Offensive coordinator Todd Monken:
On what he has learned about QB Baker Mayfield as a leader in the meeting room and on the practice field:
"Nothing has really changed from when I first got here. He is not afraid to own it when he makes mistakes and hold others accountable when they do."
On the significance of the day-to-day grind of training camp:
"It is hard for me to look at it as a grind considering I am 53 years old and it doesn't feel like as much of a grind as it did 30 years ago with a day off every now and then and one-a-days. The mental part of pushing through, it is not an easy thing to play. With the physical part of it, you are going to have bumps and bruises and you are going to be sore. It is being able to push through that and being able to execute. That is the No. 1 thing offensively is finding a way to execute. That is the big part of it."
On creating a physical mentality in camp, particularly with the running periods:
"I just think that is Coach's (Head Coach Freddie Kitchens) mentality. I think that is where that comes from. Being able to run the football and making sure we have a tough team."
On if the offense is developing on the expected timetable:
"I do not know timetable wise. We have a lot of work to do."
On how WR Odell Beckham Jr. helps the offense expand its potential and creativity:
"He is a special talent in that he can play all three positions. He is not a guy that probably is not as comfortable inside. He is comfortable inside. He can play all three positions. You can move him around and find ways to get him the ball. He has been great so far."
On if this training camp feels different or similar to past training camps in his career:
"It all depends on the day. Offensively, if we get our rear ends kicked, it does not feel very good, and if we do well it feels really good. It is fine. It is what it is. It is Day 7 for us and you are giving a lot of guys reps so it is trying to stack plays together and trying to limit the mistakes you have. You are not only trying to develop your package and develop your players but also evaluate the depth of your roster."
On challenges for the Browns OL practicing against DE Myles Garrett and the Browns DL:
"He certainly challenges us. Whenever he is out there challenging your edges, you certainly have to have preparation. We aren't game planning our guys but you definitely want to slide to him or chip help. They are capable against anyone if you put them one on one. When you have special players, they are hard matchups. Odell is a hard one-on-one matchup. We are trying to develop (TE) David (Njoku) into a hard one-on-one matchup. If you have a running back that is elite out of the backfield, he is a hard one-on-one matchup. If you have corners that can play man to man, they are a hard one-on-one matchup so it is about matchups, and then if you don't have a matchup, how do you compensate for it."
On Garrett's potential this year:
"He has a chance to be special. With his size and athleticism, his ability to bend. He is hard to handle off the edge."
On there are concerns the Browns do not yet have an idea who the RG will be:
"To say that we do not have an idea is a little bit of a stretch. I would just say there is competition there like a lot of positions. Whether it is the backend of your roster or specific positions, I do not think we are any different than the rest of the NFL. Very rarely do you have 22 positions where you know exactly where your starters are. We just happen to have a number of spots we believe where we are, but the competition is still there. Very few people are in the position to not play well and yet take the field as our top 11 on either side of the ball."
On RB Nick Chubb and what makes him special:
"It is hard to say because I think his talent shows through when the physical part comes out. He is a really good one-step, one-cut guy downhill and it is hard to get your hands on him and he is faster than you think and he has the ability to finish runs. That part of it has been good. It has been impressive and when you turn on the film. That is what you expect to see."
On if he has more opportunities to teach during this training camp as opposed to past years and also how the process will work differently on gameday with Head Coach Freddie Kitchens calling plays:
"It is a two-fold question so the first part, if you are asking about practice, there are teaching moments whether or not I am in this role. I think what happens is if you are a walk-around coordinator then you have more teaching moments with a variety of position groups where when you are coaching a position that is that group. On gameday, I do not know. The expectation is I will do whatever the head coach asks."
On if he sees the potential and similarities with the Browns personnel, compared to the personnel he had in Tampa Bay and their No. 1 passing offense last season:
"I do not know about all of that. I do like our weapons that we do have so whether it is a running back, receiver or tight end, we do have a number of guys that we should be able to get the ball to, but it still remains to be seen. We were not as deep at running back last year as we are here so it is a little different. We were probably a little bit deeper at wide out so how we get to that remains to be seen."
