G Joel Bitonio (12.27.20)

G Joel Bitonio:

On the experience yesterday:

“We had our morning meeting. We went and tested. In our morning meetings, someone test positive they told us. We got pushed back. Then we just kept getting pushed back, and we just kept getting pushed back until we got the OK that our flight was leaving at 7 p.m.”

On his mindset as the team adjusted to changes yesterday:

“We do not know who tested positive, unless you get a phone call. I was just preparing like I normally do. I was watching film and hanging out with the family a little bit. It is uncertain. You do not know what’s going on. Before now, we were pretty good on the close contacts. Usually, it was only one guy at a time. For this one, we were not so lucky and we lost a bunch of guys. We really did not find out until we got on the plane and those guys were not there.”

On what changes to the gameplan the Browns coaches were able to make in the past 24 hours:

“I have no idea about the pass routes. I do not know what they did there. I am sure we had a few different formations and personnel groups that we had to throw out there, but it is tough. You do not have time. We did not do our Saturday walkthrough and stuff like that. We still had our meetings. We did a walkthrough this morning but it is on air and you do not know what you are going to get. It is tough. The guys you hope are ready to come out, and to have to be put in that situation is tough a situation for everybody. We did not do a good enough job executing the gameplan.”

On the Browns running game today:

“We just did not execute the gameplan. They called a jam front. They covered up the center and the two guards. They dared us to run the ball, and we did not execute well enough. They beat us up and stopped the run. We went to the pass, and it kind of got us going a little bit in the second half. It is unfortunate. You want to come out and try to establish the run, especially when you do not have those receiving threats that are normally out there. We did not do a good enough job executing. They beat us up there.”

On QB Baker Mayfield’s response to adversity and turning over the ball, including on the last drive:

“We felt like we needed one more chance to get down there. We were driving, and again, we did not execute well enough. Baker gave us a chance today. He gave us an opportunity to have a chance to win. We should not have put that all on him. Everyone else has to step up around him. It was never Baker’s fault.”

On the Browns having their own playoff fate in their hands next week:

“We have a chance to get into the playoffs. We have to win a game to get in the playoffs. It was unfortunate we could not do it today, but we are still alive in this thing. The team has to look at the film, though, and get better from it because it was not good enough today and it was not up to our standard of play. We have to take care of two or three things that you want to improve on and get better because Pittsburgh is a good test, and they kicked our butts the last time we played them. It is a big challenge, but everything we want is still in front of us. We still have a chance to go to the playoffs.”

On how resilient the team has been and if it is disappointed with today because it did not live up to that standard:

“Yes, we are disappointed. We wanted to come out and win this game, but we did not do it.”

On running multiple QB sneaks during the game and if the NY Jets lined up in a different formation on the final offensive play:

“Yeah, they had a different front. The second time, there was still a B gap to run through. The defensive end did a good job of crashing. You kind of wedge block to in there, and they had a guy for a guy. The defensive end crashed hard, and there was no one to block the defensive end and kind of hit him there in the backfield.”

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