HC Freddie Kitchens (9.10.19)
Head Coach Freddie Kitchens:
Opening statement:
“It was good to get back out there today and get around the guys. I thought the energy was good, and I look forward to continuing our preparation for New York.”
On if the Browns gameplan will need to change when facing former Browns and NY Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams:
“No, I have not changed anything. Not yet. I probably won’t. He has the same thing to answer – I am just kidding (laughter).”
On if there was a greater attention to detail, technique and discipline at practice:
“It was addressed, and I think these guys are committed to doing something about it. We will see, but this is an everyday process. Just like training camp, it is an everyday process. We will continue to work on it.”
On working with Williams last year and the success the Browns had during that special stretch:
“Gregg and I have a bond that will always be that. Anytime you get a group of people and guys to believe in you and believe in what you are doing, it is always special. We were able to do that. The credit should go to the players because they had to buy in and they had to go perform. To answer your question shortly, yes. I respect the hell out of Gregg. I think Gregg is one of the best coaches in the National Football League and has been for a long time. It is not like he just woke up and he was there. He has been a good coach in the National Football League, even going back to going against him when he was in St. Louis and I was in Arizona. I can’t say enough good things about Gregg.”
On how QB Baker Mayfield looked in practice after having precautionary X-rays on Sunday:
“Yeah, Baker is fine. He is good.”
On Mayfield looked good throwing the ball in the practice:
“Yeah, I think so.”
On attributes for a great slot receiver:
“I think you have to have some good initial quickness, you have to be able to catch the ball in traffic and make contested catches with good strong hands and you have to be able to decipher defenses and coverages. That is probably the one attribute that gets overlooked a lot of times because you have to know the difference between a middle open and a middle close at a fast rate of speed. I think that probably sums it up.”
On if it is a tough for WRs who primarily play on the outside to be asked to play in the slot:
“It probably depends on why they were out there to begin with. The stereotype of slot receivers is short, more quick than fast, good hands, strong catcher inside and can run good routes, a good route runner. Outside guys are stereotyped as just straight speed, a lot of X. Some of those same attributes are good for both spots because you can put those guys in different situations to make plays down the field. From the slot, it is a lot easier than from outside because you can get doubles and things like that on guys outside when they are by themselves. Anytime you get other receivers on the same side with some of these other guys, it is less likely that they will get doubled. I think those are the attributes. I know it ended up being a long-winded answer, but I think those are the attributes of a good slot receiver. I would like to think that we are very versatile from the standpoint of some of the routes some of our guys can go in and run inside routes. “
On S Damarious Randall’s absence from practice:
“He is sick – stomach virus. I have not gotten the full thing. Some stomach virus. Hopefully, he will be better tomorrow.”
On LB Adarius Taylor’s absence from practice:
“High ankle sprain. I do not know the full timetable. He is a quick healer. Hopefully, he heals quick.”
On and update on T Kendall Lamm’s status:
“No, not yet. Lamm is going to be out for a little bit, but I do not know how long. It may be a couple of days or it may be a couple of weeks. I am not sure. Hopefully, it is a couple of days.
On who becomes the No. 1 backup T following Lamm’s injury:
“I do not know. We will figure that out.”
On if Senior Vice President of Communications Peter John-Baptiste could and would fill in for T Kendall Lamm as the backup LT:
“God I hope not (laughter).”
On if the Browns are going to add an OL to the roster in the coming days:
“I do not know yet.”
On if G Justin McCray could be the one to step into T Kendall Lamm’s spot as the first backup T:
“I do not know yet. The injury report comes out tomorrow so I am just giving bonuses here. Actually, it is Thursday so you have to wait another day. (laughter)”
On if LB Genard Avery will be active if Taylor is unable to play against the NY Jets:
“The activations for the game had not been made yet either. There are a lot of factors with that. You have to start factoring in offense and defense when you start activating people because of people being banged up in certain areas or whatever, but we will deal with that towards the latter part of the week and see how they are.”
On Avery not being active on Sunday as a coach’s decision:
“You can carry only 46, and I do not know where you want to take it from right now. It was a coach’s decision. Short answer, yes.”