On what he has learned about Mayfield that he did not know previously:
"You are going to have a preconceived notion like a lot of players. Just like when I was in Tampa with (Buccaneers QB) Jameis (Winston), you can have a preconceived notion from the outside of what you think someone is and rarely is that really who they are. At the core from a competitive nature standpoint, I have said this many times, he is what I thought he was. He likes to have fun and he loves to play football, but do not confuse that with that he just clowns around because he does not. It is important to him. It is important to the meetings. He asks great questions. He wants to be on the same page. He wants to be elite. When you are that way, all of these guys want to be elite players, but he is at the top of that group."
On how Mayfield is grasping the combination of offensive concepts from the coaching staff:
"It is fine because it is important to him to ask. He hates grey but he loves taking control so that is the good thing. How do you have structure yet allow him the freedom – which I have been around when we are really good, you give quarterbacks and our skill guys the freedom – to see and change things at the line of scrimmage and empower them to be a huge part of the offense, which he loves that part of it. It fits in my world. It fits in Freddie's world so that is why I wanted to be here. Freddie and I specifically being on the same page with how you would go about game planning and the empowerment you give the quarterback and how he embraces that. (QB) Drew Stanton is the same way. We have some guys that want that. Not every guy has that. Not every guy wants that responsibility."
On reports saying his transition into the offense and his role were not as smooth as desired:
"I do not really know how to answer that other than. For any assistant coach, your role is to do what the head coach asks you to do. Whatever we do offensively, it is the Cleveland Browns offense. It is what we do. There is not a place I have been where there is not differing opinions, you are building an offense and you are working through it. I do not know where that comes from. It really does not bother me because we know what we are building. It is not coming from my end. Freddie already addressed it. To me, it has been great. To me, when someone says Freddie is going to be more involved, that is silly. He is the head coach and he is going to call the plays. I do not get that. It makes no sense to me. When I was at Oklahoma State, guess who was involved? Mike Gundy. When I was in Tampa, guess who was involved? Dirk Koetter. It is absolutely silly."
On if the Browns offense will be fun to watch and entertaining and if that is important to him:
"God, I hope so. I have been around when it is not fun and that is awful for coaching. That is kind of a crazy question because the normal answer would be, 'No, do what you need to do to score and win enough, you do not have to be that way' but in the end, I think it should be fun. I think it should be fun to watch. I think we have really good skill players. I do not think we are going to be in a position to where you think, 'OK, wow, we are going to have to protect the defense. We are going to have to run it. If we punt, we punt.' Believe me, I am all for 10-7 games if that is what it takes and I am for it if you have to score more, but ultimately, the fun and what I like is exciting plays and getting your playmakers in space. It should be fun. That is what it should be. It should be fun for our players to utilize all of your skills. To me, that is balance. It is not run-pass. It is do you have enough skill players touching the ball as balance and using the whole field as balance."
On if he and Kitchens have determined how their two offensive philosophies will mesh:
"It is not really a mesh. It is the Browns offense and Freddie was here last year. I think that is a little bit of a misnomer to say that we are meshing it in the fact that everywhere I have been we mesh ideas, if that makes sense. Like last year at Tampa for instance, we have what we do base wise, but in the offseason you study things and you collectively put it together and that is what we were going to be. Here, it is the same way. Freddie has ideas. Obviously, he got the job because of who he is as a coach and a man and also offensively. You are just taking that and what now that we have a chance to install, what do we want to do? To say that meshing it is what they do before, now everybody has ideas. (Offensive line/associate head coach) James Campen has ideas and different coaches. (Quarterbacks coach) Ryan Lindley is in a different position. We all have different ideas. The key is whoever is head coach, play caller ultimately someone has to decide what we are doing. That is it. At the end of the day, everybody has ideas. On every staff, everybody has ideas, but there can only be one chief and there has to be a lot of really good braves. That is how it works."
