Browns Players (10.31.22)
G Joel Bitonio:
On the Browns offense’s success:
“It was a good mix. We knew that we wanted to try and run the ball a little more. We took our shots in the passing game and (QB) Jacoby (Brissett) and (WR Amari) Coop(er) made big plays. We want to be a team that can run the ball and have play-action.”
On the importance of RB Nick Chubb:
“He is very important. He is one of our leaders. He works his tail off. It is just awesome to block for him”
On the direct snap TD by Chubb:
“We were a little beat up at tight end with (TE) David (Njoku) out. We put in a couple of jumbo packages with a couple of extra linemen, and that was one of the plays that we wanted to run.”
On the rivalry with the Bengals:
“We know they are a great team. They were in the Super Bowl last year so we understand it is always a big test for us.”
WR Amari Cooper:
On how to feels to play a complementary game between all three phases:
“It felt great. Whenever we play like that, we are going to get the W whenever we get the people in the building and the players on the team to make it happen. It felt good.”
On if this game justifies the team’s confidence to turn the season around:
“For sure. We have been in the league long enough to know that a big component of it is momentum. This was a great momentum game for us, and hopefully, we can build on it.”
On QB Jacoby Brissett’s performance tonight:
“Jacoby played fantastic tonight. I think he has played good football all year. I think the thing that stood out tonight was the complementary football for both sides of the football and special teams. Obviously, we still have some things to work on, and that is why we practice and go back to the drawing board, but this is a good game to build off of.”
On if what the team envisions is looking to make a breakthrough:
“Obviously being in the league for a while, you start to understand the ebbs and flows of the season. The matter of fact is the season is very long. Strange things have happened. Teams go on runs. Teams win the first six games and then lose all of the rest of them. We are very optimistic and believe in the players and personnel we have in the building so I think we will be alright.”
On his interception thrown:
“It was an abomination. It just kept running through my mind that if he wasn’t open, I needed to just throw it away. I didn’t realize how hard it was to throw it away. That is what I tried to do. I did not try to throw it to him. I was throwing it back to the line of scrimmage, and I looked up and it was in another guy’s hands. It was terrible. I don’t think they will have me throwing any more passes (laughter). It feels like the whole world is watching you when you make a bad play like that. I understand that the game is long and there are ample opportunities to make up for the bad plays that you make.”
T Jack Conklin:
On if the game helps the Browns get back on track:
“Yeah, we now have a week to get guys healthy and just build off of this. It’s all we can do, and that is important to stack the little things and keep doing that.”
On QB Jacoby Brissett’s performance this season:
“He has handled everything well and is a good game manager.”
On if he saw T James Hudson III’s block on the TD run:
“I heard he killed him, which is awesome. I haven’t seen it yet, but I heard it was a pretty darn good block. You are just pumped about a guy who has worked that hard and is really improving. It is great to see him come in and make an impact like that.”
On how refreshing it is to snap a losing streak at home on primetime on Halloween:
“It is awesome anytime you come out on Monday night and run the ball like that to get a win to get us back on track. It is very important.”
DE Myles Garrett:
On if the team is turning the corner defensively:
“We are starting to. We put together two pretty good performances in a row. This one was big, showing up in the first half and keeping them under 17 points. That is what we look to do every game. This type of performance is something we need to stack on.”
On if he felt like he helped set the tone in tonight’s game, including impacting the first interception:
“It did. That first tipped pass leading to an interception and then that sack, it felt like everyone was like, ‘The bank is open. Everyone grab something.’ I was rushing to get to the passer to make a big play, but there were a lot of guys playing lights out. It was just beautiful to see.”
On confidence the team could help make Bengals QB Joe Burrow uncomfortable tonight:
“Just confident. Just liked the matchup. He is a great quarterback, and it is difficult to get to him, especially with how quick they get the ball off, but if and when we make him bring the ball down, we are rushing and we are going to get there. We had enough time to get there and have an effect on the game.”
On what the Browns need to do during their bye week to build for the second half of the season:
“It has to be routine. It has to be the standard. We have to make sure that everything we did leading up to this game is the same the week after this one. I think we have what it takes. We have taken our lumps, but we will show what we have and our dedication to the game and what it takes to get wins in this league because they don’t come easily. Right now, to get a win like this, and in a dominant fashion, it is showing the guys how good we can really be.”
On how the atmosphere felt with the crowd, the Monday night game and Halloween:
“Damn it, it felt good. To have the crowd behind us fully and have a lot of big plays on offense and defense with some young guys out there making plays, you can’t ask for a better setting to have a great game. Those guys have balled out in all three phases. It is going to be talked about and remembered for a while. With that comes the responsibility to keep doing it and the consistency. I think we have the guys to do it.”
On if the light is back on for the team to compete for the division title:
“The light was never gone. That is all we talked about: empty the tank, 100 percent commitment to your craft and your brother. See what we can get out of it, especially going into the bye week. We had a lot of guys buy completely into that message, and it really showed.”
On if tonight was the perfect example of playing complementary football:
“I don’t want to say perfect. Perfect would have been a shutout, but it was damn close. It was a fun one to play in because it felt like everything was clicking all over the field.”
On QB Jacoby Brissett representing tough football:
“He is tough. He is going to hang in the pocket, make the throws and fight for yardage. He is not going to back down from anything. If he makes a mistake, it rolls off his back, and he is out there trying to make another big play or get us a first down. The man really embodies it.”
On if this game was circled after what was said by the Bengals in the preseason:
“Heck yeah. We really wanted to get after them. They definitely had this one circled, as well. We all wanted to get after them after what they said about our defense and what they were going to do. We can’t wait to see them again in their house.”
