Offensive Line Injuries Put Browns on the Defensive - Guardians Battle to Stay Atop AL Central

Offensive line injuries - Hakeem Adeniji, James Hudson, and Germain Ifedi welcome everybody to the latest edition of the bullpen with Adam the bull brought to you by bet Rivers coming up on today's podcast Browns play another pre-season game but if no Starters play do we really care well we do and I'll tell you why in just a few minutes plus the Guardians a miserable weekend we'll spend a little time on that but we begin with the Browns and the injuries that's coming up in the bullpen with Adam the bull brought to you by B Rivers you're watching Adam the bull on the BET Rivers network the Browns lost their second straight preseason game uh I don't know why anybody would care about that the score doesn't matter they did lose 27 to 12 but what they lost more than that was more offensive linemen and it's becoming a problem um the Browns first of all let's start with Jed Wills I don't know what's going on here he had surgery almost a year ago on his knee he's an offensive lineman there seems to be some disconnect between him and the team uh you're hearing a lot of Rumblings behind the scenes that the team expected him to be ready now I you know who knows what the truth is Kevin stefansky publicly just said hey Jed's working hard but he's not going to practice this week so your starting left tackle is not practicing um James Hudson who's terrible got hurt hakee Aden got hurt uh their fourth string left tackle got hurt it is a mess and now Deshawn Watson who hasn't played the entire preseason we haven't seen him on the field in Forever is going to play supposedly in this final preseason game Saturday night in Seattle and who's going to be protecting his Blind Side I don't know it's uh a very ugly situation and to me there are some serious concerns about this Browns offense heading into the season obviously I feel very good about the defense I don't it has zero to do with the pre what the reason the preseason matter was because of the injury it has nothing to do none of the guys that mattered played both quarterbacks were Terrible by the way Huntley was bad Dorian Thompson Robinson was bad neither had much time to throw the ball because the offensive line is an issue the Browns couldn't really run the ball uh you know nothing particularly stood out uh to me in the uh in this game from a positive standpoint because most of the guys of note didn't play but when we look at the offense we're heading into the season here okay the season starts in three weeks and um you have a situation where the defense you feel good about coming off a good season it didn't end well but everybody's returning pretty much you've made some additions but no drastic changes to the defense no drastic changes to the defensive staff there's continuity Concerns about Browns offense there not much has changed and they were the strength of this team last year on the offensive side yes Kevin stefansky will still be the play the play caller which is a positive for me that's good there's consistency there but you have new cooks making the Brew here and all these guys are new the quarterback hasn't played obviously we don't know what uh what he's going to look like I think we're pretty sure he's going to play week one we don't know what for certainty with certainty I assume he's going to play week one but we have no idea what to expect I don't know what to expect for Desa Watson I haven't seen good play since he's been here uh for more than little bits and pieces and he's coming off another injury I don't know what he's going to look like we haven't seen it we haven't even seen him on the on the uh in the preseason and now we will but now he's going to get boat raced potentially because they have no offensive no left tackle it's amazing major problem and uh in in terms of the running game obviously we don't know when Nick chub's going to be ready to play uh I happen to think Jerome Ford's a decent player Deontay Foreman's a decent player but neither one of them is Nick chub we've got new guys in the passing game you've got new coaches you got question marks at the offensive line I I just right now and maybe I'll feel differently when we get the opening day against Dallas but against the Cowboys defense that that should be pretty good this year and has a very good front with a good pass rush and a decent secondary uh I'm nervous about what the Browns are going to be able to do offensively in that game and now you hope that the defense could keep keep it close and and again you know just because I have concerns doesn't mean it's going to be a disaster I'm just saying I don't know what to expect I'm not saying the Browns offense is going to suck I'm just saying I'm not sure what going to look like I don't know why I had to say I'm just saying I could just could have just said it the Browns could go out there week one to Shawn Watson might look great he might throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns and the Browns could win handily and everybody's thrilled but I can't I don't know how I could how I or you or anybody could have