QB Case Keenum (10.21.21)
On the win:
“It feels pretty good. It was a lot of fun tonight. We have a great group of guys, and they fought their tails off. As you just talked to (RB) D’Ernest (Johnson), that was fun or him. The offensive line fighting to get back. O (WR Odell Beckham Jr.) and Juice (WR Jarvis Landry), those guys made some huge plays for us down the stretch. The defense played really, really well. I did not watch a lot of them, but to hold those guys to what they did in some clutch moments was big.”
On seeming calm and poised all night:
“Yes, I felt that way. I felt calm and poised. It was a great first drive there. (Head Coach) Kevin (Stefanski) put together a great first 15 [plays] and the offensive line did a great job. We hit the screen, hit the keeper to Juice and then Hoop (TE Austin Hooper) made a great play on that screen, and we ran the ball really well. That kind of broke the seal and broke the ice. It was kind of like, ‘Let’s take a breath. Alright, let’s play now.’ I thought we did enough to win the game. It was a great job all around.”
On the fourth down conversion:
“Honestly, the third down, Juice ran a great route. I just missed him. I had to hold on to the ball a little longer, and I wish I had been able to throw a better ball to him because he was wide, wide open in the endzone. On the fourth down, we had a good play called. I think we were trying to get to the line quickly. I looked right and should have looked left and Juice would have scored, but as I went through my check-down, felt a pretty big opening there and tried to score. Luckily, Austin recovered the fumble. I do not even know if it counted as a fumble. Not really thinking, just reacting at that point.”
On seeing young players put in so much work and have the success that Johnson had:
“You hate injury. You really do. It is a really tough part of this game. It is not a matter of if; it is a matter of when. Unfortunately, some people are going to get hurt. At the same time, you love other young guys getting chances. A guy like him, who the locker room loves and everybody loves – a great young family and just a good overall person – come in here and having an incredible night like that and make some big time plays for us on a national stage, not just his family here watching but everybody back home. Very pumped for him. It was exciting.”
On the Browns choosing to have the ball first to open the game:
“When Kevin told me that if we won the toss we were taking the ball, I was like, ‘Let’s go.’”
On what Landry means to the Browns:
“Jarvis is great. I think he might can hear me. I have so much respect for him. I have said this many times, but I have played with many great receivers and I have never seen anyone quite have the look in his eye at times during games where it is just the ability to take the game over. It does not matter where the ball is, if it is close to him, he is going to catch it. He is making big-time plays and did so tonight on many occasions.”
On if it took him a little bit of time to get fully into the flow of the game:
“The first drive, overall, it was nice to get out there to come back. I felt like it was a good breath. There were some times where I was not as accurate as I would d like to be tonight, but in the end, we did enough to win. We can work on the rest of that this coming week.”
On as a backup if he has experienced a week like this with not getting reps in practice but getting the start on a short week:
“No, but it is everything combined of your career. Everybody, our past experiences make us who we are. You do not dwell on the past, but you learn from it. I have been through it and a lot of it. To come through the other side, give a look back at it and give yourself perspective of what is going on at the time helps with whatever you are doing.”
On the Browns second TD drive:
“The game runs together to me before I watch it [on film], but we had some good passes and had some good runs. Scrambled on the fourth down and then I threw it to (FB) Johnny (Stanton IV). Honestly, I do not quite remember exactly the plays. I would have to watch film. Sorry.”
On how QB Baker Mayfield was helping him on the sideline:
“Bake was great. He was locked in. He was very helpful with the pictures and breaking down defenses and what we were getting. Then also the call sheets, getting our two-minute drive that did not go anywhere, but he was great. Locked in.”
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