On if he gets a feeling during pregame warmups that he may be throwing the ball better than other days:
"No. I expect to make all of the throws in warmups when there is no defense out there."
On the Broncos defense:
"Intimidating front. Talented. Obviously, (Broncos OLB) Von Miller has his reputation for a reason. He has been doing is consistently for a while. (Broncos OLB Bradley) Chubb has been playing great and playing great for a rookie. They have combined for over half of their sacks just the two of them. They have a good front. They allow their secondary to play aggressively, kind of like the Texans did. It kind of presents itself as that type of matchup."
On if not surrendering a sack to the Texans provides a blueprint for the Broncos pass rushers:
"A little bit. They are different types of pass rushers. Von, obviously as quick as he is, he is different as anybody else in the league. We have played against two really good guys, but these guys present their own challenges in their own unique ways. We have to use what we have been doing but also gameplan them, too."
On if his arm gets stronger as the season goes on:
"No, I think you just become more accurate and trusting those guys letting the deep balls go and where to put it. It might seem like it is getting better, but that is just chemistry."
On Head Coach Gregg Williams since being named the team's head coach:
"What you see is what you get. There is no smoke in mirrors. Everything is out on the line. You know exactly what it is. Communication is very open and honest. We are just doing what we do on offense. He is trusting (offensive coordinator) Freddie Kitchens to do his job and for us to go execute. I think that is very important."
On if he knew WRs Breshad Perriman and WR Jarvis Landry would make the long receptions when releasing the pass:
"Absolutely. I am trusting Jarvis to make that play. Obviously, Breshad, like I said, he creates space for himself. Just putting it up there for him to make a play. That makes it easy for me. To see those, it builds trust. Next time, I am trusting those same guys to make plays."
On Perriman's deep-threat ability opening up opportunities for Landry:
"Absolutely. Anytime that you have a guy that can stretch the field like that, it presents a whole other ball game. One of (TE) David's (Njoku) deeper catches towards our sideline, Breshad ran the same post and took the safety out of there so he does not make that play. It stretches the defense, and obviously, it creates that in the back of their mind, they are thinking, 'We have to cover the deep ball.' That allows the underneath stuff to work and obviously the run game, too."
On who has more pure speed between Perriman and WR Antonio Callaway:
"You are going to start an argument in the locker room (laughter). I do not know because they are two different guys. The guys mess with Perriman about how it takes him a little bit to get to full speed – he is a straight line guy – and Callaway from 0-100 top speed, he is quicker than that."
On Landry's TD reception:
"Unbelievable catch in traffic. Guys are all over him around him. To be able to have strong hands is what we have been able to see throughout the year with him is to fight through and make those competitive catches. That is what he is paid to do, and he does it on a consistent level. It is fun to watch. When he makes those plays, it is pretty special."
On the difficulty winning on the road in the NFL:
"The NFL games as it is are always close. You always have to do the little things right. We have seen it firsthand. It is very important to do that, especially on the road. If a team gets momentum, especially on a Saturday night game primetime, the crowd will be into it. Both teams are fighting for a last playoff hope. We have to win out. All of those factors play into it. You have to do the little things right. Every game is going to be close. It comes down to doing the details."
On the Browns' road record in recent season:
"Old ways are out – all of that stuff about not winning a road game, not having the open mindset or positive mindset about that. We are going to go take that game. Who we are playing or where we are playing, we expect to win. That is how we have to approach it. That is the new culture that we are trying to bring and that is how it has to be."
On if remaining in playoff contention adds to the significance of Sunday's game:
"Absolutely. Like I said after the game, we have to take it one week at a time. This game obviously presents a great challenge considering Denver is in in that wild card race, as well. If we just take care of business one week at a time, it will handle the rest. We are trusting good things will happen after that."
On if it is 'mind-blowing' that the Browns still a chance to win the AFC North:
"No. If we win out, we will have a positive record. Not mind-blowing at all."
On if he thinks about the playoffs at all:
"You have to have a big picture mindset but also be able to focus in on the task at hand. Right now, everybody knows. We have talked about it. We are still in that hunt. We said it a couple of weeks ago. We just have to handle this week. That is the important thing."
On if opportunities to complete passes to multiple receivers are the result of play design or his field vision:
"I think that spreading the wealth out so that teams can't key in on a couple of guys is very important. What Freddie has been able to do is spread people out and create those mismatches and create those open guys. It is a combination of both, but the most important thing is that our receivers are doing the right things and creating those open lanes and routes for themselves. It comes down to winning your one on ones, and our guys are doing that right now."
On what the Browns still need to accomplish to fully establish themselves as a new team:
"Consistency. Learning how to win. If we did not turn the ball over and we just used the momentum within the game, and jumped on them, we could have put that game to rest early on. We are just learning how to win, learning how to complete games and play as a team. Consistency and details is what it comes down to. Especially playing a team like Denver on the road, we have to do that. We have to be able to do that and check those boxes when we play on the road."
