Jamar Taylor has no shortage of motivation for Sunday's game against the Bengals.
For the veteran defensive back, it goes well beyond the team's desire to pick up its first victory of the season. The motivation also stems from how poorly the Cleveland defense, as a whole, played the first time these teams met earlier in the season, when the Bengals dominated in a 31-7 victory.
Taylor expounded on that topic even more when he sat down with ClevelandBrowns.com.
CB.com: The team is coming off one of its best defensive performances of the season last week against the Jaguars. What can you take and apply to this week's matchup?
Taylor: I think it's just everyone doing their job. I think we did that well last week. This week, though, we have to do it even better. We're playing a good team. They run the ball well, throw the ball well, have good receivers. We've just got to do our job stopping them and try to get the ball back for our offense. I think we can do better at that, creating turnovers for ourselves and trying to get DeShone (Kizer) and the boys the ball back.
CB.com: Does a matchup with A.J. Green get you more revved up than a typical week?
Taylor: No, because it's the NFL. If a guy's a starter or in the NFL, that means he's one of the best at his position to play football. I don't think you get over-excited or anything like that. You've got to respect everybody and be ready to play.
CB.com: You took on a captain role with this team this year. What's been different for you?
Taylor: For me, when we first started off I was way more vocal. I usually am but now I went back to doing what I do. That's not my deal saying too much. I sit back and hold myself accountable. If guys need me and things need to be said, I say it. I'm not doing anything that I haven't done in the past.
CB.com: Why did you go from being vocal to normal?
Taylor: It just wasn't me. I'm not an overly vocal guy. I say things when they need to be said. Other than that, I try to be a leader by the way I work, the way I go about my day and just try to be accountable on the field.
CB.com: What's it been like working with a veteran like Jason McCourty this season?
Taylor: It's been great. Obviously, he's played a lot of football and seen a lot of football. The guy has crazy ball skills. He's got the only turnovers we really have. He's just consistent, never changes, approaches each week the same and he's a real technician.
CB.com: The record notwithstanding, it really seems like there's been some building blocks on defense. What's different about this group compared to last year?
Taylor: Really, the guys just want to be dominant. (Gregg Williams) always says he's going to let guys loose. I think that's what you're starting to see on our defense. Guys are being themselves and letting their personality show. You've got Danny (Shelton) is making plays and dancing, things like that. Guys are just having fun and they're playing with that aggressive mindset that comes from our coach and down to us.
CB.com: You mentioned the turnovers earlier and it seems like a big emphasis this week. Has that been the missing link for the defense?
Taylor: Yeah, because we look at the close games we've had, we've been minus in the turnovers. Last week they had four turnovers and we got the ball out five times but only got it back once. You can't win games when you're not getting the ball back. If we're giving them away, we've definitely got to give them back. We've got to end in the plus ratio and not the minus ratio. If we do that and end the game with three or four turnovers, that's a chance for us to win the game.
CB.com: How has this young team, as a whole, handled this stretch of losing?
Taylor: I think guys are just focused on being their best self. I don't think guys are really worried about the record too much. I'm not saying we don't worry about it: We want to win. But guys are taking accountability to be the best person they can be, be the best football player they can be. If guys can continue to do that, we'll get the wins. We can't do anything that we're not supposed to do. Guys have to do their job and guys are starting to realize that. If we do our job, we'll be closer to winning games than not.
CB.com: What's different going into a game where you've already faced the team during the season?
Taylor: It's the same thing. They've got Bill Lazor, a new offensive coordinator, and he's changed it up a little bit. The book you probably had on the team changes a little bit. At the same time, the guys you've already faced are still there, so you probably know a little bit about them. Guys always add something to their game each year. The guys just have to do a good job of preparing and be ready to go. They came in here last time and really put a beating on us, so I think guys are really hyped up for this game.
CB.com: What do you have to do differently this time?
Taylor: Just play sound football. If we do that, we'll be fine. When we play sound football on defense -- I can't speak for the offense -- and everyone does their one-eleventh on defense, we've got a pretty good defense.
