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Press Conference

Baker Mayfield: "I am proud of these guys"

QB Baker Mayfield:
On WR Odell Beckham Jr.'s playmaking ability in today's game, including his rushing TD to help seal the win:
"Extremely important play at the end. We needed a score. We let our foot off the gas a little bit. We needed to put that game away. It is a learning experience for us. Odell was making plays all day. That is what he is capable of doing, and the play where (WR) Jarvis (Landry) chucked it to him on the reverse pass was pretty special. We have a lot of talent. We just have to go out and execute."

On his message to the team late in the game when the Cowboys cut the game to one score and Beckham's late TD run:
"For your first question, you just to tell guys we have got to go out and execute. We let them back in the game. It's a great team. They are resilient. We have seen them come back against Atlanta earlier in the season so it should not have been a surprise to us. We have to be able to put that away. On the reverse that scored, I heard the crowd noise. I had my back to it so I turned around and saw that there was somebody right there so I didn't exactly see it live, but I knew he had to have made a great play to make him miss."

On the Browns rushing for more than 300 yards despite losing RB Nick Chubb early in the game:
"It is tough losing a guy like that. We love Nick. Everybody here loves Nick and the work he puts in, but this is a hard-working team. We had guys who were resilient today. So proud of those guys who stepped up, but it speaks volumes on our offensive line, as well. Just that whole group as a unit, they take so much pride in running the ball and establishing that run game like we keep talking about. Our guys ran extremely hard. A couple of times where (RB) Dontrell (Hilliard) and (RB) D'Ernest (Johnson) aren't the biggest guys, but they are running extremely hard so I am proud of all three of those guys."

Check out photos of the Browns against the Dallas Cowboys

On DE Myles Garrett's performance in his homecoming game, including his third strip-sack in as many games:
"Once again, Myles makes a big time play in a big moment. I told him if he keeps getting one strip-sack a game, I am not going to be mad at him. We kind of had their defense on the field a lot in the first half, but the way they played in the second half, they had a lot of plays and they tired us down a little bit. We made the plays when we needed to, and that is the most important part. Myles once again changed the game for us."

On his trust in the Browns OL and the unit improving each week:
"They are getting better. We have great players up front. They work extremely hard. We have a great offensive line coach in Coach (Bill) Callahan. We are just all on the same page right now. I am trusting those guys, and I am trusting the guys on the outside to be in the right spots at the right time. It is a complete unit, and that goes for everybody protection wise. We are doing a good job right now and need to keep getting better."

On his feel for the offense and game Head Coach Kevin Stefanski wants to call at this point of the season:
"We can score points when we need to. Like we keep saying, establishing that run game, creating one on ones in the outside and the play-action game and then when we need to throw it, we just have to be efficient. On some of those third downs, I thought we could have been a little bit better and I could have been a little bit better distributing the ball and finding completions. We are learning that we are efficient when we need to be. We just have to be more consistent. I think that is the biggest takeaway from today. We scored a lot of points, but we left a lot out there, and I truly believe that."

On the Browns starting the season 3-1 for the first time since 2001 and the resiliency the team showed playing through injuries and fending off the Cowboys' comeback:
"I am proud of these guys for this first quarter of the season being 3-1. That speaks volumes to us after bouncing back after Week 1. Proud of (WR) Donovan (Peoples-Jones) stepping up. He was not going to get that many snaps today, and then (WR KhaDarel) Hodge goes down and he is ready to step up. A resilient team, as well as the guys who stepped up for Nick like we hit on earlier. We have to hit the reset button. We are onto the second quarter of the year, we have the Colts coming up and we have to continue to improve."

On getting a significant number of players involved on offense:
"We have said that it is pick your poison on what you want to defend so getting everybody involved, they can't key in on one certain guy. That is big time for us."

On if today's win feels similar to the Week 4 win at Baltimore last season and how the Browns can keep the momentum going:
"This does not feel like last year one bit. We are going to continue to improve, and we are onto the second quarter of the year."

WR Odell Beckham Jr.:
On how was nerve-wracking it was as the Cowboys almost came back in the fourth quarter:
"Not really at all. Just knowing we had a football game we have to put away. I think we could find a way to not put ourselves in that position offensively, and defensively, come up with the stops and offensively keep the drives going. That is NFL football. The game is never over. From my experience, I have seen games like that happen and lose. I am just happy we found a way to win."

On his 50-yard TD run to help seal the win:
"It is funny. (RB) Kareem (Hunt) before the play was like, 'We just need five yards.' (TE) Harrison Bryant, the rookie is giving me advice and coaching me up, telling me to stay in bounds. I said 'Thanks, rook.' I turned the corner and everybody was blocking, and it was weird. I was about to slide, and I just turned the jets on and got in the end zone."

On how personally producing at a high level today felt and if he was waiting for a breakout game like today:
"I just want to be able to help. I just want to be able to help in any way I can. I want to be able to be efficient and just help this team find ways to win. That is really what it boils down to. There is something special about being part of a win, being part of the team and helping win. That is all my goal ever has been. I have a lot of history with the Cowboys. My family is from here and everything. I don't know. There is just something about being in this atmosphere and this stadium. It is not like it is not always like that, but I just want to be great so just find ways to help us win."