any confidence in that happening right now there's just at the moment far too many question marks on the offense to to have any level of confidence so yes I do think it's important for Deshaun Watson to get out there and play For The First Time in Forever in this third preseason game but in the same vein it's also not an ideal situation because of what's happened at tackle I mean you look at the dep let's let's look at the depth chart because we're down to guy and and first of all the Browns need to go out and get another tackle you got jedric Wills on the pup list he hasn't practiced at all we got Jack Conlin on the pup list he hasn't practiced at all Luke whiper got hurt I know he's not a a tackle but he got hurt as we haven't seen OL depth chart him uh you look further down the depth chart James Hudson who's the second uh tackle he's hurt aimen who they picked up former Bengal former Viking hurt you're down to guys like Lorenzo son I think Germaine eetti who's listed as the third string right tackle on the roster who they picked up as a free agent I think he might have been in San Francisco I know he played I'm pretty sure he played for Seattle in the past he's probably going to be starting at left tackle at least he's played in the league but it's it's a very I mean when you're down to your F fourth or fifth option at left tackle it's pretty concerning did I Fett he play for Seattle yeah he started with Seattle um he was a he was actually a first round pick back in 2016 uh he hasn't started a game since 2021 he hasn't played period since 2022 he was a starter in Seattle from 16 to 19 and with the Bears for 2020 and half of 2021 but since the middle of the 21 season the guy hasn't has barely played played and hasn't started a game so and that's probably right now your best option because all the other options at left tackle at the moment are undrafted rookie free agents I mean good luck with that um so the offensive line situation is quite concerning right now and the Browns may need to you know not that there's much out there in free agency Should Browns acquire offensive linemen in free agency? at this time of the season but if you could find a veteran tackle who who um who was maybe going to retire and talk him out of it uh Now's the Time because he still so uh David baktiar bakari for the Packers is probably the best player out there he's missed a ton of time due to injury but he's only 32 years old I don't you know he hasn't signed with anybody um I have no idea what why he I I don't know if he's unofficially retired who knows you got DJ humph who used to be a starter for the Cardinals he's all right he had a bad year last year uh a lot of injuries with him uh the Charles Leno 32 years old he's been a decent player um that so there's three guys right there that have to be better than what they have I mean none of the David bakier if he's if he's healthy it's a big if uh supposedly is now um is is a good player I I mean if I'm the Browns I got to be aggressive and go out and get somebody because I'm down to the Drex at the left tackle position and you can't when you're going to play your franchise quarterback next week for the first time in in in a long time he's got you got to at least try to protect him I can't throw in my fifth string left tackle and you might not have a choice but because I don't know maybe the three guys I mentioned are not in in playing shape yet I have no idea if any of those guys have been keeping in shape or want to play I I you know I don't know but um the Browns have to at Le I'm sure they're doing their due diligence I mean to be fair to them a lot of this just happened over the weekend um but once Uh Kevin stefansky said jedric Wills is not going to practice or play this week I mean if he can't practice or play this week is he G to be ready for the opener so we got to get you got to get somebody in there and I I would assume today that you know a day off yesterday that that the Browns are working maybe they already did it yesterday but you got to be working out free agent uh offensive line Lin at this point and it's got to be guys that are ready to play I can't you know we can't get some guys out of sh it's got to be you know a veteran player who has kept himself in good shape and is ready to play I don't you know who knows if there is somebody in that situation but that's what's got to happen because uh otherwise you're putting your quarterback who there's already a lot of questions about out in grave danger now even if it's not the preseason um like I said we're less than three weeks away from the opener and I don't know if Jed Wills is going to play maybe they know he's going to play and so they're not worried but if they were that sure he was going to play in in 20 days why wouldn't he play in the last preseason game to protect DeShaun Watson so if he's knock if he's ruled out a week before the last preseason game how could they be 100% certain he's going to play in three weeks I don't know uh and that's why I think it is imperative that the Browns go out there aggressively and try to get an offensive lineman in terms of the Vikings defeat Browns, 