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Press Conference

Baker Mayfield talks adjustments he needs to make, Aaron Donald and more - Press Conference

On adjustments for the Browns offense:

"I talked about it postgame – getting more completions, getting the ball in the play makers hands."

On if he goes back to more film study or mechanics when his accuracy is not as sharp as usual:

"Mechanics. It goes back to getting the basis down, not getting ahead of my feet and making sure I am in the right place at the right time. Get my feet going and my eyes will follow."

On if he is rushing throws at all:

"No."

On if some high throws can be attributed to mechanics:

"Sure, yeah."

On if he would like to get plays off sooner:

"I would say yeah, just getting the ball out quicker, getting it into the playmakers' hands. Just taking care of our guys. Not putting our O line in a bind, especially against a team like this with a great defense. We will work on those challenges and move forward."

On factors leading to holding onto the ball a little bit longer than last year:

"I think it is a mix of a little bit of everything. Yeah, we are getting a little bit different looks, but we also need to expect some of the things we are getting just based on who we have personnel wise at receiver and everything like that. Just getting the ball out, having answers for anything they do, doing what we are good at and finding completions."

Check out photos of the Browns preparing for their game against the Rams Sunday by team photographer Matt Starkey

On the challenges facing Rams DT Aaron Donald:

"Obviously, he is an unbelievable player. His game speaks for itself. He works very hard at what he does. That is why he is one of the best in the game right now. He creates a monster itself within his game, but then also that creates opportunities for other guys to get one-on-one matchups. Not just is his game a game-changer, but it allows for those other guys to play free. They play well as a unit. They have been together for a few year. (Defensive coordinator) Coach Wade Phillips does a great job of getting them lined up and doing great things." 

On Phillips moving Donald to different positions in the defense:

"He is one of those guys that you got to know where he is at all times. We are going to see as the week goes on how our gameplan unfolds and see how we are going practice and work on that."

On if he would like to get out of the huddle and plays snapped earlier in the play clock:

"I think we can be more efficient just overall. I think with getting more calls that we are comfortable with, I have to be better within the week of giving (Head Coach) Freddie (Kitchens) confidence in what we are calling and what we are doing t where we can just line up there and he can trust us to go do the job, and no matter what he calls I am going to get it done."

On if play clock winding down affects his rhythm:

"No, I think we have to be good at working the clock and then also playing faster when we need to. To me, it is just being able to manage it and do my job."

On Kitchens saying he has to put him in better situations:

"He is going to try and take care of me, but I have to do my job when it all comes down to it. He is our head coach and he is going to say that, but I have to play better."

On QB Drew Stanton being place on IR and if Stanton will still be able to mentor him as he did last year:

"Yeah, I would say that last year was a good example of what he is doing now. He was not playing last year either. He was not dressing. He is always going to be there. He wants to win. He is a guy that can kind of voice the message of what Freddie really wants in certain plays of how to read it, and that is why he is in that quarterback room. That is why he is a great mentor for me."

On if he feels more pressure for the offense to improve due to upcoming opponents' records:

"I do not feel any pressure about that. We are going to figure it out. Everybody is acting like the word is falling down. We can play better, but a win is a win. We are never going to take that for granted."

On how Sunday's game against the NFC Champion LA Rams can serve as a measuring stick for where the Browns are now, given the ultimate goal to win a Super Bowl:

"It is good to kind of fence a little bit about last year does not matter at all but it is also looking at it, they are a team that made it all the way, and they have a lot of the same guys and some added piece, as well. It is a good measuring stick for us, but it is about what we do. It is about the fact that we know it is going to be a great challenge, but when it comes down to it, we need to focus on us. We do not need to worry about anything else besides doing our job and whatever gameplan we have to attack their team and their players that they have. We need to accomplish that."

On seeing starting NFL QBs like Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and Saints QB Drew Brees lose significant time due to injury:

"You never want to see that. Tough to see that. Brees, obviously the contact with the thumb, it is not a good one. The one with Ben is to me scary. It was non-contact throwing injury. You never want to see that. The non-contact injuries are tough. Prayers out to him. Obviously, (former Colts QB) Andrew (Luck), he has been dealing with stuff for a little bit. You never want to see that. Those are guys that are faces of their franchise. Then you kind of see what the locker rooms are made of after that. Who is going to step up? Do they trust those guys? Do they trust the system? It is what I say all the time is it is the next man up mentality. We have to have belief in whoever is playing."

