Browns Players (11.27.22)
G Joel Bitonio:
On today’s win, including with QB Deshaun Watson returning from suspension next week:
“Yeah, it is big for us. Just a team effort. It took every second, an overtime game, and it wasn’t always pretty, but these guys fought. The defense played really well, and the offense did just enough to get a win down the stretch. Guys stepped up. We had some guys who were sick, including myself, and it is never easy getting back for Sunday. (G) Hjalte (Froholdt) did a heck of a job getting back. He was very under the weather, and he fought hard to get back. Also, it’s a little bittersweet because I appreciate (QB) Jacoby (Brissett) and everything he has done for the team and he is still going to be around, but he just played his heart out once again. I love that guy.”
On if Brissett was on the mind of the team for this game:
“It has been huge having him as one of our leaders. He always talks about us and the team. Obviously, he never talks about himself, but I was thinking that we have to get one more because he has played better than 3-7 or whatever our record was before tonight. He deserved a few more wins in there so I am glad we got him one more here, and you never know.”
On RB Nick Chubb’s success on the ground late in the game:
“Yeah, you just keep giving him the ball, and it might not be pretty all of the time, but he finds ways to make things work. He made a big play. We just kept giving him the ball down there on the goal line, and he found a way to get in.”
On the battle between the Buccaneers DL the Browns OL:
“They have a great front. They have some great linebackers. (Buccaneers DL) Vita (Vea) and (Buccaneers DL) Akiem Hicks are both really good players, and they have a lot of other guys who rotated in who are very strong players, as well. They got us a few times. There were a couple sacks in there and a couple of run stops, and when you play a good defense like that, there are going to be plays like that. You have to persevere and find a way to be successful. We had some good trick plays, like the (WR Anthony Schwartz) one, and Jacoby had a couple of nice long runs so it was nice to get the run game going again.”
On TE David Njoku’s game-tying TD catch:
“A great catch. I was very, very excited. He had great energy all day, and he was a big reason why we got the win.
On how Brissett has handled a unique situation at QB:
“I think he has done as good as he can be asked. If you just take Deshaun out of the picture, which he was out for a long time, it just felt like Jacoby’s team. Now with Deshaun coming back, I think he has a presence that takes a step back, but he is still going to be there for what he sees. He has played in 11 games now, and he has done everything you can ask of him. I really appreciate him, and he is one of my favorite quarterbacks I have played with.”
DE Jadeveon Clowney:
On what he said to DE Myles Garrett when playing through pain late in the game:
“I just went up to him and told him, ‘We need you.’ That is just part of the game getting beat up. Before the game, I was beat up. They count on us to come here every week and play at a high level. We count on him. He needs to do what he can do.”
On if he has ever beaten Buccaneers QB Tom Brady during his career:
“No, but, I did tonight. It feels way better. We have seen the opposite side a whole lot so to be on the good side of the scoreboard is great. It feels great to be back in the winning column. It has been hard for us to get wins around here. It feels good to get a win against the GOAT of the game. Hopefully, it will be the start of something new for us around here. We are going to keep playing like we did today. We aren’t going to quit on each other.”
On how it feels to get a win for QB Jacoby Brissett during what is potentially the last start at QB of 2022:
“I love Jacoby. He is a hell of a teammate, one of the best teammates I have ever had. He is all about the team and his players. You can’t ask for a better teammate out of anyone in the league.”
On his reaction to TE David Njoku’s TD catch:
“I said, ‘I think it is going to be a touchdown on this play.’ I didn’t know who was scoring it, but I knew. I was happy. I saw Njoku go up and catch it with one hand. That is something he does in practice so it was like practice. You know what they say, practice rolls over into the game. I was happy for him.”
WR Amari Cooper:
On dropping a pass on fourth down and responding with big plays later in the game:
“I have to be honest, I was just thinking about how easy it is to be humbled. I think I am a pretty good player, and I catch that ball 100 times out of 100. I was thinking about my relationship with God to be honest. I realized he has the power to make the weak strong and the strong weak, and I felt really weak in that moment. The team depending on me on fourth down. What does that say about me? Big time players make big time plays in big time situations.”
On his key catches on the game-winning drive:
“Faith produced perseverance. That is the best way that I can describe it. I just had faith that I would be able to come back and make a play. It felt amazing. Caught the slant. Had a double-move we drew up and knew if I ran it the right way that it would be a big play so it felt good.”
On getting a win for QB Jacoby Brissett in potentially the final start this season at QB:
“It felt great. He was kind of clowning me a little bit about for not finishing for him (laughter). It feels amazing, and I am glad we were able to get the win for him.”
