Opening statement:
"Had a good week of preparation. I am excited to get to Sunday and see our guys play. I thought our focus and concentration this week was good, and hopefully, we can carry it over on Sunday."
On TE David Njoku's status and if he could play on Sunday against the Dolphins:
"Yeah, I think we want to see David another week and see what we get at the end of next week."
On if Njoku will play Sunday:
"He will not."
On if DE Myles Garrett told him privately before yesterday that Steelers QB Mason Rudolph used a racial during last week's altercation, given public questions as to why Garrett did not share that information earlier and it ultimately being reported as part of his appeal:
"You would have to ask Myles that, but if it were me, I would not want that to be seen as an excuse for anything that Myles did, and I am pretty sure Myles feels the same way. That would be the only reason."
On if he would reconsider his decision to not comment on what was said during his conversations with Garrett last week:
"I will not reconsider anything I have talked about with Myles Garrett, but I will say this about Myles' character: if he tells me something, I am going to believe it."
On if Garrett told him that:
"I am not revealing anything that Myles and I talked about."
On how upsetting it is that people outside of the Browns' facility are questioning Garrett:
"I will make one more comment on this: Myles Garrett admitted what he did wrong, took full responsibility in everything he has done since Thursday and handled everything properly. With that being said, again, we are moving on to Miami. We have a game this week. We have a game in two days that we are playing against Miami. That is the only thing that concerns us and this football team."
On how DE Chris Smith, DE Chad Thomas and DT Devaroe Lawrence performed in practice this week, given the absence of multiple members of the starting DL this weekend:
"I think those guys have worked all week and are playing together and doing their job, which enables the defense to play at a high level. If we get that Sunday, it will be to our benefit. We have total confidence in those guys are going to step in and play well. We do not need them to just be out there. We need them to play well, and I have full confidence that they will do that."
On if DT Sheldon Richardson and Thomas can shift into different DL positions with their versatility on the Browns defensive line:
"I think one of the advantages to that group of guys is that they are versatile and we will see what happens, but those guys can play several different spots, yes.
On how much attention the team has paid to focusing in on practice amidst external noise and areas of note to identify the team is where it needs to be:
"I think our mental errors during the course of the week have been down, and that is one indication that they are focused and concentrated on what their job is. We like to use focus in time like this as being hyper-focused, which means it is an intense ability to focus. Did you write that down the other day? Did you look it up and check me on it? What is the definition of it?"
On 'intense' not being in the definition of hyper-focus but being part of the precedent:
"Well, where did you get your information from?"
On the definition coming from Webster's dictionary:
"Webster's Dictionary, and it does not say intense focus?"
On needing to borrow on of his Encyclopedias:
"No kidding. He is being very abstemious. Do you know how to spell that? Alright, spell it. Abstemious. There you go, good job."
On being hyper-focused:
"I am, and I can tell you have been, too."
On keeping the team focused amidst distractions off the field, particularly with the second Steelers game coming up next week:
"I think what you try to do from an early standpoint is you try to form a culture where they care about each other as people. When you do that and something happens, it kind of galvanizes you from the standpoint of you realize at that point you are in it together and you are all that each other have. That is where we come up with the term that you run toward each other in times of adversity rather than run away. I think the quicker we realize that we are in it together and that is it, and the City of Cleveland is in this together and that is it, we have to work extra hard to have determination and focus on what we have to do in that very moment and stay in the moment, then it will be to all of our benefit. I think that is what we have done; I think we have continued that over the past month and I do not see anything other than that moving forward."
On if recent events have create an 'us against the world' mentality for the team:
"I think it needs to be us being focused on what we do every day, every rep, every practice – the same thing we have been preaching since March. It only matter what you are doing in the moment. You can't do anything about last week and you can't do anything about next week. You can only do something about today, and that is where want to keep our focus."
On what WR Jarvis Landry has meant to the organization since the trade with the Dolphins in 2018:
"I think when you talk about Jarvis Landry, the first word that needs to come out of your mouth is a competitor. He competes every time he touches the football field. He is competing. He is all about competition. I think the more guys you have like that in your program, the better off you are."
On his reaction to the NFL upholding Garrett's indefinite suspension:
"I do not have any reaction to it. It is not my job to do that. I know that is what you wanted to hear, but it is all I have for you. We are going to continue to support Myles, an unwavering support of Myles. That is all I have to say about it."
On if he is allowed to be in contact with Garrett:
"We are not. We are not allowed to communicate with him."
On if TE Stephen Carlson's TD catch against the Steelers shows what he is capable of moving forward:
"We have a lot of confidence in Stephen that he can do the job and that he can go in and do the job. He showed us that early that he is very precise and detailed in his preparation in that when he actually gets to the field, you are going to get exactly what you tell him to do, you are going to get. That is always a good thing."
