What’s behind the Guardians’ surge; changing field goals forever; Cavs set the stage

Highlights:

• The Guardians were down 15.5 games in July and 12.5 games in late August but are now on the verge of overtaking the Tigers. How have they done this?

• Terry noted the Tigers’ collapse could be historic, while the Guardians risk losing momentum at the finish line.
• Terry contends the Guardians' defensive improvement coincided with Brayan Rocchio moving to second base and Gabriel Arias to shortstop.

• José Ramírez rebounded from a rough April and is back to playing B+/A- level defense

• Bo Naylor’s September surge (.306 AVG, 3 HR, 14 RBI in 14 games) has been a game-changer.
• Terry speculated Naylor may have finally found the right adjustments after years of tinkering.
• Listener Max emailed about the Guardians’ momentum, arguing that being red-hot matters more than being the best team on paper, and how far could they go in the playoffs?

• The Browns’ defense is elite, ranking #1 in yards allowed and #2 in yards per play allowed.
• The offense is middle-of-the-pack in yards and yards per play, suggesting it’s not as bad as perceived.

• The Browns’ tackle situation is dire, with Dawand Jones out for the season and Jack Conklin injured.
• Should the Browns use Adin Huntington as a blocking tight end to help protect Joe Flacco?
• Quinshon Judkins could see more snaps due to his blocking ability and versatility.
• Is it time to move field goal kickers back to 9-10 yards to reduce blocks? Terry loves the idea.

• The Cavs' Kenny Atkinson and Koby Altman previewed the season, and Terry last the latest, including on the injuries to Max Strus and Darius Garland.
• Garland’s injury is likely turf toe, with a return timeline of 10–20 games.
• Atkinson praised rookie Jaylon Tyson’s intensity and potential impact.
• The Cavs have won the third-most games in the NBA over the last three years, behind only Boston and OKC.
• Their core four (Mobley, Allen, Garland, Mitchell) are all under multi-year contracts and entering their prime.
• Atkinson wants to unlock more of Evan Mobley’s ball-handling ability to counter pressure defenses.

• Seven of the 15 players on the roster were second-round picks or undrafted. Why that matters.
• A listener email about the Browns' uniforms against the Packers. He hates them. Send in your favorite or most hated uniforms and we'll read them on the podcast.

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