker is the guy over Dorian Thompson Robinson because he was playing quarterback when you guys were winning a few games with Watson out. But you don't actually believe in the room because if you believed in the room, you would rock and roll with these two guys and wouldn't bring someone else in.

Because this is not the early 2000s. This isn't even like 2010 where teams would usually go with three quarterbacks in the roster. Most teams only have two quarterbacks on the roster. So I'll be fascinated to see where the Cleveland Browns do go from here.

Let's just hear two from Deshaun Watson. This is Deshaun Watson on if he was surprised by the decision where the Browns said, hey, you need to go take care of this and get everything squared away with this injury. Yeah, I'm still in disbelief. I'm still, as I said, just trying to process all the information that I've been getting since last night. It's tough. You know, I felt like we were turning a corner to really make a run. And, you know, I still believe we still will, you know, with the guys in this locker room. You know, I just wanted to be physically a part of it.

This is tough to try to wrap everything around my head right now. So when that was asked and it led to the inevitable question of did you want to hold off on surgery until later? I pushed very hard for it to the point where all the experts and doctors was the ones that told me that it was there was no chance. So I pushed as far as I possibly could to, you know, get back out there and just try to play and try to push it towards after the season. But, you know, I think the best situation for, I guess, longevity in my career is is to be able to get immediate surgery.

Yeah, well, that is the best plan and the best road, because if you need the surgery, you should go get it now. But with all that being said, we're still moving further and further away from the last time you were on the field consistently. And that was twenty twenty.

So I don't think you're going to find that fountain of youth and that elite level once again. And inside the AFC North, this makes it a whole lot more intriguing because you had the seven and three Ravens, the six and three Steelers, the six and three Browns, the five and four Bengals. You have the Steelers playing the Browns this weekend, the Ravens playing the Bengals. And now that optimism, that hope of, oh, any of those teams can win the division barring something changing at the quarterback position by the end of the week. I think the Browns are now out of winning this AFC North, even with that kick ass defense, because the Ravens have Lamar Jackson.

They could be trusted. I don't trust the Steelers offense because Kenny Pickett only has six passing touchdowns on the year. And even though the Bengals are coming off a loss, I'll trust Joe Burrow more than I would with Kenny Pickett and also whoever the Browns are going to trot out there being Dorian Thompson Robinson.

We know how great Joe Burrows can be. So you look at the Ravens and the Bengals. One of those two teams, I think, end up winning the AFC North because the Ravens are seven and three and the Bengals are five and four. I think the Ravens now have the easier road, but you go from a potential fun season in Cleveland, a playoff season in Cleveland, to now. It's okay, Miles Garrett. Go earn the MVP.

But even if you get to the playoffs, we know that that offense isn't going to be able to do enough when you go up against marquee teams and you go up against the guys with the great quarterbacks that will make the postseason. Zach Gelb here with you on CBS Sports Radio. We'll take a break. When we come on back, we'll react to the latest rankings in college football.

And I have one scenario that I'm really curious about. If it plays out this year, what the committee would do. We'll address that on the other side. Come on back in five. Ew.

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Find it wherever you buy laundry products. Alright, it is the Zach Yelp Show on CBS Sports Radio. So the latest college football playoff rankings last night came out. The big stuff, Ohio State moves down to two. Georgia, after their last two weeks, they move into the number one spot. I still don't believe, when I said this, that Ohio State's not the best team in the country. I still don't believe that now, with their new ranking at two, that they're the second best team in the country.

With that being said, I get what the committee is going to base that off of. Alright, well, Ohio State beat Penn State. They're in at number 12, and Penn State's a fraudulent team.

