On Browns teammates coming to support him after taking a hit on the sideline:
"That shows how close we are. Obviously, it is a great feeling to have knowing that people have your back. They have that feeling from me, too. I have their back. That is a real team right there. Obviously, extracurricular activity is not necessary, but that just shows what type of bond we have in the locker room."
On the importance of playing well at home and creating a home-field advantage for the Browns:
"Yeah, we talked about how we need to be prideful about playing at home, protecting our own turf. I challenged the crowd, and they showed up. That was a fun atmosphere, and I do not think that anybody can say otherwise."
On if it felt like a fun, party environment at FirstEnergy Stadium:
"It absolutely did. A lot of energy, positive energy. Obviously, holiday time so you have a lot of family in town. A good win. Can't say much else about a last home game."
On opposing teams possibly adjusting to how offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens operates:
"I just think that we need to do our job. We keep doing what we are doing, and we will see how people play us. Everybody has a different strategy, but we need to execute. That is what it comes down to."
On the shovel passes keeping the Bengals defense off balance:
"Yeah, it seemed like they were expecting some shot plays out of that. The motion is expecting for us to throw it deep. Obviously, it worked. That is why we kept doing it."
On if he coached WR Jarvis Landry for his 63-yard pass:
"No (laughter). He better stop going that or I am going to lose my spot (laughter). Gees, that was a good throw, a really good throw."
On the fulfillment of winning five out of the past six games:
"It has been a good run. We said that any team could do that, we just had to put it all together. Put the little things together and it has been a good ride. Obviously, we would love to be in the playoffs, but like I said earlier in the year, you know that you have to go through some tough times to see the brighter end of it. Although it hurt us in the long run, we are going to use this momentum. Use it. We kind of know what we have as a team and what we have in the locker room, and it is pretty special. It has been a good run."
On RB Nick Chubb adding balance to the offense today:
"Being able to run the ball like we did today helps all of the time. Even though those shovel passes – I love them because they are completions –but those are a part of the run game when it comes down to it. Being able to spread them out and then run right at them or do the jet sweeps and stuff and go around them, it plays a huge factor in creating one-on-one matchups on the outside when we do get our chances. Our guys made plays today."
On if playing to win today was a test of character after being eliminated from the playoffs:
"Absolutely, you can absolutely have guys that are going to collect their check and just show up, but we have guys that wanted to win. That showed today. We made it a lot closer than we probably should have, but we came out with the win. That is the most important thing."
On improving after a slow start on offense:
"Just talking to the guys, we were hurting ourselves. It was not anything that they were doing. It was just not executing, miscommunication and stuff like that. What it comes down to like I say all of the time is doing our job, just focusing in and doing that one play at a time, and we did that."
On building a connection with the Cleveland Browns fan base since entering the NY Jets game:
"It is definitely a lot of fun. I do not think that there is any other way to describe it. It is not always pretty, but you go through the good times and the bad times together. There has been a lot more good than bad as of recent. It is fun. I expect that relationship to continue to grow. I relate to Cleveland. The work ethic, the stuff that you have to earn it around here, that is what the Browns are all about. It is going to be a good relationship for a long time."
On the importance of the Browns not finishing in last place in the division for the first time in several years:
"Quite honestly, I couldn't care about what happened in the past. It is about this year and we won today. We are moving forward."
On hearing Browns fans chant his name during the second half:
"It is exciting. As long as I am doing my job, it is fun, but you have to be able to block that out and focus in on the game."
On staring down the Bengals sideline after completing the 66-yard pass to TE David Njoku and if that was directed at former Browns Head Coach and current Bengals special assistant to the head coach Hue Jackson:
"No, no idea what you are talking about. Yeah."
On the video of him staring down the Bengals bench being popular on Twitter:
"That is alright. We won. David did not score on that play. David… (laughter)."
On the Browns not sitting on the ball after having a lead and ultimately needing those points to win the game:
"No absolutely."
On the Browns offense not taking the foot off the gas in the second half:
"Like I said last week, we have to play aggressive. That is when we are at our best. We did that today. Obviously, the execution was not always there, but we are playing aggressive. We want to put that game out of reach because it is the same conversation. You can manage the clock and you can play it safe, but then also just putting it out of reach works pretty well, too. That was the mindset."
