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Browns player quotes - August 22

RB Duke Johnson Jr.:

On how he feels:

"I feel good."

On if he is healed:

"Yeah."

On if he is healed completely:

"Yeah, we are still going to work our way into it, slowly but surely."

On what caused the injury:

"I have no idea. I was running and I felt something, and we took precautionary reasons and they sat me out until I healed."

On how much he comprehended the offense when he got hurt and how much has the absence from practice hurt him:

"My development as far as off the field as far as learning the playbook, no, because it gave me more time to learn the playbook. The time that I am actually not out here or not doing anything. I think I knew the majority of the playbook before I got hurt and nothing has changed now."

On if he thinks he can play at Tampa on Saturday:

"Do I think I can play? I think I can. It all depends on how it goes. We are taking it day-by-day. I will leave that up to the medical staff."

On if the hamstring was more serious than a common strain:

"No. I don't even think it was a pull. It was just being safe. We would rather be safe than sorry and not get back too early and hurt it more. It was just a medical thing that we decided to do."

On what he hopes to do for the offense this year:

"Make plays. Make plays, create mismatches in every aspect that I can."

On if he is confident that he can do that at this level:

"At this level? I think so. I am confident in the way I do things and the way I approach this football game and my preparation. I think that I can compete."

On if he feels he can be the starting RB:

"I feel like I can, but that is not my decision. The only thing that I can actually control is to come out here and play football every day. I am going to push my teammates if I am not that starting guy, just know whoever is the starting guy is the best man for the job because we came out here and competed and we push each other to be the best."

On comments made by Running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery in regards to the running backs not being in shape and what kind of shape he was in coming into camp:

"Football shape. I think that I was in football shape. The thing you have to understand with our coach is that our coach played this game and he is very passionate about the way he does things and the way he did it when he played. He just expects more from us. That is all. I think his statement was just that he expects more from us. That is something that we took and we will try to give him more because [he played in the league]. It is not like it is coming from a guy who has never done it. He did it and he knows what it takes and he just wants more. That is all that was."

WR Dwayne Bowe:

On how he is feeling:

"Good day. I feel good. First day out there. Just to be out there with the guys and get some mobility. Moving around feels good."

On if he will continue to practice:

"Nine years into it you think having a little time will definitely heal the body. I feel real good and I feel real great to come back and put a little something on film."

On if he will play against Tampa Bay:

"I should. I am working up to it. I think right now they just want to see what I can do without pushing it or straining it anymore. I feel good enough to play, but it is all up to them."

On if he has ever had a hamstring injury in a previous training camp:

"Prior, never. Never missed a day."

On how the injury happened:

"I am not sure. It was two weeks ago. If I can try to remember – I think I was just running. We were doing a lot of running. My muscle just got tired. It felt like everybody else. I am feeling better. They treated it. Looking good.

On if players are having trouble adjusting to the new collective bargaining agreement practice rules because it didn't seem as if hamstring injuries were as prevalent before the new CBA was signed:

"No I don't think so. Coach's want to push guys to be the best. Depending on what program you are coming from you may have never practiced that hard before. It can shock the body. Most of the guys that are having hamstring injuries never have been in a program that actually work as hard as a program in the NFL. Once you know how to practice and take care of your body that is a big thing. At this level you have to take care of your body. Being young you don't do that. You have to learn through the process. Sometimes it takes a little knicks and knacks for you to know that your body is number one if you are going to be able to perform."

On if he would like to go back to two-a-day practices:

"I would definitely not want to go back, but the way it is set up now it is looking out for players and getting guys healthy to go out there and perform."

On what he has been doing to stay involved with the offense:

"Everything, mental reps, in the classroom up there walking through it. It is not like I was far behind mentally. It was more just going out and doing it. By practice I should get better and better and making those plays and being able to just keep going." WR Shane Wynn:

On what it means to have his high school coach at practice:

"It meant the most. You missed the guy, don't see him a lot because you're here all day and just seeing him just brings a refreshment to me every day. You don't get to see him much and you know he's been struggling, he's just surviving that's what he always told me, 'Keep your head above water and just survive.'

On what he means to him personally:

"One word: My father. He's just been there my whole life and never steered me wrong and had me in the right position at the right times. He always just told me, 'Put your name on something' and that's what I'm trying to do."

On why he started playing football at a young age:

"Actually, my grandma. I was about 6 years old going to the East Cleveland Chiefs and actually before practice I watched Any Given Sunday and I didn't want to go to practice anymore (laughter). I didn't want to go to practice anymore and I watched that and she told me it wasn't going to be like that and since then I've been playing football.

On what it felt like scoring a touchdown for the lead in the second preseason game:

"It's just an unbelievable feeling. You're from here and watch the Browns play as a youngster and then you landing a touchdown where you've watched your whole life. It was just an unbelievable feeling. I didn't even know what to do after I scored, it was like 'I just really did that'. Give all the credit to (QB) Duke Johnson Jr. making a play that Johnny makes, everybody knows that."

On if he ever forgets about his size as a barrier:

"As I say all the time, you can measure height and weight but you can't measure heart. When you look at things like that your work ethic talks for you, you don't have to talk yourself."

On if he ever gets tired of questions about his size:

"No. I've heard them my whole life so it's no biggie."

On how DB Donte Whitner is now compared to watching him at Ohio State:

"He's still the same right now, trying to take somebody's head off (laughter). That's why they call him 'Donte Hitner.'"

On the advice Whitner has given him:

"He's been real tough on me. He doesn't harp on the goods, he just harps on the bads and I like that about him because he's going to be real. You know that's 100 percent Donte Whitner, he wants you to be perfect like him. When you look at Donte Whitner he knows everything about the defense and that's what I'm trying to get to about the offense. Trying to stay in the playbook and learn everything about what everybody has."

On the long punt return in the second preseason game:

"Its way faster in the NFL, I can tell you that. Those gunners were getting down there. I just try and practice on just catching the ball and sticking my foot in the ground and getting north and trusting my speed. That's what Coach Ginn (Wynn's former high school coach Ted Ginn, Sr.) always tells me, trust your speed. Took me a while to do that but right now I'm starting to trust it."

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