And then you take a look at Notre Dame. Well, they beat them two, and Notre Dame has now fallen all the way to 19. So I guess that's the justification for Ohio State being in there at two, but it still doesn't make any sense because Washington continues to be at five, and Washington has the best win in the country. When you look at the records or the rankings of these teams, because Washington, even though they only won by three, it's still a victory, and yet the Oregon kick miss at the end, Washington defeated Oregon. So out of all those teams in the top five, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State, and Washington, those teams, when you look at their victories, the team that has the best ranked victory is Washington up against Oregon, who's in at six. So I don't get what the committee's doing here, once again keeping Washington out of the top four, but with that being said, if Washington runs the table and they get that rematch with Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game, which we think it's heading towards, and you beat Oregon or you just win out regardless of who you play in the Pac-12 Championship, if you're undefeated in what I think is the best conference in college football this year from top to bottom, you're going to make the college football playoff. But the two scenarios that I want to throw out there is what happens if let's just say Washington wins out, Florida State wins out, and either Ohio State or Michigan wins out. So those three teams would get in. Washington, Florida State, and then either Ohio State or Michigan.

But then let me just throw this out there. Georgia continues to win, but in the SEC Championship game, and we already know the SEC title game is set, let's say Georgia drops their first game of the season, and they drop it to Alabama. And then let's look at the Big 12, where right now Texas is currently ranked seventh and Alabama is currently ranked eighth. Let's say Texas wins out, they only have one loss, and that was to Oklahoma, who's ranked 14th, and let's just say Texas wins out, and they win the Big 12 Championship. So when I give you those scenarios of Washington winning out undefeated Pac-12 champ, Florida State winning out undefeated ACC champ, whoever wins the Big 10 Championship, Ohio State, Michigan undefeated, and then you have a one loss SEC champion in Alabama, and a one loss Big 12 champion in Texas, which by the way, this is the final season, as you know, of Texas in the Big 12, and Texas is going to the SEC next year. If that was the scenario, once again, I think Washington, Florida State, and Ohio State or Michigan, whichever one wins that game and then goes on to win the Big 10 Championship, would get in. And if the decision comes down to Alabama against Texas, it would be fascinating, because this is what should happen. Texas should get in. Head to head should matter. Texas went to Tuscaloosa back in September and beat Alabama.

However, you know it and I know it. There's not a chance and you know what, that the college football playoff committee would not put an SEC team in there and would not put a one loss SEC champion, Alabama Crimson Tide in the college football playoff. So that's the way the scenario did shake out. I would think the committee in some order. The four teams would be Washington, Florida State, Ohio State or Michigan and then Alabama, and it would go against the rankings right now.

But I bet you the committee would argue. Oh, well, Alabama beat Georgia. Georgia was one, so that gives them enough to move past Texas.

The other scenario that I want to throw out there. Let's just say Georgia wins out wins the SEC, Michigan, Ohio State, one of them wins the Big 10, Florida State wins out. If you have a one loss Oregon Pac 12 champ and a one loss Texas Big 12 champ, who would get in for that fourth and final spot?

I think it would be Oregon, especially where the rankings say now and also in that process, Oregon would most likely take down Washington in the Pac 12 championship and that would then put them in the top four. So basically what I'm saying here, Texas, you could only control what you could control, win out, put yourself in the best position, but don't be surprised if the committee screws you with Alabama, if Alabama goes on to win out. So what really Texas should be hoping for, take care of business first, and then you hope and you become the biggest Georgia fan in this scenario. You become the biggest Georgia fan to see potentially Georgia take down Alabama in the SEC championship game. When I go through this, people will start to say, oh, wasn't it good that we're going to 12 teams next year?

I think that's crap. We're not going to have a lot of these fun conversations next year because the regular season games take away. And I said this for a while. If you want to tell me we need expansion, and I know I should already probably wave the white flag because it's going to 12 next year. Okay, I could live with the expansion, even though four has been good and four has been enough. But if you're going to expand, you should only expand to at most eight teams, either six or eight. And that could still have some legs of intrigue to the regular season. But once you go to 12, a lot of these games, I don't want to say become meaningless, but the importance does get taken away because even though Ohio State of Michigan is always fun and always the game, when you have the possibility of your playoff spot being on the line, that adds more hype to the game.

