DB Joe Haden:
On how nice it will be to return to the field:
"It is going to be nice. I just can't wait to get back out there and play. That is what it is all about. I have just been working my butt off trying to get back out there with my guys."
On how tough it was to not be able to play against the Bengals:
"It was tough. Definitely wanted to be out there with them. I want to be out there just to try and get this first win."
On Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick:
"He can be really, really hot. We played them last year, and they ended up beating us with him. He did really good that game so I am used to him playing really good ball. Sometimes, he has been throwing a couple interceptions this season. People have been able to kind of read those routes, jump them, but I think he is very capable. He can get very, very hot, and with (Jets WR) Brandon Marshall, with 81 (Jets WR Quincy Enunwa) coming up the way he is, we just have to be able to just stay on top. It is going to be a challenge for us, but I think we can be able to do our thing."
On Jets WR Brandon Marshall's skillset:
"Brandon Marshall is one of the elites. He has been like that for a while. He is super strong, big and fast, and he is just capable to run every route, catch every ball. Then Fitzpatrick, definitely he is one of his favorite targets so he throws it to him very often. He is backside on the X, and he just runs basically whatever he wants on the [route] tree so you have to be ready and have to try to get physical with him and just don't let him grab you too much."
On where the Browns defense needs to improve:
"We have to play better. That is just what it is. It comes down to us being able to beat the man across from us. If we have man-to-man coverage, being able to cover these dudes, being able to stay on top, being able to break up passes, being able to try to force turnovers, punching balls out, stripping, we just have to be able to kind of try to create more turnovers and make more plays. That is basically what it comes down to at the end of the day. We have a lot of young players, and it is time now for everybody to just start getting into their own, becoming more comfortable and just making plays."
QB Josh McCown:
On returning as the starting QB:
"I am looking forward to it. It is going to be fun. Like I said and I have said it before, you want to be in this thing to make some plays. To be back out there is exciting. I am looking forward to go out there and battle with the guys and to focus on getting this next win. It has been a good week of work. Hats off to the trainers and everybody involved that helped me get ready. I am excited about this opportunity."
On appreciating the opportunity to start as a veteran QB on a young team:
"Oh yeah, you absolutely do. You hope that you can just play every snap with that mindset and go to work every day with that mindset of this is the only thing that matters because there is great value to being in that moment and enjoying that moment. I think that is when you can be at your best. As best I can, I try to do that. Probably not as consistent as I would like, but at the end of the day, you want to be in that mindset of maximizing each day so that is my goal."
On if took time after the Ravens game to deal with the realization he would miss multiple weeks due to injury:
"Obviously, it was frustrating. I was hoping it heals fast to be back out there. It was frustrating because we lost the game and in the matter in which we did. We got the ball down there inside and then we get the penalty. I just wish we could have seen that defense differently. All those things, when you are injured, you have a lot of time to think about that. It fuels your fire for whenever you can come back, and it gets you excited about the opportunity to get back out there again."
On why the Browns future is bright:
"I said this the other day, and it really starts from the top down and the way things are being done. It starts with (Head) Coach (Hue) Jackson and the message that he is delivering us and the way the coaches are carrying that out and to the locker room, the veterans in the locker room. The main thing is that outside things are going to happen in life. They are going to impact you, but who you are, your character is what has got to sustain. You have to be the same person. For us as a team, we are facing some adversity, obviously, but who we are as a team and our character has to show up because we have to come to work the same way and we have to show ourselves, the veterans in this locker room and we have to show the young guys how you do that, how you continue with the process and come to work each day and work hard, whether you are facing adversity. As you are building something, the hope is that it is flipped and maybe we find ourselves as 7-0 someday. The message will still be the same. The message is going to be that we are a team of character and a team that does not change, no matter how good things are going. We are going to come to work the same way. We have a great opportunity to utilize that now because we have adversity. We have an outside force that is pushing on us that is saying, 'Change who you are,' and we are not going to change that message being sent that Coach Jackson is saying. We are going to come to work, and we are going to work hard."
On his relationship with WR Corey Coleman, who said McCown is one of the players he is closest:
"I appreciate him saying that, and that feeling is obviously mutual. Obviously, what he can do on the field and his abilities, but I just think he is a good guy, a well-rounded guy. I enjoy talking with him and the conversations we have. Obviously, the age difference that we have, you probably would not just put those two people together and that is really anybody in here for that matter. Point being is that we have great conversations about not only on the field stuff and how to play the game and how to approach the game and just life in general. He has asked me the right questions so I enjoy hanging with him and talking with him because it reminds you – especially for me and my career and the journey that I have been on and the different lockers I have been – how much value there is in the people that you get to come to work with every day and be a part of their lives. I doubt I will still be playing when Corey is at this point in his career, but you just get a sense that guys who ask those kinds of questions and seek out the wisdom of older players, you get the sense that they are going to give it back some day, too, and that is really encouraging."
On the Browns' upcoming home stretch and how Cleveland's fans compare to other teams:
"Yeah, I have said it before, there is nothing like it. Just to have gone through the changes and just the adversity that has been here and for the fans to be the way they are, it is remarkable. I just know having been other places and just seeing how they treat people and how much they love this team that, as a player, you appreciate it because it is not that way everywhere else. It is special. It is really special. It is not hard when you are looking for motivation in different places to go, 'Man, these people, they are going to pay their hard earned dollar to come to the stadium and watch us play. We need to get some wins going and do some positive things because they appreciate our team so much.' We are looking forward to being back home with these fans. We know one thing, we are going to go out there and we are going to compete and play hard and put our best foot forward. The fans, we can draw from the energy that they bring because that adds to it. We love playing at home because we know that as we build this thing, it can be a tough place to play because of our fans."
On the Jets defensive front and if the Browns will need to throw the ball, given how good they are at defending the run:
"We will see. As you get into games, you kind of figure out what kind of game it is going to be. We obviously have a plan of how we want to approach it, but obviously, we have always said we want to be balanced and be able to do both. If the game kind of turns that way, we are going to be able to go that way and feel good about our ability to run it or our ability to throw it so we will keep it even. They do have a good front, and we understand that, but as we have seen over the last several weeks, we trust Coach Jackson and the coaching staff's ability to put together great run gameplans. We are excited about going out there and executing those. Whatever the game calls for we want to be able to go that way and execute and play at a high level."
On his appreciation for the Browns 1986 team and if the upcoming halftime presentation to honor the team will be meaningful:
"Yeah because they are closer to my age (laughter). No, I have – getting to see those guys come around, it's cool. There is no doubt about it because they know, and that is what I mean when you talk about wanting to make this place successful because they know what it is like. They know what this city can be like. We will get to see it right now throughout the last six months with the Cavs and the Indians. For me, just listening to them talk about it and how it was, it is very encouraging and inspiring, and you certainly want to see that captured in this locker room for these guys because it is special what they were able to do. We want to be able to do that. We want to be able to look up one day and say, 'Man, this group of guys that came through here, we were able to turn the corner with this team and to find sustained success with this team and this franchise.' Anytime those guys come around, it is good to see (former Browns QB) Bernie (Kosar) and those guys because of what they represent."