On if the creation of the Browns offense this year is similar to the combination of concepts that occurred during his time at Oklahoma State:
"Somewhat, other than when I got there I was in charge of it. A little bit of that was I took that over and then they were really good and I just did not want to screw it up, but I was going to call it. That part of it was different. Here as a part of it, that is why I came here because it is important to me; I have been on the other side of it. Do I like calling the offense? Of course. Do I like developing the gameplan? Of course. More importantly, you want to be around really good players and you want to be able to move the football because when you are a part of it and you do not, I do not care what role you have, it stinks. That was a big part of me coming here. I wanted to be around good players. Part of that reason is why I went to Stillwater. I did not leave the NFL to go somewhere where they were awful on offense. I calculated where I was heading. Just like here, you calculate where you want to go. You want to be around good players."
On Mayfield and the offensive developing chemistry and timing:
"I think the old saying 'The road to success is always under construction.' You are never done. At one point, I heard someone ask (former NFL QB) Peyton Manning, 'How do you get that timing with your receivers and how do you consistently have that year after year?' His comment was, 'You never get tired of throwing the same routes over and over and over.' You never get tired of it. You can't get tired of throwing an under, an inside post or a curl route that seems so simple. You can't ever get tired of doing that and I think that part of it when you have guys that really love football. Now, the working progress is getting guys in camp. You know having the O (Beckham) is a big part of that. The more they work together, the more they feel the nuances and the more he learns what we expect, but David is still a working progress. Your running backs, (RB) Kareem (Hunt) is just here and then we will lose him for a little while. It is always under construction. The more you rep things, the more successful you will be. Whatever you are doing over and over and over and over, like all of us, we get good at what we do constantly."
On envisioning RB Duke Johnson Jr. to have a significant role in the offense:
"Hard to say. I have been around Duke basically in minicamp when he was here and then for a couple of days. I see what I see on tape. There are things that you like, that is for sure, but it is hard to say that without getting him on the field. You are going to need some guys that can make plays with the ball in their hands. He happens to be one of those guys. You are always looking for matchup guys that give you opportunities to create explosives. That is part of our game is how do you create explosive plays. He is a guy that can create explosives. You can find a lot of guys that can get you four-yard plays. Who is the space player that can get you explosive plays? Duke happens to be one of those guys."
On what WR Antonio Callaway needs to show more:
"Right now, everybody is rotating so much. To his credit, I think he has worked himself… I should not say his credit; hell, he came in a little bit out of shape probably. The last seven days, he is getting himself back in shape, putting himself in position. You can see that in starting to feel more comfortable and makes plays so I really like him. He really has tremendous upside. We all know that. You guys saw it last year. He is explosive. He has really good down the field ball tracking ability. There is a lot to like there. It is just he is still a very young player in this league to go from a skill player to a wide receiver. He is still developing himself as a wide receiver and developing the trust with the quarterbacks."
On how much have the coaches have been on Callaway about his conditioning:
"Not really. It is pretty easy to see. I can't tell you what (wide receivers coach) Adam (Henry) says to him, but you can see and I am sure he feels it, as well. That is a tough part with the way collective bargaining is that you bring him back and you work and then you let him go. You have five or six weeks and then you come back. Luckily, he has not pulled anything. He has been fine. Today was probably his best day in my opinion of what we saw one on one's. The one thing that I really like about AC is that he is very coachable. He wants you to coach him. He wants to hear what you have to say. We have a lot of guys like that. He is not the only one. I really like that about our team. We do not have a lot of guys, including our high-profile guys [that don't want coaching]. They want to be coached. They want to be told how they can be better and they ask questions, which is great. That is what you want when you are doing it for a living. You think you can make an impact and help."
On if it was surprising that Callaway was not in shape when returning to camp, given his past:
"Did you get a deadline or a date of when that vow was going to start? Someone can vow to lose five pounds and that can be over a year. It just depends on when that end date is. He is working himself to be in that position. I thought today he was really good."
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks:
On the Browns defensive line:
"I am excited about the guys up front. I think we are moving in the right direction. I would tell you we are still a long way from where we need to be, but you can see right now that is going to be the strength of our team, not only the defense but really the team as (Head Coach) Freddie (Kitchens) has talked about it several times before."
On if training camp has revealed anything about DL Myles Garrett that he did not previously know:
"He is extremely quick off the ball. We know what he can do from a standpoint of rushing the passer. I am really impressed right now with how he is playing the run, and that is one of the main things that we emphasize and talk about all the time. We have to do a great job of stopping the run first."
