Opening statement:
"As we got in here today, first time that the guys have been in here on a Monday for a while since the bye week, obviously the week after the bye week and then the victory Monday. We had a chance to get back to work. The guys that have been in here have been very good and have been very determined and very focused. Owning up to the point where we can play better in some areas and played pretty well in others. The things we have to do are correct the wrongs, continue the rights and even improve more of the rights and put ourselves into a better position to win close games. The game could have been closer, and the reason the game was not as close is that on the road you can't be minus-four [in turnover differential]. You can't do that. On the road minus-four and allowing a defensive score even diminishes your chances, whether it is minus-one or minus-two on the road and you allow a score on the offensive side of the ball when you are out there. Defensively, we have to take it away. We had the ball on the ground a couple of times. We have been well on taking it away. We have to score on defense, too. When they score, we score. That is how you play the complementary game. Affect the field position. Defensively, one of the things that we have to do is better on third down and forcing them. Anytime that you force a team to 16, 17 or 18 [third downs] – we have had those weeks this year when you are 16-plus third and fourth downs – that is really good on first and second down, but then you have to get off [the field[]. It was more us than them. We have to execute our way. It was more us than them on a couple of those situations, especially when it gets down into the short-yardage situations. Give them credit. I will tell you, our guys credit them. We still made them kick field goals, but we could have been off the field on third down before they were in field goal range and forced a few more punts that way and give our offense an opportunity there to do better. Second half, just like we have you said, when we took a look at the film and everything, they came out grinding. I thought (QB) Baker (Mayfield) did a very good job all day long in the leadership aspect of how we are going to do things on offense. I thought the leadership aspect on defense, too, and on special teams, the guys never flinched. We just need to do a better job in the point-producing areas of what the takeaways mean and how they do that on diminishing the return on winning games on the road."
On DB Denzel Ward's and DL Larry Ogunjobi's status:
"Still in (concussion) protocol as far as with Denzel. I'm anxious to hear. I will probably hear more about that later in the day. Do not know yet. There are still doing some of the tests with Larry right now. There are still doing that. I do not have anything definitive."
On if it is possible Ogunjobi tore his biceps:
"Do not know it for sure on that. Really, they are doing all of those testing. He is a tough dude. He has had some of those same kinds of injuries before. I have had players with those same similar injuries. We will see the significance of it and the serious of it, but he is a real tough guy. If he can play through it, he is one of the few guys we have that can do something like that, and he did. He kept on playing, kept on playing, kept on playing, kept on playing and kept on playing the game. That is to his credit."
On it initially seeming Ward may have injured his arm:
"First off, we thought it was a stinger. Then he went through the question and answer stuff, and it was ding dong (knocks head), whatever it is. Then he went into that kind of protocol. I have teased him already today. The tough part of our game is make a better ready and then, 'What? Oh, you did not tackle low enough again?' It is one of those things that at that corner position, especially him, you have to be down. It was one of those things right there at the heat of the battle at the point of attack where he was up and a guy kind of dinged him on the side of the head. We will see. He is still in protocol."
On what prevented the Browns offense from starting fast:
"I think that our energy on our starting fast and all of that kind of stuff was all the same. What was different was production. What was different was execution. It sounds simple but harder in application. It is that the same energy is there, the same fire was there and the same focus is there, but then you have to produce. You have to execute. If you have one or two things, it may just be a real minor thing that goes wrong with a throw, a snap, a run. The value of protecting the ball, you can't over-value that. We have to protect the ball. Defensively, we have to get it away. Special teams, we have to get it away. When we had some on the ground out there, we need to come up with them. The other thing was too, give (Texans QB) Deshaun (Watson) some credit. We were violent in the pocket – I am talking about how hard we were in the pocket and everything – and he has lost a lot of fumbles in the pocket this year. We did not get any of them. His ball security was not really good in the pocket, and that was a point of emphasis but he was able to earn it and keep the ball away from us a few times of we lost sacks maybe where we were going for the ball maybe a little bit too much at times. We have to keep on going with those things."
On Mayfield not running as much this week:
"It is still a feel. It is a still a feel to the game. It is not something to where we say, 'Do not do it.' It is the feel of the game. It is the extension of a play. We can see, and I have been able to see for my whole career on quarterbacks one read run, one read run. The really good ones are one read, buy time, run if I have to and can I make a play? He is looking to make that play even when he is extending the pocket. Another really positive thing is that is a dominant pass rush they have when you look at those guys and you are on the field with them. Baker, our tight ends, our backs and our linemen did a really good job of negating what was a big topic last week in their pass rush and negating the effectiveness of some of those dominant plays they have there. Our deal was – make no bones about it – we have to protect the football. A big part of the game was our ability to capitalize in the red zone. We need to get there more. Our offense has been outstanding in the last month now. When you get them down in the [red zone], they are putting touchdowns on the board, and then what we were able to do on negating touchdowns, even when they get there. Those field goals that they did get were because of a couple of critical third downs that we allowed that field position to happen. Now, they end up getting a field goal or two. We just have to get better in those areas."
On the Browns OL not allowing a sack in three consecutive games:
"They better be getting some credit. If I am Baker, I am around patting those guys on that back, I am talking to them and I am being best friends with them if I am Baker. That is always a great part. You make a smile come to my face on that is that all quarterbacks know that their best friends in the world in combat are those linemen and what they do for him. He has to be positive with that, and he should be praising that. They are doing a good job. Look at that from a leadership standpoint, too. I have been at other places too where offensive linemen and the quarterback did not get along. Obviously, he got hit a lot more in those situations because of the pride of that unit."