And in a 12-team college football playoff, that would go away because both teams would already have done enough to get it. 8-5-5, 2-1-2 for CBS, 8-5-2-1-2, 42-27. I have to put Ryan and Santa Barbara to the front of the line because he sent us some Van Leeuwen ice cream earlier in the week, and it was absolutely delicious. Ryan, what's happening? Appreciate you sending us the ice cream.

Back! But let me tell you though, Ryan, real quickly, real quickly. Wait, hold on, hold on. Delicious ice cream on Monday, buddy. Yeah, I have to ask you a question, though, about that ice cream.

Okay, tell me. Was that you were feeling good about yourself because the 49ers finally got back in the win column? Or was that, oh, I got to suck up to Zach a little bit because you're nervous about the 49ers.

You don't want me to crush you when they inevitably lose in the playoffs. That was me saying, you know what, I'm sorry for your pass loss, and my 9ers crushing the Jags. Yeah, I predicted the 9ers to win. I liked your 9ers this week. I laid the three points in them. No, no, I hope you want some money on it.

I know you bet on them, or you were taking them, and I appreciate that. But I wanted to take back what I said last week about my beautiful 49ers. Because they're going to win out and absolutely smush the Bucks this Sunday in Santa Clara.

He also done. Billy looks vulnerable. I think they win out, Zach. Win out, you play in a three-week span, Thursday night on Thanksgiving at Seattle, then the following week you go to at Philadelphia, and then you follow it up with Seattle again. Even though I actually think the 49ers are a heck of a team, and I've never said they're a bad team, I just think they'll come up short. That's tough to win all three of those games, and then you do have the Baltimore Ravens coming up, at least that game is in Santa Clara. You have the Baltimore Ravens coming up on December 25th. Those are some tough opponents. Yeah, they didn't look too great, though, last weekend. Yeah, they were dominating, and then obviously turnovers changed the course of that game.

Well, you know what, getting Trent Williams back and Deebo and the addition of Chase Young, it's scary that defense is back. I don't know. Well, also, you know what's something I'm actually annoyed about with you? I'm actually annoyed with you. You said you sent me the ice cream because my Patriots lost. I am rooting for the Patriots to lose. I want to suck.

I want the best draft pick. I am thrilled, so shame on you, loser. All right, have a great day. You got it, Ryan. Appreciate the ice cream and the phone call.

Good stuff. I'm starting to warm up and actually like Ryan in Santa Barbara. I just can't wait till the 49ers lose. Oh, those tears are going to be really fun. We're going to have a feast over his tears.

There are no doubt about it. He will be miserable. He will be so upset. He'll be more upset than Kim Carman was earlier this morning in Cleveland when he found out about the Deshaun Watson news. It is the Zach Yelp Show on CBS Sports Radio. The biggest story in sports right now, biggest story definitely in college football is Michigan.

Defense of lineman Chris Jenkins from the Michigan football team is going to join us on the other side when we return. But first up, with the latest CBS Sports Radio update, here is the Ackman, Rich Ackerman. It's time to ask the pros where you, the listener, gets to ask us a question, and it's brought to you by O'Reilly Auto Parts. Simply tweet your question at CBS Sports Radio or at Zach Yelp, Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B, using the hashtag Ask the Pros.

Be listening later in the show when we might answer your question. Think O'Reilly Auto Parts for all your car care needs. Get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts. We all saw what transpired last weekend. Michigan was the story entering last weekend in college football.

And they go to Happy Valley. They run, run, run, run, and run the football again in the second half. And they had a dominant defensive effort as well, and Michigan sent a big statement to the rest of the college football world.

And you got two more games left in the regular season, the big one coming up in two weeks. I'll be there in Ann Arbor for Michigan up against the Ohio State, and I'm looking forward to that one. Let's go out to the guest line right now and welcome in one of the star players on Michigan, one of their defense alignment and Chris Jenkins, who is kind enough to join us on CBS Sports Radio. Chris, appreciate you doing this.

