Cris Collinsworth, NBC's NFL announcer, talks Cleveland Browns football with Nick Camino

Joe Thomas going into the Hall of Fame Chris I just want to start right here how neat is this for northeast Ohio I mean this type of week you got Joe Thomas going into the Hall of Fame you've got the Browns playing in the Hall of Fame game for the first time since 1999 I feel like this is like Browns fan heaven to start his season off I love being able to fly into Cleveland and just driving down the can you know this is it's pretty strong but I'm happy for Joe we just saw him inside there and I was telling them of course I owned the PFF system and I go Joe you broke our system I mean you broke it because the system is based on on you got to take the top guy and then try to rank the other guy so like if you put him at 99 that means the next best player had to be at like 88. there was such a gap in there and I go there's no I had so many people mad at me because I'm like I'm trying to explain this and not get beat up you know that you have to have that separation because he was that much better than everybody else I told some friends of mine that I was going to be having a chance to chat with you and they said ass ask him how he grades out on Pro Football Focus I said I don't know I mean I think he's textbook a plus right I don't know how else you could he could do much better you couldn't and it's every once while somebody get mad at the grades or some big guy will come up to me and practice and I go what's his grade what's this great is he gonna hug me or kill me I never know the Hall of Fame game itself Hall of Fame Game I mean we're not going to see many starters but it does serve as a celebration of football returning right I mean you enjoy this I I do I've done a bunch of these games too and and uh because now it's like my my playing career is sort of blending in now with my the broadcasting career so I either played against all these guys or broadcast their games or some so I get this big cross section and for me uh Kenny Riley goes in the Hall of Fame this week too who's a guy who never went to a pro bowl and had 65 interceptions I'm like how could he not go to the Pro Bowl but I'm really looking forward to this was a class yes I thought that they got in some people that really deserved to be in and some veteran guys I'm just really excited Don Coryell you know was brilliant he and Dan Fouts and what they used to do into back in the day so it's going to be a great night and for you Joe Thomas Thomas was a no-brainer right I know the not there was a knock that he didn't play on any you know really good teams but that wasn't his fault I mean this was a no-brainer decision right anybody that would question Joe Thomas is stupid they're stupid if they questioned him he was he's the only guy in my mind Anthony Munoz the greatest player that I've ever been around at any position didn't make any difference and I was hearing some of the same stories about Joe that literally their offensive line coach would go okay let's here's Joe's guy let's just erase him he's he's off the board right we used to do the same thing with Anthony I'm like if he was at that level he was something special for this Cleveland Browns we'll get into these Browns but just the fact that we're coming up on 25 years since they've come back 1999 was when the team came back he's the first to go in I just think about this organization though the fact that what they've done is probably statistically more difficult than to run into an AFC Championship Game Chris I mean the fact that we're not going to go through all the coaches and the quarterbacks but is it amazing to you that this team just has never been able to break through well especially when because I played in the 80s they were unbelievable I'm telling you it was playing the Cleveland Browns was not a fun day at the office at all and Marty Schottenheimer was amazing with this group they had great cornerbacks you know Dixon and minniefield and they just they put up points it was exciting so now you know I kind of look at them and I I know there's a lot of different things and I can make the case for every team winning the Super Bowl I think at this time of year but you you look at Cleveland and what they've been able to do now bringing in zadarius right bringing in oboe bringing in the dish National pass rushers just something to take a little pressure off of miles on the outside over there a little bit better at the receiver position I think the quarterback position with DeSean is moving towards what we've seen in the NFL with the mobility at the quarterback position and strength at the quarterback position like what they had in Philadelphia last year let's run some quarterback sneaks on fourth and one let's keep the ball let's not punt the ball away and so now it's just do they take that jump on offense because really that's been the difference I think that defensively they're going to be good their secondary is really good I like their cornerbacks on on this team so this is a good solid football team but it always comes down to they've generated all these rules to make this game all around the passing game and all around the quarterback so does DeSean take that leap he definitely needed those six games last year there are some story lines with this team but it all starts with DeSean right I mean it almost ends with DeShawn too right I mean it's it's all on the cross quarterback right it absolutely is but I you know you don't want to be too optimistic about what might happen with the offense because part of me goes God they run the ball so well does it just create an issue now if he they go more shotgun are they going to not run it as well right are they going to be able to do the things that they've done well in the past music will come on with no problem at all but you know that's always going to be the issue is there do you try and reach for something new in the passing game you get upgraded at the receiver position and take a step backwards in the rundown last one for AFC North you the AFC North we'll see what happens with Joe burrow hopefully he's healthy for the game's sake just how do you see it stacking up with with all these teams they've got the Ravens in the mix the Steelers don't feel like they're going anywhere just how do you see this stacking up yeah it's it's it's going to be really tough I mean you got to give the Bengals a little bit of a nod I think coming into it because they've been so close been in the Super Bowl a play or two away last year but remember Baltimore had them if not for that fumble down on the goal line that they returned 98 yards for a touchdown in Cincinnati in the playhouse it might have been Baltimore playing against Kansas City in the playoff game who knows but this is Pittsburgh's definitely going to be better no question they did a good job adding some elements helping that offensive line up front their quarterbacks another year older so this is going to be a really really tough division but honestly Jim Schwartz now defensive coordinator if they can create additional pressure on the outside with some of the guys that they've brought in it takes the pressure off the miles and they can score some points I've seen it before man I've seen the Browns beat I don't want to play the Browns so you're getting us excited Chris listen we appreciate the time look forward to watching you all season long and we I can go