WR Odell Beckham Jr., RB Nick Chubb, G Joel Bitonio and S Damarious Randall (9.25.19)
Included below are select quotes from interviews with the following Browns players during today’s media availability:
- WR Odell Beckham Jr.
- G Joel Bitonio
- RB Nick Chubb
- S Damarious Randall
WR Odell Beckham Jr.:
On how the Browns offense can take advantage of double coverage on him:
“Just have to take advantage of the matchups in other areas. Start to open things up and do not allow the team to double, but it has been tough. Since my rookie year, that is just what it has been. I do not get man to man and someone following me all game. Just finding ways to take advantage of those matchups in other areas.”
On how close the Browns offense is to reaching its potential:
“I think it is on the way. Just fixing those little minute details, executing and just making more plays. That is really it.”
On if he has a sense for what opposing defenses will try to do against him:
“Same things on the field since my rookie year. They have put a safety, a two-high safety, double-team playing from the inside out, safety over the top. All of these teams that play their style of defense and this and that and then they I am on the field, and they switch it to the same thing – a double-team. That is just we expect. That is what I go into the game expecting. I do not go into the game expecting man to man or no safety over the top all game. I definitely do not expect that. Right now, I feel confident in me that it would be a long day. I do not thing that is going to happen. We know how teams are going to play us so we just have to plan around it.”
On his relationship with Ravens S Earl Thomas:
“I love Earl. He has been one of my favorite players before I was even in the league. I remember my rookie year, we played them at Seattle and I had to come across the middle one time. I was just trying not to get hit by him. He is a phenomenal player. He has been that way all of his career, even at Texas. Just being able to see him out there again coming off of his injury and playing football, trained with him in a few times in LA, just seeing him back out there is inspiration because once you go through something like that, it is tough to get back on the horse and figure out a way to dig deep within yourself and find your game again. Not that it really matters, but I am proud of him in that sense for being able to do that. He is a tremendous talent.”
G Joel Bitonio:
On if it is unfair to blame the QB for the way the final offensive series against the Rams went:
“Yeah, I think it is. I think it goes to everyone on offense. I think if we protected a second longer, if ran a crisper route on some of the plays or if we called a better play, I think it is all encompassing. I think everybody is kind of responsible for that. Obviously, people see the quarterback and see the completions and the plays like that, but as an offense, we know there is more into it than just one guy. Obviously, he will probably take it and take the brunt of it, but we want to give him the best opportunity to make plays.”
On the Ravens defense:
“For me, I still see two big guys in front of me. They have (Ravens DTs) Michael Pierce and Brandon Williams who are some of the best run-stopping D tackles in the game. They still find a way to get pressure. (Ravens OLB) Matt Judon is having a really good start to the year. They brought back still a lot of players in their secondary that are still here. They brought (Ravens S) Earl Thomas over who is a great safety. They still make plays out there, they are going to blitz you and they are going to make you pick up their stunts and they are going to have a flavor of the week. It is up to us to really focus in, understand their blitzes and stop them.”
On the 4th-and-9 play call against the Rams:
“Honestly, when you are out on the field, you hear the call and you kind of run what is called. You are not thinking, ‘Oh, it is fourth and nine on this drive.’ We just have to execute it. Every play is designed to get enough yards for the play so we have to go out there, execute that one and try and figure out a way to get 9 yards.”
On if there was any confusion to what down it was when the draw play was called:
“No, I do not think so because I think we all looked to the sideline and we saw the punt team kind of waiting there and you knew they were not coming on so we were going for it.”
RB Nick Chubb:
On if the draw play called on 4th-and-9 against the Rams surprised him:
“No, I did not know what to expect, but that is what was called.
On if the pay was called in the huddle or at the line of scrimmage:
“It was called when I was lined up – we did not huddle up that play.”
On how close the Browns offense is to playing a complete game:
“I think we are close. We are getting there. Every day, we are getting better. Every game, we are getting better. It is just a process. We have a long season, a long way to go so anytime we have a chance to get better, it is good for us.”
On playing all but two snaps on offense against the Rams:
“Yeah, I liked it. It is a chance for me to get going and get more opportunities to make plays. I enjoyed it.”
On if he expected the Browns offense to start quicker following its performance the second half of the season:
“I did not know what to expect. I knew coming in we had talent, but it is just kind of putting it all together. We have so many moving pieces and so many great players always trying to make plays so it is just a process for us. We have to get going and figure it out somehow.”
S Damarious Randall:
On if his concussion occurred in practice or if it was residual from the game:
“No comment. I was just placed in concussion protocol on Friday. I went that Friday before the Jets game, and I just went into protocol then.”
On his symptoms:
“The symptoms were concussion protocol, I guess. I was placed in the protocol, and that is really all I have to say about it.”
On the reason why the Browns training staff put him through concussion protocol:
“Like I said, I was placed in concussion protocol. I just followed procedure.”
On when he started feeling better:
“Saturday morning.”
On how much pressure a player like Ravens QB Lamar Jackson puts on the secondary:
“Definitely one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks that I have seen since former (former NFL QB) Michael Vick, personally. He is very good, shifty, a very, very talented guy.”
On principles to apply when facing Jackson:
“Discipline, guys knowing their responsibility and basically just doing your job because he is very talented and he will definitely punish you for making mistakes.”
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