Thanks so much. How you been? I've been great. Can't complain. I hope you've been doing well.

Yeah, thanks so much for coming on. I love the sunglasses. I'm actually going to take off my glasses now, and I'm going to join you here, and I'm going to rock the shades with you. I like this.

Those shades are looking good. By the way, you want to know who also was looking good? Kenneth Grant. I've never seen a defensive lineman track down a running back like that. When I was watching the games with my buddies over the weekend as a big fella, I jumped off my couch and I said, that's the play of the college football weekend when coach showed that on film.

What was the reaction when you guys watched what Kenneth was able to do? I mean, honestly, you know, obviously, you know, we were we were going crazy, you know, obviously, you know, it's insane to see a big man move like that. But to be honest with you, I mean, it's not anything I know to us because this is the type of stuff he doesn't practice every single week, every single day. He's always moving, going pursuit, you know, chasing and running back 30 yards down the field. You know, you see it in practice so much that when it shows up in the game, it's like it's second nature. That's just what he does.

He's a freak. That was a great team victory for you guys. You dominated all three phases of the game. How do you kind of look back at that performance up against Penn State? You know, we took we took away a lot of good things. You know, we were faced with a lot of adversity leading up to that game. You know, the fact that we were still able to, you know, wade through the storm, you know, become the storm, you know, still play our game of football. You know, we really took a lot of good things from that, you know, obviously, you know, we still got ways to go. Like, you know, we're not we're not that team yet.

We haven't arrived yet. But, you know, that's what we're continuing to build on to become that team every single day. So next week, we hoping on playing a better game of football.

And then the week after that as well. The scandal has been so public. We saw the emotion on TV after the game from Sharron Moore and also Blake Corum. What were your emotions like after what you guys have been through the last few weeks?

Pretty much the same. I mean, first things first, I'm so proud of us and our guys. You know, I mean, we're we're so used to hearing noise, you know, every single every single year.

There's always going to be some. But, you know, the fact that nobody flinched and that's something we preach that don't flinch like don't nothing. You know, if you face with any type of adversity, don't change up.

Be the same person you you've always been every single day. You know, the fact that, you know, us across the board, our guys, the staff, the coaches, we're all on the same page with that. You know, so proud. It was such a good feeling, you know, that all our hard work is starting to pay off.

And, you know, we're just continuing to put more into the you know, what the conversations have been. People go, oh, Michigan, they're a bunch of cheaters. Michigan should be banned from the college football playoff. When you hear those things being said by a lot of people around the country and they're talking about your teammates, your coaches as well. How do you respond to that? I mean, honestly, you know, you got to become the villain, man. You know, everybody's making us out to be the villain.

You know, everybody's entitled to their own opinion, even if it's wrong. You know, if they want to make us the villain, then bet. You know, sometimes the villain is going to win. Sometimes sometimes the villain is going to be the hero. So, you know, we're going to embrace that. So if we're going to be the villain, if we're going to be known as, you know, the dark team in college football, the bad.

So what are these what are these last few weeks been like, though? Just wondering, because this story has been the most covered story, not just in college football, but in all of sports these days. Absolutely. Well, you know, honestly, it's just been a lot of more a lot more fire for us. You know, constantly hearing these new scandals and stuff like this pop up being doubted.

You know, hearing opinions about even being allowed to continue playing college football and just having our coaches, you know, just being thrown out randomly. You know, it just adds the fire for us. It's really given us more motivation, given us that fuel, you know, given us more drive to, you know, just keep doing what we're doing, keep going on that path. So, you know, it's really been a lot more, you know, drive a lot more a lot more motivation in this locker room. So when this scandal hits, like we're all reading it, we're all trying to figure out information.

Chris Jenkins is joining us. Did it catch you by surprise? Because people are going to say, oh, you had the signals, you would know it. Like, did this story when you first heard about it, we were like, what the heck is going on?

None of it makes sense. No, absolutely. I mean, absolutely. Like when we first hear about it, you know, absolutely. You're like, what?