On WR Anthony Schwartz making big plays today despite the ups and downs of the season:
“I talk to Anthony all of the time. He knows he has faith in his abilities. He knows he has speed and all of the tools to be a really good player. He just has to persevere like the rest of us. Obviously, when you make plays, that confidence grows. Hopefully, we can all build off of that.”
On TE David Njoku’s touchdown:
“That was crazy. That was amazing. I am not going to lie, I did not know if he was going to catch that one. He went up with the left [hand], too. That was pretty good.”
DE Myles Garrett:
On coming up big with two sacks of Buccaneers QB Tom Brady in key moments of the game, understanding he expects himself to make those type of plays:
“Like you said, it is the kind of standard I hold myself to. It is the kind of plays that you always view yourself as making. If you are that guy, you view yourself making those kind of plays in those moments against that kind of a competitor and someone who has achieved greatness. At the end of the day, I would like that. There is no better feeling, and this one was really special to me.”
On how much his arm was hurting him near the end of regulation:
“It hurt really bad. I almost thought I broke something initially, but in my head, there is no tomorrow. I can’t be focused on, ‘I will get better tomorrow’ or ‘Let’s focus on the next game.’ There is just the next play and that is all that is in my mind. I have to continue playing regardless of how much pain I am feeling. There is only one opportunity for greatness and tomorrow is not guaranteed, and I just wanted it really bad. I wanted it bad for us.”
On if he thought he might not continue to play after slamming his helmet in pain:
“No, that never went through my head. I slammed it really out of just pain. I was just in so much pain. I just wanted to get my helmet off of me and just needed a second to breathe and needed some air. I just knew that at the end of the day, no matter what, this pain will come and go, but that pain of losing and that feeling that comes with losing, that will never dissipate. I just wanted to be able to be out there for my team and do what I have to do.”
On if he became hurt when a second blocker came to double team him:
“Yeah, I was doing a spin move on the tackle and I beat him, but the guard came in full head of steam and got in under my shoulder.”
On if he believes this win can be a propelling point for the rest of the team’s season:
“I do. We have to view it as that. We have to carry that energy that we did in that fourth quarter and overtime and that confidence into the next game and to the next game. It was all about being 1-0 and all about keep swinging and keep doing your job, and we are going to like when we come out at the end of things. I think everybody fell into line with that.”
S John Johnson III:
On his reaction seeing a Buccaneers DB fall and WR Amari Cooper making the long catch in OT:
“He failed the first time, got up and fell again. That was a great play. I thought he was going to score, but you know he has been doing that all year, and that was a great corner he went against so it was unbelievable.”
On winning a game in what is potentially the final start at QB for QB Jacoby Brissett prior to QB Deshaun Watson returning from suspension next week:
“It is love. I think he exceeded expectations, and the record doesn’t show how well he has been playing. He knew what he had to do, and everyone on the team was proud. Like I had been saying, it could be a spark for us in a change of position for us. We will see.”
On the Browns defense’s capabilities when DE Myles Garrett is getting pressure and sacks towards the end of the game:
“It is huge. Rush and coverage work together. We know if we cover our guys for two seconds someone will get home. It just happened to be him. He is our reliable guy, and I’m happy for him. Especially with (Buccaneers QB) Tom (Brady) getting the ball off quick, we had to give them some time. “
On how important it is to get some big plays like tipped balls or sacks on Brady and if it is important to disguise coverage:
“That is the plan. He is going to get it out quick and get it to his running backs so it is huge to get our hands up, even if it is a bat down. We tried to sell, but once he sees a safety walk down, he knows what we are in.”
TE David Njoku:
On if his TD catch was the best of his career:
“My career isn’t over yet. Maybe. Sure.”
On if he has seen a replay of his TD catch yet:
“Yeah, I saw it. I think (QB) Jacoby (Brissett) threw a perfect ball. I don’t know what the hell he was saying before about ‘too high.’ That was perfect. Kudos goes to him.”
On his catch looking like one former Browns and free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. would make:
“Obviously, the game was not finished so I didn’t want anybody getting too hyper. It was a nice catch, but the game was not finished. I am just glad that we finished the right way.”
On what the win says about the team after two tough losses following the bye week:
“It says that we don’t quit. Everyone wants to write us off, but that does not mean anything to us. I feel like we have to just keep it close in-house and good things will happen.”
On if this win could be a propelling point for the rest of the team’s season:
“Of course. Of course, but every week is different so we have to get ready for the next week. I believe we are in Houston so we will do that.”