On the Browns finding a way to get wins, even when not at their best:
"Absolutely. The most importuning thing is always winning. As I said when we were going through a little bit of rougher times, you have to try and find the positive. Now, we have a little bit of momentum, you have to work out the kinks and find the mistakes and work through those. You have to iron those out. Right now, we are trying to flip that switch to where we are eliminating the mistakes and moving forward. Build on the positives, that is what we expect. The standard has been set. We need to play like that. Now, eliminate those little things that hurt us and keep the games closer."
On the fan response after asking fans to show up for the final home game against the Bengals:
"I have not really seen anything yet. I have not looked into it, but I am hoping it had a good response. Nothing against the fans – I get it, it is cold – but we are all out there anyway. Everybody in the locker room, I am sure whatever if they have seen it or not, I think they would say the same thing too."
On if stepping away from sacks is instincts or due to preparation for the opposing defense:
"It is just playing ball. Whenever they are in a rush wide and we need to be able to push those guys deep and step up in the pocket, finding those lanes, creating plays because it is not going to be perfect. It is not going to be 7-on-7 out there every play. You are going to have to try and find plays, and our receivers as you guys have seen are doing a great job of staying alive and working down the field trying to get open late. We are doing a good job of that. That has continued to help us get the ball out and create bigger plays for us."
On frequency of Chubb and Miller dropping into coverage
"A little bit. It is kind of like their change-up, but they want those guys to do the best thing and that is pass rush. That is why they are so special. Obviously, they are well-rounded football players. They are capable of doing that, but I am expecting them to try and bring the pressure."
On if his size helps escape the pocket, compared to taller QBs:
"No. The holes are wide. It is not a matter of being tall. You have to get up through them. It really has nothing to do with it."
On if he has seen a sense of belief evolve during the season:
"Absolutely. As the famous (WR) Jarvis Landry quote, 'It is contagious.' For real. Positivity can go a long way. We need guys to believe in the system, trust it and keep fighting. That was the important thing that we saw in Houston even when it was not going well, but our guys kept fighting and tried to make it close. That is great for our team that in us."
On the importance of focusing on details and how much that has improved, specifically in reference to his completion percentage:
"I will go back to when the coaching changes happened, that is when we kind of hit the reset button. Just talking about the details since then, we have grown a lot and learned a lot since then and since we started playing under (offensive coordinator) Freddie (Kitchens) and having him call the plays. Our guys are really trusting us to get their landmarks and try to do everything right so it has been a lot of growth."
On the Browns' success in the red zone:
"Execution. We talked through the gameplan, what we are comfortable with and what we worked through the week, and then our guys go out and execute. They protect and then our guys are making plays and doing the blocks if they need to. We are getting the right looks and having the right plays called for it. It is a matter of having the right gameplan and your guys making plays."
On if he and Kitchens are often like-minded:
"I am not like-minded like Freddie (laughter). No, he is going down when it comes to the Orange Bowl. We are not like-minded at all. He is from Gadsden, Alabama. No, no."
On him and Kitchens having to think together:
"Together but not like-minded, yes (laughter). It I easy to stoop down to that level instead of him."
On if they are like-minded when it comes to game planning:
"On a serious note, yes – very. Talking about spreading people out, creating mismatches, getting guys in good opportunities to win their one on ones and where to go with the ball and how he has keyed me on what to look for and how to execute. It has been great to be able to learn from him and a new perspective on it."
On the longest pass he has thrown in practice:
"Have not brought out the measuring tape for that. I could not tell you."
On the message behind is shirt today:
"We inspire the lives of kids. Sammy Wilk, future brother in law. It is his foundation and his birthday by the way. Happy birthday, Sammy."
On if the team has to earn fans' trust to get them to go to games after the results in recent seasons:
"No, it is not like we did. We don't care about the past. We hit the reset button. We are trying to play for now. It is not about what has happened in the past. We want that continued support that they have given over the years. There is no doubt about that. They stayed true and loyal. We just want the support like any other team would."
On if there is similarities in the team creating trust and belief to ensure WR Breshad Perriman and OL Greg Robinson believed they could produce:
"Yeah, absolutely. I talked about it. What we have in this locker room is all we need. When free agency and all of that talk was going on, we did not need anybody else. We have what we want and what we need and we trust that. We believe in those guys and like I said earlier, confidence and the belief in your team and your system goes a long way, and that is what we have in our locker room right now."
On the Broncos secondary without Broncos DB Chris Harris Jr.:
"Obviously, losing any key player like that hurts, but they have guys making plays. They still have (Broncos LCB Bradley) Roby back there, a seasoned vet. They still have guys making plays, but you can't go around that. That is losing a key player for them, but I am sure he is still involved in helping those younger guys out coaching them through stuff."
On his comment at the Combine that if any QB could turnaround the Browns it would be him and if feels he feels encouraged that he is currently leading the Browns through that turnaround:
"A little bit. The culture thing, I keep harping on that, but we are starting to feel that a little bit and that is important, but we are not satisfied. Like I said after the game, we are not there yet, we are not satisfied but we are happy with the direction this is headed. That is important to not get lost in it and to still find the positives, but then now like I said, we have to find the mistakes and eliminate those, too."