On the key to stopping the run in a 4-2-5 defense:
"No. 1, what we have to understand first of all is where the game is now a days. They are putting more speed on the field. You want to make sure that you are able to match that speed. Looking at that, that is the reason why we go with that look. A safety, as we consider to be a slash-linebacker that can blend in the box and stop the run but also athletic enough right there to be able to play in space. That is how teams try to get you is by trying to get a linebacker out in space. In regards to that, I think we are fine because I think when you look at (S Sheldrick) Redwine, you look at (CB) Juston Burris and you look at those big guys, I think that they have shown that they can play in the core."
On Browns players being able to play the S/LB role:
"That is exactly how we see it within this scheme. Those kind of guys fit that mode. (Panthers LB) Shaq (Thompson) as well as (Cardinals S) Buddha (Baker) and the same guys that we have here with (S Jermaine) Whitehead and then again with Burris. I want to make sure from a matchup standpoint when they go two [running] backs, it is totally different. Now, you are talking about old school football. When you talk about 12 personnel when you they can split (TE) David (Njoku) out, who is really like 11, those are the kinds of things that you have to look at. That is the matchup that we try to make sure that we can handle."
On Whitehead being the leader for the S/LB role now:
"Everybody right now is fluent from a standpoint of rotating, but Whitehead has been out there with one's. Very impressed right now with where he is and what is he doing, but there are no true starters right now."
On LB Sione Takitaki:
"He is physical. He is still a rookie. He is still making mistakes. Those are things that he has to make sure that he corrects, but I like his physicality."
On where Takitaki needs to improve most, specifically after a couple missed tackles today:
"Really out in space. Everybody needs to do a much better job of really taking the grass. I tell guys all the time when you think you are in position to make a tackle, take one more step. We have thrown a lot at these really in somewhat seven practices. When you look at what we are doing, I think he is swimming a little bit, but he will get it."
On the Browns can substitute LBs play by play in the 4-2-5:
"I think you can."
On if he has a different defensive sets for down and distance:
"We have a different set really more for personnel, not so much down and distance."
On if QB Baker Mayfield can give challenges to the defensive side:
"The guy can make every throw. Very smart. Very intelligent. I think he does a great job right here in really trying to protect the football and he can beat you with his legs. Of course, yes, he can."
On LB Mack Wilson:
"I love his athleticism. When you look at him out in space, he plays well, good change of direction. When you look at the matchups throughout this league, a lot of times you do not really have safeties that can cover these big tight ends so you need a linebacker that can run. That is the mode that we have right now. He fits that mode right there being able to cover a tight end as well."
On Takitaki struggling against TEs in practice at times:
"I would say so. It is a lot that he needs to improve on. Of course man-to-man is one of them. We are throwing a lot at these guys. Particularly these rookies, they are swimming a little bit, but they are moving in the right direction."
On if CB Greedy Williams is doing a good job covering WR Odell Beckham Jr.:
"It is not far off. I think he is doing a great job. I think he is learning. He is growing. He needs to learn how to be consistent each and every day in how he practices. I am excited about what he is doing and where he is going."
On Williams not slipping or jumping on as many of Beckham's routes as other players:
"No. 1, he has good change of direction. He plays with good body lean. He is fast. He can run with Odell and mostly all the receivers. What I am impressed with him the last couple days is he is stepping up in the run game and making tackles."
On CB Denzel Ward and his consistency for a second-year player:
"The No. 1 thing that stands out with Denzel is his speed. He can run with anybody on the football field. That is the key thing. When you look at corners, guys really are inconsistent with their tackling. This guy loves to step up there, and he loves to get physical. I know he had the issues last year with the concussions. It is about how we teach tackling around here, and I think we are doing a great job of that. That is the one thing I love about him right now – physicality in the run game and his ability to play and really cover all the best receivers that we are going to go against."
On if there are truly only a handful of guys with Ward's skill level:
"With my experience in the league, I would say so. He is one of the elite players. The one thing we have to get out of him is consistency."
On the technique Browns coaches are teaching Ward to avoid the concussions from last season:
"The biggest thing is trying to keep your head up. Keep your head out of the fire is what I call it and really try to lead more with his shoulder and not your facemask."
