Aditi Kinkhabwala on Joe Flacco, the Browns’ offensive line & why Andrew Berry deserves more credit

Aditi Kinkhabwala breaks down the Cleveland Browns’ upset win over the Packers with a sharp focus on three key areas: Joe Flacco, the offensive line, and the front office decisions that made this roster possible. Flacco got the win, but his uneven play continues to spark debate in Cleveland about how long he should remain QB1. Aditi weighs in on what she’s seeing from the veteran and whether Kevin Stefanski can keep riding this formula with a struggling offense.

The offensive line, meanwhile, has been hit hard by injuries — including Dawand Jones’ latest setback — yet they continue to fight and give the Browns just enough protection to survive. Aditi highlights how the unit’s depth and resilience are keeping the offense afloat, even if it hasn’t been pretty. That kind of toughness up front is often overlooked but remains critical in the AFC North.

Finally, Aditi shines a light on Andrew Berry. The Browns’ GM has taken his fair share of criticism, but the way this roster is built — especially the defensive dominance we’re seeing — is a testament to Berry’s vision. From key draft picks to strategic free-agent signings, his fingerprints are all over this team’s identity. In a season that could easily have gone off the rails, Berry deserves more credit for why Cleveland is still in the fight.

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The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show is your daily source of the best conversation about the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeyes, as well as sports throughout Northeast Ohio. Produced by Mike Lucas, Anthony Antonelli, and Earl Mauldin. Hosted by Jay Crawford, Adam the Bull, G Bush, Jason Lloyd, and Tyvis Powell.

