QB Josh McCown:
On if it's difficult locating shorter WRs:
"There are times regardless of how big a receiver is that if a 6-7 offensive lineman is in front of you, you can't see anyone behind them. That's just how it is. You get blocked out from time to time. It happens. No, it's not hard to pick those guys out especially with the speed of the run and the way they separate. They do a good job of getting open."
On WR Dwayne Bowe's comment that he could be a top five NFL QB:
"That is a very high praise by Dwayne. I appreciate those words. Right now, I'm just focused on master the offense and get us better as an offense and do the things that it's going to take for us to win games. If that lands me in that category, then great. Whatever makes us win games, that's all I care about."
On WR Terrelle Pryor's performance so far:
"It's the same. It's still early but there's definitely flashes of the skillset that's there. It's just a learning process for him to continue to grow. He's willing to put the work in. He's asking the questions and doing everything extra. Time will tell, but he's certainly has the skillset that you see where you wonder where it'll translate, we've seen moments where it has, as long as he can be more consistent"
On throwing to FB Malcolm Johnson more frequently in practice:
"I think Malcolm is a very talented player. There's a reason we picked him where we picked him because of his skillset, what he can do and how he fits in our offense. If we can get the ball to him and create mismatches that way, it helps our offense. It's just one more guy who gives you the ability to mix it up and that's the good thing."
On the jersey competition:
"I've done similar things. It's fun. At this point in my career, you're ready for that part of practice because that's when it counts, that's when you're really competing. That was really a fun part of practice. The energy level turns up because there's something on the line. It was good, I enjoyed that."
On if Bowe mentioned he should have had the last pass of practice:
"He did not. We spoke briefly, but we haven't run by that one. We'll check it out on tape and see how it went."
On today's practice compared to yesterday and the offense seeming to make more plays yesterday:
"My first reaction is that's our defense. It's a good defense. To me, the mark of a well-rounded team is that there will be some give and take. We went out there and had a really good day yesterday, everybody threw the ball well. Today there were some really good things, but you're right, it was not as clean as it was yesterday. (DB) Joe (Haden) made two or three plays on the ball today that guys didn't make yesterday. That's what I mean. There's give and take. If we can continue that, I believe that's what's going to make us a good football team. At the end of the day, that's what you want to see. If you're an offense, you don't necessarily want to go out and beat the defense very single day. Then we're in for a long year. If we can have some back and forth, then that's a good thing. Conversely for them, they don't just come out and beat us. I think parts of that yesterday were encouraging for them because they like to see us make plays, too. It's fun for all of us. We realize what we're putting together. It's good back and forth."
On if it is typical for the defense to have the upper hand for the first practice in pads:
"Yeah, that has usually been my case throughout my career. They are flying around and that is the nature of that side of the ball. We fight to not make it that way. There are things that we will look at the tape and see and make our corrections and hopefully come out better tomorrow."
On if this training camp has been a rejuvenating experience and if he is having more fun:
"I am just trying to get the most out of this day that we have and just enjoy that because you don't know. That is really it for me. There is a lot of good energy here. It is a great locker room. It is fun to be around these guys and work with them. We have, for ourselves, high expectations and goals that we want to accomplish. It is not easy. It is very hard. Along that way of just trying to get to your goals, you want to make sure you are having fun getting there and you are making the most of it and enjoying it. I think that is just my focus. I think that is why that stuff comes out during practice."
On why he believes it was a good play when QB Johnny Manziel connected with FB Malcom Johnson late in practice:
"It was just a good throw. It was a good play. It was a play we talked about. It is a unique play when you use the fullback in that manner. It was just a good quarterback play. I want him to do so well and continue to grow as a player, and he is doing a lot of good things. It is not just Johnny. It is (QB) Connor (Shaw) and (QB) Thad (Lewis) and our offense. You get fired up when you see guys you work with, and you see them work on something and focus and study and put the time in and take it out to the field and make it happen. For me, I just get fired up for them. It is neat to see them accomplish that."
On if the play is unique because of the FB crossing:
"No, not necessarily, just using him in the manner in which we use him."
On if Manziel has come to him to learn from your experiences:
"We talk, the entire (quarterback) group because obviously, I have some years on those guys. We definitely talk, and (quarterbacks coach) Kevin O'Connell has been great. Our quarterback coach does an excellent job preparing us. It has been good. Johnny and I talk all the time. I give him thoughts on things and different plays and how to handle the ups and downs of it. It is a long season and we want to have long careers, and there are going to be ebbs and flows. You have to be able to maintain through those to be the player that you want to be."
