Episode 203 – Baker’s run as Browns QB is on the razor’s edge

A deal for Deshaun Watson appears to be dead, but the Browns still seem bound for a breakup with Baker Mayfield. The guys discuss Mayfield’s tenure and eventual unraveling in Cleveland, as well as the Browns’ remaining options at quarterback for 2022 and beyond.

Plus: QBs aren’t the only big names on the move in the NFL. The No. 1 broadcasting teams for nearly all of the league’s TV partners are getting an overhaul as top play-by-play announcers and analysts are making big-money moves. … Finally, the guys pay tribute to wrestling legend Scott Hall, aka Razor Ramon, who died this week at the age of 63.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 199 – Did the Indians get it right with ‘Guardians’?

The Cleveland Indians on Friday announced that they will take the field as the Guardians starting in 2022. Even if the name changing process formally began seven months ago, it was a decision years in the making. But did the Indians get it right with their new identity? The guys discuss the new moniker, as well as whether it was a good idea to create a new visual identity that, while no longer controversial, certainly looks similar to the old one in a lot of ways.

Plus: The Browns have unveiled a 75th anniversary throwback uniform, and college football is being turned on its head this summer.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 197 – MLB's data-driven dilemma, NBA Play-In, Browns' big games, Crew rebrand U-turn

Strikeouts are at a record high, batting averages are at a record low, and MLB is at a crossroads as teams continue to swing for the fences even as the ball has been tweaked to cut down on home runs. Three teams—yes, including the Indians—have been no-hit twice this season, and it’s still only mid-May. The guys discuss how teams’ analytics-driven pursuit of success is at odds with putting on an entertaining product for fans, and how it’s not just a problem for baseball.

Plus: The NBA’s play-in games are a literal overnight success, the NFL schedule makers believe in the Browns, and the Columbus Crew does a fast U-turn on an ill-fated rebrand.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 190 – One that got away: A great Browns season comes to an end in K.C.

The most fun Browns season in decades is over after the team came up one score short of doing the unthinkable and knocking out the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Kansas City. The guys dig into the controversial no-call on the hit that caused Rashard Higgins to fumble away a potential score late in the second quarter, the Browns finding new life after being on the verge of getting KO’d early in the second half, Kevin Stefanski’s decision to punt the ball away late in the fourth, and how Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s aggressive playcalling (and … *sigh* … a 13-yard run by Chad Henne) ultimately sealed the Browns’ fate.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 189 – Shock and awesome: Browns stun Steelers, get ready for K.C.

Before the Browns head off to Kansas City for a divisional round matchup with the Chiefs, the guys look back on an unforgettable night in Pittsburgh that started with an avalanche—four first-quarter touchdowns!—and ended with the Browns winning their first playoff game since 1994. With coach Kevin Stefanski, cornerback Denzel Ward and others returning from the COVID-19 list, can the Browns keep up the magic in K.C.? Even if they don’t set records again, another fast start will probably be needed.

Plus: Nickelodeon’s slime-filled broadcast of Bears-Saints, a postmortem on Ohio State-Alabama and a lackluster college football season, and Ken Jennings’ start as “Jeopardy!” guest host (and the others scheduled to follow).


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 188 – A COVID cloud is stealing the Browns’ and Buckeyes’ sunshine

The Browns are going to the playoffs! The Buckeyes are playing for a national championship! This is all supposed to be exciting…right? The guys discuss COVID-19 taking the air out of Northeast Ohio football fans’ balloon at the worst possible time, whether the Browns can overcome not having Kevin Stefanski and multiple starters, and the possibility that Monday’s national championship game between Ohio State and Alabama might not end up being on Monday after all.

Plus: Justin Fields was incredible leading OSU over Clemson in one of the Buckeyes’ most satisfying wins in years, and the Indians’ trade of Francisco Lindor is the latest painful reminder that Major League Baseball is a broken institution.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Photos from USA Today | Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin

Episode 186 – Football flailing amid COVID chaos, Browns soldiering on, OSU sidelined

An NFL game between Baltimore and Pittsburgh that was supposed to be played on Thanksgiving night is now scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon in December so as not to conflict with the lighting of a Christmas tree in New York. The Ohio State Buckeyes have played four games and are currently in position to make the College Football Playoff, but are also on the verge of not qualifying for the Big Ten championship game. And yet it’s the NBA, which earned praise for the safety of its bubble over the summer, that is now getting ready for what might be the riskiest plan of all for its new season. Welcome to winter sports in the pandemic!

