S Ronnie Harrison Jr. (10.21.20)
S Ronnie Harrison Jr.:
On his mindset coming back from injury and trying pick up where he left off with his pick-six against the Colts:
“Just like you said, exactly that. Just trying to get back in there and pick up where I left off. I just want to keep going out there and making plays and helping this defense and helping this team out as much as I can.”
On how he sustained his concussion:
“I am not really sure what specific play. It could have been a couple of plays that just added up together. Like you said, it was kind of tough not being able to finish the game and be out there to celebrate the win. I am just glad to be back and be back out there with them and happy to get this thing back rolling this week.”
On the number of concussions he has sustained:
“In the NFL, like two or three.”
On if it is scary to have sustained two or three concussions in the NFL:
“It is a part of football. I play a hard-hitting position. I play safety, I play defense so it is kind of in the game and what I am used to. It is scary. You never want to get a concussion or go down with a head injury like that, but it is part of the game and just have to try to minimize that as much as I can.”
On Bengals WRs Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins:
“I see a lot of athleticism. I see two playmakers, guys who the Bengals do a good job of getting the ball in their hands. They are two receivers that are pretty big. They can get open, especially Tee Higgins – good size, good speed. Boyd is not a small receiver, pretty shifty. They use him in a lot of different ways. I think they are two pretty good solid receivers that we are going to try to stop this week and slow down for their offense.”
On if it strange that Bengals WR A.J. Green currently appears to be the team’s third option:
“Yeah, definitely. With him being back, you would think that he would be like a top target coming back. I guess they see where they are having success with those other two guys so that is what it is.”
On how much he has been able to study Bengals QB Joe Burrow:
“Not too much yet. We just started to digging in today. Really, I just seen a gamer. He is pretty smart to be that young and to know the defenses and to be able to read the defenses that well. Pre-snap I have noticed that and he does a lot of looking and reading pre-snap and makes a lot of his decisions before the ball even gets in his hands. That is next level type quarterback of being in the league and stuff like that. You see (Steelers QB) Ben Roethlisberger and (Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers do stuff like that. He definitely has some good in his game. A very smart player. Just going to have to try to mess with his eyes and his brain as much as possible.”
On if he has a full grasp of the Browns defensive scheme now after being with the team for several weeks:
“Yes, pretty much so. I have a pretty good feel for it. I feel comfortable in the defense now.”
On how the Browns defense can get back on track with creating takeaways after zero last week:
“It starts today. It starts with practice. I practice the way I play. If I do not do it in practice, then I am not doing it in the game. That is what I tell myself and tell everybody else. If we do not get interceptions and turnovers in practice, then it does not just happen in the game all of a sudden. I start in practice, practicing hard and trying to force takeaways. Just making stuff happen, and in the game it becomes natural and it becomes easy.”
On if he felt his pick-six coming after having other passes defensed prior to it:
“Yeah, definitely. With the week before, with the one with (Cowboys QB) Dak (Prescott) and then that week getting my hands on the ball earlier in that game on the tight end, I kind of felt like it was coming. I just had to be patient and wait on it. Yeah, definitely I felt it, I felt it coming.”
On how much practice plays a role in creating turnovers:
“For me, I do not believe in luck. I believe in hard word. That is what (Alabama Head) Coach (Nick) Saban always told me since Alabama. We practiced like that at Alabama to get takeaways and stuff, and it worked like that for us. I believe my sophomore year we had like 11 defensive touchdowns and like 16 takeaways – something crazy. It worked for us, practicing that way. I just believe it can put you in that mindset when you go into the game so you already thinking that way. It is not by luck or anything like that.”
On if he expects his role to continue to expand:
“Yes, definitely. Week to week since I have been here, I have been earning more playing time. It has been increasing. They have been expanding my role here. I think it is heading in the right direction.”
On if he is more comfortable at SS than FS:
“I am way more comfortable because I played it the last two years. I have a lot of reps at that position, but I can play either one when it comes to game time. Whichever side I end up on, I can play it.”
On the fan reaction to his pick-six against the Colts and if that felt like a breakthrough moment after joining the Browns:
“Being a new guy anywhere – it could be a regular job or anything – you always kind of have to prove yourself and feel like you want to prove yourself. For me to and to be able to go out there and help the team like that and make a play like that in my first start, it was just big. That is really all I have been praying for and hoping for is just to go out there and help in the way that I know I can. For me to do that, it was a big blessing and a big load off my chest because now they know what I can do and what I bring to the team.”
On what he did with the ball from his first career pick-six:
“It is at my house right now. I have to put it in a box and get it framed up.”
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