This has been one heck of a birthday week for Jarvis Landry.
The Browns veteran receiver got the celebration started early when he caught 10 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns against his old team Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium. On Thursday, he officially turned 27 and wrapped up a week of productive practices Friday as the Browns look for their fourth straight win Sunday at Pittsburgh.
ClevelandBrowns.com caught up with Landry after his final, on-field session.
CB.com: Has it been a good birthday week?
Landry: It's been a great week. A lot of love, a lot of friends, a lot of family been around. It was Thanksgiving, too, so it's been a great week.
CB.com: How much have things changed around here since the team rattled off three straight wins?
Landry: There's a lot of energy. Same as it's always been. We're just trying to improve, get better every week and take advantage of the task at hand.
CB.com: Can you put your finger on one thing that turned the tide for this team, or was it a bunch of different things?
Landry: It was a group effort. It took everybody. It took everybody practicing a little bit harder, focusing a little bit more, just taking everything to another level. I think everybody's done that.
CB.com: For you personally, you're averaging more yards per catch than you ever have and are coming off one of your best games as a pro. What's opening up for you in the offense right now?
Landry: Guys are just doing their jobs. Guys are doing their jobs making plays. It makes it easy for me to get one-on-one matchups and do my part. That's the biggest thing for me. When my number is called, just make the play.
CB.com: How much attention does Odell Beckham Jr. draw away from you?
Landry: A lot. He's spectacular. A spectacular player. Obviously, he's elite. The double coverages he sees and things like that helps our offense a lot.
CB.com: And then you tack on how Baker Mayfield is playing.
Landry: It all starts with the quarterback. Obviously for us, we all have to do our job. But it all starts with the quarterback, and he's one of the most focused guys in this building. We just have to continue to play to his level and keep making plays.
CB.com: When you got here last year, you talked about turning around the culture and building to a point where you're playing division games that matter. How does it feel that it's finally arrived?
Landry: It's good. For as long as I've been here, the division has been about these rivalries and these games that Cleveland hasn't been on the right side of for a long time. It gives us a chance to be a part of it and turn that around for this organization.
CB.com: Does it help to have played the Steelers so recently? Is there an advantage for the losing team? What's your take?
Landry: I don't know. At the end of the day, it's football. We're going to get their best shot, and we're going to give them ours. We'll see how it goes.
CB.com: Looking back at that game, what did they do to make things tough on the offense?
Landry: A little bit of everything. We didn't score as many times as we would have liked. We didn't get in the red zone as much. We've got to find ways to continue to not turn the ball over and play penalty-free. When we get in the red zone, we've got to find ways to score points.
CB.com: How much emphasis has there been on controlling emotions with everything that happened last time you played Pittsburgh?
Landry: We're not worried about what happened last time. We've put that behind us. We're going to play tough, we're going to play physical football and we're not going to back down from anything or anybody. But what happened is in the past. We're not coming with that type of vibe or feeling. We're just coming to win the game.
CB.com: How important has the "1-0" mentality been for this locker room?
Landry: It's been very important. We can't control other things. All we control is what we do.
CB.com: Looking at the specific matchups, what's made Pittsburgh's secondary with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joe Haden so tough on offenses?
Landry: They continue to get better and better each and every week. Those guys are learning about each other and learning how to play together more and more and communicating -- things we all see. They create a lot of turnovers and a lot of sacks at home, so we've got to find a way to communicate as an offense and not turn the ball over and not get penalties and have positive plays.
CB.com: Do you like going into these types of atmospheres?
Landry: Yeah, it's part of the game. It's part of the game I love. Road games, home games are always fun and exciting. There's nothing like going on the road and taking one.
CB.com: From a rivalry perspective, what do you like about that aspect?
Landry: Just at some point, the history has got to turn. Why not now?
CB.com: When you're on the field, is that second game against an opponent a little different because you're so familiar with what they do?
Landry: Yes and no. There's going to be things we haven't seen that they're going to do and we'll have to respond on the fly, and visa versa. It's going to be about the team that makes the adjustments and the players that make the plays.
