OL Cameron Erving
On playing different positions this season compared to his college career:
"I just finished my first year as a professional. Anything I did in college is irrelevant now. I'm here now and I'm in the system."
On the offensive system and HC Mike Pettine this season:
"This staff and this organization have brought me in and they've shown me nothing but the utmost respect. I have developed a relationship with Coach Pettine and I respect the man. Any speculations that are circling I can't really comment on because that's not really my place."
On what he has taken away from most recent starts:
"Some valuable game experience, against guys that I want to be playing against every year. I take something from every time I go out on the field. I try to go out and capitalize on opportunities and minimize mistakes."
On winning at the highest level in college to having a 3-13 season in the pros:
"Definitely makes you appreciate the time that you had when you were in college, but it's also gives you a hunger. That's what I'm going into this next offseason with is a hunger to come back next year and not let this happen again. Not just me, myself, but this team as a whole, we have to create a culture."
DB Tashaun Gipson
On playing with rumors surrounding the team:
"I'll be the first one to say that it is tough. It's tough to not know if the coach that was sitting with you through all of the meetings is going to be with you next year. Starting over from scratch, as a player, with the season that it has been already, it is tough to tune that type of stuff out and say that I'm focused on the game, but as proffesionals, that is what we have to do."
On Head Coach Mike Pettine's postgame speech to the team:
"He told us that this was a good football team that we went up against. It was mostly talking about the football side, but everyone who talked after the game-(DB) Donte (Whitner), (LB Karlos) Dansby a lot of the guys were emotional because this locker room will never be the same. We don't know who is going to be here, both coaches and players. I think that is the whole message. Keep fighting and learn from the things that we went through. He didn't give anything that was deeply rooted from his feelings. It s more so just his perspective."
On if he is shocked about the teams record after last year:
"I guess you could say I'm shocked. We have every guy that we need at every position. We got production out of guys you wouldn't think of like (TE Gary) Barnidge and (WR) Travis (Benjamin). That is all we can ask for. I would say the brunt of the load came from the defense with it being just injuries or playing out of scheme. I feel like we let a lot of people down this year. We have no excuses. We are professional athletes, through injuries, through just playing out of position, that type of stuff is just business. I would say definetly I am shocked. We went from a team that could have gone to the playoffs last year to a team that was so far from sniffing the playoffs this year. It is frustrating."
RB Duke Johnson Jr.
On not being able to score a touchdown after driving down the field:
"It's frustrating. However, we did show a lot in the drives and we were able to at least get something out of it and not turn the ball over."
On if his play this season opened some eyes:
"I'm hoping. Any time that I can get teams to use their time game planning for me just helps the offense as a whole."
On the overall experience as a rookie in the NFL:
"It is about what I expected. From what I was told, football is football."
On the environment leading up to this game:
"I'm used to it. I went to college and I experienced things that were a lot worse than this. I'm just focusing on football."
WR Terrelle Pryor
On Head Coach Mike Pettine:
"He's a great coach. Obviously, I haven't been here the whole year, but every time I've been in the meeting room, his team meetings, he was a great coach. He gave me an opportunity that I can do nothing but give him grace and thank him."
On his future with the Browns:
"It's like life. You don't know what the next step is. You just have an image in your head and you go about your business. That's what I do everyday, just work harder than the next man, try and work harder than everybody else and just push forward."
On changes in the locker room since preseason and now:
"It's still the same. We battle every team. Look at all these games we've been playing: Kansas City is a top team, Pittsburgh Steelers, we're in the game and we had some turnovers. We have to score on the interception that No. 53 (LB Craig Robertson) had. We didn't do well on those opportunities. As a past quarterback, I know that when we get the ball there that three isn't good anymore. We have to get seven on Big Ben (QB Ben Roethlisberger). Defense played a phenomenal game. Our defense played so well. Very proud of those guys."
OL Joe Thomas
On how this season's end compares to the others:
"I think the older I get, the more the losing piles up and the more bittersweet it is. I love the game and I love playing here, but with more losing comes more change."
On some of the things that have changed since last season:
"A lot of things have changed. The team is totally different than what it was when we started 7-4 last season. Different quarterbacks, different players across the board, and different offensive coordinators, so I think it is a lot of different things."
On Head Coach Mike Pettine's postgame speech:
"He thanked us for the fight and the effort that we gave. You could see that there was no quit in the team. We thought we gave the Steelers everything that we had, but we just came up short. You can fight hard for three and a half quarters, but in the end, the team that is better is going to come out in the end and win."
