WR Brian Hartline:
On stating he had a job to keep when declining comment after yesterday's loss:
"Coming off a loss, coming off an embarrassing loss, I didn't have anything necessarily positive to say in my mind at that point so if I didn't have anything positive to say, I really didn't want to talk and that's all it was. Got a little dinged up. Coming out of the training room, I was already kind of frustrated about that. That's all. Don't read into it too much, but again, there really wasn't a whole lot for me to say."
On the Browns offensive struggles:
"We're not scoring enough points. Overall, I haven't dove into the numbers, but at times, actually the majority of the time, we moved the ball up and down the field, but we shot ourselves in the foot probably four or five times once we crossed the 50, go into the 40-, 30-yard line. Obviously, we're playing at a point right now with kind of no reason to hold to hold anything back. Some fourth-and-shorts that we didn't convert and kind of laying it all on the line. When you do that, you turn the ball over in that part of the field, that's not good, but overall, we're just not turning two-thirds of the drive into any points and that's not good football."
On if he had no choice but to stay in the game after he was injured:
"I wanted to. I got dinged up with a couple of minutes left so I was going to figure out a way to toughen it out."
On the Browns' losing record being shocking, disturbing or frustrating:
"Those are good words. I would say shocking, frustrating. You know there's probably going to be ups and downs and whatnot, but we haven't really gotten out of the downs so that's not a good thing. We didn't picture ourselves [at 2-10]. We put a lot of work in, saw a good vision. Everyone bought in and we've been tumbling down a hill now, and we haven't turned it around. It's all those words. Yeah, I could use all of those."
On if he has ever seen the stadium as empty as it was at the end of the game Sunday:
"I haven't been to a ton of Browns games, but I would have to assume that was probably one of the most desolate games that we've probably seen in recent history. I'm sure the fans are feeling it as much as we are. It's anywhere from disappointing to embarrassing to frustrating to mad, whatever you want to put on it. I would argue if there's ever a lack of effort – it's just we're not doing things the right way."
On the number of WR injuries, particularly late in yesterday's game:
"It was tough. Obviously, you're down to two of them. I think that makes it a little difficult to do a lot of the things you want to do, especially a guy like (WR) Darius (Jennings) coming off the practice squad. I knew he was able to play since camp. It was just a numbers thing and opportunity given. A lot of the plays he made were no surprise to me, specifically in the receiver room and the offense. Good for him. I think he definitely brings a lot to the table. But as a number standpoint, only having two guys is pretty difficult."
DL Danny Shelton:
On how tough it is for the Browns now:
"We are struggling right now. All anyone can think about is trying to win a game. It is tough when things don't go your way and you get beat at home, especially."
On seeing the stadium empty during the fourth quarter:
"You always have some loyal fans who will stick it out, but I don't blame them. It was a tough loss. We just have to play better."
On Browns defensive meetings today:
"Disappointing really. We didn't get any of our goals. We didn't meet any of our goals that we set for the game. Personally, I played not as well as I wanted to. I missed two tackles that could have helped the team out. It is just something we have to learn and continue to grow with."
On if the Bengals' different offensive formations caught the Browns off guard:
"No, those are the things that Cincinnati is known for. Those are the things we prepared for. Obviously, couldn't handle it, couldn't take care of business."
On the Browns defense's performance this season:
"I am just disappointed, really. We have a lot of expectations for each other and this season. We haven't been able to produce the way we wanted to. You have to continue to work and finish the season off."
On defensive confusion on Bengals QB Andy Dalton rushing TD:
"It was just a part of our gameplan that we have to continue to stay focused. There were times when the offense would come out quick and in a crazy front. We would have to be able to catch that. Sometimes, there are a couple guys who don't catch it or maybe it is just one guy, but we just have to continue to play as a team and work."
On if there has been finger-pointing on defense:
"No, it is more of everybody taking accountability for their actions. We are just trying to figure out why we can't win a game or why we can't complete the goals that we set."
On if the Browns defense is losing belief in the coaches:
"No, not at all. As long as there are fans who still believe in us, we are going to continue to believe in each other, no matter what. Those fans that still believe, still inspire us to continue to work, to wake up every morning and get back to work."
