G Joel Bitonio (11.15.20)
G Joel Bitonio:
On the Browns having two 100-yard rushers for the first time since 1966:
“Getting the win was the most important part, especially, and then we get these windy conditions, we are going have to run the ball on Lake Erie. That is what we have to do here. We finally got it going. We felt like we were one or two plays away, one or two blocks away in the first half. We just needed to keep doing it and just strain a little bit longer. It was impressive. Having (RB Nick) Chubb out there and the way he runs, very impressive. (RB Kareem) Hunt worked his butt off this week. It was impressive to see. It is a cool stat. We are happy to be running the ball well and getting back in that rhythm.”
On halftime adjustments:
“We had a couple of good runs in the first half, but they had a couple of good shutdowns. We felt like one guy was missing a block and we were one block away, and we said we were going to keep wearing them down. The defense was doing a great job getting us the ball back. Finally in the second half, they were containing us pretty well still when Chubb was in there but he broke that last one. I think that was all Chubb. He is special. That was cool to be a part of that.”
On if he was able to see Chubb’s 59-yard run:
“Yeah, I was on the front side. I was reaching the 3 technique and I thought he was out of bounds, and then all of a sudden, he just breaks free. I knew we had the first down and then he went out at the 1-yard line like a true professional. It was very cool to see.”
On if he is not surprised by Chubb stepping out at the 1-yard line:
“You saw with (Falcons RB Todd) Gurley and a few other guys early in the season, it is hard. You are built to score. I think he had a long time to think about it when he was running down the field and that kind of helped him out a little bit. He is a professional. He is team first 100 percent of the time. That just shows it there.”
On the weather conditions and what he was thinking during the national anthem:
“The national anthem was crazy. I do not think I have been a part of that. The wind was blowing. I thought we were in that little hurricane, maybe like a Cat 1 or something like that. It was pretty impressive. I was like, ‘I do not think we are going to be able to pass the ball if we play in this weather.’ The wind was howling all game. It was not as cold as the last game. It is just tough to make some of those throws so that is why you have to be able to run the ball and have to be able to execute because you can’t really throw the ball downfield. It is hard to make those plays in the wind. There are like 12 different flags in our stadium and I think they all blow in a different direction. I do not know which way the wind was blowing. I am glad I am not a kicker. Also, I felt like we picked the longest national anthem ever. It might have just been the weather, but that thing was taking a little while out there.”
On if part of him wanted Chubb to score on his 59-yard run:
“I am sure a lot of fantasy football people are mad that he did not score, and I do not know what the line was for the game but that might have been close to it, as well. I am sure there were some implications with him not scoring there. You want to see the guy score, but he is such a professional to win the game. They are dangerous. (Texans QB Deshaun) Watson, you do not know what he can do on offense and that just secures it. Obviously, maybe if the clock was running out, zero seconds left, go ahead and score, but we will take the win.”
On Head Coach Kevin Stefanski calling Chubb a ‘smart, tough dude’:
“He is honestly one of the best teammates I have ever been around on any level of football I have ever played. He is all about the team. He is tough. He played hard. The guy rehabbed like crazy to get back, how quickly he got back with his injury and stuff. It is just a testament to that guy. That is a guy you love to play with.”
On what the huddle was like on the last drive:
“We had to get a few first downs on that drive so we wanted to make sure we get it. Once we realized we only needed one more first down, that is when Baker comes in and says, ‘Hey, if we get the first down here, go down. We do not need anything else.’ They were out of timeouts or one left. Once he tells us that from the sideline and that is kind of how we find out what we need to do.”
On having RG Wyatt Teller back:
“It was good. It was good to have continuity. I think we had guys that we wearing on them as a group and I think you saw it late in the game we boosted a few more. He tries to mow people out there, and when you are playing, it is hard to tell who is making lead blocks and stuff like that, but it was great to just have the guy out there. I know the first game back, he worked his butt off to get back, too so it was good to have him and Hoop (TE Austin Hooper) back out there and (RB) Nick (Chubb). That was fun to have the whole offense, obviously besides OBJ (WR Odell Beckham Jr.) back out there.”
On if RBs Chubb and Kareem Hunt feeding off each other is picking up steam:
“We were talking about that, me and (C) JV (Tretter) through the game and it was like, ‘I think they run better when they are splitting carries and stuff.’ I think they realized they are not going to get as many touches and so they are trying to make something happen. I am sure they are going just as hard. I think it is just one of the things like competitive people want to be out there and I know they root for each other and stuff but they are like, ‘Hey, I want to get my opportunities to run the ball and have my chances to score and do big things.’ It is just fun to have them. You go down there, we have that one touchdown run with Chubb where he was the dominant guy running the ball and then Kareem came in and had a few drives and the Kareem started that last drive and Chubb finished it. It is just good to always have a fresh guy and you know they are top running backs in this league.”
On if he will enjoy the win tonight:
“Oh yeah, you have to always celebrate the wins. I have been here through some stuff so I take a night to celebrate, watch the film a little bit, get back after it tomorrow and start getting ready for Philly. It is our next test. It is fun to win – so much better to win. When you lose a game, you think about the two or three plays that you wish you had back. When you win those games, you still think about that, but it is a lot more in the back of your mind than it is in the forefront.”
On if he knew Chubb was going to play today throughout the week in practice:
“I saw him Monday and we were… I was not practicing Monday so I got to kind of watch, and I saw him doing some extra runs on the side and some sprints and stuff and I was like, ‘He looks like he is getting his cardio back. His knee is feeling fresh if he is running a few extra sprints and stuff.’ You never know with the knee, though. You never know how it is feeling. I kept trying to ask him all week how he is feeling and he just tells me ‘good’ all of the time. He could have just hurt it, and he would be like, ‘I am good.’ It was one of those things where I had a feeling he was coming back, but we did not make anything official until yesterday I believe.”
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