On ‘sending off’ Brissett with a win:
“It is a great feeling for sure. I feel like he works his butt off day in and day out, whether it is physically and mentally to help us be in the right positions to succeed. Kudos to Jacoby for sure. He is a fighter.”
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah:
On DE Myles Garrett’s performance today:
“You know Myles is that guy. You know he is the guy that, especially when it becomes crunch time, he is able to turn it up a level. That is what he did and had an opportunity, and he took it”
On the Browns’ confidence going into overtime:
“We were really confident. We had a good scheme and gameplan. I have to give thanks to the coaches. You know we are at home so we have that home field advantage. We just trust in ourselves, trust in our process and trust in our playing, and everything came into fruition.”
On defending the Buccaneers running game:
“It was a good opportunity for us to show that, like coach said, when you are down and face adversity, that is a time that you can come back. That is what we did. We had an opportunity, and we took the opportunity to win. It is all about your attitude, and it is all about your teammates.”
On if the team wanted to ‘send Brissett off’ with a win:
“That is common sense. I don’t care if Myles is at quarterback, we would still want to send him home with a win. Regardless, we are always focused on winning. I don’t think it changes if somebody is about to step down or anything like that. Basically, this game is about winning, and that is something we are always motivated by.”
On the importance of a win leading into the next week with QB Deshaun Watson returning from suspension:
“I have to say that every win is important. Of course, we have a transition at quarterback so it was a great win to be able to move forward and a little boost, a turbo. From the turbo, we will run fast and we will go day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute. We are looking forward to that process and looking forward to executing.
On knowing that a QB transition is imminent:
“We have to get back to work. We will celebrate the win tonight, and then tomorrow, the linebackers will come in and sit down to watch some film, and mistakes were made. With the second touchdown that they had, it was on me so I have to make sure I take my angles right and go to the drawing board so we can fix the mistakes and get back to doing what we do – winning.”
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones:
On this potentially being QB Jacoby Brissett’s last game as the starting QB in 2022:
“We love Jacoby. Jacoby was the reason why we were able to win this game today. We are going to play the cards we are dealt.”
On his reaction to big plays in today’s win:
“Amazing. It was amazing. Very happy. Those guys put in a lot of work to make those plays. We all count on each other and have to build off of each other.”
On if the success of the offense helps with QB Deshaun Watson returning from suspension next week:
“Absolutely. Absolutely.”
WR Anthony Schwartz:
On the win:
“IT is a very special win for the team, especially playing against the Bucs. No matter what their record is, they are a great team and there is a reason why they won a Super Bowl a couple of years ago. Seeing the whole team as a collective fight and be tough and no one quitting, from that point on we knew we were winning the game. With this being (QB) Jacoby’s (Brissett) last game, we wanted to ride off him and send him off with a win. He has been fighting for us and we appreciate him. “
On Brissett:
“Very inspiring guy. A great leader. Leads by example and leads by voice. He always gets everyone going and doing the right thing. It is great to see him going out there and fighting for us and never quitting. He gets knocked down and always gets back up. He is a great guy to play for, and I love playing for him.”
On his reaction to TE David Njoku’s TD catch:
“I was sitting there shocked.”
On his TD run:
“Honestly, by the time I went around the corner and saw it was green grass. I had a feeling it was a touchdown.”
On Brissett’s contributions this season:
“He is great. He did everything he could to win us games. He is a starting quarterback in the league and a great leader and great guy. He is someone the whole team rallies behind and someone that I wanted to rally behind. I really appreciate him and everything he has done for us.”
On the impact of today’s win on the season:
“It was huge to have the team fight and have the team finish. There have been a lot of tough losses that could have gone one way or the other, but this game was a different atmosphere. We knew we were going to win this game. There was no doubt in my mind. It is great to build off of this game.”
DE Alex Wright:
On today’s win:
“They were a very good team. That just shows the heart of this team, the grit, the grind and the fight to the end.”
On his batted pass at the line of scrimmage:
“I was trying to get the ball, but it is what it is. That is just coming up big. I couldn’t get to him due to a double team, but I tried to help our team to get off the field on a third down”
On the Browns defense’s success on third down compared to earlier in the season:
“This was a good team on third down who wanted to get the ball out early with great wide receivers. That was one of our main things that we emphasized. We have a never-say-quit attitude that goes on in this building, and a loss like last week always makes us stronger. It is just coming in, putting the work in throughout the week and coming out with a win.”
On DE Myles Garrett’s performance today:
“He is a hell of a player. Myles is going to be Myles, and that is all we want. Myles is always going to make a play, and you can always bank on Myles to make a play. He is never going to let us down so that is my guy.”
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