What is going on? Like, what are you talking about? And, you know, I mean, it kind of hurts my heart, you know, as a player for people to consider, you know, us to, you know, be on that be that type of team or, you know, even a players is being considered like cheaters. Because now this is hard work. This is we practice year round. You know, we we work out year round. You know, we put blood, sweat and tears into this.

You know, this is this is grown man. This is on this honest sport is on his ball. So, you know, when we when we put that much effort into something, you know, we're we're playing 100 percent. We're giving our truth. We're giving our all. So, you know, and this is the perfect opportunity, you know, in our opinion, to keep proving people wrong, you know, where there's no more excuses, no more excuses, no more adversity. This is just it. Awesome ball.

Awesome. The next man up when I was watching that game on Saturday as Chris Jenkins is here with us from the Michigan football team. They're undefeated.

They're ranked third right now in the latest college football playoff rankings. I was thinking if I was an opposing defensive player on Penn State, just how demoralizing that was after the game. Because all you guys did in the second half. I know your defensive player was the coaching staff said we're going to run, run, run, run, run and run until the game is over. Like if someone did that to you guys and it worked, you'd probably walk away just feeling in the worst mood possible because I don't think there's anything worse when a team just does one thing and there's nothing more maddening when you can't stop it.

Absolutely. You know, especially as a defensive player, you definitely going to feel some type of way that you weren't able to stop that one thing and they just kept doing it to you over and over and over. You know, that's our, that's our offense's identity, man. You know, they just, they live by, you know, not only controlling the clock, but you know, that physicality just like coach says, just grinding the meat, just hitting them over and over and over again. Just right, right through you.

Not around you, just right through you. When you guys landed, because we all know Michigan, right, is flying to Happy Valley. You guys have Wi-Fi on the plane, probably all that stuff. Coach says how he found out about it.

But how did you find out that, wow, Tony Petitti actually did this to our coach and actually suspended him. How did you find out about it when you were on the plane? Oh, the second we landed, the second we touched down, you know, our phones started to go off, the little news alerts, the ESPN alerts. And then we're all looking and everybody started, you know, you kind of hear a little murmuring and, you know, a couple gasps on the plane. You're like, you know, what the heck is this? You know, the second we checked our phone, the second after we landed and we see this, we're, we're like, what? So, you know, there was, there was this conversation. It was just a way we found out was so surreal because it was, you're going, you're going on a flight, you're preparing for the game and the next thing you know, this news just hits you the second you hit Pennsylvania.

You know, it's, it's insane. Personally, I thought it was gutless by, by the Big Ten. It's like, if you're going to go through the suspension, that's one thing you have every right to do that. But you knew all week, okay, this team was flying at that time.

I thought the Big Ten came off looking like cowards, if you ask me. Absolutely. No, I couldn't agree more. You know, that was, that was definitely, you know, in my opinion, definitely scandalous.

All right, especially at that point in time. Chris Jenkins here with us. I want to ask you about your dad. I love watching your dad play football. When you look back at your dad's career, just what did you remember seeing it from, you know, obviously at a young age and a totally different perspective than we did? Honestly, just him being a monster, being a gladiator, you know, you, you know, he's a big teddy bear, you know, kind of like me, you know, you see him in the house. He's always, always got a smile on his face, always joking, you know, cracking jokes. But the second he steps on that field, man, that switch flips, he turns it on. He's a completely different person, you know, just like, just seeing him go on the field and watching the old tapes, even just of him being a gladiator, just moving people against say, well, you know, he was, he was definitely a beat.

He was a different breed for you. How do you want people to know you? What do you want people to know about you?

Because when people hear your name, obviously, they're like, oh, that's the son of Chris Jenkins, the all pro defensive tackle. When you try to create your own story, what do you want your story to be? Yeah, I mean, really, it's just like you said, I just wanted to be my own story.