All right, guys, before we bring in the Didi, time to fuel up and turn it up with 5 hour energy transfusion. This grape and ginger and lime flavored shot brings the iconic taste of a golf course favorite to a non-alcoholic boost, perfect for sinking birdies and making great memories with friends. It’s a hole in one for your energy game. Whether you’re out on the course or you just need a little extra push to power through your day, 5 Hour Energy Transfusion delivers the clubhouse flavor you love without ever having to leave the green. And we all know that golf is about good times and good people and good flavors. The grape ginger and lime flavors of 5 Hour Energy Transfusion gives you the best part of your clubhouse go to without ever leaving the course or chasing down the beverage cart. And now you can amp up the fun even more. Just buy, snap, and enter for a chance to win a dream golf trip for two to any golf tournament in the USA. Tee up for that trip, visit 5ein.com for full rules and entry. No purchase necessary excludes the Masters tournament, and it ends October 31, 2025. Adiikwala is with us. Adii, good to see you as always. In the last 50 years, Adii, there have only been 3 teams that have had either the best or second best defense. And the worst or 2nd worst offense in the league same year. Could the Browns become the 4th this year? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Come on, it’s we’re 3 weeks in, isn’t that massive overreaction? Of course it is, but you, you don’t think there’s any chance that could happen? Um, I mean, I guess there’s a chance for anything, but I feel like there’s too much talent on that team. This young Judkins kid, Quinshaw Judkins, certainly runs with a lot of energy, a lot of force. There’s talent at tight end. There’s talent at receiver. I’m sorry, what? I mean, outside of Jerry Judy, they don’t have any talent at wide receiver, do they? You know, I like Cedric Tillman. I, sure, I’m still waiting for him to show me a little bit more. Um, I think Jamari Thrash is a fine receiver, maybe not a superstar, but you don’t have usually 4 superstars at wide receiver. You need serviceable players, uh, beyond. A few good options if you’ve got a strong run game. I’d like to see more out of the line. I think I expected more from the line, but I will say that I was actually just talking about this in the story yesterday. I’ll admit it was indeed the wine store, uh, about the way that the Browns handled that field goal operation at the very end. was so smart, so heady, so brilliant. I don’t know if people in Cleveland, you guys will have to tell me, are giving enough credit to the way that that was managed. I am, but that was a veteran, man. They were ready to go. I mean, from the way the ball was placed to the way the ball was snapped. So the way Flacco handled that, I mean, all of it. And then of course for the kicker, you have to feel so good for him, especially after week one. So let’s let’s just clarify you were saying the highlight of Joe Flacco’s day was getting, — getting the ball
— snapped. He also had to complete the pass too. OK. I mean that, you know, it was like a you know what. — And it’s
— funny, — it’s funny
— because I, before I went to the wine store yesterday, I was in Aldi grocery shopping and I met a gentleman there who obviously wanted to talk about the Steelers and how alarming the Steelers looked, and yet they ended up with a W and I quoted, it’s Julian Edelman, I think, not Danny Amendola, and I’m awful to mix them up. I believe it was Julian Edelman who said he’d much rather have an ugly win than a pretty. So in some ways, you did enough to win, you did enough to win against a team that people were talking about potentially going undefeated, also overreaction alert right there. Your defense is continuing to build off of itself. Confidence begets confidence. You finally got a takeaway from that defense, which for years I’ve been screaming, you need takeaways to truly be an exceptional defense and an exceptional defensive player. So, you know, sometimes it takes a little while to get things going. I don’t know. Hey, listen, I’m excited about the win. I mean, you know, I, I, uh, brought up that stat because it’s also it’s not, yeah, it’s a negative for the offense, but it’s also a positive for the defense. How good the defense is. It’s phenomenal. Well, sure, but I mean look at Baltimore. You just threw Baltimore there. Baltimore’s offense has been absolutely unbelievable and what’s happened to their defense. So a lot of this is, look, we saw an absolutely horrific offensive. It was offensive, in fact, but offensive display on Sunday between the Texans and the Jaguars, and I think they have two very physical, strong, stout defenses. The Jaguars especially are great ball hawks, but it’s even hard to say it was a good defensive performance because there were 20+ penalties and the offenses were just so bad. But there is a piece of you that says, you know what? Training camps are just not the same, practices are just not the same, and the first month of football is often very ugly and takes a little bit of time to get going. Now, in the case of the teams that I saw, I think the Jaguars will indeed continue to get better. I really like what Liam Cohen has put in place. You can sort of see pieces there. I’m not so sure that I’d say the same about the Texans, but I think it’s fair to have some patience right now. With certain players, certain teams, certain offenses. If you ask me about the Giants, I would disagree, — but I’m not talking out of
— Dart just announced the starter, by the way. Oh, see, and that’s why I told you I wouldn’t agree. I didn’t even know that. — I didn’t even know
— that. Get out. — I’m
— like I’m looking down at my phone. Why did my producer, who’s the most massive Giants fan and who I’ve been telling before this week. They just need to go, I mean, who I’ve been telling since training camp, they just need to go with Jackson Dart. I think he’s in temple. I think it’s because he’s in probably for all of our friends who are celebrating New Year. Thank you. Are you, you’re celebrating Adam and you’re working on the new year. I’m working. I work, I’m not very religious. I’m, I’m culturally Jewish and I’m proud of being Jewish, but I, I’m not religious. We’re working on them. We’re working on them. I don’t, I don’t, — I’m not gonna get a whole thing on
— that. Anyways, let’s let’s let’s keep it sports. Anyways, Adi, let me ask you, why is it that you look at the picks for the offensive side and the defensive side, right? And I’m talking the whole tenure of AB and Kevin. Why is it as of lately, the defensive picks is more so hits and offense is kinda, yeah. Why is that? And we have an offensive head coach as well. So why is it why is it just to come in and get and have these people playing immediately. You can see the impact like Carson Swesinger, Mason Graham, you can see these guys immediately coming in impact, even Martin Emerson when he was playing, he immediately impact to an offensive guys, you know, the wheels. Well, to be fair, junkins and, and, uh, and, uh, Fannon have made an impact. — I mean they’re
