QB Baker Mayfield (8.23.19)
(On how the game went)
“[We played] great on defense – made some plays in special teams, [and our] kicker played well. Offensively [we played] not well at all – just not good enough. It starts with me and goes from there. We’ve just got to be able to make plays against a team that’s going to line up and play Cover-One [defense]. It’s a lot of one-on-one [coverage], so we’ve got to be able to make plays.”
(On why he felt there was an apparent disconnect offensively)
“It’s little things – we will see on tape. I’m not happy with some of my throws, but we’ll see. We just have got to have all the little details ironed out. It doesn’t matter who’s in there. It’s like they say, ‘We’ve got to be able to click, whoever is in there.’”
(On if facing a 3-4 defense came at a bad time for the Browns in Week 3 of the preseason)
“No, I think the more you can practice against different defenses, the better suited you are for the long run. Then you can relate back to your past experiences and see how you handled certain things. Protection-wise, I feel like we had a good plan coming into it.”
(On not connecting with WR Rashard Higgins as well as he usually does)
“Like I said, I think we’re going to have to go watch the film. That’s why I’m pretty frustrated right now. Just the genuine connection we normally have [wasn’t there tonight]. That’s the frustrating part.”
(On the team connecting on all of its field-goal attempts)
“Any time you go four-for-four – and that first one was a long one, [it was] a great kick – it’s great insurance for us, but obviously, offensively, we need touchdowns instead of field goals.”
(On if he accomplished what he hoped to in the preseason games)
“For the most part, yes. I think we’ll be able to look at the film and really learn from this and be able to use it. The results weren’t exactly what we wanted – [we] didn’t win, but we can look at this film and learn from it. Two weeks from now, it’s the real thing.”
(On what he saw on the last play of the first half, in which he was intercepted by Buccaneers S Jordan Whitehead)
“I think it’s one of those plays [where] we’re trying to get a chunk – because we had a timeout left – be able to call a timeout and then maybe get one more play off before probably giving Austin [Seibert] a shot to kick the ball. Now that safety had a good plan and he’s reading my eyes and we’re trying to ‘high-road’ the backer. We’ll see [on tape].”
(On if he knew right away that he had a flag on the play where he was knocked out of bounds by Buccaneers DL Ndamukong Suh)
“I didn’t see the flag at first.”
(On him getting up right afterward)
“I told him my wife went to Nebraska too, so I thought he was going to take it easy on me.”
(On if that was why he gave him a tap on the helmet)
“Mmhm – I don’t think it helped.”
(On if he takes any consolation from the fact that some of the team’s key players sat out tonight’s game)
“No, I think that excuse has been used enough within our offensive meeting room, and that’s something I’m going to hammer home. That’s a very easy one to use – to say that we don’t have Jarvis [Landry] and Odell [Beckham Jr.] out there. But right now, we’re looking for people to step up. Who’s going to be that consistent number three and four? That’s the frustrating part. We expect people to do their job, no matter who it is.”
(On what stood out from the defense)
“They’re bringing the four-man pass rush and we’re getting to the quarterback. Any time you can do that, that allows you to play a lot of coverage behind it and have success. So, that’s a great sign for us.”
(On if the defense’s performance gives him confidence that the defensive side of the ball can keep them in a lot of games even if the offense is struggling)
“It gives us a little security, but obviously we want to be able to score points. There’s games throughout the season that we lean on the defense, and then they lean on us more so. Just knowing how talented they are over there and what they can do, it makes us feel pretty good about it.”
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