On what the Browns offense has done well in the first two games:

"We improved on the penalties and in our run game from Week 1 to Week 2. As we see who we are going to be – I talked about getting the ball out quick, getting completions – but also trusting those guys up front and running the ball with (RB) Nick Chubb and whoever else is in there. As we continue to grow and find who this team really is going to be down the stretch, that will be a big key."

On the Rams secondary:

"Like I said earlier, their defensive line is very talented, but it allows the secondary to play a bunch of different coverages. Obviously, they have (Rams CBs) Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, and they added (Rams S) Eric Weddle. You have a bunch of veteran guys who have seen a bunch of route patterns and seen and played a bunch of football. It adds into making sure that my eyes are going to be in the right place at the right time and going through my reads because I can see one thing and they can react to another."

On if he saw an improvement in his eye placement last week:

"Yeah, improvement but not good enough."

On if part of the offense's slow start is due to the full personnel playing together for the first time and learning the flow:

"No, I do not think it is any of that. I think it falls back on me just playing better, getting the ball out and getting completions like I keep harping on. Just trusting the system. Everybody is going to do their job. We know what everybody is going to do. That is why we practiced in camp. That is why did everything like that. Just trust and do my job."

On if he is excited to play against Rams QB Jared Goff:

"Yeah, absolutely. I am excited to play against him. I always say I am not exactly playing directly against him. It is fun to play against someone you know and you are familiar with, but when it comes down to it, try to get better each week and just find a way to win."

On if some offensive concerns can be resolved by identifying favorite plays:

"It is kind of like I said earlier of just giving Freddie more confidence in whatever he calls in knowing he can have a completion. If a shot is not there, then I am checking it down and finding a positive play." 

On learning more about WR Odell Beckham Jr. after his one-handed catch and 89-yard TD on Monday night:

"I think he is a guy that really has another notch of speed when the lights come. I keep saying it, get the ball in his hands and seeing what they can do with it. Obviously, he showed what he can do."

On offensive line/associate head coach James Campen and him putting the 89-yard TD play in the gameplan, according to Beckham's postgame comments:

"I said it after the game, it was kind of an RPO look and we got the look we wanted. He did the rest."

On if he has contacted Steelers QB Mason Rudolph:

"I have not yet. No, I will talk to him in a couple of weeks."

On if the NY Jets defense left Beckham uncovered on the 89-yard TD as a result of something the Browns did:

"It was just a zone coverage. That was it. They were not going man right there so it is just finding holes and windows and finding the completion. He is running through knowing exactly what he has to do and his speed and his depth on the route. He just made a good play."

On if he has looking into some of Rams Head Coach Sean McVay's offensive concepts, given McVay's reputation as an offensive guru:

"I would not say that I have directly studied what they are doing, but within tape of watching other teams and what not, you see what they are doing. They are having a lot of success. They do a great job of making it somewhat like the Patriots of a lot of formations look the same and they are doing different stuff out of it and personnel, motions and some window dressing and getting teams forced to communicate getting them out of place."

On the impact if WR Rashard Higgins is able to play Sunday:

"It would be great to have Rashard back. Anytime you can have somebody in there that I have thrown a lot of balls and have chemistry with, that would be great. Like I said, it is next man up mentality and so we expect those guys to be able to execute, as well. I think (WR Damion) Ratley played great on Monday, too."

On if he enjoys playing with contact, given his reaction to getting hit by NY Jets S Jamal Adams:

"Yeah, it is football. Obviously, I do not enjoy getting hit every play. Jamal is guy that I am going to pop back up and talk trash, too. He is a good guy."

On trying to get WR Jarvis Landry involved in Sunday's game as much as possible:

"Absolutely. I can keep saying it, get the ball in our playmakers hands and Jarvis is one of our guys. Getting him involved early and often presents problems for the defenses. You have a guy outside in Odell or wherever we out him and speed, as well. Then you have Jarvis on the inside, making people miss and finding zones."

On if RB Nick Chubb has improved as a pass catcher:

"Yeah, he has. I think that is something that he continues to work and he really builds trust. He is hard on himself about the receiving stuff because people label him as just as a downhill running back and he is not a guy that is going out the backfield. He sees guys like (Rams RB Todd) Gurley who went his school or a (Panthers RB Christian) McCaffrey or (NY Jets RB) Le'Veon (Bell), and he wants to be just as dynamic. He wants to win when it comes down to it."

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