On catching a TD pass from WR Jarvis Landry:
"It puts like a hold on any words that I could think of or think for you to say. Not that it is not special to catch a touchdown pass from (QB) Baker (Mayfield) or catch a touchdown pass in general, but literally, as I watched Jarvis throw the ball, it reminded me of being outside of WCA 804 as we would just sit there and talk for hours and throw back and forth. It felt like a joke and not in a bad way, it just felt unreal to be looking him in his eyes and he is just throwing it and I am just smiling, like I felt like he already has his finger up and I am pointing at him. I would not trade that play for any amount of touchdowns in the game or if I was the one to throw it to him. That is my brother, like for real and for real life. I got his back forever, and he's got mine. It was an amazing feeling."

On his reaction when the Landry TD pass was called in the huddle, given Head Coach Kevin Stefanski said the team had been waiting to use that play for a significant amount of time:
"We were just ready for it. I pressed Coach about it. I gave him hell because we kept running it in practice, and I told him either you have to stop running it in practice or you have to call it. He was like, 'Alright, I got you then.' He calls it – touchdown. It could not have been a better time."

On whether he scored every time the Browns ran the trick play in practice:
"Every time. Walkthrough, practice, I am running that play full speed. To be on the same team with him is one, to catch a touchdown from him is another. These are moments that we will look back on at 50-60 years old as old men and be able to really feel fulfillment, I guess, would be the word. That is truly special. It goes down as one of my favorite plays in my entire career."

On whether he and Landry said anything to each other in the end zone or sideline immediately after the touchdown:
"No need. Me and him have this thing, we can just look each in the eye and I have said a thousand words. Like I said, this is my brother. I have his back forever. It is just truly special."

On posting his first career rushing TD:
"We just needed a play, and it just came at the right time. It was like everybody had a hat on a man. It felt like a punt return or a kick return or something. It could not have been blocked any better. Perfect time to call it. Just put the game away. Let's go home. It is on to Indy. There is nothing else to talk about. We have Indianapolis. We need another win. It is the only focus."

On how exhausting the players were on both sides of the field toward the end of the game, given the high tempo offenses and the speed on the field:
"It definitely was that. It is tough. Like I said earlier, NFL games are never over. From what I have seen in my experience from games I have been a part of, it is just never over. Great film to go watch to be able to have coaching points and to be able to make adjustments for down the road that we put these games away and we do a couple more QB kneels and victories a little earlier and just be able to get out of there. It is a great win, a great finish off to the [first] quarter of the season. We just have to keep it moving. Like I said, we are onto Indy."

On if today's win ranks ahead of his return to MetLife Stadium last year:
"Yeah, I wasn't playing the Giants. It is cool to be back in the stadium and it is all good, but Dallas since growing up has been one of my favorite teams. Playing against them, going to the Giants and playing against them every year, it was almost like a dream come true. Everybody knows the Dallas Cowboys. It is just a special place. I started my first college game here. My first rookie game was here. Anytime I get to return here is definitely a cool environment."

On today being his first multi-TD game with the Browns and if this game serves as a reminder that he is an elite NFL playmaker, understanding his main focus is winning and he played with injuries last year:
"All I can say is that it is tatted on my neck, 'I am who I am.' I have not stopped being that. Last year was an injury, and this year I feel good. Like I said, I just want to be able to help. This game, I get choked up about it because it means that much to me. I put my heart and my soul into this. That is why you see the emotions on my sleeve. It is because I care that much. Like I keep saying, I just want to be able to help in any way. Big prayers up for (RB Nick) Chubb right now. Anytime you see your brother go down, it is never a good feeling. I am just praying that he gets healthy and we can have him back soon."

DE Myles Garrett:
On his emotions returning to play in his hometown and producing today during a Browns win:
"It was a great homecoming. I had some family and friends at the game. I got to perform well for them and get a great team win. We played complementary. That team is known to fight and battle until the very end of games, and we were able to stave them off with a good offense and a defensive stand."

On the Browns winning his homecoming game and registering his third strip-sack in as many games:
"I am no stranger to this field so playing on this field and making big plays is not new to me. I am just glad that I was able to do it again. I love the fans that were here. I love that so many people were able to make it and travel here. I do not know how many Browns fans we had here. They are the best fans in the NFL. It felt great to get the win."

On if his goal was to start fast this week, given he produced multiple sacks and a strip-sack early in the game whereas his strip-sacks in the past two games occurred late in the games:
"I am always trying to start fast. I am trying to read the guy and understand him. I will read him after I test him with whatever I have planned before the game. I move and see how he bit on it, and whether I have to adjust or counter, that is for the next play. I was able to have success with the second play of the game. It was a good start, and I am hoping to have many more of those."

