On if he has moved past the loss last Sunday:
"Yeah, absolutely. That's the thing about this league is you have to be able to do that. Obviously, Wednesday's practice and getting back into the work week helps that along. Today was a good day of work for us and feel like right back at it. Ready to focus on St. Louis and do what we can to get this win."
On how playing in a dome affects an offense:
"It makes the weather report shorter (laughter),so it gives that. For us, especially with the way we've thrown the ball, obviously to have no elements and be able to go out and spin it, quarterbacks enjoy that. I think it won't be any different. We're looking forward to it, but at the same time, you have to go out and execute and do the same things that you would do, whether it's windy or not. I think any quarterback around the league will tell you they enjoy playing inside because you don't have to worry about wind, just throw the ball and if you feel like you can be active with the ball, the ball should go where you want it to go."
On the Rams pass rush:
"Again, just like Denver, they have a great front and they can create pressure with four guys, but sometimes they like to mix it up and not only those four or the same four, but they like to bring different guys and use different packages so we'll have to have a plan for that. Obviously, (Rams defensive coordinator) Greg Williams has done an excellent job with that defense. Had the chance to face them the last two years so they always come out, they play hard and give you a lot of looks and cause you to have to study a lot. Our coaches are putting together a good plan for it. We'll have a plan for it. It'll just be about being able to execute and pick those things up so that we can drop back and get the ball off."
On if he remembers ever playing a team with five first-round draft picks in the defensive front:
"I can't. It's been a while. It's a heck of a team now as far as defensively what we're dealing with because of that talent. Guys get picked in the first round for a reason, and it shows up on tape, shows up when those guys are playing. Just the talent that they have, (Rams DE) Robert Quinn is as good a pass rusher as you'll have in the league and then (Rams DT) Aaron Donald is playing at such a high level. I would put him up there with anybody in the league as far as the three technique goes, and the other guys aren't bad but just speaking of those two guys, when you have two guys on your line that are in the top in the league, you can create issues. Five first rounders, obviously, they can stay fresh, they can keep rolling guys through and create problems for you."
On playing the Rams for the third year in a row, each year with a different team:
"I appreciate them being on the schedule so I have at least something familiar (laughter). It's the third year in a row and looking forward to it. They're a good defense. Like I said, Greg Williams has done a great job with it. (Rams Head Coach) Jeff Fisher is a heck of a coach, in my opinion, and has done a good job. They've done a good job building that team from when they took it over to now. It's fun to go against them. They play hard, they play really hard and obviously very talented."
On the Rams adding another defensive weapon each time he faces them:
"Yeah, exactly. The first time, it was like two first rounders, and now, it's five first rounders. They keep just picking those guys. They're up front, for sure. Like I said, those guys can stay fresh. When they come in, they can roll in different guys and they can come in and play really hard and that's the thing you have to keep up with because if you don't, they'll disrupt."
On if he has ever problems with noise in a dome:
"I think we deal with it fine so far. Domes can be tricky, but we'll work our silent cadence and do the things that we've done before so it shouldn't be too much issue. Played there years ago my. My first opening day start was in St. Louis. It was rocking and rolling back then. I think they were coming off of playoffs and Super Bowl runs and stuff like that so it was really going. It can be a very, very loud place. I've been there, but we'll have a plan for it and I think we'll be fine executing."
On if the Browns offense has gotten off to slow starts:
"We have. The tape doesn't lie – it's been slow. We have to be better. It's weird because it's flipped from when we started through the preseason and the first game of the year was a fast start, and now, it's kind of flipped. We grow every week. We get better. Hopefully, the blend of those two things, we start fast and then we keep it up, will be part of us taking the next step. You're exactly right – it's something that's obviously in the forefront of my mind. I want to get back to doing what we were doing through the preseason, through that first game of the year when we started fast and moved the ball down the field and got points and touchdowns. We'll be focused on that, for sure."
