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WUNKLE ON WUNKLE: 2019 SEASON OPENER
Well, here we are finally on the verge of the 2019 regular season for your Cleveland Browns. It seems like years since the last time the Browns suited up for a regular season game. And to go with that, no other NFL team has been the subject of the hype machine more.
With that in mind, I thought I’d bring back brownsfootballtalk.com’s Senior NFL Draft Analyst, Bill Wunkle, for his thoughts on the 2019 version of the Browns – and perhaps a few other things football related.
Q: Thanks for stopping by, Bill. Can you start off by giving us your thoughts on which off-season acquisition you think is the most important?
A: The pleasure is all mine. I’m always glad to chime in when given the opportunity. Now, to answer your question . . . While the acquisition of Odell Beckham Jr. was a HUGE one, and it grabbed the most headlines; I honestly think that the two acquisitions of Sheldon Richardson and Olivier Vernon to complete the defensive front four ere the most important acquisitions. I honestly believe that the strongest unit on this team is the defensive line. The Cleveland Browns just might end up having the best defensive line in the NFL when it’s all said and done.
Q: Your thoughts on Head Coach Freddie Kitchens?
A: Freddie is Freddie . . . and that’s what I like about him. He comes off as this back woods redneck from Alabama, and in some ways, maybe he is. However, he’s a no-nonsense kind of coach that’s somehow gotten this group of players – some of them superstars or superstars in the making – to buy into what he’s preaching. He’s demanding . . . on himself, his coaches and his players. He doesn’t play up to the cameras, even though he does like to have some fun with the reporters. He’s honest, more knowledgeable about football and about people than what he leads people to think; and he doesn’t take any crap from anybody. He could be exactly what the Cleveland Browns organization needs for a head football coach in such a time as this. And I’ll tell you what NFL people think of him. All you have to do is take a good look at the coaching staff that he’s assembled. Some of the best coaches and coordinators in the entire league are working for the Cleveland Browns.
Q: Aren’t you concerned that he’s a rookie head coach?
A: Surprisingly not . . . because Freddie is Freddie. The man is who he says he is. He’s also very comfortable in his own skin. He’s also learned a few things along the way from some of the most respected minds in football.
Q: Your thoughts on the 2019 draft picks?
A: I was SHOCKED that Greedy Williams wasn’t taken in the first round. I thought he was a top 15 talent. I thought that Sione Takitaki would be about a fifth round pick, and John Dorsey thought him a third, so I’ll defer to him. I like what I see from him so far, though. I was also certain that Mack Wilson would be the second inside linebacker taken in the draft. I thought that maybe . . . maybe we could take him in the second, and to see him fall to the fifth was un-be-freaking-lieveable. Sheldrick Redwine has shown that he’s got a nose for the football, and he isn’t afraid to bring the hammer down. Austin Seibert is a guy that the Browns front office wanted to see win the placekicker job because they invested a draft pick in him. I think that he did enough to outright win the job. I honestly had no clue about Drew Forbes‘ ability coming out, but I hear that his development just since rookie mini-camp has been very encouraging. If you’re waiting on a draft grade, I’ll tell you in about three years.
Q: What do you think are the two biggest surprises thus far?
A: Austin Corbet had the opportunity to claim the starting right guard position and he failed to do so. He was a second round pick last year, so I thought that he should be ready to step his game up. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. Just look at the recent O-line acquisitions that Dorsey made in the last two weeks. A close second was Jamie Gillan, a.k.a. The Scottish Hammer, actually made the team over a seasoned veteran punter in Britton Colquitt. It’s so unusual to see both a rookie punter and placekicker.
Q: What is your greatest concern about the current roster?
A: Ever since Kevin Zeitler was traded in the OBJ deal, I’ve been wondering how good the O-line will be in his absence; both in run blocking and pass protection – but mostly the latter. Our quarterback needs to be kept upright if the Browns are going to score points on a consistent basis. Secondly, I wonder just how long both Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert will be able to keep their starting jobs with the two young pups breathing down their necks.
Q: Any other concerns?
A: Other than injuries . . . David Njoku is going into his third year as a tight end, and has yet to convince me that he’s even an adequate run blocker; let alone a good one. I’m also concerned that he doesn’t spend enough time with the jugs machine, trying to get better at pass catching. He has a ton of ability, but he needs to put in the work to make himself a complete NFL tight end.
Q: Your thoughts on Colin Cowherd’s beef with Baker Mayfield?
A: Colin Cowherd is a manipulative talking head that will say anything to get the response he wants to get out of an audience. He also didn’t care when Baker called him out on the carpet. He’s a small minded man with a big microphone. Perhaps he’s compensating for something else.
Q: Your thoughts on the Antonio Brown saga?
A: What can I say that already hasn’t been said? He’s aloof, he’s arrogant, he’s a spoiled rotten little bitch and he’s been coddled way too much over the course of his lifetime. He was traded to Oakland and got paid big bucks by the Raiders, only to show the entire world how much of a team player he is not. Now he’s in New England, where he’d better tow the line. If he doesn’t, then maybe there’s a CFL team that will put up with his sh#t. If he were in the military, he’d be a prime candidate for a blanket party. I think I’ve said enough with that.
Q: What about Ezekiel Elliott and his contract extension?
A: I wouldn’t have paid him, but I’m not Jerry Jones either. The bottom line is that Elliott is a vital cog to the Cowboys having success this year, so he held out and got paid.
Q: And finally, a prediction for the home opener?
A: Cleveland 19 – Tennessee 6 . . . Baker throws for a TD, Chubb runs for one, Seibert kicks a field goal and the Browns defense registers a safety. The best that Tennessee can muster is two long field goals.
Am I going mad, or did the word THINK escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic landmass!
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