HC Freddie Kitchens (8.20.19)
Head Coach Freddie Kitchens:
On when his GQ cover shoot is scheduled:
“Soon. Seems like everyone is getting one, huh?”
On if he plans to wear the same T-shirt for the GQ cover shoot:
“I am. I will wear the same thing tomorrow.”
On if he has a comment on QB Baker Mayfield’s comment about NY Giants QB Daniel Jones:
“No. I do not have any comments. I think you probably need to go back in look. He has the ability to decide whatever he wants, but that was during the draft when it was going. He is a football fan, also. I really do not have any comment for it, and I am pretty sure he will would not. It is nothing against Daniel Jones. He was talking.”
On if ‘the bullseye’ on the Browns and Mayfield gets bigger and bigger:
“We do not care. We do not care. It is already on there so it does not matter. We will be ready to play. I do not know what a ‘bullseye’ is. I do not know what that is. Does anybody know? Does anybody know what a bullseye is? If they are not trying to beat our ass and we are not trying to beat their ass, I do not know what else you do. That is what we are going to try and do, and hopefully, they try and do the same.”
On T Greg Robinson:
“He is continuing to try to work and get better. He has had some better days than he has and good days and bad days. He has always tried to come back and get better the next day. Even in the mix of the practice, he has had some bad reps and some good reps, and I think he is going to continue to get better. What you have to understand about Greg is he is 26 years old. He has a lot of room to grow. We do not want him growing too much, though (laughter). [Grow] mentally and physically, not weight wise.”
On where Robinson can improve:
“Just his understanding and visuals of different fronts and stuff like that, knowing what they are going to do to him and to attack him. That is all.”
On P Jamie Gillan ‘teeing up’ FGs today in practice:
“With a golf club or what (laughter)?”
On Gillan making a 60-yard FG today off the kicking stand and if that is impressive:
“Did he? Yeah, it is [impressive].”
On if Gillan will have a chance to kick FGs:
“I did not even know he can kick field goals. If he is out there kicking 60 yarders, hell, he may get a chance. If you can kick a 60 yarder, your ass is going to get a chance (laughter).”
On CB Denzel Ward saying he is ready to play this week and if Ward will play Friday:
“We will let you know on Friday who is playing, but I fully expect Denzel to be ready to play.”
On how Ward has performed since returning to participation in team periods:
“He looked very good. He had a very good day yesterday. He had a pretty good day today. He looks like he is in pretty good shape for right now.”
On if he likes when players are pushing to get back on the field as Ward does:
“Oh yeah, definitely. I am glad he is in that frame of mind. It is going to benefit him well.”
On if he has seen changes in Ward’s tackling:
“Yeah, on the live periods, I saw him support a couple of run off the edge. I think all that kind of seems to matter when it matters.’
On his hockey knowledge, given multiple Columbus Blue Jackets attended today’s practice:
“I knew the run that they went on was very impressive, and it really reminded of the run that we went on in Arizona when we went to the NFC Championship game. We really did not know if they were going to do very much once they got in the playoffs, and they just go on a run there. I was very excited watching it. I used to go watch the Coyotes when I was in Arizona some. I like hockey. I do not really follow all the rules yet. Although, it tends to never matter that I still watch it and I do not really care to learn the rules. I just like the fact that what they do is impressive. Have you ever tried to ice skate? I have been on skates. That is the reason why it is so impressive (laughter). Are you serious at what they do? It is unbelievable.”
On if he watched any Columbus Blue Jackets playoff games last season:
“Oh yeah, not [in person] but I watched them every time they were on [TV]. I think every time they were on or every time I knew that they were on.”
On if he played hockey:
“No, I am from Alabama. There are no hockey sticks (laughter). There is a football, baseball and basketball and that is about it. Maybe a track every now and then. I am just talking about ice skating with your family – I’m exhausted. I am done for like two days. They are out there doing it at speeds and just making it look easy. Then they were telling our guys how they make it look easy. Like hey, do not give them too much credit. What you guys do, that is something. That is impressive.”
On if the Blue Jackets spoke to the team today:
“No. I think Baker and I talked to them. It was good to see them up here,”
On the Blue Jackets having conversations about not listening to outside expectations:
“Yeah, that is part of the mindset. These guys are of a little bit different mindset now than they were in February or March. I am not worried about our team. Our team is going to block out the noise and whoever creates the noise. It does not matter. Seriously, if you guys creates the noise, they are going to block it out. If GQ creates the noise, they are going to block it out. If Sports Illustrated [creates the noise], they are going to block it out. I have total confidence that they will block out the noise. Then it is going to go back to your point where we are worried about the opponent and that is it. We are worrying about tomorrow. We better be worried about these meetings and this walkthrough tonight, and then we are going to worry about tomorrow.”
