Select Browns Players (12.29.24)
G Joel Bitonio
You said you’ve thought about your future, does this game change anything for you at all?
“No. I’m just playing it one game at a time right now. Gonna finish this season out and see where we are in the offseason.”
Grant [Delpit] used the word ridiculous when describing the mistakes that are being made this season. Is that the shared sentiment around this locker room right now?
“Yeah, it’s really incredibly frustrating, because we really do put an emphasis on it. In training camp we talk about the little things. Kevin’s [Stefanski] number one goal every year is to win the turnover margin. It’s the number one team stat in sports, and all these other things. The last two years we haven’t taken care of the ball and we haven’t gotten enough turnovers. It’s incredibly frustrating. The pre-snap penalties, the things that just keep hurting ourselves.”
One positive from today is Myles [Garrett] got two sacks. Only guy in NFL history with four straight seasons of 14 or more sacks. What can you say about the consistency that he brings, game in and game out, year in and year out?
“He’s the best pass rusher in the game. I think you could ask all the players, ask all the coaches. He’s probably the guy they fear going up against the most. He’s dynamic. He’s a special player. I thought he had three [sacks] tonight. I guess they took one away. He’s doing his thing. I hope we can get some stuff around him so he can win some games around here.”
You mentioned that you guys have talent on this team. As a team, have you guys underachieved?
“Yes. We went to the playoffs last year. We brought back the majority of the team. And this year we have three wins. Our own expectations were high. And we have not lived up to that. There’s a lot that goes into that, but yes, I would say we have not met our expectations.”
S Grant Delpit
What are you guys playing for in the last game of the season?
“We always try to play to win. Nothing changes”
[Denzel] is usually very positive, how much does that disposition help you guys as a room, to have a guy that’s always positive?
“It’s a culture thing. I always try to be the same way. It’s tough to be positive right now, but you gotta do it.”
How demoralizing is this compared to other season’s that you’ve faced here as a Brown?
“It’s not pretty at all. It’s pretty ridiculous, as a matter of fact. Given our expectations coming into this year. We have to fix it in the offseason and come back ready to win.”
When you say ridiculous, what’s kind of the most damning thing about this season for you personally?
“Just seeing the snowball effect. One turned into two, turned into three, turned into four. That’s just how the theme of the year went. We didn’t do a good job of stopping the snowball effect.”
WR Jerry Jeudy
Can you talk about the 4th & 3? Looked like you really wanted a flag there.
“Yeah I felt like he grabbed my hip a little bit and turned me. I may be wrong. I gotta look at the film and see what happened. I just gotta find a way to catch it and make a play”
How do you process a day where you have 12 catches for almost 100 yards, but still have a couple of plays you’d want back?
“The play that you drop is going be the one that’s in your head. But I just gotta keep playing. Not focus on those drops but just keep playing. Unfortunately we weren’t able to come out with a win”
You talked so much this week about working to get on the same page with [Dorian Thompson-Robinson]. Was it nice to see that come to fruition with how much you were targeting and how much you connected today?
“DT threw some great balls today. I just gotta make a play on them, I gotta catch them. I feel like he did a great job, and I feel like I gotta play better for him.
Are you sort of frustrated with yourself as you leave here?
“Yeah I’m frustrated. Those are crucial downs. The first one was a big, deep overroute which I should’ve caught. It would’ve been a big play. The under on third down, I gotta get those. And the bubbles man I just was too ready to make a play. I can’t have those drops in crucial moments like that”
Is it even more imperative for you to make those plays on a day when David [Njoku] is not out there, Ced [Tillman] is not out there, and a lot is riding on you?
“Yeah, coach put me the position to make those plays. They were great calls, against a great defense. I gotta make those no matter what situation. I gotta make those for my teammates, for DT. I gotta keep those drives going”