On why Ward did not tackle differently before now:
"I am not saying why he did it or the reason behind it. I am looking at where we are now and moving forward and make sure that we try to teach him the right way now."
On if Ward is advancing with his tackling:
"I think so."
On the significance of pre-snap movements to giving QBs a different look:
"You want disguise, you want to move around. When you start playing the top elite quarterbacks in this league, you can't just sit there and let them know where you are. You look at what we are doing out there, we are constantly moving around, trying to give Baker different looks right here so that we can try to decipher that stuff on the run. You are going to continue to see us do that. It really depends on what coverage we are playing."
On preparing to play teams with two tight ends and the ability to prep for it against the Browns TEs:
"We are. When you look at some of the things that we do drill specifics, offense, defense, particularly sometimes you guys are not here at night when we have our walkthrough, we try to emphasize a lot of that – a lot of two (running) back runs, a lot of tight ends, RPOs (run-pass options). Freddie does a great job in trying to create those situations."
On preparing now for RBs the Browns will face early in the season:
"It is really more of a general approach, and I think right now all the emphasis is on us. Really trying to continue to teach the fundamentals and technique. Limit the lunging and really being in the position to take one more step. Leveraging angles to the ball. I think it is extremely important right here when you start talking about trying to limit the yardage after the catch. Right now, it is just basic fundamentals that we are teaching."
On if playing good run defense this year is as simple as Browns players taking heed to the coaching:
"It is coaching and execution, always. Right now, that is what we are trying to emphasize and we just have to make sure that we go out and execute."
On if the Browns defense is more vulnerable to two TEs or if the team has options:
"I think we have options. Really, I do. When you look at the skillset that we have out there, I like (LB) (Christian) Kirksey, talked about Mack, also Takitaki. I am not really concerned about a two-back set. There are some other things that we can do, which I am not looking into trying to indulge right now. There is another guy that can really play that position, as well."
On DT Sheldon Richardson:
"Excellent inside. He really holds the point. He can split the double team. He can really give you something from a pass-rush standpoint. I am excited about what he is doing."
On what veterans in the secondary bring to his defense:
"Experience, just like you just mentioned. Those guys do a good job at really trying to work with the younger players. Letting them understand about the preparation in getting ready for a long season. I think it is important that they are leading by example and they are doing the right things."
On if he likes having different body types at CB:
"We talked about that as a staff. I think it is so important that you are not always like, 'OK, we are going to take away the best receiver.' I think sometimes it is based off the size, quickness and how you want to match guys up. I like the matchup that we have right now with Greedy and Denzel."
On if there is a concern about depth at DT:
"It is not a concern at all. I think when you really look at the success of most teams in this league, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, it starts up front. You can never have enough. When you go back and look at history, I will take you years back with the Giants, to me they had about eight starters. They could really rotate up front. It really can cover up some things on the backend when you do a great job at really stopping the run and getting after the quarterback."
On challenges for a new coaching staff to mesh together:
"It has been great. I think the communication with Freddie has been outstanding. He is heavily involved in what we are doing on this side of the ball with the communication between him and me. Constantly talking about certain things we need to be working on and trying to create those certain looks within practice."
Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer:
Opening statement:
"Good afternoon everybody. I hope everybody had a nice summer day. I think practice No. 7 today was pretty good. We punted well. We covered pretty well. We still have some protection issues with some of our younger players that we have to get cleaned up prior to next Thursday night, but I thought we made some progress today."
On if he is concerned with the Ks:
"They are both young. They both have hit the ball pretty well in our separate field goal period. Then they come to the team periods – they have each I think only had three opportunities – and we have done as well. That was in July. We just turned the page. We turned the calendar. We are in August 1 now. We have a game next Thursday. I think Saturday night we are going to kick a bunch of field goals. We are going to punt. We are going to be in situations that (Head Coach) Freddie (Kitchens) is going to put us in that puts some pressure on these guys. We will see how they respond. Am I concerned right now? No. I thought they both hit the ball better yesterday. We did not respond as well on team as I think we should have. Today, they both worked separately in some technique work. I thought they both did a nice job, and we will see how they do Saturday night."