On Williams’ comment last year that the front office determined who would be interim head coach and offensive coordinator midseason:
“I really don’t know. I am not trying to avoid your question. I really do not know. To me, that was an emotional time, not to mention our players were sitting here without two of their coaches. That was an emotional time for me. I was just told I was the offensive coordinator, get the job done and I did it. I do not know what transpired with Gregg and all that. I have nothing but great things to say about Gregg. I consider him a great mentor, a good friend. Anytime you go through something like that with someone, you kind of form a bond that we will always have. I do not have anything but good things to say about Gregg. I am really not avoiding the question. I just do not know what he was told or what he was not told. I know we had some fun with it back then, but truthfully, I do not know nor care what. I just know what I was told I was doing, and I did it.”
On CB Denzel Ward’s holding penalties on Sunday:
“I see we have to move our feet and move our feet better, not just Denzel. When you start talking about penalties, you talk about they are either not being smart football player penalties or they are technique penalties and not working your technique. I would say that is a technique penalty.”
On if he likes Ward’s mindset and ability to bounce back from the penalties:
“I like all of our guys’ mindsets and ability to bounce back versus setbacks in general.”
On RG Eric Kush’s performance against Tennessee:
“I thought Kush played well. I thought he held his own in there. He matched up against a pretty good player for the most part all day, and I thought he played well.”
On if Kush will be the RG for Monday:
“Right now, yes.”
On if Browns players were not as serious last week as opposed to today:
“I did not get that, no. I think that I would be the first to get that. We do ask these guys to look in the mirror. Coaches, players, everybody, look in the mirror. I would say that. Overall, I think we have had a pretty business-like approach. Let’s just take the penalties out of the game. Let’s do that, and then we will be fine.”
On if the Titans took the Browns DL out of the game due to their offensive scheme:
“I think Tennessee did a very good job of executing their gameplan, whatever that game plan was. Really I am not interested – no disrespect at all – in talking about the Titans anymore. It is over. We have moved on. This is literally the first time I have heard about the Titans in 24 hours.”
On if the Browns need more production from the DL:
“I need the penalties to cease. That is what I need.”
On the Browns special team’s performance and the unite seeming improved on Sunday:
“I thought our coverage units were outstanding. You are right, we had two penalties. One of them was a defensive holding on (CB) Greedy (Williams) outside and then the other one was an illegal double team block, which I don’t know – it was one of those.”
On if he was pleased with the Browns special teams overall:
“I was. I was pleased with the effort, the attention to detail and the ability to go down a make a play. They started several drives – four drives, I think – inside the 20 and three inside the 10 or something like that. Maybe I got my numbers backwards, but they were inside the 20 four times during the course of the game. Starting after his (P Jamie Gillan) first punt that he got off was not the best punt but he got a good roll out of it. Then after that, he had three punts with over five seconds hang time. You do a good job of doing that and you can limit the amount of return yards that they have.”
On the significance of the Browns’ win against the NY Jets on Thursday Night Football last year:
“They had been 20 something games without winning. I think they were ecstatic to get a win. Anytime you can win at home, that is a good thing. It brings excitement back to the city and all those sorts of things. I do not know what else to say about it. It is big because you are coming off a 1-15 year and a 0-16 year, and then you win a game the third game of the year. It is huge.”
On Mayfield performing well in his first NFL game to guide the Browns to the win:
“He is relentless. He is a competitor. He just competes. May not always know what the talking back then, did not really know what the reads were and stuff like that but he just made stuff happen. One of the best things that I can say about a person is just being a relentless competitor, and I think that is what he is.”
On if he is nervous having a starting WR on punt return, given WR Jarvis Landry fielded a punt on Sunday:
“No. Jarvis is the definition of a football player. It does not make me nervous at all. It actually makes me very calm and has a calming effect that he is back there fielding the ball.”
On if he could see Landry fielding punts again:
“I could. I did not say it would, but I could potentially see it… Once or twice more… This game (laughter). I am just messing with you.”
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