On WR Antonio Callaway being targeted on Mayfield's first two interceptions and if Callaway could have done more:
"It is really a fine line in the depth part of it and it is also a fine line in their aspect of a drop – when I say a drop, a pass drop, a drop in coverage. The hardest thing from playing the quarterback position – do not want to put words into Baker's mouth or anybody but of playing that position a long time ago – is that you do not see the guys underneath; you see the guys on top. All of a sudden, when the guy underneath is deeper than usual, that becomes a surprise. Why is that? It could be a route concept. It could be the depth of the route. It could be the play-action fake. Lots of different things that go into it, but it is just a fraction. You can't let those things diminish you. You just have to get better at understanding and feeling that. Give Baker credit now. They are playing the same stuff in the second half, they are playing the same stuff in other series and he has a feel for them. He has made the correction already. He did a really good job with that."
On if the interceptions were due to Callaway:
"No. Here is the deal, we put it on everybody. Put it on me. If you are looking for somebody to put it on, put it on me.
On if Texans assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel dropped the Texans LBs deeper into coverage uncharacteristically often:
"No, it really was not that much of a newer wrinkle. It was just that happened to be a good play. It did not always happen. It just happened to be the timing of that play so no."
On if Mayfield was impacted by previous hits that has caused him to not be as mobile:
"I do not think it affected him, and I think that his mobility is excellent. Those are things that you can't teach. You really can't. You either have that even before you even get up to this level, and nine times out of 10, you have it before anybody ever coaches you. There is just a feel for playing the position and extending the play and a mobility in the pocket when you can and can't do it. I want you to think back to earlier in the year when the feeling of he can do it when it all collapses on him. All of a sudden, he was taking sacks in some of those situations. You do not see that anymore. That is that feel of when I actually can buy time. When there are certain times when you are surrounded and certain times the feel of a quarterback, they can't tell you and I can't tell you why – I may be looking here but feel here. I can be looking here but feel here. That is the instincts of playing the position in the pocket. He has very good instincts that way. He really does."
On if Mayfield was 'gimped up for a while' after the Los Angeles Chargers game:
"I do not know. That was a long time ago. He was not gimped up yesterday. He was good."
On more than likely not having concerns about Mayfield's ability to bounce back from a three-interception game, given his performance in the second half:
"None. Zero [concern]. None. That is not who he is."
On if DB Terrance Mitchell will return to full activity with the team this week after being designated to return from injured reserve:
"Yes. He has had two good weeks of practice. We had kind of a formula both from physically and the mental part of it, making sure that everything is right. He will take the next jump up this week. We will see. He has been involved. He has been travelling with us and doing everything. Yes."
On if there was potential to give RB Nick Chubb more carries:
"We talked about that, obviously, but the big thing is closing the gap and using the time as fast as possible. If there was a potential chunk run or two and then a glorified run – in this league, a glorified run is a screen. We have talked about that and we will see as we continue to look at that because he has those skillsets."
On if the team has a renewed focus following a loss:
"If the question is – all of a sudden you win a little bit and all of a sudden, do they think that they know more than everybody else? No, I know. I have been down that road a bunch. If that was part of it, which was a good question, I would address that immediately during the time at which that was happening. The big part of every single day being an interview – them, me, all of us together. I have not seen that. Will not see that. The energy on poor little old me, there are not any poor little old me in that room. The energy in the locker room – I do not want to use the wrong word, it begins with 'p' on pissed off-ness – is that you are irritated in the locker room when it is not a win, but what are you going to do about it. How are you going to get on the plane? How are you going to hit the ground up here? We have been road dogs. How are you going to be a home dog? We start that from Day 1 coming in here into the meeting today. How they hit the ground running with immediately this morning in the rehab workouts, strength training workouts, nobody being late and everybody being anxious to get back in here. That is the mark of the right kind of people. We will keep on pushing the right kind of people."
On if he thinks about finishing the season strong as it relates to potentially being named head coach for next season:
"I do not think about that and I honestly say this – I am being able to look you straight in the eye and tell you this – I love what I do. I love getting up in the morning. I love every single day winning every single day, and that is coming in here and doing whatever I can or whatever we can to help these guys do things the right way. Those are the only things that I think about is winning today and do not go to sleep at night without having a list getting ready for tomorrow. My dad told me that a long time ago. He says why put your head on the pillow if there is one more thing you can do tonight. Make sure you have your list ready to go when hit the ground running tomorrow morning. I have always down that. We hit the ground running this morning, and we were in the office last night getting ready for today. Players were here last night, too, coming off of the plane. Some of them were in here last night – boom they did not want to go home until they had a chance to do certain things with their body and with their mind. Everything is good."
On if Mayfield came to the building after the flight:
"I am not going to say everybody, but there were good ones."
On if there has been an organizational discussion about claiming former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt off waivers:
"I was hoping that I could get the [gameday] inactives right."
On if he wants the Browns to act as if the playoffs are still a possibility:
"Here is what I will say, it is not act. I want our guys to come in winning every day, winning every single second of every day and let the chips fall where they may, but do our jobs on winning every day."
