LB B.J. Goodson (1.13.21)
LB B.J. Goodson:
On the value of Browns players having playoff experience prior to this year:
“We have experience, and that is great going into games, having guys who are experienced like that. Going into each and every game at this point, you have to pour your all out into it. Just being experienced is not enough at this point. Just kind of taking that approach and not taking anything for granted as far as where we are here today.”
On defending Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes as a LB:
“It is tough. Obviously, he is a really good quarterback. Does a lot with his arm. Keeps plays alive with his feet. He is a handful to handle. We are looking forward to competing against him.”
On defending Chiefs TE Travis Kelce:
“Just have to contest and compete. Contest and compete. A lot of guys get caught not necessarily being too relaxed or too much of a cushion, but when I say compete and contest throws, I mean just kind of getting tighter on him and stuff like that.”
On if Kelce is a player who you need to be in his face coming off the line of scrimmage:
“You just have to defend him the best that you can. I think the important thing is just being in position to compete and contest.”
On what impresses him most about Head Coach Kevin Stefanski:
“His drive every single day is the same. His consistency has been the same throughout the year so that is probably the thing that sticks out to me the most about him.”
On how Stefanski’s consistency helps him as a player:
“Everything is a trickle effect. From seeing that, Stefanski, he never panicked at any point along our journey of this season. He never panicked. He stayed the course, and we are here.”
On how he hurt his shoulder and how the shoulder is feeling:
“The ground is undefeated (laughter). Just taking it a day at a time. Just trying to get back as healthy as possible.”
On if he expects to be able to play on Sunday:
“For sure, definitely looking forward to playing.”
On the impact of CBs Kevin Johnson and Denzel Ward returning today:
“It is huge. It is really, really huge to have all hands on deck going into this contest. Looking forward to seeing my dawgs back out there doing what they do.”
On if the Browns defense will look to decrease blitzes when facing the Chiefs and Mahomes, given the frequency in doing so in recent weeks against the Steelers:
“To be 100 percent honest, that is not a question for me. Even though I have an opinion, it is not necessarily a question for me. I definitely understand where you are coming from with your question.”
On the QB show with QB Baker Mayfield and Mahomes playing in the same game on Sunday and if he remembers the two QBs facing each other in college:
“I definitely do not remember that game. They are both two great competitors, I will say that. Therefore, I see it being a competition from start to finish, especially between those two guys.”
On his experience with COVID-19:
“It hit really hard – really, really hard. During my downtime, I really just felt bad for those who are older who experienced what I went through. It is a tough thing, and I am just thankful for the staff and all that they did for me during my time in need.”
On if he experienced a fever, chills, no sense of taste or smell and body aches:
“Yes.”
On how tough it was knowing other Browns players were exposed to him when he had COVID-19:
“To be 100 percent honest with you, I was more so concerned about that because those guys have families. I have a daughter myself so that was the first thing that came to my mind. ‘Are these guys OK? Are their families OK?’ That was the first thing that came to my mind. Just got to thinking about who was I around and things of that nature. They did a great job with the [contact] tracing and all of that stuff.”
On how disappointing it was to learn he tested positive for COVID-19 the day before the NY Jets game and if it was a relief that the team was able to overcome the challenges and make the playoffs:
“Everything just happened so fast. It was just a pretty crazy moment and kind of an unbelievable moment, especially for a guy like myself who tries to do everything the right way. Unfortunately, I was in a situation where I put other teammates at risk so they had to suffer the consequences of our actions, so to speak, which is tough. You never know. You just never know. I think that is the biggest thing with it is you just never know. It is a very serious deal.”
On Stefanski saying the team could learn lessons from the incident and what the team learned from the experience, given COVID-19 is still an issue:
“That is for sure. It is just so tough. A guy like myself, I come to work, I go home and that is that. You just never know. You can get it from pumping gas at the gas station or whatever the case may be. It is so crazy. You just never know. You just never know.”
On how impressive it has been to see multiple Browns players step in and make contributions throughout this season:
“It just shows the resiliency of our team that we have. It shows great character of guys being willing to step up and stepping up in the case of certain guys or other guys going down. It is a beautiful thing. It just shows how important the word ‘team’ is.”
On how much the team embraces the ‘underdog role’:
“Just taking every game a game at a time and just trying to go 1-0 each week. That just has been the goal every single week. We have been a bunch that has kept our head down, has just grinded this thing out and been working every single day, and here we are.”
On how hungry Browns players are for more after having a taste of postseason success:
“It is the playoffs. It does not get any better than this. We are one of the last few teams that are still playing so it is a big deal.”
On what is the most time he would feel comfortable going on the field against Mahomes with a chance to win the game:
“With a chance to win? Whenever there is opportunity, there is a chance to win. It does not matter how much time is on the field. As long as there is a ball and there is time up there, I can say, ‘Roll it out. Spot it.’ It does not matter where, spot it, and we will deal with whatever situation it is or whatever the case may be, but that is just our mentality.”
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