DeShone Kizer can't wait to get back on the practice field to fine-tune the areas of his game that have led to seven interceptions in his first three NFL starts.
In Kizer's eyes, the more comfort and chemistry he feels with his receivers, the less interceptions like the two he threw during Sunday's third quarter will occur and the better he believes the end result will be.
"You just have to continue to work on your craft," Kizer said Monday. "This is a game where you have to always be getting better, because as soon as you are not upping your game, you are getting worse. I think it is my job to make sure that each day in practice that I am out there working my butt off to become a more accurate passer, work my butt off to run the ball a little better and have better timing with the guys who are out there with me."
No matter the cause or reason, Kizer has shouldered the blame for every single one of the turnovers. Coach Hue Jackson likes that the rookie quarterback understands "the buck starts and stops with him," but has repeatedly stressed the need for others to lift him up.
"We have turned the ball over quite a bit the last several weeks, and we can't do that if we want to win football games," Jackson said. "That is part of something that we are talking about all the time. We have to take care of the football, and we have to get more turnovers away from the other team's offense. I do get that.
"He is a guy that wants to make sure that he is out in front and wants to handle things correctly, but I don't want him feeling like everything is on his shoulders. He has to do his part and do his job better, but we all around him have to do our job better, too."
Jackson said the majority of Kizer's interceptions have been the byproduct of accuracy, not poor decisions, and an overall feel between the quarterback and his receivers. On his first interception Sunday, Kizer threw to the wrong side of where Kasen Williams, who was claimed via waivers one week before the start of the season, was cutting. The turnover was arguably the costliest of the game for Cleveland, which had just crossed into the red zone with a chance to slice a then 14-point deficit in half.
"It is time on task with a guy in a spot that maybe he should have been in a little different spot. You think he is going to be in a place, and that is what we have to fight against," Jackson said. "We just have to continue to work in sync together so that those guys are always on the same page."
-- Running back Duke Johnson Jr. enters Week 4 as the Browns' leading receiver after hauling in a team-high six catches for 81 yards Sunday. He got his hands on the ball eight different times and finished with 104 yards of offense and a highlight-reel touchdown run.
Does a performance like that warrant more touches in the future?
"We are trying," Jackson said. "I think the other team knows he is a guy who is making plays so they are going to do everything they can to take him away. Duke has done a good job, made some huge plays yesterday and is working at it. He will continue to make plays for us."
-- The Browns came out of Sunday's game relatively injury free and are hoping for good news on previously injured players as the week progresses.
Linebacker Jamie Collins Sr. remains in the league's concussion protocol and wide receiver Sammie Coates is continuing to recover from a hamstring injury.
Asked if No. 1 pick Myles Garrett (ankle) would practice this week, Jackson said, "we'll see."
