Player Quotes

Browns Player Quotes 9-8-10

(Delhomme, Haden, Thomas, Ward)

(On how he has beaten Tampa Bay in nine of 11 games he has faced them as a starter)- “I think we’ve just played some decent games against them. Every one was hard-fought and whatnot, it just is what it is, but certainly they are an extremely tough matchup.”

(On the pressure to turn this team around)- “I think the biggest thing has been my same approach since I’ve been here in the spring. It’s just come and just play football. Let the offense work for itself and that’s that I tried to do all preseason. I think we did a decent job of that and that’s my same approach this week, don’t change who you are or what you are. Things have kind of gone somewhat smoothly I would say so far, and I just try to keep that same approach.”

(On being elected as one of the team captains)- “That’s always an honor to me. Anything you get to accomplish, one to be a player in the National Football League, but to be elected captain, that was always something that means more to me than just about anything else because it’s voted on by the people that know you best. It’s special.”

(On the assumption that quarterbacks are usually team captains)- “Not necessarily. I am who I am. Certainly, I think the quarterback position naturally gets all the press and things like that. It’s something that I take with great, great pride and I try to do the best that I can.”

(On what he is challenging this team to accomplish as captain)- “I don’t think I need to challenge this team on anything. We want to try and be a winner. That’s been our whole focus all offseason, all training camp and everything. We want to play consistent football and we want to help make the Browns a winner. That’s why we’re all here. We play this game for one reason and one reason only, and that’s to win.”

(On if Tampa’s defense changed after their new coach took over last season)- “We played them before, and then after. I did not the second game, I was out the second game with an injury. They go back to a little more Tampa Two stuff and whatnot. The biggest thing is that we have to be prepared for anything. It’s opening week, every team has a wrinkle. That’s the blueprint for the National Football League. Some things teams have worked on all spring long, that’s just the way it goes, so we just have to be prepared for anything. Since Raheem (Morris) took over the last five or six games, whatever it was last year, they have some ball hawks. They are very disciplined in what they do. Having Ronde Barber still there, having Barrett Ruud still there, Gino Hayes and Quincy Black, those linebackers being in that system. Tanard Jackson is a guy who I watched go from a rookie, just getting better and better. They’re going to be solid and they’re going to be flying around. They’ll be juiced up.”

(On playing in the warm weather in Tampa)- “There’s no doubt about it, it’s going to be warm. We opened up with them when I was with the Saints the first game of the season and certainly we practiced in the heat and humidity in New Orleans. It’s hot, it will be hot no matter anyway you look at it. In Carolina, we played them early in the season. It’s going to be very hot. You have just got to hydrate and be as ready as you can. That’s something that if you worry too much about, I think it will affect you. It’s going to be hot, you have just got to go out and get your body ready as well as you can and play.”

(On the emotions of opening day)- “It’s always different, I think, every year. Especially for young guys, it will be different. It seems like you always have the fly-over for the openers and whatnot and those, for whatever reason, makes the spine just tingle. For me, it’s always special because you never know when it’s going to be your last season opener. That’s how I’ve approached it in the last couple of years, you just have to enjoy it. The emotions do fly, there’s just something about it. Being a part of an NFL team, it’s great. It’s opening day.”

(On if this opener will be especially different being with a new team)- “I think the newness has kind of worn off for me, with the preseason and things like that.”

(On if the offense is playing at a faster tempo)- “Somewhat, yes. It’s something that we worked on in the offseason and we practiced a good bit. How much we’ll use it this week, we’re not sure yet. It’s something that we were just experimenting with just to see. They do play fast, they are very sound in a lot of the things that they do. When you play fast and you are very sound, guys kind of play loose and free and that’s when they’re their best.”

(On how he feels going into this season)- “I feel good, I feel very good. I’m very excited to go out and play. Like I keep saying, I think I enjoy it and I appreciate it so much more the older I get. To think, I’m going into my third decade of playing football in the National Football League. I literally pinch myself. I’m excited and ready to go.”

DB Joe Haden

(On how he feels about his preseason going into the regular season)- “Personally, I feel like I did better every game. I took a step every game and I’m just getting ready. I just feel like I’m getting a whole lot better and the preseason definitely helped me out. It just got me a whole lot more game-ready and I feel like I’m ready for the season now.”

(On if the heat will affect him Sunday)- “The heat? No, no. It definitely won’t be a factor. That’s where I played in Florida, so that’s where I usually played at. I’m used to the heat, so that won’t be a factor at all.”

(On if it is special to be playing his first NFL game in the same state where he played his collegiate career)- “It is, definitely. A lot of my classmates and people that are still out there said that they are going to come to the game. That’s real special.”

OL Joe Thomas

(On the diversity on offense)- “We definitely are going to have some more wrinkles than we did last year. I think the first year, under any system, you are just kind of getting your feet wet and are starting to understand how things are supposed to work. Now that we have another year under our belt in this system and we added a guy named Seneca Wallace who can do some different things and bring some new things to the table. There is a lot more creativity we are going to be able to use this year.”

(On the right side of the offensive line)- “There are some decisions that need to be made on the right side, but we have got a lot of capable guys over there. I’m very confident that whoever gets the start and gets the nod over there is going to do great and he is going to have some good backups behind him.”

(On how Shawn Lauvao has done)- “I think Shawn has done a great job. Obviously, he is a rookie and sometimes it’s hard for rookies to come into this league and play well right away, but he has come in and he has played like a veteran right away. I think that really instills a lot of confidence at the right guard position.”

DB T.J. Ward

(On Sunday being his first game and facing a player the caliber of Kellen Winslow)- “I don’t really think about that too much. I just concentrate on my assignments, on what I need to do, what I need to do to get better and work on the game plan. Coming into this, of course you got to study your opponent, but him being the caliber tight end he is I really don’t think about that too much.”

(On how he has improved since camp)- “I think I’m a smarter player. I’m definitely more experienced, just working on the little things, the fine tuning things, different techniques. I’m still a rookie I haven’t even played my first game yet so of course I have a lot of experience to still get down, but I think those are two of the things.”