Select Browns Players (10.15.23)

WR Amari Cooper

 

That big 58 yard catch that you had, just what you saw on that play since so many of those yards came after the catch?

“I studied those guys all week. You study the tendencies of the quarterback, and realize that they are aggressive and use their hands alot. It made me come to the realization that I just need to be patient so I made a couple guys fall at the line. There was another play where a guy caught an interception, so it was just a battle out there for us.”

That third down catch on the sideline, that takes a lot of concentration, just take us through that catch.

“A lot of people don’t get to see me do that, that often. So, they mistake it for me not being able to do it. That’s been a theory since I came out of college because generally I try to get wide open. So, I’m not often in that position but I have been a receiver since I was a kid and that is something I’ve always worked on, so it was really like a typical catch for me.”

 

What about the field awareness just to be able to get that second foot down?

“I would be lying if I said I was focused on my feet and high pointed the ball at the same time. Generally, you just want to get enough separation at the release point to where you’re not too close to the sideline.”

 

The combo of you and (P.J.) Walker was really good today. Do you guys do extra work in the course of practice? 

“Mainly communication and talking. That is what it comes down to. Me seeing things the same way that he sees things and going out there on the field and executing what we see.”

 

There was so much uncertainty coming in, who was going to play and who wasn’t going to play. At the end, how did you guys get past all that and just go out there and play football today?

“It is not my decision who plays at quarterback I kind of just roll with what the coaches roll with. But, at the end of the day, our job is always the same to get open and catch the ball.”

 

What can a win do for you guys as a team to beat arguably one of the best teams in the NFL and do it without QB Deshaun Watson?

“That was all God, 100%. I talked to a couple guys after the game and I for sure was praying that he missed it, and I don’t generally do that, but we needed that one.”

 

S Grant Delpit

 

How did it feel to get a big win like that against the 49ers?

“It felt great. We played team defense.  The offense did what they needed to do and the kicker missed in the end. We got the W.”

 

Did this win send a message to other teams in the league?

“Yeah, they are going to cut up the tape.  How many yards did we give up? It was like 170 before that last drive. That’s a good performance before that last drive. I’m sure they will cut up the tape and learn some things.”

 

It seemed that everything tightened up on defense after the 49ers first drive.  What changed?

“Picking them out. We saw what they were trying to do – saw their game plan and we adjusted.”

 

How much does this kind of win help with the upcoming schedule?

We know we had a tough stretch our first four or five games. We’re not happy, we always want to be better but it was a good win and hopefully give us some momentum going into these road games.”

 

CB Martin Emerson Jr.

 

The end of the last drive, the defensive pass interference.

“I would say, a bigger receiver. I just need to clean my technique up and don’t put my hand on him. Honestly, I don’t need the hand, it was great coverage. I’m going to watch in and just clean it up. I was a little tired, but I can’t let tired make a coward out of me.”

 

Did the pregame skirmish set the tone for you guys?

“Of course. We don’t take any disrespect. Not on our home turf, not anywhere and we responded.”

 

K Dustin Hopkins

 

Take me through that final kick…

“Obviously on the sidelines, you feel that energy. People are excited and in my mind, I’m just going through my same keys of what I need to do to make the kick. I’m not celebrating, thinking about what I’m going to do after the game or anything. I’m just thinking about what I need to do to be successful.”

How do you keep your emotions in check with that kind of kick, in that kind of moment?

“For me, the joy I have in Christ doesn’t change based on if I make or miss. I feel the same. Even if today had ended differently, I feel the same.”

 

Talk about how quickly you settled into a new team, a new city and with no hiccups it seems?

“Just a couple here and there. It’s always tough when you go across the country and meet a new team.  At the same time, everyone in this building has been awesome. How welcoming they have been of me as an organization and how supportive they’ve been. I’ve really enjoyed being here so far.”

 

What was it like for you kickers out on the field?

“I’m soft. I’m trying to stay dry out there. The players are out there in the trenches, their muddy and I’m on the bench with my jacket, on the heated seats. Honestly, I try to stay dry because I’ve kicked with water-logged cleats before and it doesn’t make the job easier.”

 

CB Greg Newsome II

 

What message did that send to them?  Brock Purdy had not been picked off all year.

“We say it all the time. We’re the best in the world, as a defense and particularly as a secondary. Preaching that every single week and for MJ (Emerson Jr.) to get his first career pick is amazing. He played great. He’s one of the best in the league, so it’s good to see him get his first one.”

