Wunkle on wunkle: the covid-19 edition

This calendar year of 2020 has been a bit unusual to say the least, with much of the world’s economy spiraling because of a virus that originated in China. Of the many areas affected, college and professional sports have been in the headlines quite regularly. As we seek after the “new normal”, we must all learn to adapt to the unexpected. Some things, I dare say, we should never take for granted again. We’ll start by getting back to the subject that we all know and love, our Cleveland Browns. Our resident NFL Draft Analyst, Bill Wunkle, has consented to another one on one interview. We’ll talk Browns football as usual; but it wouldn’t surprise me if we ventured into some other arenas that are not of a political nature, yet still relevant to what’s happening.

Q: Bill, thanks again for joining us here on brownsfootballtalk.com. It’s been quite an offseason to say the least. What have been your impressions thus far?

A: It’s my pleasure, Bill. As for my impressions . . . By the end of the 2019 season, it was obvious to everyone who followed this team that Freddie Kitchens was not the right man for the job. With any rookie head coach, there’s going to be a learning curve. Anyone who thinks otherwise is only fooling himself. In spite of doing a great job as an interim O.C. the year before, he was in over his head as a head coach. This team last season was ill prepared and undisciplined much of the time. Look at the number of times the offense had Odell Beckham Jr. lining up in the wrong spot. There are other examples, but I’ll save you the agony of reliving those memories. I do wish him nothing but the best in his career and family life, however. One thing that did somewhat surprise me was John Dorsey leaving as well. The Exodus of Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf should not have come as a surprise to anyone once Dorsey left the building, even though I think they could still have contributed greatly to the franchise’s success – had there been no potential demotion involved. They were brought in by Dorsey, and that’s the way things usually work in the NFL.

Q: And what of the new men in charge, Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski? What are your thoughts on them?

A: I was just getting to that, thank you very much. I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive at the prospect of returning back to a philosophy that rendered a 1-31 record on the field over the course of two seasons. However, this roster that Berry inherited is far different from that which Sashi Brown stripped to the bare bones. And while every team’s 2020 record is still 0-0-0, the list of free agent and rookie acquisitions that Berry has made thus far looks rather impressive. In one offseason the Browns appear to have solidified the O-line, added a Pro Bowl caliber TE, a legitimate fullback, a legitimate veteran backup QB, defensive depth, veteran leadership and new young talent. All this while having the youngest GM in NFL history and staying well under the salary cap. Now, as far as Kevin Stefanski goes . . . he’s saying all the right things and has assembled what appears to be an excellent coaching staff – particularly the addition of Bill Callahan to coach the O-line. This man is pretty much legendary. How well the new offensive system will contribute to producing wins for the Browns remains to be seen, but I do like what I’ve seen so far. I do want to see who’ll be calling the plays on Sundays, but I do believe that coach Stefanski will coach these players hard and have them very well prepared for gameday . . . or at least, that’s what I’m hoping. Now, will there be a learning curve? Of course there will, but I think Stefanski’s won’t be nearly as severe as Freddie’s.

Q: What veteran acquisition was your most pleasant surprise?

A: While there were several key acquisitions; without a doubt, it was Jack Conklin to play right tackle . . . followed closely behind by Austin Hooper to play TE. Not only was I surprised by the actual signings, but by how quickly the Browns were able to come to terms with the players. I also think it important to point out the trade with Denver that brought FB Andy Janovich to Cleveland; although it was hardly a headline maker. One more thing. Let’s not forget the need for a quality backup QB. I think that we now have one in Case Keenum.

Q: Any moves that kind of left your head shaking?

A: I pretty much expected either Christian Kirksey or Joe Schobert to leave via free agency, but not both. Kirksey was my most likely candidate to go because of his injury history. As it turned out, Kirksey would’ve probably stayed for significantly less that Schobert had he been given the opportunity.

Q: So what are your thoughts on the Browns 2020 draft class, particularly early?

A: I’m still having a hard time believing that Jedrick Wills wasn’t selected by the Giants fourth overall because there was no doubt in my mind that he is the most technically sound offensive lineman in this draft. I was ecstatic when he fell all the way to tenth for Cleveland. It certainly wasn’t a “sexy” pick; but as it was stated in 2007 (by then GM Phil Savage) when Joe Thomas was selected 3rd overall, the selection of Jedrick Wills was the wise pick. Now to say that Wills is going to have an NFL career comparable to Thomas is a bit much at this point; but the similarity is that they were both the best offensive tackle available when the Browns were on the clock.

The Selection of Grant Delpit fills a huge need for a ball hawking safety. As I understand it, he played a significant amount of last season with a high ankle sprain, which gives him points for toughness in my book, but a healthy Grant Delpit can only help this football team.

The Browns also needed help along the front seven, so the selections of Missouri DT Jordan Elliott and LSU ILB Jacob Phillips make perfectly good sense.

After signing Hooper during the early stages of free agency, I wasn’t so sure that they were going to draft a TE, but Harrison Bryant was an excellent selection.

Considering where he was selected, the acquisition of Washington center Nick Harris makes sense as a developmental player. He’s on the short side as centers go and needs to get stronger physically, but he’s mobile and can pass block pretty well.