On the punting competition:
"It is funny (P) Britton (Colquitt) is going to be the steady eddy. He is going to give you the 48 (yards), 4.8 (hang time), outside the numbers. We are hoping that is a good punt for him. Then, obviously (P) Jamie (Gillan) is going to wow you. You guys saw him today if you guys would have paid attention to the punts, not that you guys think that the special teams is as important as I do, but you guys are here – at least that is a start (laughter). I think Jamie is the guy that is going to bomb the ball, and unfortunately, the next time he is up there he does not hit one quite as well. He needs to find consistency. Britton needs to what he does. Jamie will win the job if he is more consistent. Britton will win the job if he is obviously the guy that he has been the last several years here in Cleveland."
On if he is focused more on the Ks' mental state or mechanics during pressure kicks at this time:
"They are both pretty mentally tough. Although, they are young, I think they have done a pretty good job after misses coming back and making the next one for the most part since the spring, and we have been trying to put them in these situations since the spring. The more pressure type situation we put them in, we have to see if they can handle. Like I told all our guys, there are kickers and punters and linebackers and safeties on other teams in this league that are going to be available after the 53 cut, when everybody cuts down to 53. Just because they went and beat the guy out does not mean that they have the job. That may sound negative, but it is not. It is the truth. I try to tell them the truth. I know we have the right two kickers in camp – one of them is going to win the job. I know we have the right two punters in camp, and one them is going to win the job. We are hopefully going to win a bunch of games with those guys."
On potentially having an inexperienced place holder if Gillan is the team's P:
"That is part of the equation. Britton has been holding for a long time. When I first got Britton in Denver, he was not very good and he developed himself into a really good holder. He just did not do it in college. Jamie did not do it in college either because he was kicking off, punting and kicking all the field goals so obviously, he did not hold. He has improved immensely. He is a very good athlete. Situational football, he does not quite understand yet and that may take some time. It is my job to make sure that he is in those type of situations and he can learn the game that way. Obviously, that is part of the equation. If they are both even in punting, and obviously, the better holder is going to win."
On the science behind place kicking:
"There is a way we teach them how to catch it. We have this jugs machine over here. We were even in here today after the first special teams period working on holding. We talk about snap. We talk about spot. We talk about tilt. We talk about laces. It is four different parts. Back in the spring with Jamie, we taught the catch the snap first – catch the snap over and over again. Then we taught snap to spot and how important that is. Then snap, spot, tilt. Each kicker is a little bit different. Then Jamie, he has to remember whose tilt is a little bit more. (K) Greg's (Joseph) balls tilt a little bit more towards the holder, and (K) Austin's (Seibert) is more up and down. Then we talk about laces. There is four different things going on, and it is not an easy thing to do, especially when you are trying to get the whole operation in 1.27-1.31 (seconds) is what we teach and that is when we want our kickers to get the ball off."
On if Gillan will have enough time to understand the four phases of holding prior to the season:
"If you guys remember back to the first two weeks of OTAs, we did not have them hold at all because we had two kickers that are competing for a job. Now, he is holding as much as Britton is. We are getting more and more confidence in him. He is getting better and better, and it is important to him. He worked on it all summer long, too. When the rookies were here for an extra two weeks this summer, he was out every day working on holding."
On the skillset of each K:
"I am never going to try to change a guy. I might recommend certain things to help him with his technique. I try to study them to understand how they kick, when they kick a good ball, study tape with them on what they think is a good ball and then we will just talk about it, and I will let them figure it out because at the end of the day, there is a reason why they are here. They are very good at their craft. They understand their craft. They understand their bodies. I am not going to sit here and say that you have to do it this way or that way, but I will make recommendations."
On each K's strengths:
"They are both really strong. They are both really confident. They both can do a good job if they hit their end-over-end ball to cut it through the wind. They both belong in this division. They both can play in this division in my opinion with their strengths."
