On the Ravens defense without LB Terrell Suggs:
"Anytime you lose a perennial Pro Bowl player like that, impact player like that it's going to have some effect, but still, they play well as a unit. Even though they don't have him, they're still – with (Ravens LB Courtney) Upshaw, (Ravens LB Elvis) Dumervil – very capable on the edges. Like I said, that front seven as I said the other day, that's as stout a front seven as we'll go against."
On WR Dwayne Bowe's performance in the Chargers game:
"Are we going back to San Diego game? No, this is Thursday of a game week."
On if the Browns still view Bowe's the same:
"Yeah, as with all of our guys, when you're playing a position, especially where you have the competition that we have and the depth that we have, he has to be out there working, showing us that he's perfecting his craft, he knows what to do, how to line up, what routes to run. It's been well documented that he fell behind because of the time that he missed. He's working to get back. As I've said, it's a long season."
On if there is still a chance to get the secondary on the right path:
"Absolutely. (DB) Joe (Haden) practiced yesterday. He's going to go again today. We'll see where he is. It's great to see (DB) K'Waun (Williams) back out there. I think K'Waun was very much under the radar as far as a guy that was playing at a high level when he was out there a year ago, played real good football for us. Maybe had one of his best games as a Brown against Tennessee so it's good to have him out there to not have to jumble the rest of the lineup. That group, we've talked about it a lot, and they'll be the first ones to tell you that for us to be successful that they need to raise their level of play."
On if there is a common theme as to why the Browns defense has surrendered big plays:
"No because if it were an easy fix, we would have made it. When you look at – I've said this before – when we go back through and look at the big plays, is it scheme? Is it technique? Is it personnel? You build that database, and if it's scheme, you're correcting, if it's technique you're practicing, if it's personnel you shuffle the lineup if you have to, if you can. If not, you find a way to protect that player a little bit when you can. That list is constantly growing, evolving, and we're every diligent with it, but it comes down to a lot of little things. Sometimes, it's focus – that we have guys that play well for 70 snaps in a game and make one or two mistakes, and unfortunately, those are the ones that are costing us."
On if those three possible problems are spread among the defense:
"It is spread out, yes."
On RB Robert Turbin's potential role on Sunday:
"It's a little early to tell, but he had a good day yesterday. Most of his reps were on the scout team. I think he'll tell you that he's not there yet, but he's close. I think some of it will depend on today. Yesterday was his first real day of playing real football. He came in today a little sore as expected, and we'll see how he responds after another. We'll bump up his workload some today. The reps that he took, he looked good."
On OL Cameron Erving:
"Making progress. He comes out and works. It's good for him to get a lot of the practice reps, especially the days that we rest (OL) Joe (Thomas). We do a good job of rotating those lineups, even with the ones during practice so other guys are getting work, (OL) Austin Pasztor and Cam. He's progressing, and he's going to be a big part of what we're doing here. As I've said before, that group, especially these past couple weeks, has played, especially in pass pro, are playing at a pretty high level. It's a tough lineup to crack. We've got him out there some in jumbo tight end but not much beyond that."
On if he has considered trying DB Justin Gilbert on offense, given his ability with the ball in his hands:
"He's shown that certainly with the kickoff returns the other day. Yeah, sometimes with the numbers and injuries, we've had to throw him on offense at wide receiver and doesn't look out of place. Just given the depth we have at that position now – you add (RB) Duke (Johnson), who has wide-out type ability, you have (TE Rob) Housler who has wide-out type ability in certain situations – it's hard to justify it, but he's certainly shown the ability, as you say. When he's got the ball in his hands, he can do something with it."
On having concerns about DB K'Waun Williams' health as he returns to play, given he's sustained multiple concussions:
"Absolutely, and that's why I think the league is very sensitive to it and the teams are very sensitive to it. In my history around it, if a guy is showing any symptoms, if there are 10 markers and only one of them shows as a potential positive, they're going to shut guys down and make sure. I think the protocol is also thorough enough. That's why you rarely see a guy coming back in a week. I think it's usually the two- to even sometimes three-week range with it. I think it's a positive step in our sport, and certainly, that's something you're always mindful of, especially in something that's as critical as a concussion."
On if he admires K. Williams' desire and passion to be on the field:
"Yeah, he always has a smile on his face. You spend enough time around him, he loves to play, loves being around his teammates. He's very well respected for what he's overcome to get into the NFL. Essentially a tryout guy who it was never big for him. Once he stepped on the field, he didn't care who he was covering, went out and worked and did his job. Had a great offseason, too. Talk in the spring who were your MVP was in the spring as far as guys that took the break and came back in great shape and really progressed heading into Year 2, he'd be right near the top of the list."
On if a guy like K. Williams can play any differently to avoid further injury:
"I think to some extent, but so much of it's instinct that that's hard to do consciously because it slows you down. I don't know the exact play from that game where it occurred, but I had just gone back, we were watching last year's Baltimore game, and I think he fell and hit his head on the turf – that's unavoidable. I could see if it was something in tackling where he dropped his head a lot or was very reckless that way and was hitting bigger than his body, then that would have more merit, but I don't know if I can say that at this point."
