HC Freddie Kitchens (10.13.19)
Head Coach Freddie Kitchens:
Opening statement:
“I thought our guys fought hard today. Too many mistakes. Too many mistakes in the red zone. Can’t overcome all of those. Still had a chance to overcome them. Ended up [first]-and-20 on that last drive then we ended up throwing a pick on second down so that was the game. Felt total confidence in the fact that we could have taken the ball down and scored a touchdown. We were not able to do that. Any time you get backed up first-and 20 or second-and-20, it becomes very difficult to move the ball. That has to stop.”
On the last two offensive series of the first half:
“I thought about scoring. I thought about scoring, using my three timeouts to get the ball back and score again. That was the mindset I was in.”
On QB Baker Mayfield’s pass to WR Jarvis Landry in the end zone that was deflected and intercepted:
“I have to see it again. I thought the ball got batted up in the air. I do not know if it was a bad throw. I do not know what it was yet. I do not know. I did not sit and look at the replay.”
On if turnovers stopped the Browns offense from continuing its success after scoring 20:
“What do you think? I think it was, yeah. You can’t move the ball if you turn the ball over. Simple as that. Execution. Execution. Can’t turn the ball over. Do what you are supposed to do. I have to call better plays, but it is execution and turning the ball over. We had four turnovers. We had 400 yards of offense and had 28 points with four turnovers.”
On the officiating:
“I am not commenting on officiating. I got a memo the other day. I am not commenting on it. You guys saw the game.”
On Mayfield’s hip and if there was any indication he may not be able to return to the game:
“No, Baker is a tough individual. He is a tough quarterback mentally and physically. He will be fine.”
On Mayfield’s performance, despite two INTs as the result of deflected passes:
“I thought Baker was wired in, focused, concentrated during the course of the week. We had the best week of practice that we have had and did not execute in the critical situations, and I did not call good enough plays in critical situations. We are going to continue to get better each and every day. The people that are with us, that is what we are going to do. We are going to get better each and every day, and we are going to be playing our best football the next time we go out.”
On if the Browns showed their best quick release passing game of the year early in the game:
“Yeah, I think so. We got it our guys hands, and they were successful with it – run after catch. Baker made some good throws and made some good decisions. Our guys caught the ball, and they did something with it after they caught the ball. We were still able to run the ball. I thought we were still very efficient for the most part in the first half, except toward the latter part of the first half. Then I thought we were still efficient later on. It is just you can’t continue to make mistakes. You can’t continue to make bad play calls. You can’t continue to get penalties. I do not know what the final penalty count was, but I know there were some critical ones in there. I know at the end you can’t line up first-and-20 with three minutes and something to go in the game.”
On if he feels the team is improving each week, despite being 2-4:
“I do. I do feel like we are improving, but you are what your record is so you are 2-4. That is what we are right now.”
On where the Browns have improved:
“From a preparation standpoint, I like the progress that we made this week as opposed to last week. Moving forward, if we prepare like we did this past week, we will be just fine. We just have to take it to the game, and I thought we took it to the game. We just have to recognize the critical errors that were made and correct those. We were pretty efficient when we did not kill our self.”
On RB Nick Chubb coming back after his uncharacteristic fumble:
“Sometimes errors like that happens. Nick Chubb, I do not have a problem with Nick Chubb at all. Nick Chubb will be there until the end, until the very end. He will keep fighting. He will make up for that.”
On message to RB Dontrell Hilliard following the interception in the fourth quarter:
“Tell him to catch the ball.”
On the Mayfield interception that was intended for WR Odell Beckham Jr.:
“Odell got hit as he was going in on a slant. Odell ran a slant, and he got hit. They picked him off from the ball. It was inside of 5 yards so it is not a penalty.”
On Mayfield returning to the game after going to the locker room with a hip injury:
“He is our quarterback. He is going back in the game if he is healthy.”
On explaining the Browns’ number of penalties:
“I think it is a factor of not focusing, not concentrating. Sometimes, it is playing with emotion instead of passion. After the whistle [penalties] are emotion instead of passion. During the play, it is technique, being lazy or not doing your job. There are several things. We do not ever practice penalties. When it is something between when the ball is snapped or the whistle, it is usually technique, error, being in a bad position. Every now and then, your hand will get caught in somebody’s facemask or something like that and you are trying to tackle somebody and you get a facemask. This is not just defensively. This is offensively, too. Offense, defense, everybody is involved. You have to play with good technique during the whistle and you have to play with passion and not emotion after the whistle. That is it.”
On the Browns starting strong in front of the home crowd and the team’s desire to win for its fans at home:
“Of course, we want to win our games at home, and we have not done that yet. Of course, that hurts. We have to keep preparing. We have to go on the road now and we have to win some games we are not supposed to win – ‘supposedly’ not supposed to win. That is what we have to do. Then when we do come back home, we have to win our home games. If we will bring this kind of passion and this kind of preparation, we will be just fine.”
On if the Browns have the opportunity to correct ‘self-destructive’ aspects during the bye week such as penalties and turnovers:
“Self-destructive type things as in a holding penalty? Or what? We are going to try to correct it, yes. We are going to try to play with better technique. We are going to try not to get picked off by a linebacker running to the flat on a pick and then we are going to try to catch the balls. Yes, we are going to try to correct all of those.”
On Chubb’s run on the final series as a sign the play and running game had been successful and the ensuing holding call:
“How many did we gain? 10-11 [yards]? I didn’t – I wasn’t looking for a hold; I was looking at the next play call.”
On if a penalty at that time is jarring to a play caller when it negates a positive play and results in a negative situation late in the game:
“We were first-and-20. No, your job as a play caller is to have a call ready for that situation, and I think we did. We gained half of it back, and we were off and running again.”
On WR Odell Beckham Jr.’s performance today, given Beckham’s stats increased:
“I don’t go off of numbers. I just go off of I think Odell for the most part was where he was supposed to be and caught the balls that were there for the most part. I don’t care about the numbers.”
On the challenge at the goal line:
“Did you see the big screen? I am not going to comment on officiating. You saw the angle.”
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