And you know, only time is going to tell you know what that story is going to be and hopefully it's going to be a good one and how that's going to build up. But you know, I'm just not trying to sit here being Chris Jenkins Jr. forever. It's just being Oh, yeah, you your daddy's child forever. I mean, I love I love my dad.

I really do. But it's always competition in my family. I'm trying to hopefully one day I'm trying to get to the point where I can talk trash to them where maybe I got five Pro Bowls or maybe I even got a Super Super Bowl ring on him, you know, just like just getting to that point just establishing that name for myself.

You know, just just being my own type of play my own type of man, you know, is what I'm looking forward to doing. Well, his dad rooting for you this weekend. I know you're going up against his alma mater. Do you have the support of your old man? Oh, absolutely. Now he's gonna he's gonna support me, regardless. But I mean, he told me straight up, he might not be wearing a Michigan jersey.

That's great answer. Before we like Chris Jenkins run. Maryland has a good team. We know they could put points up on the on the scoreboard. All right, I'm going into the Ohio State game, Michigan, Ohio State coming up in two weekends.

So everyone's attention is already there. You being a leader on this team. How do you guys make sure you're focused in on this Maryland game?

So it doesn't turn out to be a trap game where you have a contest in the fourth quarter? Absolutely. We just continue to give them that respect. You know, they're not a bad team. They're a great team.

They got a lot of good players all across the board. You know, it's just being able to give them that respect and then playing them like the team. You know, they deserve to be played as you know, if you know if the way we look at it, if we, you know, if we continue to look at them as a team where they're a bad team and try to overlook them and, you know, move straight to Ohio State. That's when the scary things could happen. That's when the track games could happen.

So now that's that's not what we're doing at all. You know, we're giving them that respect, you know, we're preparing for him properly. So, you know, you know, when we play him, you know, we'll play him and you know, on our show. Obviously, you guys want coach Harbaugh on the sidelines. We don't know if he's going to be able to get the clearance and get on the sideline this weekend.

Is there any difference when he's not there? You guys have been through this before earlier in the season and when coach Moore takes over as the as the acting head coach, let's say. I mean, absolutely.

There's going to be a difference. I mean, every team is going to want their head coach to be there. I mean, obviously, if we could if we could choose, obviously, we want our coach there.

Obviously, you know, he's going he's going to lead us wherever. But, you know, the fact that and you know, the fact that we've been through this, you know, countless times already this year, you know, you know, the team already knows what we're walking into, you know, we're already prepared for it. You know, every coach has done an amazing job regardless of the situation stepping up to the plate, you know, if it's being that interim head coach like coach Moore is done and like coach Minner is done. They've done an amazing job, you know, filling that role, you know, really just getting us ready to play ball.

So, you know, that's that's why props to them and shouts out to them because you know, that's not an easy thing to do at all. But the fact that they not only embrace that but they roll with it and get us ready to go, you know, is awesome. Love this conversation. Love watching you play so far this season.

Good health. Good luck the rest of the way. And thanks so much for doing this, Chris. Appreciate you. Absolutely. Thanks for having me. There you go.

Chris Jenkins joining us from the Michigan football team. I like when guys wear sunglasses and shades to interviews. I think we should do this more often because then I get to throw on the shades and I kind of like the shades because then people have no clue where I'm looking and things like that. I like doing interviews and sunglasses now, Sam. I mean, this is like when Dion was getting called out for wearing a hat and sunglasses.

Now, it seems like everyone's kind of taken the deal around and like, screw it. I'll wear sunglasses inside. Yeah, you better you better not act like Jay Norval, though, and then start lecturing me about wearing sunglasses.

Tell me I'm not professional. That's a that's a problem. Jeez. Good stuff there from Chris Jenkins.

Appreciate him discussing the whole scandal with us. Really good personality and Michigan having a heck of a football season, and we all know what it comes down to. Do you beat Ohio State?

And then can you take it the next step further? Because they won the Big 10 championship the last two years. They defeated Ohio State the last two years. Now can they go win those two games in the college football playoff?