— right. OK, so are, but are you tagging, are you saying, and I don’t actually know this. In some organizations I know how much say a head coach has on picks and how much input the coaching staff and the head coach specifically has on picks. I don’t believe that Kevin has, for example, as much input as Mike Tomlin. So I don’t know that it’s fair for you to tag Kevin with the recognition of talent. But you can, you certainly raise a good point about the development of players. Of course, the staff was kind of thrown in disarray a year ago, and that may have been a piece of that. I don’t know. I, you know, scouting is something that I I feel strongly about the personality piece of scouting and how personalities fit together, what the ecosystem of a locker room is, and why those are things that matter, but you’re not gonna pay me on to tell you whether this guy’s got a hitch in his throw basically. So I can’t really speak to why they would seem to scout talent better on defense than offense. I mean, I know that. The Steelers for years couldn’t draft a cornerback. They kept trying and trying and trying and missing and missing and missing, yet they could find wide receiver talent in the late rounds consistently. I don’t know if that has to do with the makeup of the staff. If you’re asking about development, well, the staff has changed a few times, so that’s a fair question, but if you don’t have that much talent to start with, then what are you supposed to do? I just feel like. I mean it’s OK. You you cannot buy. I mean, I wish I had the answers for you. That’s not what I’m saying. You say that the staff shaking up, so as the defense side as that, you know, it’s still the results are just different and I just don’t understand how you can be this offensive minded guy where and we, the players that we’re getting, we’re just not seeing the development. Like right now for we had this big argument about the offensive line past this season when you had the Luke Wipplers, the actor, you’ve drafted guys, but yet now we’re gonna be in, now we’re gonna be behind the eight ball next year because you haven’t developed those guys. And I feel like that happens on the offensive side to where receivers, quarterbacks, line. We are always behind the eight ball because these guys haven’t developed those guys. So what is going on? But on the Defensive side, you’re taking undrafted safeties, he’s just starting guy. You’re taking guys off the street, bringing them in and they’re making immediate impacts. I just don’t understand how is it that on the offensive side we can’t figure this out, but defensively they can, it don’t matter who they get in there, they can, let me not say anybody. I’m, I’m not gonna take it that far. They bring in certain guys and they can see immediate impact. I just, I’m confused. I’m perplexed. OK, so Mason Graham and Carson Singer Singer Schwezinger were both outstanding picks and are tremendous guys, not only for their talent, but also how smart they are and what they are able to do. So, yes, that’s tremendous talent, tremendous hits there. Number 2, there’s a reason that Jim Schwartz has such a great tenure resume perception. As an outstanding defensive coach, he is. He is like he is a great coach Kevin, did he? He simplifies the complex, sure, but Kevin is also the head coach who has a lot on his plate. He’s also the play caller. There’s a lot on his plate. He has to be able to trust the guys that are working underneath him to manage their position room, position groups. I think Daly is a great coach. You have a new Oline coach. You you’re. Let’s see, let’s see, but I think, I think you’re saying something very valid. You need, you need to see players get better. You do want to feel that players are getting better. So again, I’ll say the same thing I just said to Adam, let’s not overreact after 3 weeks. Uh, speaking of overreacting, uh, Baltimore’s 1-2. They play the Chiefs this week. They could be 1 in 3 real quick. They could be 2 and 2s, are you really that impressed by the Chiefs? Are you watching the Chiefs right now and saying, oh yeah, that’s the dynasty? No, — they’re not
— that good. I could have if they could. Play the pass, uh, anyway, — if
— they played Jackson Dart, yeah, there you go. Well, my question to you is like this division’s really weird, right? Because Cincinnati is not gonna be up there at the end of the year because Browning’s not gonna be able to carry them the way Burrow would. I mean, even though there’s two in one, you’re in Pittsburgh, so you know the Steelers as, as well as anybody here in this room and, and, uh, I, I, I guess I’m just like, where is this division going to go? Where do you see it go? Put, put on your, uh. Uh, get out, OK, so I’m, I’m not counting out the Ravens just yet. OK, I, you know, very easily they could beat the Chiefs. Yeah, sure. They need to fix that defense, but they were also slow starting on defense a year ago as well. They need some bodies back. I don’t know that that’s the best excuse because they have those bodies against the Bills and still. Yes, which, I mean, I think I read in fact that it was one of the 3 highest rushing numbers of John Harbaugh’s career, which almost spans two decades now as the head coach of the Ravens. So alarming in every way, but There’s still a lot of season left. There’s still a lot of time to get right. that offense, just, I mean, they’re world beaters, find me someone who’s really stopped Lamar Jackson just yet. The Steelers defense certainly hasn’t been able to. Aaron Rodgers himself said how awful. The Steelers’ offense was. I mean, the Patriots kept trying to give them that game and the Steelers wouldn’t seize it. By all rights. I mean, 55 takeaways and you win by only 1 touchdown. So I don’t, I’m not really sold on them either. And the Browns defense, we’ve been saying since camp. Looks so, so, so good. If they can generate more turnovers, they can have even greater impact on this team and let’s get this offense going. Let’s give this offense a little bit of time to get going. I, I’m not giving up on the offense just yet. Uh, there’s a reason, you know, that they traded away, Kenny Pickett. They clearly believe in Joe Flacco, so. I would have, I mean, Adam and I had this conversation offline. I would have liked them to have Kenny because I think he would have been a better option should you decide that. You want to make a change. Just because of the experience, because of the starting experience, because of all of a variety of factors, but now that’s gone, so you’re essentially all in on Joe Flacco. So let’s give it a little time. Ask me again. Ask me again in 2 weeks and then maybe I’ll say, OK, this offense stinks, but I’m not ready to say that just yet. even though you told me off the air that Joe wanted to take you to the early bird special when you met with him because he, he was tired, we will still be patient with Joe and your advice. Let me tell you, you started this like over the last 50 years, and I was like, do you think I’ve been alive for 50 years? And now you’re telling me that I get the senior citizens. Special. No, I’m saying Joe. I’m saying I was saying Joe is old, not you. I’m I’m older than Joe. — I’m older than
— Joe. Well, but I wasn’t talking about your age. I say you look a lot younger than I will say I will, I will say my question till 2 weeks from now. Um, I, I, I delegated all my time unfortunately we’re out of time. Thank you indeed. We’ll see you. Thanks, thanks for having me. — I’ll
— talk
— soon.