On if he worries Mayfield may ultimately step over the line with a comment or regret something he said:
“If I ever feel like that, I will address it at that point. Baker and I have a good relationship. I think Baker knows exactly what he is doing. You guys are not giving him enough credit from the standpoint of he is 24 years old. He is very mature, but again, he is still 24-year old. He is going to have things he learns along the way, in football, in life and everything else. I do not think it matters. At the end of the day, I do not think it matters. Somebody said something about the bullseye. You said something about the bullseye? What does that matter? Do we not have a bullseye on us because we are in the NFL and we are playing on Sundays? We are going to get somebody’s best effort. What does that tell you about the team? That is like being disrespectful to the team you are playing if you do not think you are getting your best effort from them. What are they going to do? Sit like 10 starters? I do not understand that. We are going to give our best effort every week, and I hope that we get theirs. Then we will see who is best, and that is all. The expectations that you guys set does not matter about our expectations. Our expectation is to just perform the best that we can do, and that changes week to week a lot of times. You guys know how the football season goes. That is why we are just worried about tomorrow, and then we will let that take care of itself and get better the next day, and then look up a month from now and see how good we are.”
On if he agrees with QB Baker Mayfield’s comment that college success with a win-loss record correlates with success in the NFL:
“I do not even care to talk about it. It does not even matter. It does not even matter. What does that matter? I do not understand. I am not even going to address anything about that article. It does not even matter. I am only talking about everything we are doing right now. How about that one? What we are going right now.”
On how WR Odell Beckham Jr. has handled his transition to the Browns, given articles referencing his response to the trade and transition:
“I will address this one time and one time only. If you guys remember back a long time ago, I made a statement and I said I want him physically and mentally ready to go, alright? It was not that he could not learn the playbook. It was that I wanted him all in when he came, and he is all in. That is all we need to worry about right now. It does not matter what his state of mind was then. The guy was loved in New York. He spent six years in New York. That was his home so of course it is a shock. I know it is a shock. I guarantee that if you ask him now, he is not talking about that. Time stamp the article or interview.”
On if Beckham is all in with the Browns:
“No doubt. When he came back, he was all in – exactly what he promised me he would do. I trust him. He trusts me. I will not betray him. I do not think he will betray me.”
On if there is a chance Beckham will play in Friday’s preseason game at Tampa Bay:
“There is always a chance (laughter).”
On why the Browns and Browns personnel staff determined Gillan would simply be a P and not also K:
“I can’t answer that. When all of the guys were coming out, I know we all looked at him as a punter, but things change. It may have changed today. I do not know. Hopefully, they have it on video.”
On if Gillan kicked field goals on his own or if he was instructed to do so:
“I can’t confirm either way. I really can’t. [The specialists] are over there doing their routine to get loose and stuff like that. I know I have seen him over there get his leg loose by swinging it – like when you hit those hole in ones, you have practice swings (laughter) – to get his hips and legs loose. I do not know if that was the same type of thing. I have not seen the video or anything.”
On associate head coach/offensive line coach James Campen:
“He is a tough-minded individual. He is very detail oriented. He is very technique aware and savvy from the standpoint of he thinks it all starts and stops with technique, and I do, too. That is what makes us go together pretty well.”
On if he has a high level of trust in Campen, given his NFL experience and reputation:
“Yes, definitely. What I liked that he did in Green Bay was he made average players play a little better, and he made the good players Pro Bowlers or whatever. He upped their ability level by the way he coached them technique wise. All of this is in technique with blocking and tackling. It is all technique. Everybody likes to look at the physical traits – those are all fun to look at – and I have comments about that on the side that I can’t say on air. Everybody likes to see that. Nobody likes to talk about the technique, and that is where the games are won and lost.”
On optimism the Browns will know the starting RG after Friday’s preseason game at Tampa Bay:
“It depends on how they play, seriously. I told those guys the other day, we have five practices and two games [before the regular season]. If that is too much pressure for you, then you are probably in the wrong business. Everything we have done is to try to prepare them for that situation and try to put pressure on them in the midst of practice. Can someone go from on the team to off the team in five practices and two games? Of course. Can someone go from off the team to on the team? Of course. Can somebody go from a backup to a starter? Yes.”
On if DE Myles Garrett illness is a matter for concern:
“No, it is not. It may be the flu or something. I am not sure. He was not feeling really well. It started last night and carried over to today.”
On LB Genard Avery:
“Genard is a guy who can play in multiple spots. The No. 1 thing he does really well is rush the passer, and he does that off of effort and the ability to bend and things like that, which are all characteristics that we like in pass rushers. He needs to continue to get better as far as his aiming point and stuff like that, and he knows that. It is good to have a guy that is flexible. Position flexibility is always huge in this league because you can only carry so many guys to the game and so many guys are active. It is always a good thing.”
On all Browns players doing pushups following a defensive penalty:
“I got to the bottom of it. Sometimes you have to dig and get to the bottom of it. Our center flexed the ball a little bit so they also had to do it.”
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