nickpedone Andy McNamara interview on Watson and Browns

In the nickpedone Andy McNamara interview, the Cleveland Football Report publisher said Deshaun Watson’s fourth-quarter drives have won games for the Cleveland Browns, but he still needs more complete performances. Pedone also wants Denzel Boston involved earlier and believes Mason Graham is playing like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate as the Browns approach a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

What did nickpedone say about Deshaun Watson’s back-to-back wins?

nickpedone said Deshaun Watson has quarterbacked the Cleveland Browns to back-to-back wins and is helping young players contribute, but late drives cannot be the offense’s only answer. With the team at 2-1, Pedone sees value in the results while waiting for Watson to play well across a full game.

Watson has completed passes to young targets Casey Concepcion, Denzel Boston and Harold Fannin Jr., while Quinshon Judkins has contributed to the offense. Pedone said that combination of developing young talent and winning games is what Todd Monken wanted in his first year as Browns head coach. He described Watson as the veteran quarterback the team had been seeking, even though the path to two wins required difficult fourth quarters.

Why Pedone wants more than late drives

The slow starts remain his concern. Against Carolina, Pedone noted, Concepcion was the only Browns wide receiver with a catch through three quarters; Boston did not become involved until the fourth. Pedone said Watson needs to be better in the first three quarters rather than rely on another late comeback.

Pedone did not regard the uneven play as a sudden change. He said he had seen Watson alternate inconsistency with enough promising moments throughout the spring, training camp and summer. The difference now is that the better moments have arrived late enough to help Cleveland win. He hoped the Browns might get a more complete performance against Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Why does nickpedone think the Browns offense has been conservative?

nickpedone thinks the Cleveland Browns’ cautious passing game reflects both the play calls and Deshaun Watson’s decisions. He said the team is trying to make things easier for a quarterback who has missed substantial playing time, while Watson is taking what defenses give him rather than regularly pushing the ball downfield.

Watson’s preparation and the split training-camp workload

Pedone pointed to the unusual preparation behind the Browns’ quarterback situation. Watson split training-camp snaps with Shedeur Sanders after playing relatively little football over the previous couple of years because of injuries. Pedone said the staff was still trying to bring Watson fully up to speed and make the offense manageable for him.

That approach also comes amid disagreement in the stands about who should play. Pedone recalled a moment when Sanders entered a game and the offensive line tried to quiet the crowd so it could hear his play call. When Watson returned, Pedone heard both cheers and fans who wanted Sanders. He described the atmosphere as a difficult backdrop for the team’s quarterback decisions.

The need for more offensive balance

Pedone said the short passing game can help the Browns win and give their young receivers meaningful work, but he questioned how long it will remain effective if defenses move closer to the line. He also wants a steadier running game. He saw improvement between the tackles against Carolina with Quinshon Judkins and said Rocket Sanders was settling into the second running back role.

What did nickpedone say about Denzel Boston and Casey Concepcion?

nickpedone said Denzel Boston should receive the ball earlier and be featured more often, even as he approaches only his fourth NFL game. Pedone also sees Casey Concepcion as a promising slot receiver whose opportunities will grow if the Browns’ quarterbacks begin finding him when he gets open downfield.

Boston’s growing role

Boston already leads Browns players other than Watson and the offensive linemen in offensive snaps, according to Pedone. He said Boston is playing considerably more than Concepcion and nearly twice as much as Jerry Jeudy, yet Cleveland still needs to turn that playing time into earlier chances with the ball. Pedone described Boston as a receiver who can move the chains on the boundary or across the middle and make gains after the catch.

The Browns needed a true outside receiver, Pedone said, which has given Boston more immediate room to show what he can do. He noted that there had been concerns about Boston’s ability to separate when he entered the league, but liked what he had seen through the first three weeks.

Concepcion’s chances downfield

Pedone believes Concepcion is close to a bigger moment. He said the receiver has been open deep multiple times without the quarterback finding him, much as he felt Jeudy had been missed on available plays. For Pedone, Boston and Concepcion offer a reason to follow this young Browns team even for fans who remain uncertain about Watson.

Why did nickpedone call Mason Graham an unsung Browns defender?

nickpedone called Mason Graham an unsung reason for the Cleveland Browns’ 2-1 start because his sacks have come at important moments. Pedone believes Graham is playing like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, even though the defender’s contribution has not received the same attention in the national discussion.

Andy McNamara raised Graham’s four sacks through three weeks, including two on Sunday, before asking Pedone about the defensive line. Pedone said some Cleveland Football Report readers questioned his choice of Graham as an unsung hero because Browns fans were already talking about him. His point was about the scale of Graham’s contribution to the wins and the recognition it had received beyond Cleveland.

Pedone said Graham had welcomed a larger pass-rushing and leadership role after Myles Garrett’s departure. He thinks Graham looks leaner and faster, with more of the ability to reach the quarterback that he had shown in flashes as a rookie. Pedone also said Graham played roughly his final six games of the previous season with broken ribs. Now healthy after a full calendar year in an NFL program, Graham is showing why the Browns selected him in the top five of the draft, Pedone said.

How does nickpedone see the Browns’ AFC North race?

nickpedone sees an opening for the Cleveland Browns in a changed AFC North, with every team at 2-1 entering Week 4. He cautioned against making a season-long prediction so early, but said a Thursday win over the Pittsburgh Steelers would matter greatly to Browns fans and put Cleveland in a stronger position.

Pittsburgh and the rest of the division

Pedone still considers the Steelers a strong team, pointing to Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt. He also expects Baltimore, which Cleveland is due to face in two weeks, to remain a challenge. Of Cincinnati, he noted the quality of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase while questioning whether the team has enough defense. To Pedone, the changes across the division create room for the Browns to stay in the mix.

What a Thursday win would change

Beyond Pittsburgh, Pedone looked at a schedule that includes the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. He said the early stretch had been viewed as difficult and that Cleveland had come through its first three games at 2-1. He warned that the NFL demands a week-to-week outlook rather than assumptions about those later games.

Still, the start has given Browns fans something they have not always had at this point in a season: room to think about meaningful games later in the year. Pedone put that feeling plainly:

It lets you dream about meaningful football come later in the fall and even into the winter

Who is nickpedone?

nickpedone is the publisher of Cleveland Football Report, a lifelong Clevelander and a Kent State University alum. He is also a dog dad and says Bill Belichick once told him he had asked a good question.