On the importance of winning at home and creating a home-field advantage as it relates to changing the team culture:
"Absolutely. People need to fear coming to Cleveland. They need to fear coming and playing around at the lake with an exciting crowd, a lot of noise and a team that is protecting their own turf. That is how it needs to be."
On if the Browns feel like they are possibly the best team in the NFL that is not advancing to the playoffs:
"I think that is the easy way to put it, but I have not watched anything besides the games I need to during the week. We are playing good ball right now, and we need to continue that and continue to get better every week."
On if breaking the NFL rookie passing TD record is a goal:
"Winning next week is the goal."
On expecting RB Nick Chubb to have at least one explosive carry each week:
"Yeah, I think that is the type of running back he is. He chips away. Some of those four or five-yard runs are very close to being long ones like that. You are just kind of waiting for it to happen, and today was one of those days where it happened frequently."
On spreading the ball to multiple WRs as part of the game plan:
"You want to get your playmakers involved early, get them going and get them changing the game. Then yeah, it is a part of the game. Whatever is open, we trust everybody to do their job. That is why they see us taking shots down the field to (RB) Duke (Johnson Jr), getting the ball out to (WR Rashard) Higgins, trusting our tight ends and then obviously, keep involving (WR) Breshad (Perriman) and (WR) Jarvis (Landry). We have guys making plays right now. Wherever it goes, we expect it to happen."
On players like TE Darren Fells producing TDs, given his strength as a blocker:
"It helps us out because a lot of the time he is in there for runs but then the fact that he is able to show what he can do in the pass game, he is a big body. He is a big target. It makes it easy to throw to him. That adds another element to us."
On if he thought the pass to Njoku was risky:
"No. There are 11 guys there on every play (laughter). It is alright. I have thrown in tighter windows. I get your point, though."
On if the hit by Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap should have been called a penalty:
"No. Reaching the ball out for the first down. If he does not hit me, I think people would be questioning why. He is trying to stop me from getting the first down. It is exciting to see the guys come over there."
On sweeping the Cincinnati Bengals and that being an important step in the team establishing itself in the AFC North:
"I think we talk about culture change it is a mentality. When we play division opponents, they need to know exactly what they are going to get out of us, and it needs to be a game they need to prepare for every year twice a year."
On if the Browns will be motivated by the opportunity to potentially prevent the Ravens from making the playoffs:
"Absolutely. I think that is another thing of motivation we want to use, but at the same time like I said before this game, if we do not want to win, guys can get out of the locker room. We have a mentality that need to be kept and that standard is there."
On if any teammates gave a sense that they were not all in to finish the season 2-0:
"No, but I am not going to say things just to correct them. You have to say it to set the standard. You have to say it to make sure we have the exact same team every week. A team that we talk about needs to progress every week, get better every week. Some of those things, there are reasons why I say those things."
On the comradery developing with the team:
"Winning is hard so you need to be able to enjoy it. That is what you see touchdowns like that – the Chief Slam, Hollywood (WR Rashard Higgins) doing his walk on the red carpet and just different stuff like that. It makes it fun and enjoyable to be able to celebrate with your teammates. You go through so much, you better enjoy it."
On if he will have a lot of family in town for the holidays:
"I am going to enjoy my Christmas with a victory Monday. I am going to enjoy it. Merry Christmas to you, too."
On the Browns OL's performance, particularly after the injury to offensive line coach Bob Wylie:
"They played great. It is not always pretty, but they played more than good enough to win. That is the important part. We said it earlier in the week right when it happened, we are going to go out that game for him and he gets the game ball. I think it was (offensive coordinator) Freddie (Kitchens) who told me Bob was talking about getting gout of the hospital the next day, and I think he was a little ambitious on that one. That just shows that he wanted to be out there. Our guys did a great job of fighting for him and playing for him. They ran the ball well today and protected well in the pass game. Kudos to them."
On if the culture has officially changed with the Browns:
"No, that is something we have to work on every day. Since winning around here is new, you have to be able to make sure that is a consistency, that guys are not satisfied and that they do not get complacent. It is a work in progress."
On how Browns fans will ultimately react when hosting a playoff game in the future:
"I think the good thing that I do is focus on the task at hand. There is big picture mindset and there are always goals, but being able to focus in and do my job, blocking out distractions and just execute is one thing I do best. The crowd noise is exciting."