On if a K has more pressure on him if they are drafted, like Seibert:
"I do not think so. He was here to provide competition for Greg. The place I was last time, we would draft a kicker and then he would have the job. That was not the case here, and we told Greg that right off the bat. I think there is pressure that he is going to put on himself to make the football team. Whether or not he was a draft pick, I do not think it matters. Like I tell all our young guys, I do not care if you were drafted or undrafted, if you are not a starter on offense or defense I am going to demand that you play at a high level on special teams and the best guys are going to play, no matter where they were drafted or if they were not."
On if Joseph has changed his technique from last year:
"A little bit. He has changed his approach, The one thing that we talk about when we first started working together back in the spring was that his approach was very inconsistent. If you watch tape of him last year, one time he would be falling this way and another team he is going this way or the jab step was short, the jab step was long. Now, we condensed it down where it is a nice short jab step. He is under control. He has a little forward lean, and he is getting the ball off quickly. He is much more consistent."
On if Joseph is coming off higher with his kick:
"That is the beginning part of his technique. Everything else kind of plays into itself. In other words, last year when he had good get off, he was hitting the ball extremely well. When he did not, he was all over the place. That is what we try to condense. He is still hitting the ball high. He is hitting the ball quite consistently with good elevation."
On if the Browns have determined a deadline for choosing a K:
"We have not."
On if the K and P competition could go through all four preseason games:
"It depends on the number I am sure with John and Freddie want to do numbers wise with linebackers here or whatever. It depends. We will see how the next few weeks go. If after two weeks we know, then we know. I would hope that all four guys do extremely well, and it is going to be a hard decision for us at the end that it goes a little bit longer. That is up to those guys."
On if the way Gillan rotates differently can be considered a weapon:
"It is because he is a lefty and not many people work against lefties. Not many people get a lot of reps against lefties. The only way we can simulate it if Jamie was not here for our returners is put a left footed spin on the jugs. You can turn the wheels a little bit, even though that is still not as realistic as you would like. It is hard, very difficult."
On if Gillan has to learn how to do directional punts:
"He did a little bit [in college]. I think they asked him to do some of it. He is starting to figure out how to be a good directional punter. He did a really nice job this afternoon and this morning with his directional punts. Hopefully, that continues to get better. It is hard to directional punt in our stadium and other stadiums in our division. The teams that we play because of all the crosswinds and the winds swirling. Both these punters are strong enough that you should be able to directional point."
On why it can be more difficult to field punts from a left footed punter:
"Just because [returners] are not as used to it. I think our returners are getting used to catching Jamie's ball. Like I was talking to (RB) Dontrell Hilliard after practice today and he said that he wants more and more work with that left footed spin because it is a lot different."
On if WR Jarvis Landry will primarily be the punt returner in late-game situations:
"He might be the starting punt returner Week 1. I do not know. That is up to Freddie and if we trust him back there, which I think we can to catch the ball and if he is explosive enough. I would not throw (WR) Odell (Beckham Jr.) out the mix either. Obviously. he has had some tremendous punt returns in his career. and if we trust him to go back there and do what he is supposed to do, that might be an end of game type thing. too. But both of those guys are extremely talented and they have done it before."
On if the punt return competition has started:
"I think it is more of who are going to be the guys. I am still trying to figure out who is going to be the guy that we can trust to go out there next Thursday night to be honest with you. That is the challenge that I have had since the spring. (WR) Antonio Callaway is a guy that can do it. Obviously, we talked about the two number one, number two receivers, Dontrell can do it. We got some other young guys (RB) D'Ernest Johnson is trying it, he has done it a little bit in college. That has been my challenge here. (WR) (Damon) Sheehy(-Guiseppi) been back there doing it, too. He has gotten a lot better since the spring, as well."
On the Browns being penalized on multiple punts last year:
"Do not give an official an excuse to throw the flag. I have said that 1,000 times since April when we started. Do not give an official an excuse to throw a flag. If you feel like this is going to be close, do not do it. We work on the finish part of our blocks on punt return and kickoff return all the time. All the drill work we were working on last night in the walkthrough, just little stuff – on the footwork and the hand placement, making good decisions. I have been harping at it a lot and I hoping that we can turn the corner because the last two years we were not. Where I was the last place I was, we were not penalized very often and that is why we got to get to that mentality here because you are exactly right, there were way too many penalties last year and that will kill a football team."