I thought the Browns might take a WR late in the draft, but I didn’t think it would be Donovan Peoples-Jones. He’s a big and physical receiver to be sure. It’s just that I had my eye on a player with more game breaking speed (4.35 40) in Quez Watkins, who was also on the board at the time and was drafted by the Eagles not long afterwards. Can DPJ come in and contribute? Yes, but I suspect that his first opportunities will be as a gunner on special teams. With Cleveland going to a 2 TE set most of the time, his reps as a receiver could be very limited this season. He’s a late round draft pick and will have to work like crazy to see significant playing time; and when he does, he’ll need to contribute in a positive manner.

Q: Any apprehension about where Peoples-Jones went to college?

A: None whatsoever. If anything, I blame his head coach Jim Harbaugh for not recruiting a quarterback capable of getting him the football on a consistent basis. Then again, that may have been why he fell to the sixth round.

Q: Are there any other personnel moves that you’d like to see the Browns make this offseason?

A: Yeah, but I’m not totally convinced that either of them make sense from a fiscal standpoint as the Browns front office looks at things. Jadeveon Clowney and William Clay Matthews III would be nice names to see on the roster by the time preseason games begin. But that’s just me. I see the Browns at some $30,000,000 under the salary cap and think there’s got to be a way that this could possibly happen. As I understand it, the Browns have already made Clowney the best offer he’s received; but I’m guessing that it’s not in the range that he was hoping for when free agency began. Otherwise, why would he not sign the offer? This could very well be a case of a player overpricing himself out of the market; especially one with his injury history.

Q: Swithing gears . . . 2020 brought some unexpected change to your life early, didn’t it?

A: As a matter of fact, it did. In late June of 2019 I started working as a delivery driver for a global company based out of Washington state (no names please). I’d been working pretty much as a career contractor in the mechanical engineering field over the previous twenty-plus years . . . primarily designing capital equipment. The thought was that I needed a career change from the instability that contract engineering work brings. I did manage to pick up a part time job freelancing from home for a P.E. doing anywhere from 12-20 in any given week. Much of his work is architectural and structure by nature, so it was a little bit new, even though it was still CAD work. On January 2nd I was informed by the global conglomerate, as were all my fellow direct hire delivery drivers, that we were being laid off and replaced by independent contractors. How ironic? Well, as it turned out, I’ve been working from home pretty much full time and am spending far less money on gasoline these days. We’ve also been able to get ourselves on a bit more stable ground financially.

Once the Governor of Ohio closed all the schools due to COVID-19, my wife and daughter were unable to work at their respective school clinics. So they ended up taking paid time off (PTO) until the middle of May. Now they’re both off for the summer. They were both offered an opportunity to pick up some hours at a local hospital, but declined due to our daughter’s medical condition. You see, her condition is auto-immune in nature and was quarantined by her neurologist. My wife was also advised to not work at the hospital because of the potential of her bringing the virus into our home as a carrier. Our daughter is now allowed to go out, but must wear a mask and avoid large crowds. We’ve all worn our masks when we’ve been out in public, just to be on the safe side. We know a few people who’ve contracted the virus as well. One of which is still in the hospital and is likely to be there for quite some time. His wife can only see him via some form of electronic media. I think they call it facetime.

Q: So what other changes have there been to your weekly schedule because of the virus?

A: Our family is very much involved with our local church; whether it’s Sunday school, video team, church security or Hispanic ministry. Much of that had to come to a screeching halt once the churches were closed. Sunday morning and midweek evening services were watched via online video. I still help out with the Hispanic ministry, though. You’ll find me playing either bass or acoustic guitar . . . or an acoustic drum box when none of the drummers can make it to the video recording session.

Q: Hispanic ministry? How did you ever get involved with that?

A: Well, I took three years of Spanish in high school and was rather good at it – even though it’s been quite some time since I graduated. About twelve years ago I retired from playing bass in our church’s main sanctuary. About a year later, the announcement was made over the pulpit that the church was starting an Hispanic ministry. My first thought was, “Oh, God . . . they’re going to need help with the music”. I’ve been doing it ever since. It started out with just a few people coming, but has grown to fifty or so over the course of time.

Q: Is there anything else you’ve learned during this time of COVID-19?

A: Yes . . . nothing says “welcome home” quite like being sprayed down with disinfectant spray upon arrival.

Q: Other than football and church, are there any other activities that you’ve missed?

A: As some of our BFT group already know, I enjoy going to the local pistol range when I have the chance. I even signed up to take a CCW course one Saturday, but the statewide shutdown blew that one out of the water. I’m confident that it’ll be rescheduled sometime fairly soon, though, so I’ll get to experience that.

Q: So, you’re in the market to purchase a firearm as well?

A: I trust that I’ll be making a purchase sometime in the not too distant future. I’m not going to say what brands or models I’m looking at. After all, some things do need to remain private. I will say, though, that there are some excellent options out there depending on your preference and price range; whether revolver or semiautomatic, hammer fire or striker fire.

Well, I think that’s enough for now. This is Bill Wunkle signing off from the Padded Cell. Have a good night, everybody!