On congratulations for being named the Browns starting QB:
"Thank you. I appreciate it. It is always good to get an opportunity to play. No matter the circumstance, you have to be prepared and ready to go."
On preparation changing as the starting QB:
"Yeah, of course. Everything that comes with that, but it also helps to get the prep during the week and to get your mind right all week to be playing and you know you are going to play a full game and get into a rhythm. In my opinion it is better."
On what he has done the best the past few weeks to become starting QB position:
"The biggest thing was learning the offense, figure out how to get out of the huddle. Like I said before, it was really just a terminology change for me. Football play-wise, I was familiar with pretty much everything we were doing. Very similar system so it is just a matter of learning the terminology, the guys, the cadence and stuff like that. It just comes with time."
On if he feels like he is auditioning for his future:
"Not really. I feel like I am trying to beat the Cincinnati Bengals. That is how I have to approach it. Everything else just kind of happens one week at a time. Keep preparing and keep playing."
On if his eight starts with the St. Louis Rams gave him confidence he could play in the NFL:
"I have said that before. My time in St. Louis and my journey to this point, it is important that you believe in yourself and you draw from what you did well and try to learn from what you didn't do so well. I think quarterback is a pretty difficult position to play, but I also appreciate the challenge and want to get better at it. I want to be good at it. Every opportunity you get to play – that is the only way to get better – get out there and play and make mistakes and build on what you do well."
On what his win against Seattle last year means to him:
"I think it is important that you flush every game when it is over, whether it is good or bad, but to a certain extent, you draw from the confidence that good games give you and remind yourself that you can do it and it takes the right opportunity."
On if his quick release is the key to his QB play and how it developed:
"That is a great questions. Honestly, I just try to throw completions. That has always been my mindset. I know it sounds simple. I know it seems elementary, but throw completions, don't take sacks and don't turn it over."
On if a coach ever worked on quickening his release:
"No, not specifically."
On if he has always emphasized preparation, similar to a kid who hands in his homework two weeks early:
"Maybe not my homework, but when it comes to football, I would say I always enjoyed it. I have always enjoyed the Xs and Os part of the game. For me personally, I hate feeling unprepared for anything, especially being a quarterback on an NFL football team. I feel like there are so many people that are counting on you and looking at you to play well. The fact of letting people down bothers me. I think that is where it comes from. I think is where the hard work and the prep comes from. I just think it is a big responsibility."
On the last time he ran a two-minute drill like against Baltimore:
"I forget the last one. Maybe Arizona. Maybe Dallas."
On what he would have done differently against Baltimore:
"I am not going to speak on that. I am trying to move on and get ready for Cincinnati. I didn't get the job done and didn't get close enough, and we didn't do what we needed to do."
On if he has heard recently from former NFL QB Brett Favre, who also attended Southern Miss:
"No, I don't think he gets cell reception deer hunting in the woods. He is unreachable right now. When he comes out of the foxhole, I am sure he follows along. I know he has had a lot of nice things to say, and I appreciate it from such a legend and such a great player."
On if he expected to be drafted and how going undrafted motivated him:
"I didn't. I didn't honestly know what was going to happen. The way I approached it was at worst, if you get an opportunity to go to camp somewhere, make the most of it and it might be your last chance to ever play football so try to have fun with it. I was able to make the team and go from there."
On if Head Coach Mike Pettine's comments about the QB situation being a week-by-week decision affect his mindset:
"I think the quarterback situation is always week-to-week. I think that is how you have to approach it – prepare and be ready to play. You never know when someone is going to get hurt or circumstances change. Be ready to go, and hopefully, if you play well, you get to play another week and build off of it."
On how bizarre it is to be the 24th QB to start for the Browns since 1999:
"I have heard that number tossed around, but I guess I haven't been here so it is hard to speak on that much more. I just want to prepare and play my best."
On it if took courage to sign a contract extension with the Browns knowing QB Johnny Manziel was on the roster:
"Like I said, I felt like I had an opportunity here and wanted to be a part of what they were doing. I felt like it would be good to get something down and to keep growing as a player and build on what we are doing here."
On if the Browns told him that he had starting QB potential and could possibly start when signing his extension:
"From the moment I got here, I felt like they believed in me as a player. I think that is really important, regardless of if I was going to serve as the three for the rest of the year. That really wasn't part of the discussion as far as you are going to start or this and that. We all know how things can change. There was a 'We like what you have done so far and we believe that you can be successful.' I think that is really important and gives me a lot of confidence."
On if it crosses his mind that he was named the starting QB the same week St. Louis is looking for a QB:
"No. Honestly, I miss those guys and wish them well, but that is life in the NFL. You have to switch teams and keep going and keep getting ready to play."
On what QB Josh McCown has meant to him this year:
"Honestly, everything. First of all, just watching him play and run the offense has been a great help. Also, his ability to spend extra time teaching me what he has learned over his long career and specifically this offense. We all know he is a selfless guy. He truly cares about the quarterback room and this team. He wants to do everything that he can for us to be successful. Greatly appreciate what he has done."
On the Bengals defense:
"They are really good. That jumps out. I don't know exactly what they are ranked, but I am pretty sure it is close to the top. We will go back and watch that film and try to build on what we were able to do successfully and figure out what we didn't do so well. Every game is different. To a certain extent, you kind of just let that one go and remember what they did schematically. They are going to change and we are going to change. It is a different game."
On if it daunting to play in front of a home crowd when people want to see Manziel play:
"Like I said, playing quarterback is hard no matter what. It doesn't really matter. I have to do a good job of not letting it phase me. The thing that we need to remember is our fans are passionate and want to win. That is something to be thankful for. I appreciate that. I don't take things like personally. I see it as they are passionate and they want to win. We all do. To play in front of home crowd like that, I will take that any day."
On his takeaways from starting in St. Louis that he will draw upon this week:
"Just the preparation and the process and how to stay fresh every week. Until you play a full 16-game NFL season, your body is not used to it and all those things. You can mentally wear down and physically wear down. I think I learned some things last year that will help if this continues."
On if he is in regular contact with Favre or if their relationship gets overblown due to the Southern Miss connection:
"I think it is probably overblown."
On his relationship with Favre:
"We met back when I was in college. We text every once and a while. I wouldn't say we are talking on the phone every night."