On Head Coach Mike Pettine's comments that 'simpler is better' inside a dome:
"Yeah, absolutely. When you start adding in the variables that they have as far as crowd noise and their front and all those things, you have to be careful not to add too much to your plate that you create issues for yourself. Coaches have done and we need to do a good job of putting that plan together as far as keeping things simple so that we are able to execute in the noise."
On if keeping it simple means limiting what is done pre-snap or done differently:
"Probably better said differently than anything. Sometimes, that will be pre-snap, but sometimes it will just be what we do altogether."
On willing the Browns to victory and avoiding a 2-5 record:
"You just put all the study hours you can and just go out there and make sure you are as prepared as possible. You are right. There is huge difference between [3-4 and 2-5]. We understand that. At the same time, you can't let that be suffocating to where you go out and grip the ball too tight because we have to get to 3-4. You still have to go out and play. It is finding that balance. I think finding that balance in that is the preparation. You find that balance in your preparation. If you go out there and feel prepared, then you give yourself a better chance to have success."
On the key to getting the right mindset to bounce back:
"On the day off, take some time and spend some time with my family and you move past it. You just move through it. You work through all the stages of grief, so to speak, after a loss. You go through all these different stages and then you have to move on. Wednesday is the day. When you hit Wednesday or really Tuesday night when some of the past plays start coming in, then you start studying and getting your mind around these guys. For me, Monday evening to Tuesday, I start to study the tape a little bit. That really helps to move on. At the end of the day, we have 10 more of these. We have to be able to move on. We have to be able to move our focus onto the Rams and take it one week at a time. I cherish these opportunities so I think the Mondays that don't go well, it stings more for me maybe because of my age and our situation and the way the defense played. All of those things considered were why it hurt so bad. We are moving on. We gained a lot of good things. The defense played lights out. We need to bring these two things together where [the defense is] playing at a high level and [the offense is] playing at a high level. That is the type of football team we want to be. In order to do that, we have to focus and move on and not drag and linger on from that loss."
On being 2-14 as a starting QB the last 16 games and how can he reverse those fortunes:
"I don't focus on that. I don't say, 'I am 2-14 so let's fold the tent up and go home.' That is not my nature. Let's keep playing and play the next game and try to win the next game. That is how you reverse that. I don't really get caught up in looking at that. Thanks for reminding me."
On how to get over the hum and win close games:
"We just have to continue to finish, finish, finish, finish. We have to execute better in the end. Pett harps on it, but he is right – every play matters. You look back through these games and there are one or two snaps here and there. I told you the other day: there was a snap that I really focused on that I feel like would have changed the game for me. Every snap matters. I think that is the idea. Getting all 11 guys on both sides of the ball playing with that kind of focus and going 'This might be the one,' I think it will be the difference in winning close games."
On if QB Austin Davis is helping him prepare for the Rams:
"Yeah, absolutely. Anytime you have someone that has been in somebody's operation and knows the ins and outs of what they do, especially personnel wise, 'How does this guy run?' We talked about it. I played these guys the last two years so I have a pretty good idea. Anytime you have a guy that has been around them as much as Austin has will obviously be helpful."
On how much the slow starts have to deal with being comfortable with and executing play calls:
"We are on the same page with that. That is not necessarily the issue. It is little plays here and there that we felt like we came out of the gate and missed a few, but we had a fourth down opportunity there the other day in the game and just came up short. You get that conversion and then we are off and moving. I didn't really have an issue with those plays. There were just little things here and there within those plays that kept us from being right, but it wasn't the play call. I like where our openers have been when we started games. It is just about executing."
On if he has to be creative or resourceful in the red zone because TE Gary Barnidge is the only taller player:
"A little bit, but our coaches have done a great job of putting together a gameplan and helping us spread the ball out. We needed to get down there more Sunday. We didn't. We were 2-3 when we were down there, which is good. We just have to get down there more. I like our redz one game plans every week."
