WR Sammie Coates:
On his initial reaction when he was informed of his trade to the Browns:
"It is different. Short time, had to make a move, but I am happy to here. I am looking forward to helping the team win."
On going from a team that was in the AFC Championship game in 2016 to a team that was 1-15 last season:
"I don't look at what they did last year. I can't control that. It is all about what you can do now."
On how he can make an impact on the Browns:
"Whatever they ask me to do. You want to prepare for anything. I am capable to play special teams. I am capable to play offense. Whatever they ask me to do, I am going to go out there and showcase my talent."
On how frustrating it was to start the 2016 season fast but have injuries derail his season:
"It is part of the game. You are going to have ups and downs. It is how you react towards it and how you recover from it. I did a good job of recovering from it."
On if he has played with broken fingers:
"Yeah, I played with a couple."
On catching a football with broken fingers:
"It is not the best way to do it (laughter)."
On how much the broken fingers affected his play last year:
"It is just a mind thing. You have to concentrate a little bit more and you have to catch it a certain way. That was the biggest difference was trying to figure out where to catch the ball without hitting your finger again."
OL Joel Bitonio:
On if he will practice this week:
"Yeah, I will be back out there Wednesday. Excited to get back out there and run around a little bit."
On if his injury was serious:
"No, left knee got banged up a little bit, but we were in the preseason. We wanted to make sure we were getting ready for Week 1. That has been the goal since the start. Hopefully, we have the whole group out there this week."
On if it means much that the starting OL has not yet been together extensively as a full unit on the field:
"There is definitely a little bit of factor in that, but me and (OL) Joe (Thomas) have gotten tons of reps through the years together and then me and (OL) JC (Tretter) at the start of camp, we were doing pretty well. It is definitely not ideal, but we are going to practice this week and we are going to go out there and play on Sunday."
On the Browns releasing OL John Greco:
"Yeah, it is [tough] because Grec was my guy. I came in here, and he was kind of a mentor to me and a good friend. Anytime you see a guy like that leave and he has been here for six years or so, it was tough for me. That was one of the tougher cuts, but you understand it is a business and we are working in a different direction right now, but I am sure he will land on his feet and I wish him the best. It is part of the game, but it is one of the ones you do not look forward to."
On if some of the roster moves make it seem like the Browns are not as focused on 2017 compared to the future:
"As a player, you can't even look into that stuff because (Head) Coach (Hue) Jackson has done such a good job of stressing winning, and that is all we have been focused on. You guys saw it in the preseason, and a lot of people say preseason doesn't matter, but we wanted to go out and win every game we play, and we went 4-0 in the preseason. We are coming out, and we are trying to go 1-0 this week and we are going to do it with the guys that we have here. It is unfortunate you can't keep everybody. You want to keep everybody here and to lose a couple guys that have been around the program for a while, it is tough, but we know Coach Jackson and (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Sashi (Brown) have a plan and we are sticking to it and we are trying to go 1-0 this week."
On if going 4-0 in the preseason means something after finishing 1-15 last season:
"I think so. You have to learn to win at some point. Like you said, we have not won that much in the last couple years, and I think to get the young guys and to get everybody honestly who has been here just some wins under their belt and kind of have a feeling about like, 'Hey, we can go out there and compete with these teams.' We know [preseason] is not ones on ones the whole time, but to have a team good enough to go out there and go 4-0 in the preseason, I think it is a big step. Then again, we are not going to be like, 'Oh, we are 4-0. We are going into the year. We have something helping us during the season.' We have to go out there and prove ourselves again out there."
DB Briean Boddy-Calhoun:
On how he feels heading into Week 1:
"Feel great. Very excited. Very anxious. Just ready to go. Looking forward to the preparation throughout the week and just looking forward to getting better and getting ready for Pittsburgh."
On what he has seen on tape about Pittsburgh so far and how big of a role he will have on Sunday:
"That is up to my coaches. However much I play on Sunday, when I'm in there, I plan to do my job and just make an impact as best I can. As far as film, I see what everybody else sees – a veteran quarterback, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback; a really great receiver; a really good running back; and a good offensive line. From a defensive standpoint, we have to come out there ready to stop the run and ready to limit them as best we can."
On being claimed by the Browns on waivers in 2016 to now:
"It feels amazing. I remember last year, I was in the laundromat when I got the call, getting my stuff cleaned up because I didn't know where I was going to go. I was in Jacksonville at the time, and my agent called me and told me the news. I was extremely excited, and I'll never forget that feeling. I know a lot of guys' dreams were made yesterday just by getting claimed off waivers. I made sure I preached that to the guys that were here, too. If you're not here and you get cut, just know that I got cut last year, too. You just never know whenever you are going to get picked up."
On the process of getting cut in Jacksonville:
"They just called me and told me to bring in my playbook. They said they really enjoyed me and liked where I was. They actually offered me a practice squad spot so they looked at me as a guy they could develop."
On how he is able to not let emotion get in his way of accomplishing goals:
"I think it is where I am from. I'm from Wilmington, Delaware, and there a lot of people who are doing a lot worse things and are in a lot worse circumstances than I am. For me to be, 'Oh, woe is me,' or 'Look at me,' or not work hard and cry for the things I don't have when there are people that are way less fortunate than I am – I'm talking about people who grow up without parents – something like football, it is not really that big of a deal [in comparison]. Why not go hard and why not put my best foot forward when they are people living a lot worse than I am?"
DB Jamar Taylor:
On what it will be like playing against Steelers DB Joe Haden:
"It is going to be weird. It will be kind of weird. It has definitely been weird not having him here, but it is part of the business. As we get going and get competing, our mindset will change, and hopefully, we can come out with a win."
On if he feels extra responsibility without Haden:
"No, my mindset doesn't change. I'm still going about my days the way I have been going at them. Nothing changes. I'm not putting more pressure on myself or anything. I'm just playing football, learning from our coaches and getting better with my teammates every day."
On his reaction to the news Haden was released:
"It was crazy to say the least, but he handled it well. That helped me handle it well, just seeing a true professional take it, and knew that everything was going to work out for him. I have been talking to him every other day making sure he is OK, but we still have a game to win. Like I said, it is part of the business. It is good that Joe is up there, but it is time to get after it. This week finally counts."
On if Haden can help the Steelers gameplan for the Browns:
"I don't know what Joe is telling them. That is something you would have to ask him about."
On clarifying his statement about Haden's release being 'crazy':
"Just because he has been here so long. He does so much. He was definitely one of the first people I talked to when I got traded here. He is first-class type of guy. I definitely didn't see it coming, but it is part of the business. (Broncos S) T.J. Ward just got cut. It is part of the business."