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WR Andrew Hawkins:**
On his initials thoughts of the team through the first three practices:
"I think we're doing good. As far as continuity is concerned and chemistry, I think we're ahead of where we were last year, which is always a good thing."
On how improved the receiving corps is with the additions of WRs Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline:
"We have yet to figure it out. I know we have a lot of depth. I know we have a lot of experience, which coming into last year we couldn't say because (WR) Taylor Gabriel, nobody knew he was such an incredible receiver, which he is. (WR) Travis Benjamin showed a lot last year. I think there were a lot of question marks around me. (WR) Miles Austin came in last year, coming off an injury, and he played well. I think this year we have guys like Hartline and Bowe who are proven. Then, you have Taylor Gabriel with another year, Travis Benjamin and myself. I think the depth as far as experience is a lot higher than last year. With that comes high expectations."
On his reaction to someone who asks where the playmakers are on offense:
"We'll show you."
On the changes from the QBs so far compared to last year:
"(QB) Johnny (Manziel) has matured, no question about that. He's in his playbook. That just comes with being a pro. After a year, you kind of learn the ropes. You see how things work, and Johnny being such a high-profile guy kind of caught his lumps in the public eye. It's no different than every other that comes in. He's doing incredible. (QB) Josh (McCown) has – like I said, experience is something you can't teach. As a rookie when you come in, you might have the height, you might have the arm, you might have the speed or whatever, but experience, that's special. Josh has so much of it. He knows the offense like the back of his hand. He's telling receivers what to do, tight ends, O-line. He has such a presence in the huddle. It's cool to see."
On his role will be different in offensive coordinator John DeFilippo's system compared to last season:
"The offense is different. As far as my role, that has yet to be determined. Like I said, we have a lot of guys. When you have that much depth, you have the ability to roll in and out, keep guys fresh and kind of keep defenses on their toes. As a receiving corps, we have a lot of work to do. We have to continue to learn the offense, continue to make adjustments. When we're doing less thinking, then we can play faster. It's only Day 3. We have a lot of ways to go, but like I said, we're on the right path."
On what he's seen in Head Coach Mike Pettine in his time with the Browns and the importance of having continuity in a head coach:
"You can kind of see it, even in the demeanor of the guys. You're coming back to a coach – he knows us, we know him. He knows how certain people work. Last year, he was trying to figure it out. We were trying to figure him out. I think Pettine is an incredible coach. He's my kind of guy. He's about all business. He's not a show-favoritism guy. He's not a lot of fluff, not a man of many words. He wants production. He wants hard work. There's no gray area, and I appreciate a coach like that. Like I said, I think Pettine's going to be an incredible coach in this league long after I'm done playing, and it's cool to be a part of his first team."
FB Malcolm Johnson:
On his first few days of camp:
"It wasn't so bad. I am just embracing the transition, learning new things day by day and trying to apply the new things I learn to the field."
On if he knew he would be a hybrid FB when he was drafted:
"I had some type of aspect of what they expected out of me, being that I could play fullback and have some route running ability with H-back as well. I had a sense but not to a certain degree."
On the toughest part of his transition to the NFL:
"Getting the playbook down. It is not so much the playbook itself; it is just the terminology. Football is football, but you learn the terminology and communicating with the players and learning from the vets, knowing what to expect from the defensive looks and the fronts and different things like that."
On if he lined up much as a FB at Mississippi State:
"Initially at Mississippi State, no, I did not line up at fullback. It was more tight end, wing and in the slot. (Running backs) Coach (Wilbert Montgomery) has been doing a great job of getting me ready and what to expect. I have been practicing over the spring since the first week when we had the rookie camp. Coach has been practicing with me and getting me ready for what to expect."
On if he has studied Raiders FB Marcel Reece:
"Actually to be honest, I haven't studied him personally, but I heard that comparison a lot. I am just trying to get better day by day and work on my technique and craft and do (some things) different, not the traditional fullback, but more finesse. Just trying different things and put my savvy in it"
On the differences between QBs Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel:
"They are both great quarterbacks. I really can't say what the difference is between them. Obviously, Josh has more experience than Manziel. He probably is more comfortable with the system, but they are both great quarterbacks."
On if was asked to block a lot at Mississippi State:
"Yes, I was asked to block a lot. In football, you have to run the ball so yes, I had to block a lot, but like I said, my blocking was much different at tight end. It was more ends and outside guys. Now, they are asking me to fit inside. It is not a problem. It is just a different transition and different techniques."
On if he feels he can block well at the FB position:
"Yes, I feel I can do that well. (Montgomery) has been giving me great coaching and telling me the tricks of the trade of the game, and I've just got to apply that to the field."