On the Bengals and Burrow bringing out the best in the Browns defense:
“I don’t know if it’s him saying the sacks are underrated or the wide receivers talking about our defensive backs, but I guess they just light a fire in us and we are able to get after them a little differently. Burrow and I are cool off the field, but in between the goal line and me, he is going to have to take that L.”
CB A.J. Green:
On why the Browns match up well with the Bengals:
“I don’t know. I just feel like we try to come in every week and just play our best. There is a lot brewing up to this point.”
On how hard it is to wait for an opportunity like tonight and how special it is after spending a lot of time on special teams:
“I wouldn’t say it is typically hard or anything like that. It is just kind of waiting for an opportunity being behind (CB Denzel) Ward, who is a pretty good corner, and (CB) Greg (Newsome II), a pretty good corner, and MJ (CB Martin Emerson, Jr.), the rookie, who is having an outstanding season and then (CB) Greedy (Williams), so it is like just kind of knowing the level I have to stay up to and play up to and knowing what I can do and what I’m capable of. Every time I go out there, I know I belong so I just go out there and have to prove it.”
On if he thought he had a TD following the interception:
“I didn’t know he had touched me. I wish they would have blown the whistle or something because I was gassed after that. That was pretty much it.”
T James Hudson III:
On going in motion on the TD run:
“I was going to get in on that play so I kind of spoke it into existence. I visualized it. I made the play.”
On the running start of going in motion being new for him:
“Definitely. Definitely new to me, but I like it. It is something I could possibly get used to. I don’t know.”
On if it was fun going in motion:
“It is definitely fun. I remember I saw (49ers T) Trent Williams do it last year, and I was like ‘I wonder what I would look like doing that.’ You know? It came up this week. Like I said, last year when I saw him play, I was thinking about it and what I would look like being in the fly motion and coming downhill like that. I will look like a little athlete. Make something happen.”
On going viral on Manningcast and on Twitter:
“I’m going to have to go check Twitter in a little bit to see what they are talking about.”
On if his phone blew up with messages after the game:
“It was. I mostly saw my friends texting me. My friends text me first, but I’ll go check it and see what they are talking about here in a little bit.”
On getting a win to snap the losing streak:
“It means a lot. Getting that W going into the bye week is something we really wanted to do and have a good taste in our mouth going into the bye week. I’m glad that we came out with the W and made it happen.”
CB Greg Newsome II:
On the Browns DL being able to pressure Bengals QB Joe Burrow and how it made his job easier:
“For sure. It makes our job a lot easier. When our guys are getting home, it makes our job a lot easier. Just shout out to (defensive coordinator) Joe Woods for putting us in great schemes and running great stunts up front and they were able to get home today.”
LB Sione Takitaki:
On why the Browns defense was successful against Bengals QB Joe Burrow and the Bengals tonight:
“Obviously, we had a good gameplan that our coaches put together. When you lose so many games like that, everybody just comes together to get a win. People were tuned-in during practice so I feel like scheme.”
On getting the division win:
“It is big. It came at a good time going into the bye. How much would it suck to get a loss and go into the bye. A lot of guys who are banged up right now and can get healthy and come back stronger.”
On the rivalry with the Bengals:
“I feel like there is a lot of build up during the year for this game, especially recently with the star weapons. We are a rowdy bunch and they are a rowdy bunch so it is a good division game.”
DE Isaiah Thomas:
On how the Browns defense felt tonight:
“It felt like the first time in a while that we just had fun. Just go out there and play. Doing our jobs and sticking to the game plan.”
On the energy entering the game:
“I don’t know, it just felt different coming out of that tunnel. You could see it on guys faces in pregame. Just out there locking in and focusing.”
On takeaways from tonight’s game:
“Know what we are capable of. Doing the stuff that we have been preaching for eight weeks. We are out there executing our job and take that into the next week.”
On the momentum during the game:
“You just want everybody to get a piece of the fun. Guys are hungry making more plays as a team. We are out there wanting to make plays for the betterment of this team.”
K Cade York:
On getting back in the win column:
“Obviously, it feels pretty great going into the bye week with a win.”
On the atmosphere in the stadium and making kicks:
“I thought I was striking the ball better for the most part. Obviously, the first one is a little disappointing. I haven’t seen necessarily what exactly happened on it, but when it comes down to it, I need to get the ball pulled up a little bit quicker. Other than that, I feel like I hit it well. I had a PAT that was off, but I was working on some stuff this week and I felt like I implemented it pretty well. I just have to keep doing better with it.”
On if Bengals K Evan McPherson’s misses show how difficult it is to kick at FirstEnergy Stadium:
“It’s not even just FirstEnergy. It’s just hard to kick in the NFL. You have times when you will have bad days and you try to put stuff together. Stats don’t always show how good of a season you are having. You might be 100 percent but you haven’t attempted anything crazy or you might be 70 percent but you have done some good stuff for the team. Evan is a great kicker, and he is going to bounce back just fine. It’s just difficult to kick in general.”
On entering the bye with a win and renewed confidence:
“For sure. There have been so many close games that could have gone either way. We should have pulled some of those out. Going into the bye with a [win], especially a divisional game against the Bengals and game stakes in the division, it is a breath of fresh air to get to take two weeks to prepare for the next team.”
On the 55-yarder at the end of the first half:
“There were basically two kicks in a row I got blocked down the middle so I was pissed off. I got to the sideline and tried to see what happened. I couldn’t see on the pictures they gave us so I just went out there pissed off and tried to hammer it, honestly. It felt pretty good.”
# # #
***Visit the Browns Media Center for materials provided by the Browns communications department, including media schedules, press releases, quotes, photos, media guides, rosters, depth charts and more.***