CB Greg Newsome II (12.20.23)
CB Greg Newsome (Santa)
12-20-23
You got a pretty busy week next week, don’t you?
“For sure, man. I got a lot of teammates on the naughty list. You got some on a nice list, so definitely, busy week.”
Have you checked the forecast at all. How’s it looking for Christmas?
“Yeah. So, on Christmas, I checked the forecast. It’s not going to be snow. Yeah, I kind of did that just because I feel like the guys have been doing a great job on the field. So, I was like, you know what, no snow for Christmas this year.”
Are you delivering a playoff berth this week?
“That’s the goal. Yeah, that’s what a couple of my teammates asked for Christmas, to go 1-0 this week. So that’s the goal.”
You have some other work on Christmas Eve. So, the Texans and knowing what’s going on there at quarterback, C.J. (Stroud) or Case (Keenum), what’s your thoughts on that situation? And obviously, Case Keenan being familiar to this team?
“Yeah, just starting with C.J., I mean, unbelievable. He’s not just the best rookie quarterback, he’s one of the best quarterbacks already in his early NFL career, obviously wishing and praying for him. Concussions are a big deal, so hopefully he gets back out there because we’d love to compete against him. But I’ve been with Case as well out here and Case is an unbelievable talent as well. He gets tagged as a backup quarterback, but I feel like he could start for a lot of franchises as well. Just how smart and reliable he is as a quarterback as well.”
Greg, Nico Collins back for this game. How does that affect your group?
“I wouldn’t say it really affects our job really any much different. We kind of just, each week – obviously talented receivers all across the board in the NFL, but we just kind of just try to focus on ourselves. But obviously, getting him back will help their offense a lot. Being a big body guy, I think he’s top in the NFL in broken tackles, so definitely a viable threat for us.”
I know you quote-tweeted that next gen stats thing. You feel like the secondary is starting to get the recognition you think it deserves?
“No, I don’t think so. No, I don’t think we still are getting the respect that we deserve. But at the end of the day, we just got to keep on performing and eventually, we will get the respect we but we’re just focusing on ourselves. Obviously, seeing things like that means we’re doing the right things. We’re heading in the right direction.”
Why do you think that is?
“Maybe because just the market. Cleveland is blue-collar. It’s not the biggest city, so things like that. But at the end of the day, we continue to work. Whether we get recognized or not, we get recognized by our teammates and our coaches. So that’s all the praise we need.”
How many Pro Bowlers do you think you have there in the back end this year?
“In the back end alone, our whole entire starting group, I think we should be Pro Bowlers. I mean, if you see the amount of man we play compared to other teams, the ability to shut down receivers, the ability to fight adversity, which is, new people come in all the time, you know. I don’t see why we shouldn’t have the whole starting secondary as Pro Bowls, including the linebackers and D line. Honestly, I feel like the Pro Bowl defense should be the Cleveland Browns defense.”
Greg, you guys play your best defense here at home, two of your final threes on the road. If you’re able to make the postseason, most likely you’re going to play on the road. So, what do you guys have to do here down the stretch to tighten it up on that side of the ball so that you play just as well away from home as you do at home?
“Yeah, I think it just starts with just preparing like we do each week and we’ve had the lead, I think, in every single away game and we kind of gave it up. So just staying consistent, not making any mistakes, trying to bring the energy because our crowd is so big for us, but just trying to stay consistent, really, I feel like that’s the biggest thing.”
Is there a story behind the Santa Claus outfit?
“Yeah, so we talked about it last week. Trying to start something. It’s going to be called Some News with Newsome. So, we’re going to try to do some each week and yeah, this is just the first week of it.”
What makes David and Njoku such a great teammate?
“Man, just hearing this story, I was here for a long time. Just seeing the growth as a player willing to do anything. Block – Coach (Kevin Stefanski) said it before last game was like, we’re going to run duo the first play of the game, which they did, and then you’re going to be up front to block right away. We’re not going to put in big personnel, we’re going to use you. So just seeing the faith that we have in him and just everything we have for him is just amazing. He’s evolved as one of the best tight ends in the league, playing like the best tight end in the league right now. So, he’s been doing amazing.”
D’Anthony (Bell) and Ronnie (Hickman) just stepping in the way they did. It seemed like aggressiveness-wise and production-wise, they didn’t skip a beat from if it was Grant (Delpit) and Juan (Thornhill) out there. So what did you see from them and what does that say about them and the work they’ve done to prepare themselves even when they weren’t getting the starter snaps?
“Yeah, I’ve seen them play with no fear. We say it all the time, no handcuffs, no seatbelts. And what we mean by that is just the ability to just play fast and everyone makes mistakes. No one’s perfect, but just trusting yourself and playing fast. And a lot of credit to those vets in their room, too, like Grant and Juan and Rodney (McLeod), who’s not playing right now. Just their ability to stay locked in and to help out guys like those guys. And you can see it on the field, they’re playing loose.”
You talked after the game how much trust you have in all the corners and that’s why you’re rotating guys. What’s allowed Cam (Mitchell) to be successful as he has been as a rookie, even missing time on IR?
“I mean, first, you know, we’re not going to take credit for anything. It’s a credit to the guys upstairs for getting them first. And then obviously him just being a pro right away. I think it helps when you have more of a veteran group. We’re all young, but we played a lot of football and just us talking to him and how we prepare for games and things like that. But going to a school like Northwestern, they prepare us to be pros right away. And I think he’s done a great job just in whatever role that he’s had, just the ability to come in and make an impact for us.”
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