Did you feel like you were in command after a few of their top guys went out?

“We didn’t start off the way we wanted. Even that last drive we didn’t finish the way we wanted. Luckily, Denzel Ward is one of the fastest humans on earth, and was able to get out there to bail us out.”

 

What changed from the first drive to the rest of the game on defense?

“We just came to the sideline (Coach) Schwartz was like, ‘That’s their only one’. Everyone just started doing their job, what we do everyday at practice. They didn’t give us us anything new. They are a team that is going to stick to what they do. We just did our job and we were successful.”

 

DE Ogbo Okoronkwo

 

How does it feel to win against the 49ers? 

“It feels good. Defense went out there and we executed the game plan.”

What were you seeing from them and their offense?

“It wasn’t what we were seeing, it was just the amount of grit and effort that we were willing to give.”

 

How important is it for you guys to play as a team together to help everything out?

“We felt like today we just had to play complementary ball—special teams, defense, offense, we all had to do our part and that’s how we got the win.”

 

You got the Colts next week, can this big win help move throughout the rest of the season?

“We hope every win gives us momentum towards the next week but we are going to go to practice. We are feeling a little confident and just keep going and building on what we have done.”

 

There was so much uncertainty coming into this game, with not knowing who the starting quarterback was going to be, how did you guys put it all together?
“It didn’t matter who was going to be the quarterback. We just knew we were going to try and do our part, give maximum effort, run to the ball—the corners were going to corner, rushers were going to rush, and we did.”

 

What was going through your mind on that kick?

“I didn’t look, I didn’t watch. I turned away and I saw all my teammates jumping around and I knew something good happened.”

 

WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

 

Going into this game with uncertainty at the quarterback position, how were you able to rally around P.J. Walker and give him the confidence you knew he needed?

“I feel like we rallied around him well. Supported him, made plays when the ball came to us, so I think we did a good job.”

How big was it for the defense to step up and play complementary football?

“It was everything.”

 

What was the mindset going into what ended up being the game-winning drive?

“Just assignment-sound. Doing our assignment and executing what we had to execute. Protecting the ball and doing everything right.”

 

Down the stretch, the run-game seemed to really take off. How big is that when they can get things going for you guys?

“It’s huge. Complementary football in the offense. To have the run game do as well as they did is huge for the team.”

 

S Juan Thornhill

 

What set things off? (Talking about the scuffle before the game)

“We were as a DB unit, we were working out, doing our drills and we saw the whole team staring at us like we were taking up our space. Basically, telling us to get out of the way, I felt like that was disrespectful.”

How about the way you guys really shut them down and after that first drive they didn’t do very well offensively?

“We actually knew we had the right game plan for this all week. We believed we were going to shut those guys down but we knew they were a really good offense and we knew they were going to make some plays. But the things is, we just had to make more [plays].”

 

What was the key to the game plan?

“With them, they like to motion, get your eyes in different places. Coach (Jim) Schwartz made it simple, honestly. If you notice, we were chasing a lot, we literally were just sitting there bumping every motion, playing man to man, and just having a good eye.”

 

What were you thinking when Trent (Williams) comes out and shoves Elijah Moore pretty bad. What are you thinking when that goes down?
“I am going to stand my ground. I fear no man. I don’t care how big he is, who he is. It doesn’t matter to me.”

 

Did that energize you guys a little bit (pregame scuffle). I mean, you guys came in underdogs to begin with, your quarterback is off the practice squad, respectfully, no one was picking you guys to win this game. Did that light a fire?

“Everything this week, honestly. People say they don’t see the stuff on social media, I saw it. It pissed me off just seeing that we had some of our fans not believing in us and obviously, the 49ers thought they were going to come in here and just walk all over us but like I said, I believed all week.”

 

What was going through your mind when you were watching that kick?

“I watched it, I was a little nervous, honestly. I thought he might make it because it was right down the middle but then all of a sudden, I watched, I saw the crowd just started jumping up and I was excited that he missed.”

 

What was the difference for your guys defensively on their last drive compared to the rest of the 4th quarter and 3rd quarter?

“Honestly, there was nothing different, we played really good football, it was just like they made a play and we knew that that was going to be the case. They are a really good football team and they made a play at the right time.”

 

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