The guys discuss the COVID chaos engulfing the NFL and college football, the Browns somehow being in position to finally make the playoffs, the Cavs’ iffy Rock Hall-inspired City edition uniforms, Cleveland’s regional sports networks still not being available on many Northeast Ohio TVs and more.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 184 – Browns ready to run, OSU early returns, farewell Alex Trebek

Coming off a much-needed bye, the Browns are back this weekend and they will look to returning running back Nick Chubb and guard Wyatt Teller to rejuvenate the running game that carried the team's offense through the early part of the season. With no moves made at last week's trade deadline, meanwhile, the Browns will look within to bolster a defense that has struggled to get off the field. The guys preview the second half of the year and size up the team’s playoff odds.

Plus: Memories of Modell’s move in 1995, the state of the Buckeyes and the Big Ten through three weeks, and a salute to one of TV's most beloved figures, “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 183 – Ballin’ Browns, Bron’s big Finals, bon voyage to the NBA bubble

WFNY co-founder and editor Andrew Schnitkey was at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday to watch the Browns move to 4-1, their best start since 1994. He joins The Nail to talk about his experience among the 12,000 fans at the game, the magic that Kevin Stefanski has worked to completely turn around the franchise, Myles Garrett’s dominating start to the season, the ups and downs of Baker Mayfield, and the big test that looms on Sunday at Pittsburgh.

Plus: LeBron James clinched his fourth title on Sunday night, leading the Lakers back to the top of the mountain and ending an NBA bubble experience that was short on fans, but filled with memorable performances.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 181 – First impressions of Stefanski’s Browns, Indians clinch postseason spot

Two weeks into the NFL season, the Browns have bounced back from a rough (but, given the circumstances, maybe not too surprising) start in Baltimore. The Indians, meanwhile, are officially back in the postseason after a dramatic Jose Ramirez walk-off home run in extra innings against the White Sox on Tuesday night.

Joe Gerberry, writer and editor for Waiting For Next Year, joins The Nail to discuss the state of Cleveland’s two active teams. The guys go through the early returns on the Kevin Stefanski regime, Baker Mayfield, an improved offensive line, and a work-in-progress defense. Plus: Shane Bieber and Ramirez putting together award-worthy seasons, and best/worst potential first-round postseason opponents for the Tribe.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 174 – Jordan and the Bulls’ “Last Dance,” NFL Draft trainwreck potential

On Sunday night, ESPN premiered its long-awaited documentary on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, “The Last Dance,” airing the first two episodes in the 10-part series. The guys rejoice at having new sports content to watch for the first time in forever and share memories of the ’90s Bulls, including being in the building for Jordan’s last game in Cleveland as a player for Chicago. (Watch Bulls at Cavs on April 9, 1998)

Plus: The disaster potential for the virtual NFL Draft on Thursday night, and sports following the lead of WWE’s “Boneyard Match” at WrestleMania and having fun with how big events are pulled off in the shelter-in-place era.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 167 – A crash course on new Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski with The Athletic’s Arif Hasan

The Browns introduced Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach on Tuesday. To learn more about the Browns’ latest hire, the guys tracked down Arif Hasan, a writer for The Athletic in Minnesota who has covered the Vikings since 2011. Hasan discusses Stefanski’s rise through the Vikings organization and how he is viewed in Minnesota, how his personality, skillset and philosophies translate into a head coaching position, and how much he will be willing to adapt to the roster he will be taking over in Cleveland.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 166 – Should old acquaintance be forgot: Browns close 2019 by cleaning house (again)

This Browns season was supposed to be different. It wasn’t, and the aftermath isn’t either: Jimmy Haslam is cleaning house and hitting the reset button once again. Head coach Freddie Kitchens was sent out the door on Sunday night, and GM John Dorsey followed on Tuesday afternoon. The guys look back on yet another year that went off the rails and take stock of the state of the franchise, from OBJ to Baker Mayfield to the Haslams, as another reboot begins.

Plus: An Ohio State-Clemson game that was every bit as good as expected, one inexplicable replay overturn, and one surprisingly conservative late-game decision by head coach Ryan Day, as well as the future of the Buckeyes and the legacies of the outgoing J.K. Dobbins and Chase Young.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 164 – Climbing the mountain: Ohio State looms over rival, Browns trying to overtake theirs

Is The Game still THE game? Heading into its tilt with Michigan, Ohio State has reclaimed the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings and is steamrolling its way toward a playoff berth. The Wolverines and Coach Jim Harbaugh are still just trying to figure out how to break through for a win in this series. The guys discuss the stakes for the Buckeyes on Saturday (and whether a loss would even kill their playoff chances), the state of Michigan football under Harbaugh, and whether this year’s edition of The Game can be competitive.

