WR Anthony Schwartz (12.30.21)
On his performance last week against the Packers, including multiple end arounds, and people wondering why more of that has not occurred earlier in the season:
“I would just answer it as sometimes things just go depending on how the game goes. Maybe one game we are trying to do this. Maybe one game we are trying to do that. Sometimes it is the right time. Sometimes it might not be the right time. That was the right time and right play calls. I was just waiting for my number to be called. No matter if it is on reverses, sweeps or anything, I am there waiting and always prepared.”
On if he is a much better player now than he was Week 1:
“I feel, especially being more comfortable in the offense, just going through the season, seeing how it goes and not being the big-eyed rookie that I was at the start of the season, now I feel like I am more mature, I have the mood of everything going on and I have been grinding.”
On his Lambeau Leap after scoring a touchdown last week:
“It felt great. Going into the game I was thinking, ‘OK, if I score, I have to do the Lambeau Leap in Lambeau.’ Luckily, I saw a crowd of Browns fans right in front of me so I just had to go for it.”
On dealing with multiple injuries this year:
“Really just has been the whole motto for me this year is control what you can control. Whether it is when I was out in training camp, just staying in the playbook and being able to do as much as I can to learn. Then coming back out with the concussion, that was one where I just had to deal with the fact that there is really nothing I can do to speed this up. Just have to let the brain heal because the brain is the brain. That is no joke. That has been my mantra this year is control what you can control. That is what I have been trying to stay with and try to keep on doing.”
On if it was scary missing a significant amount of time with a concussion:
“I would say the first week was scary because I have never had a concussion before so I did not know what to expect. Kind of going through it, it got more frustrating than scary just because I wanted to be back out there. Especially after the bye week, I thought I would be fine, but some people can come back in a week, and some people it takes longer. Just have to keep thew brain right and just make sure that I can keep it right so I can keep playing for even longer.”
On the work he was able to do while dealing with injuries to remain prepared as a younger player:
“Most of the stuff that we do that is kind of to the side, it is kind of trying to simulate things that we would do in the game or things we would do in practice without actually being out on the field. Whether it is just being to the side kind of doing runs, doing little drills like changing direction drills. A lot of is a lot of conditioning, but it is not even just the running; it would be a bike. It will be any type of conditioning that you can make. That kind of help you keeps your wind and stay in shape. Sometimes you kind of come back better. I feel like I came back better than I was when I got hurt. Just doing that and being able to keep that up, it is kind of encouraging and kind of takes all of that frustration that you had when you were hurt, and it makes it feel all worth it.”
On his mindset going into Monday night’s game, given the implications for the AFC North and playoffs:
“Really, our mindset is that this is the playoffs. It is pretty much – well, not pretty much – it is win or go home. It does not matter that is the regular season; to us, it is the playoffs. We know we have to win these two games in order to win the division and make the playoffs so we are already in that playoff mindset. We know it is going to be a big one, especially because of the stakes, and just keeping this as a one-game season each game.”
On if the next step after his performance against the Packers should be more deep throws to him:
“Honestly, that is a question for (Head) Coach (Kevin Stefanski) to answer. I just do whatever they tell me to do, whether it is deep balls, end of rounds or short. I will do anything they ask me to do and be prepared for anything.”
On the challenges with the starts and stops to his season and focusing on controlling what he can control:
“It is difficult because you know, especially with a big first game, I know what I can do, and I know what I was brought here to do. It was just hard not being able to be out there to do that. Especially the games where I had to miss, it is just as hard to just be watching it from the side. I want to be there. I want to have an impact. I want to win with my team. I want to play with my brothers. It is just frustrating not being out there sometimes. All of the times not being out there is just frustrating.”
On his Lambeau Leap last weekend, if he knew the Browns fans were in the stands when he scored the TD and his teammates reactions to it:
“It was just kind of a spur of the moment. I was scanning throughout the game. I was kind of scanning just to see, and then luckily, I looked up and they were literally right there. My teammates, they liked it. They were fired up for it.”
On if he watched Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger when growing up:
“Yeah, I watched him. I definitely remember when they played the Cardinals that game in the Super Bowl [XLIII]. That was definitely a moment that stuck out to me. It has always been crazy, especially the first time we played him, I was like, ‘That is Big Ben out there. I grew up with him.”
On what he liked about Roethlisberger growing up:
“He was just always on point with everything. Especially growing up, you see teams going against Big Ben, it is kind of like they shut down the game because of the intimidation that he already has. That is what growing up I always thought about him.”
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