G Joel Bitonio (10.1.20)

G Joel Bitonio:

On being on yesterday’s injury report (back) and if he expects to play Sunday: 

“I am going to get some stuff going at practice today and see how it feels when I am going out there. We are just taking it day to day right now, and then we will see how we feel after today’s practice.”

On G Wyatt Teller: 

“He has had some big blocks for us this year. I think quite a few of our long runs have come off a good Wyatt Teller pull block. It has been good to see. I know he worked hard this offseason to try and get a position and make those things, but it is nice to have a guy in there that knows what he is doing. He is playing hard. He is getting guys on the ground and making big things happen. We keep talking every week that we want to be consistently good as a group, and that comes with week-to-week preparation and just bringing your game every week. You are only as good as your last game so we are going to go into this game and make sure we are focused and try and try to run the ball well again against Dallas.”

On if the Browns are prepared for a potential offensive shootout with the Cowboys, given the Browns have focused primarily on the running game in the first three weeks: 

“Yeah, I think I think we are prepared. We ran our two-minute drills and everything like that in camp, and we have the weapons to throw the ball when we need to. Obviously, as a group, we like to finish the game running the ball because that usually means you are winning the game and you do not have to take too many chances. We ran the ball 37 times last game, and it wears on the defense. It tires them out a little bit and it gives us a chance to fire off and be a little more aggressive. We are going to be prepared. We know not every game is going to be like that, and we are going to have some tough battles here where we are going to have to throw the ball late to try and get a win. We will be prepared when that moment comes.”

On if he was dealing with the back injury during the game on Sunday: 

“It popped up during the game, Kind of early in the game, it just got a little unsettled there for me for a little bit. When your adrenaline is going in the game and stuff like that, you just battle through that and find a way to get through it, and then you wake up Monday morning and you do not feel very good. We are working on it. We are going to go out there today, test it out a little bit and see how we are feeling.”

On how important his consecutive snap streak is to him: 

“You want to be out there for your teammates more than anything. Whenever I missed a game early in my career, I just felt like I was letting the guys down around me. As a player on this team, you want to be out there for your guys. You have a little thing going, and I want to be out there for Jed (T Jedrick Wills Jr.) and I want to be out there for (C) JC (Tretter), (G) Wyatt (Teller), (QB) Baker (Mayfield) and (RB Nick) Chubb and just be able to help the guys. That is your chance. We get paid to play this game, and when you are not playing, you feel like you are letting people down. That is the goal every week. It is important. I think we are at like 51, going on 52 games now me and JC have played together every snap. It is just one of those things that we just want to keep it going. We do not know how long ago it is going. We are not going to have 10,000 snaps like big (former Browns T) Joe Thomas and stuff like that, but it is just a pride thing. You want to go out there and play when you can. Injuries happen and things happen, but it is just something you take pride in. You do not want to let the guys around you down. I think that is the main takeaway from that.”

On WR Jarvis Landry playing his 100th consecutive career game this week: 

“It is very impressive. One hundred games in this league is something to really hold your hat on. He is playing at a high level, too. He has done some things that I think a lot of receivers in this league have never done – the amount of catches he has had and the things he has done. To not miss a game is very impressive, especially since he has been banged up before. Last year, I know he battled through some things and had some offseason stuff going on. It is very impressive. Consistency in this league, people can have good games. If you are in the NFL, you will have a good game here, but who can do it consistently, and for 100 games is beyond impressive. That is a big time accomplishment for him.”

On Cowboys DE Aldon Smith’s comeback story: 

“He is playing at a high level for them right now. It is a pretty good find for them. Not playing for five years and then to come out and produce the way he is producing, it is one thing that you see guys that have high pressure games and things like, that but he is closing on the quarterback and getting sacks, and he is a factor in the run game, too. He is playing at a high level. It is definitely something we saw on their defense. They have some good pass rushers kind of all along their defensive front. We think those outside linebackers are some of the strengths of their team. For us to find a way to shut those guys down is going to be big for us. Just watching the Seattle game and the way he got to the quarterback and finished his rushes were very impressive.”

On how different RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are when in the huddle:

“It is a difference for sure. I do not think Chubb has ever spoke in the huddle one time since I have been here. It is the same face, the same guy. I think maybe he smiles for a couple minutes after we win a game, and then he is back the same serious guy working and preparing for the next week. Kareem is a little bit more vocal out there. He is not afraid to dish it with the defensive players and let people know, and he will try and hype up the O line. He is a vocal guy. He is probably one of the most vocal guys once we get in the huddle, and Chubb is literally the opposite. It is fire and ice out there with those two.”

On if it is important to the team that Chubb is considered one of the league’s best RBs, particularly given Chubb does not care about the accolades:

“Yeah, I think anybody who watches us knows that Nick is an elite back in the league. For us, the goal is to win the game. If we run the ball well, then so be it, but we want to find a way to win the game. If they are going to try and take it away and we have to hit them with some play action and some passing games this week and Nick only runs the ball for 10 times of something like that and we win this game, that is the most important thing. You see storylines where you have two great running backs or three great running backs on the field at once, but our goal is to get the win, and that is any way possible. If we can show the world a little bit more that Nick is a stud because all of us here in this building know that he is, it will be a bonus because when you are running the ball a lot, usually, you are winning the game and doing some good things. We are just looking forward to trying to find anyway possible to get the win.”

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