27-12 in preseason rest of this game this I I mean there's really nothing nothing really stood out um I don't care about the score I don't care about the win or loss these things are all meaningless um all that matters is keeping guys healthy in this last game uh like I said I didn't think either quarterback performed particularly well Tyler Huntley threw two picks DTR threw one I guess Huntley was worse I wasn't impressed with either guy again you had a bad offensive line you didn't have much running game on the ground uh Deontay Foreman Aiden Robbins and Pierre strong forget Huntley running those three guys com 19 carries for 37 yards so that's less than two yards per carry deont Foreman did have a couple nice plays in the passing game which is not usually his thing he actually had five targets and caught them all um the Browns also lost two of the three guys battling for the third tight end spot and so you wonder if they're GNA I would think they're going to bring another tight a tight end into Camp as well um so Brown's dealing with some depth injuries but the biggest one obviously is at left tackle and that needs to be addressed it's not easy to do at this time of year nobody's trading trading you a left tackle that's likely to be a starter all right um let's get to the Guardians it was an awful weekend for the Guardians they were swept in Milwaukee and now they got to go to New York in the Guardians trying to hold off Royals and Twins Bronx uh it's been a weird stretch here the Guardians since the All-Star break they lost three of four then they won seven of nine then they lost seven in a row then they won five in a row and now they've lost three in a row going into the Bronx day off today three- game series starting tomorrow but this was I mean the pitching was outside a lot of disappointing things for this weekend first of all Gavin Williams was the only starter of the six starters that pitched in this series both teams that didn't pitch well and coming off that great start last time was a big disappointment Tanner BBY pitched well Ben Lively bounced back he had a good start but they couldn't hit a lick in this series four runs in three games and going back even to the last two games against the Cubs only uh 12 runs in their last five games uh so it was just I mean it was pathetic the offense just unable to do anything against Milwaukee they got shut down by Colin Ray a journeyman who was pitched well I'll give him his credit he's like a Ben Lively this year for them and Aaron Cale who we know well who's been terrible obviously he was inspired he pitched great in that game give him his credit uh and now you go to the Bronx you got Matthew Boyd making his start second start against Luis heel tomorrow on Wednesday Alex Cobbs third start against Nester Cortez and then Thursday afternoon to end the series Gavin Williams against Garrett Cole which so you're not facing easy pitching obviously Cortez hasn't been as good this year you're going to be facing Cole Reagan in Kansas City you're going to face naav valdi not in Kansas City but at home against Kansas City you're going to face naav valdi on Friday the first game of that Rangers series when they come back home so the Guardians going to be tested the offense has got to wake the hell up it's just been pathetic these last three games and you had the good momentum nice sweep of the Cubs after salvaging that Minnesota series and to just lay an egg like that not even take one in Milwaukee was really disappointing and meanwhile Kansas City's won four in a row uh Minnesota did lose yesterday but the twins are only two back and the Royals are only three back this division is far from over and it's it's a battle I mean the Guardians have played 124 games they have 38 games left they're going to have to win a lot of those they you know the way this division is going they may need to win 9798 to win this division cuz you got three teams playing well the Kansas City Royals have the second best run differential in baseball that's meaningful they're plus 109 only the Yankees are better at plus 116 they are scoring a lot of runs the Royals and twins have scored 42 more runs than the Guardians that's pretty significant that's you know about a third of a run more per game that that adds up that matters now the Guardians given up the least amount of runs a lot less than the twins but not a lot less than the Royals they've only allowed 11 11 runs less than the Royals so uh the Royals are playing really good baseball led by Bobby wit and you know Cole Reagan and Seth Lugo in that rotation they made some moves in the deadline that have helped the Guardians didn't do much obviously Lane Thomas has been a huge disappointment in his first three weeks with the team that's frustrating right now all right that's going to do it for me today thanks to Andrew Max for producing thanks to all of you for watching and listening please hit the Subscribe please hit the like uh I'll be back with my next podcast on Wednesday until then we'll talk to you next time where else but right here in the bullpen with Adam the bull brought to you by B Rivers see you everybody [Music]