On a local media member's comment that the Browns don't play like they want it badly enough:
"That's not an easy statement to take just because when you're in with these guys every day and you see how they prepare, you see how much they put into it, you see how much losing upsets them when you're in that locker room after a loss and you look into all of their faces, it's not guys that are just 'OK, not a big deal.' These guys are upset. They're competitive, love to win, hate to lose and we feel we've built a locker room that way. I don't see that. I don't think the staff sees it. I think the players would disagree, but I'm not going to get into trying to combat somebody's observations on the outside."
On if toughness gets tested, both physically and mentally, inside the division, specifically against Baltimore:
"For sure. I love our division games. It is three great rivalries. Just for what I talked about the other day – The Battle of Ohio, Pittsburgh and the Ravens due to history – it is just a different feel. I know every game has its own storyline. To me, the division games are truly set apart from all the other ones. That is why we try to educate the players on it. I know the veteran guys sense it. The mentality of their franchise – I was there, I spent my first seven years of my NFL career there. I have been there. I know the mentality. You see it from Pittsburgh. It is there in Cincinnati. That is why, top to bottom, the competitiveness, I would put it up against any other one in the league."
On if the Browns have to play with a different edge when they play within the division:
"I said yesterday, it is a double chinstrap game. If you don't, you get embarrassed. You look at last year against Cincinnati. We had it the first game and didn't the second. You saw the result. Hopefully, it shows up on the field, but our guys sense it."
On what he has seen from LB Nate Orchard and DL Xavier Cooper the past two games:
"The fact that they are both playing and they are handling the mental stuff well. There are not a lot of mental errors. Nate is getting better each week. We just want him to cut it loose a little bit more. Sometimes when a guy gets out there, he gets afraid to make a mistake and that slows him down a little bit where they are thinking too much. Pick your aiming point and go. That is part of the learning curve. I have coached young outside backers before and have gone through that. We are pleased with where Nate is and the direction he is headed. Coop has done some good things for us. Coop had the sack the other day. Just some rookie stuff. Some subtle things in his ailment he has to get cleaned up. He does a good job rolling off the ball. Like any young lineman, (DL) Danny (Shelton) included, he has to work on his pad level a little bit. Some guys have the tendency to – once they get the stalemate – put the periscope up and try to find the ball, and that is where they find themselves losing ground whereas we have to get knocked back first, but we are pleased with where they are and it is about where we thought they would be."
On having an explanation for lower PAT and FB conversion percentages:
"I don't. I don't. I don't know if people have missed many kicks against us, and I know our guy hasn't missed any. It is hard outside of our world to see it. The extra point makes sense just because it is back. Maybe as the weather gets worse, those numbers will go up even more. I will be curious to see the effect that has around the league as far as coaches saying let's ramp up the number of conversions."
On if he is confident in K Travis Coons, even though he has not had to kick a game-deciding kick:
"I think he has been a pleasant surprise. I think all kicks have some degree of pressure with them. If they are at the end of the game, they certainly would carry more, but there is no reason to think he can't handle it. He endured a kicking competition with a guy where it was almost on every kick from the spring with a guy right next to him. He knew that a bad day, he could be shown the door. I think he has exhibited the mental toughness, but you will never know until it happens. We are hopeful that when that situation comes for him to kick the game winner and calmly trot out there and bang it through."
On if the Browns hear from NFL headquarters that DB Tramon Williams was offside or not on the game-winning field goal kicked by the Chargers:
"It is our policy, I am not going to comment on the officiating reviews. Just on a general statement on that – I have said this before – I think (NFL vice president of officiating) Dean Blandino and his crew in New York do an excellent job. They are very candid when mistakes are made – I am not saying that is the case here – but just in general, they are very open about it. That crew in New York is working hard to get the officiating right, and we are very appreciative of it. I don't get into the details of the report for obvious reasons, but I think also even if you took the TV copy of that play or had access to the All-22 and just watched it in slow motion, it is such a difficult thing to officiate. Imagine putting yourself on the line in front of it and trying to gauge if somebody moves exactly and nobody else moves what it looks like. That is behind us. I have had good communication with the league about it. I feel good about their stance and I feel good about where we are with it. We are on the next one."
On his stance on Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick's proposal to make every play subject to review:
"We had healthy debates on that down at the Owners Meetings. That was one of the proposals that was brought up. I think you can look at both sides of it. I don't know exactly how it would be structured. There is just that talk of opening it all up. I think it is difficult when you start to get into challenging plays that are subjective. It is a tough thing because I have heard the arguments on both sides, and I think there are certainly some plays where, 'Hey let's apply that rule' and other ones where you wouldn't want to, whether because it is slowing the game down. I am just not sure of the logistics of it."
On if he thought T. Williams was offside when seeing it live during the Chargers game:
"In the moment, yes I did."
On how newly proposed challenges and reviews would work if teams don't have the same numbers of cameras in their stadiums:
"Well I think that was part of the discussion. The one thing that has been pushed for are sideline and goal line cameras at every stadium. I know there are issues at stadiums as far as logistics again to get it all, everybody making sure the same views were available. That is where in the game a lot of the controversy comes up – on the goal line, on the end line, on the sideline."
On if he could tell if T. Williams was offside from the Browns' film:
"If you have the advantage to go frame by frame, to me, that would be very difficult to officiate. They don't have the advantage of – he is not holding the remote going frame by frame. It is real time."
