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On Cincinnati's defense:**
"They are a very physical team. Obviously, they do a great job of getting to the quarterback. It's another big emphasis this week to get the ball out of my hands quick, make smart decisions and continue to read defenses and process and just be smart with the football. Some of the sacks last game, watching the film, were on me. The offensive line did a great job. I just have to help them out and get the ball out a little bit quicker."
On Bengals QB Andy Dalton:
"I got to work with Andy in the offseason over our little summer break and got to know him pretty well. Just a great quarterback, one of the better quarterbacks in the league and a guy that has had a lot of success. Obviously, he played with (Head) Coach (Hue) Jackson. He is just a great player. He is another one of those guys that is very, very effective on offense. He can put up a lot of points. Your mindset offensively is you want to finish in the end zone. You have extend drives and keep them off the field."
On if he worked with Dalton in Los Angeles with Tom House:
"Yeah, I got to throw with him out there. We worked out. We threw a little bit. We got to talk a little bit outside off the field. Just a great guy, a great competitor and someone that I definitely want to learn from."
On how the Browns prepare for a player like Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict:
"We stick to our gameplan and what we control and the looks they are going to give us and what we want to run. They have a lot physical, defensive players, a lot of very defensive players. For us, you want to stick to our gameplan and stick to our process and go out and execute the plays that we call and get ourselves in the right position."
On how to improve on the sacks that he credited to his own play:
"Just get the ball out of your hands quicker. Some of those, I was trying to extend some of the plays and make something happen. Just to help [the offensive line] out for me, it is not hold on to the ball as long and get rid of the ball quicker. They did a great job. They threw a lot of stuff at us and did a ton of different looks up front defensively, a lot of twist games, and our offensive line did a great job holding up. That puts it on me to be able to get the ball out a little bit quicker. I just have to throw it away and protect them."
On clarifying a need to dump the ball of or throw it away in those circumstances:
"Yeah, if the look is there, then give it a chance. If not, find your check down on third or just throw it away and run."
On factors determining how quickly a ball can be released:
"It is more so I'm the quarterback just knowing the look pre-snap. You know their coverage and you know what they are doing. That way, you can get the ball and know where it needs to go right away. Some of those, if it is quick game and they give you certain coverage, you have to know where your alert is and know where to go with the ball. If it is still there post-snap, you can take it. If not, you have to work the progression. A lot of that is pre-snap, what they are giving you, where the weak spot on the defense is and you want to get it there as fast as you can."
On if this game is an 'extra special' game for Jackson:
"Coach Jackson obviously has a connection there and he was there for a while, but his mindset is still the same. HE is still the same guy that he's been since Day 1, and that is a very ultra-competitive guy and great coach. Obviously, they are going to have a great gameplan for us going in, and we are going to start installing that today. I think it means a little something to everyone, too. It is obviously a division game, and everyone is excited to go out and play."
On if he pays attention to any of the local and national attention that has spoken about him:
"No. Like I told you guys on Monday, the biggest thing I focus on is the win/loss column. I know it might sound like the right thing to say, but that is how I honestly feel. That is how I was in high school and college. I just get really competitive and I love winning games as does everybody. That is the biggest part when you are playing quarterback is you want to win games. You want to win games. I haven't been able to do that yet so that is my biggest focus. All the stats and everything, if I'm playing well it will help that, but at the end of the day, that is what I look at and that's what I judge myself off of."
On if follows media stories online:
"No, I try not to. Sometimes my mom or my family will send my stuff here and there or something, just to tell me they are proud or something like that, but I try to stay away from all that. I just focus on what it is in this locker room and what is going on the practice field and ultimately going out on Sunday and just kind of block everything else out."
On if this has been the most losses in a row he has experienced:
"It has been. Yes sir."
On if the consecutive losses have 'eaten him up':
"No, it makes you work harder. It gives you more determination. For me, I take it very personal, as do a lot of guys in this locker room. It just makes you compete that much harder and keep working harder because we have been really close in some of these games. We just have to put together a full game and I have to put together a full game and a complete game and just continue to keep working. You can't let it. Obviously, it will get to you, but you can't let it knock you down. You can't let it knock you back. You have to stay positive and keep moving forward. This team has done a great job week in and week out coming back and coming ready to work. These guys just fight really hard, and we are continuing to go out and put together a full game."
On how much tougher it is to mentally prepare for an NFL game compared to a college game:
"For me, like I have told you guys, I am just kind of sticking to my process, but obviously, there are a lot of different looks, guys are a little bit faster, they can do different things defensively that you have to be ready for. It is a lot more. They have a lot of different guys that they can be more versatile and do different things that you might not have seen before. For me, I have obviously been spending a lot more time in the film room and knowing the looks and want to be as prepared as I can on Sunday. You have to take that extra step. You have to do the little bit of extra work in there to be successful in this league."
On if he ever gets a chance to decompress:
"Maybe later toward the week. Maybe Friday or Saturday kind of take a little break or go home a little bit early on those days, but I can't help it. I'm still going through the gameplan when I'm at home, watching film on my iPad or doing whatever it is just so I can stay in tune and stay locked in."
On takeaways from his time with Dalton:
"All positive things. He talked about Hue very highly and loved him as a coach and just kept telling me I was very fortunate. He is a great guy. He is a great competitor, and he throws the ball obviously really well so I was learning from him in that aspect, but at the same time, just a great all around guy and a great competitor."
On his Tuesday schedule, typically the players' day off:
"Yeah, we are here all day."
On if he uses virtual reality to train and prepare:
"No, I just do same thing I have been doing. I will come in in the morning and get treatment or get some ice here and there and then just start game planning, watching them and watching different things. I already started that on Monday so I get a little jumpstart, but Tuesday is probably my longest day. Just staying here all day and through the night and just making sure I have everything ready to go for today and I can stay ahead."
On what time he left the facility last night:
"Probably around 9 (p.m.) 8:45 or 9 (p.m.). Something like that."
On if he has proven anything to himself about his ability to play in the NFL:
"I have not really thought that far into it. I just kind of think each week that I have to get better. I have to keep improving. I have to get more comfortable. I have to do these things in crucial situations that will help us win games. That has been my main focus. Obviously, I want to build off of the things that I might have had a little success in, but your biggest focus point should be on things that you need to improve on. That is what I watch when I watch film. Getting the ball out faster or doing different things within the offense that I can do better is something that I really like to focus on."
On how much he is fueled by people who doubted his NFL potential:
"I don't pay attention to that. I did not focus on that. Obviously, you can't control what other people are going to have opinions about, but what you can control is how you go out and perform every week and how you go out and prepare yourself and stick to your process and just do everything you can to get ready. The main thing I focus on is what the guys in this locker room think and what the coaches think. That has helped me out so far is just staying focused and kind of just having laser vision on the task at hand."