Meanwhile, with the Browns and Steelers set to renew pleasantries just 10 days after all hell broke loose between the two teams in Cleveland, the guys cover Pittsburgh QB Mason Rudolph’s demotion (…as conveyed by Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath!) and what the Browns need to do to finally win at Heinz Field for the first time in 16 years.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Photos by Associated Press and Cleveland Browns Twitter | Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin

Episode 163 – On the dominant Buckeyes, ‘Maddening’ Browns, and surprisingly fun Cavs

It’s an old school edition of the Nail as the guys go around the horn on the Buckeyes, Browns and Cavs, no guests needed. First, with Ohio State rolling and star defensive lineman Chase Young set to return next week, Travis makes the case that this is the most complete Ohio State team in a generation. Plus: the biggest remaining threat on the Bucks’ schedule, way-too-early talk of an OSU-LSU national championship game, and why we’ve had so many big day games in college football this year.

Next: On the eve of a Thursday night showdown with the Steelers, are you believing in the Browns? The guys discuss Sunday’s ugly (but needed) win, the Freddie Kitchens experience, and the debut of Kareem Hunt.

Finally, this year’s Cavs are…fun? John Beilein and his staff appear to have their squad buying in. Collin Sexton is making strides. Darius Garland is showing glimpses of hope. And Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love are playing as well as they ever have in a Cavs uniform. Through 10 games, it has been a formula for entertaining hoops.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Photos from OhioStateBuckeyes.com, AP via USA Today and Forbes | Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin

Episode 159 – Buckeyes, Browns and the biggest week for wrestling with Ben Axelrod

Ohio State continued to fire on all cylinders on Saturday night at Nebraska, and the Browns followed suit in a victory Sunday in Baltimore. Ben Axelrod of WKYC is back on The Nail to dive into what has been a seamless transition for the Buckeyes from Urban Meyer leading the program to Ryan Day at the helm and Justin Fields carrying the torch as OSU’s next great QB. Then, the guys discuss the Browns’ dominating win, videos of Jim Donovan calling big plays becoming a social media sensation, and the Ravens’ curious decision on Tuesday to put out a press release on the incident between Marlon Humphrey and Odell Beckham Jr.

Finally, it’s the biggest week in wrestling since Vince McMahon bought WCW in 2001. The guys run down the—ahem—new world order of professional wrestling, with SmackDown (now on Fridays on Fox!) becoming WWE’s flagship show and a new rival promotion surfacing on TNT.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Photos from Getty Images, WWE and AEW | Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin

Episode 158 – Remembering Fred McLeod and trying to forget Week 1 for the Browns

It was a tough day in Cleveland as news broke that Fred McLeod, the popular, long-time Cavs play-by-play announcer, died suddenly Monday night. Will Gibson, who wrote a wonderful tribute to McLeod for WFNY, joins the show to reflect on how he won over Cavs fans with hard work, authenticity and a welcoming demeanor, and, along with broadcast partner Austin Carr, made games more fun to watch—whether he was crying tears of joy when the Cavs won the 2016 NBA championship or keeping things light during down seasons.

Plus, Will talks about staying engaged with Cleveland sports while living out of state (and, for a few years, on the other side of the globe), and the Browns’ dud of an opener.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 157 – The best (yes, really!) Browns moments of the past 20 years

Call it a fool's errand or even a suicide mission, but with the Browns about to kick off their most highly anticipated season in years, the guys this week are going for the power of positivity and looking back on their favorite Browns moments from the past two decades. Sure, we've seen a lot—*a LOT*—of bad football since the franchise was relaunched in 1999. But along the way, we also got Phil Dawson bouncing a field goal off the stanchion in a victory at Baltimore, bear hugs with stadium ushers and high-fives with strangers in bars, a chaotic classic in the snow, memorable games with future wives and in-laws, and of course "Run, William, run!"

So, before the 2019 campaign kicks off on Sunday, kick back and enjoy the good times from the past 20 years, even if they have been few and far between.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 155 – Ready for launch: Browns begin training camp, Bauer plays long toss

The Browns have launched into training camp. The Indians have launched themselves back squarely into contention in the AL Central days before the trade deadline. And on Sunday, an unhappy Trevor Bauer launched a ball over the center field wall. The guys discuss Bauer’s  afternoon in Kansas City and the state of the Tribe heading into the deadline.

Plus: Browns training camp talk, how we lose context in video highlights on Twitter, and the countdown to the release of this year’s Madden game.

Support cancer research! Donate to Travis’ ride for Pelotonia today.


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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Episode 154 – Pro Football HOF ready to shine on enshrinement weekend

In less than three weeks, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton will welcome its Class of 2019 during its enshrinement weekend. Brock Richards, Pro Football Hall of Fame vice president of sales and marketing, joins the show to discuss the year-round work that goes into getting ready for the Hall’s big showcase, and he previews all of the events that will be happening around the main ceremonies.

Plus: A look at the ongoing construction and development in and around the HOF, the creation of new exhibits to keep fans coming back, and how technology brought John Madden’s theory of the Hall of Fame busts talking to each other to life.

For more information on the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony and tickets, visit: ProFootballHOF.com/tickets


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