QB Kellen Mond (8.1.23)
Kellen, how excited are you for the opportunity you have Thursday?
“I’m really excited. First time putting a Browns jersey on in a game, going to be able to start Hall of Fame game and have been off to a good start in training camp. So, I’m really excited.”
Kellen, what does it mean to you? I mean, this is a game, first game of the year, everybody’s watching that. What does all that mean?
“I think when you start to get more experience in the NFL, you start to realize whatever you put on tape is going to be what people think of you and going to be your results. So, every time you step on the field, your goal should be to put good film on tape, play well, execute, and at the end of the day, put the ball in the end zone. So that’s what I’m most excited for.”
How would you say you’ve progressed since you got here to this point now?
“I think just learning the offense, obviously, and this is my third offense in the NFL and just getting with Kevin (Stefanski), AVP (Alex Van Pelt) and just learning how I can get better with my fundamentals, how I can continue to be accurate and make good decisions with the football.”
Does it feel like forever since you played in a game?
“No.”
How does this offense suit your ability and skill set?
“It’s the west coast system, but it has a lot of spread elements to it. And I think part of the goal this offseason and getting some other receivers, is to even spread out a little bit more and see how we can give a lot of these playmakers the opportunity to go make plays. So, I think it’s a blend of the play action and run with Nick Chubb, but also the vertical thread game.”
Kellen, you’ve got a lot of good receivers sort of on the back end of that depth chart that you’re going to be able to work with. So, can you just talk about some of the guys that you’re excited to connect with on Thursday night?
“Yeah, Cedric’s (Tillman) obviously been playing really well. David Bell’s been playing well, and a lot of the other guys.”
What about JOK (Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah)?
“JOK doesn’t play receivers – he doesn’t have hands. But yeah, a lot of guys who are going to be able to service this team really well who aren’t the Amari Cooper’s, you know, Donovan Peoples-Jones. So, we have a really talented long list of guys, who are starting to get more experience, and if they continue to play well, coach will definitely develop more trust within them.”
You’ve worked a lot with Dalen Baldwin over the course of the last week or so. Tell us a little bit about him and what you’ve noticed about him since last year.
“I think he’s one of the guys who obviously he’s good when he comes on the field, but he’s really intelligent when it comes to the classroom and he wants to try and think the game just like a quarterback and anytime you’re able to do that as a receiver, it always helps and translates to the field.”
Kellen, being here last year and being in this room, what did you learn from your experience last year that you think you can take over into Thursday?
“You know, I think every quarterback is able to present some sort of skill set where I’m able to learn from (them). And obviously, Jacoby (Brissett) plays a lot different style than Deshaun (Watson). There are certain things I can learn from Jacoby – you know, how he kept the game really simple, played fast and tried to get the ball out of his hands. And then obviously Deshaun’s playmaking ability and his really just explosive mindset, wanting to create big plays. So being able to take certain things from both people and be able to see how it fits within my play style.”
You played your whole life and then you got to the NFL and had to sit out a bit. How difficult is it to deal with just being patient and knowing that your time will come eventually if you put the work in?
“You know, it’s always difficult and obviously your whole entire life, even going through college you’ve played every single year and then you get to the NFL. But at the end of the day, us players, once you start to get a little bit older, you start to realize it’s a business. And like I was saying earlier, it’s all about what you put on tape. So, I’m just looking to go into the game, put good film on and then just play with efficiency and put the ball in the end zone.”
How would you describe your relationship with DTR (Dorian Thompson-Robinson)?
“I’ve known him for a while. IMG actually tried to play Bishop Gorman way back in the day, but they were scared to play us. I was one of the top quarterbacks in the country coming out, he was in the class behind me. So we’ve always known of each mean it’s always good to get guys who you’ve known for such a long time and you see them through college and are able to get on the practice field with them.”
When do you see yourself in September?
“I see myself a Cleveland Brown and like I said, just trying to continue to get better and figure out how I can continue to improve myself and how I can provide value to Deshaun and other coaches.”
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from Deshaun?
“I think Deshaun, he’s extremely intelligent and I think one thing when he watches films, he’s able to kind of put himself in the shoes of the quarterbacks that he’s watching and be able to be creative with play calls and figure out how we can create explosive plays. You see him coming from Houston and I think he threw for 5000 yards in ’20, so just trying to see how he can get back to that shape and how he can create explosive plays in this offense.”
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