LG Joel Bitonio (9.15.23)
Joel, can you just talk about what it is like to go into Pittsburgh and this big Monday night game and trying to keep the streak?
“Yeah, it’s a tough place to play. We haven’t had too much success there as an organization and we know anytime you go there, especially on Monday night, they have a really good history of winning games there. So for us, it’s a huge challenge. Division game. You got to try and get as many of those as you can and so we know they’re going to be ready for the challenge as well. But it’s a big opportunity for us. We’re really focused on improving each day this week and going in and hopefully putting on a good performance for ourselves.”
Does that place itself feel different than other stadiums, just with the crowd and everything that kind of comes with it?
“I mean, for me, we play there so often, you know what I mean? It’s one of the three that we play every year, so you get a different feel for it, you know what I mean? They have great fans and they get rowdy and they support their team and they have a long history of winning there, so it’s definitely a tough place to play.”
How do you think Dawand (Jones) did stepping in for Jack and then obviously the challenge this week, he’s got to go up against TJ Watt?
“Yeah, very solid. Anytime you get thrown in the fire, like mid-game, it’s always a quick adjustment. But I thought you saw in pass protection his potential; you know what I mean? He did some really good things and him and Wyatt (Teller) are just working out to communicate, understand where we’re going on all the run plays and everything like that. But he did a really good job. I think he’s focused this week. I’ve seen a real focus. And now he probably has one of the top three edge rushers in the game that he has to play on the road on a Monday night game for his first start. So it’s a big ask for him. But he’s very focused this week and we have a lot of respect for TJ Watt and what he does as a player, so it’ll be a big challenge for him. But he is very focused on taking those steps to be ready to play.”
Is winning a regular season game there on your bucket list?
“I would love to win a game there. I really hadn’t even thought about it. When you go through the season, obviously we haven’t won a game since I’ve been there, regular season game there. So it’d be good if we got that win, but as a team, we don’t talk about that too much, you know what I mean? We’re just focused on the Steelers and ourselves and trying to be the best versions of ourselves this week.”
How do you think not having (Cameron) Heyward is going to affect their defense?
“Yeah, he’s obviously one of their leaders, obviously one of the better D end, D tackles in the league. They have some depth, though. We watched them in the preseason in this first game, and they brought some guys in, but I think it’s going to be a multiple-guy effort to replace him. Like, you’re not going to have a guy that plays 80 snaps like he does every week, and obviously, he’s a dynamic player for them, so it changes things a little bit. But they still have some very talented guys starting with TJ (Watt) and Alex (Highsmith) on the edges. Larry (Ogunjobi) inside, obviously we know a lot about him, but they’re going to rotate some guys in on that left side that we’ll have to be ready for as well.”
How would you rank TJ (Watt) and Alex (Highsmith) in terms of pass rush duos in the NFL?
“Yeah, they’re up there. They’re very good. I don’t have an exact list, but they’re both very talented. I mean, if you look at the sack numbers last year and when they both played in the game, they were one of the better defenses in the NFL. So, it’s a credit to them. They work hard, they play hard, they get every key they can to really try and take advantage of an offense. But they’re very good. They’re up there, probably top three or four in the league.”
You’ve gone against defenses in this division especially like Pittsburgh, that fly around, hit, talk, do all that kind of stuff. What does it mean to have a Browns defense that’s playing with that kind of swagger?
“It’s huge. I think we started off the season right. I think our defense played how they played all training camp. They were flying around, they were confident, they had some really good adjustments, and they moved the guys around up front to give them matchups that they liked. And if they can keep playing like that, it makes the whole team’s job easier. But we’re pleased with that week one. Now we’ve got to keep carrying over. One week you win the game. Now you have to come back and play week two, which is it’s consistency is this league is the theme.”
We’ve talked about defenses that move around like that. How difficult is that, Joel? When you’re trying to figure out assignments and matchups?
“If you have a guy like Myles (Garrett) you probably want to put two bodies on him as much as possible. So, if he’s lined up at one position, it’s a little bit easier to be like, all right, we can chip this guy or we can slide to this guy constantly. But if he’s moving around, you don’t know where he’s at. So, it makes it a little bit tougher to be like, yes, we can double team every play. And if you put five guys in the line, if you’re keeping a running back in to help double team, you’re not getting another guy out on the route. So to move around like that, definitely makes you communicate a little more. As you saw in the game, there’s a few times where you’re not going to be able to get that double team and he has a one-on-one matchup.”
The pregame notes say this will be 100 straight regular season starts for you. It seems pretty significant after how your career started with a couple of injuries. How important is that to you to have this kind of run?
“Yeah, that’s cool. I didn’t know about that one. Good notes there, Dan (Murphy). No, anytime you can go out there and play, it’s a blessing. And I know early in my career, I felt like I was unlucky and football is one of those things where we saw Jack (Conklin) the other day. Half a second earlier, half a second later, and he’s probably still playing. So, it is a lot of luck. But to be out there with the guys anytime you get a chance to play is pretty special. So I’m, you know, taking every game one game at a time, but it’ll definitely be something I can look at after the game and be like, it’s pretty cool.”
Joel, now that you guys have a game in your pocket, how would you compare Deshuan’s (Watson) comfort level going to Pittsburgh this time versus say last year?
“Yeah, definitely more comfortable with the offense. We played in Pittsburgh now as a group know it wasn’t our best game at the end of last year, but I think we have that confidence. I think we had one game this year to kind of get some stuff under our belt, and obviously, it was a sloppy weather game and things like that, but the confidence in what we’re running is there. Now we just got to go out there and execute and continue to improve the minor details to make it really work.”
But his command of the offense, did you notice a difference?
“Yeah. Yeah, we have a lot more checks in. We have a lot more different run, pass run options that we can pull out. And last year, we had a little bit more just kind of basics.”
For the new guys like Juan (Thornhill) and Elijah Moore. What advice would you give them going to a game like Pittsburgh?
“Yeah, I mean, they played in big games. Juan’s played in the Super Bowl, so I think he has some experience playing in those big games. And for us, it’s like we have a lot of respect for Pittsburgh and what they’ve done as an organization, we’re truly trying to focus on ourselves to be the best. But I think if they just come in there and treat it like the next game on our schedule, and that’s the most important game of the year because it’s our next game. If we have that mentality, I think we’ll go in with the right thought process.”
If you saw somebody doing a crossover before when they were looking at you, what would be your thought process?
“Slide left. You know what I mean? No. We always joke he has that Euro step. That’s what I call his best pass rush move anyway. So to put a basketball like he’s dribbling maybe just gets him into his mindset, and he’s lined up over the left guard practice before and it’s one of those ones where it’s like, you know you’re going to have a battle when he lines up there. But I don’t know, that’d be one that you have to ask me after because I would never expect to see that on the football field.”
He’s never done it to you?
“No. I mean, he’s Euro stepped on me, but he’s never done the little dribble before a play.”
I was going to ask that. Is that Euro step, is that just impossible to stop when he does it, or close to impossible?
“It’s pretty good. And the thing about him is a lot of guys kind of have like a little Euro step in there, but he has such cover, such a distance with it. He’s so fast and powerful that it makes his kind of one of a kind. But yeah, that’s the Myles Garrett move that I feel like, alright, if he’s going to want to pass rush that’s probably what he’s going bring out to the drive.”
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