On the Browns' positive momentum with a 3-1 start, given the team's start to recent seasons during his career:
"It is awesome. These guys really want it, the guys who have stuck through it. My locker mate, (DT) Larry (Ogunjobi)has been through it right beside me. He was making an impact. All of these guys are difference makers. Everyone is having their number called and they are stepping up to the plate. I am proud of how we came out and fought. We were able to get a big lead and not allow them to get back into the game."

On WR Odell Beckham Jr's third TD that helped seal the Browns' win, given their friendly banter during games:
"I saw the whole thing. I thought it was going to be a big loss, and he did what he is known for. He makes big plays. Usually, when he is talking smack, he says, 'If I were a D lineman, I would have a sack every quarter.' I wish it were that easy (laughter). I feel like if I were a wide receiver, I would be making some big plays like that, too (laughter). My man is special. We brought him here to make big plays like that. That is what he is doing, and he is trending upwards in terms of productivity. When he is getting his name called, he is coming up big for us."

On Beckham and WR Jarvis Landry connecting for a TD in Landry's 100th consecutive regular season game:
"100th regular season game, I loved it. They have probably been doing that for years honestly, tossing balls to each other. I know they never imagined they would be doing it in the NFL on the big stage in Cowboys Stadium. I know they were really enjoying it, and I was having a heck of a time."

On his mindset as the Cowboys were making a run in the fourth quarter to cut their deficit:
"We have to find a way to pressure them. They were getting the ball off quick. They were chipping my way, but we just got to find a way. My guys in the middle or on the other side, they are doing the best they can, but when it is quick ball like that, you just have to try to get your hands up and deflect some of them to get to the next down, making them drop back and hold the ball a little bit."

On DB Denzel Ward fighting through his groin injury and getting an interception to help seal the win:
"He is tough. My man is tough. He has shown that multiple times. Just like OBJ, he is a playmaker. He is a difference maker. He has come up big for us before, and he is going to continue to. I am proud of my guy. We all have a couple bumps and bruises, and just try to fight through it this week, get healthy and look forward to the next game."

On what this game says about the Browns as a team after defeating a talented Cowboys team in Dallas:
"We are complementary. We are definitely doing it in every phase, but we just have to not have any lapses. At the end of that third quarter and that fourth quarter when they started to make that run, we as a defense have to figure out how to be sturdy and make a stand. We can't allow them to keep on driving the field, getting those quick throws and those quick outs, slowing the clock down and putting the pressure on the offense like that to hold the ball for time of possession and have a score. We have to take that upon ourselves when we have a big lead to make those big plays."

On how many tickets he provided to family and friends in Arlington, particularly given the limited number available:
"I keep my tickets to 10 and under. After that, you can watch on TV. I love you, but we are not trying to spend a fortune on tickets. Hopefully, I will be back or be able to bring them to another game. The ones that I brought I know are always there by my side and will continue to. They are people I really treasure."

RB Kareem Hunt:
On his reaction to LeBron James tweeting about him during today's game:
"We are born and raised in Ohio. That is the GOAT right there. I have always been looking up to him since he was drafted to Cleveland."

On the Browns finishing with more than 300 rushing yards despite RB Nick Chubb leaving the game early due to injury:
"The offensive line is doing a great job. The running backs, (run game coordinator/running backs) Coach Stump (Mitchell) has been telling us what to do an ways to make the most of each and every run. We are working as a team. I am proud of those guys up front. Hopefully, we get him back soon. He is a brother to me."

On his advice to WR Odell Beckham Jr. before his TD run in the fourth quarter:
"I told him, 'Odell, look, get five yards, stay inbounds, slide or whatever, and I'm going to handle the rest.' I guess this one was greedy (laughter). He wanted the homerun, not the base hit."

On his view of Beckham's TD run:
"I watched from afar, but it is a good feeling to see that guy get going."

On how he felt physically heading into today's game and if he concerned he might not be able to play:
"I love the game of football. I was not concerned. I was just happy to get out there and get another opportunity to play football. I felt pretty good.

On if there were any lingering issues or tweaks to his injury during the game:
"We are not going to talk about it, and I will see you next week."

On if he spoke with D'Ernest Johnson following Chubb's injury, given Johnson did not have many NFL carries leading into today's game:
"That is my boy. I call him 'Slow Grind' because he takes it slow, and he is just always working hard. D'Ernest is a hard worker, and he really deserves it. I was just happy for him. I was doing everything in my power to tell him some things of what was going on out there. He just did a great job of filling in. I told him we needed him. Nick went down so I told him, 'I need you too, man.'"

On the Browns never having previously having three players rush for 70-plus yards in a game and if that 'blows his mind':
"Honestly, it does. It is crazy to think about, but 309 rushing yards, that is a ton. A lot of the credit goes up to those guys up front, the schemes, Coach Stefanski and those guys."

On Beckham creating many big plays in today's game and how that helps the Browns offense:
"Like I said, it was a walk-off homerun for me. I was very pleased with the way he came out and played. Odell is like that. If he can get going early and get those touches and stay in the game, Odell is going to make those plays. There are not too many guys in the league that are better or if there is, that is a great receiver right there. I think he is the best of the best."

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