On if he had any problems with Head Coach Hue Jackson's postgame comments Sunday:
"No, not at all. A long time I have been around this league and been around a lot of different personalities. One thing that I will never be is reactionary. I am here for one purpose, and that is to help this offense, continue to grow this offense and continue to develop this offense. We are all on the same page. Nothing has changed. We have a lot of gameplan meetings as a staff. Hue sits in a lot of those. He is in and out dependent on what he is doing that day and how much he is with the defense. As I have said a number of times, I do not care where a good idea comes from – no different than with one of the assistant coaches – anybody has a good idea, we talk about it, see if it fits and see if it works with the things that we do and the core things that we have worked on since the spring, and good ideas go in."
On if Jackson has been more involved in the offense this week:
"It has been the same as it has always been. Like I said, he sits in a number of meetings and everybody gives their idea. When they are good ones, we go with it."
On getting WR Antonio Callaway more involved in the offense:
"You just have to keep coaching them. This is a young group. I joked about it the other day, I have five kids. I call one Taylor, one Peyton, and Ella, Kady, Todd (Jr.), and I called Toddy one of the girl's names(laughter). We have a young group. I am calling (WR Derrick) Willies, (WR Rod Streater) Streater; Streater, Callaway. It is a young group. There are some new guys, new faces. All you can do is continue to coach those guys. I know I beat it like a dead horse, but it is a process. It is a process to get these young guys to do what they are supposed to do. That is part of the trust process with quarterback of trusting that they are going to do what they are going to do. It is a young group. We have a lot of young guys that are playing critical positions. All you can do is coach those guys and coach them hard, make sure that they know that you care, make sure that they know you believe in them and make sure that they know that you are putting in the best possible positon to succeed."
On balancing the development process of WRs with a rookie QB:
"It is all the same. We are doing the same thing with (QB) Baker (Mayfield). The difference with the quarterback is that he has to have trust. There are guys that he trusts more than other. In critical moments and situational football, sometimes he will lean on those guys a little more than others."
On working with a rookie QB compared to an experienced QB like Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger:
"It is fun to work with any quarterback, especially ones that are good or ones that have a chance to be good. This guy has a chance to be a good player, but it is a process and it takes time, especially with a young group surrounding him. It is what I love to do. The process is what is a lot of fun for me, whether it is game planning Monday and Tuesday, seeing it implemented Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, seeing the guys grow, seeing the guys start to know what they are doing and start to understand their purpose and role on each and every play and seeing them bring it to life."
On if working with a high-profile QB like Roethlisberger is 'something he can write a book about':
"They are all different. They are all different personalities, but generally, you are going to have alpha dog ultra-competitive guys – guys that in the old days probably would have been leading the army or the gladiators (laughter)."
On how the Browns offense can start faster and Jackson's comments about it:
"My sole focus is on trying to get this offense to be as good as it can as fast as it can as fast as I can. That is all in the rearview mirror. Like I said, everybody is on the same page. Everybody has the same goal in mind. That is to score enough points to win. I hate to put a stigma on starts. I know all of us want to start faster. The last two weeks, there has been a lot of positive about the way that we have started early. Last week, we got two first downs – a couple of throws, a couple of runs. That is how you start a game. We had a critical third down drop. If you drop the ball on third down, it is going to stop you from having fast starts. As I tell these guys all of the time, I will accept drops but not on third down and not in the red zone. You have to catch the ball in critical situations. That is part of this game. That is what will be part of making us an offense that continues to grow, get better and be a top group. We are not there yet, but I will say that second half of the game last week in Tampa Bay was very encouraging. Yes, I want to start fast. We were talking about it today. We were watching Atlanta with more than likely a Hall of Fame quarterback in (Falcons QB) Matt Ryan and (Falcons WR) Julio Jones out there. It took them 26 minutes to score any points this past week against the (New York) Giants. Each week, we have found a way to shoot ourselves in the foot, and that is what it is. We have to execute. I do not know how many weeks ago I have said it, we have to execute early. There have been positive plays available that have not occurred for one reason or another and we just have to keep on keeping on. There are going to be down times in seasons. I have been on 2-4 teams that end up being in the playoffs and 1-4 teams that are playing in big games at the end of the year. You just have to keep coaching them. Trust that what you are doing is the right thing and keep doing it and not deviate and not be affected by anything else. That is the way that it has to be. That is the way you become a good group and a good team."
On if Mayfield is ready to play in a big game at Heinz Field:
"He has to be ready for it. That is the situation that we are in. The ironic thing for me – it is a good little note – in my 23 years, I have never played a game at Heinz Field as a visiting team. My first time coaching at Heinz Field was as part of their coaching staff. This will be my first visit to Heinz Field as a visitor, and I grew up there so it is a neat thing to me. He has to be ready. The name of the game, and what I just said – I have been on teams that have started slow and have not done the things necessary to win enough games –you keep doing what you are doing and you keep getting better. The teams that do that and that continue to progress week in and week out and just get better have a chance to play in bigger games at the end of the year."
On if the Browns offense is getting better:
"Yeah, I believe fully that we are getting better."
On if the Browns offense has struggled in OT for similar reasons to not starting faster:
"Yeah, it has been missed assignments and poor decisions, and I am not just saying the quarterback. There has been something that has shot us in the foot in some of those beginning of those game situations and overtime situations that have really potentially hurt us."
On how the Browns offense is improving:
"In all ways. Our rookie left tackle (OL Desmond Harrison) has continued to grow. We have seen some good play out of (OL) Joel Bitonio. (TE) David (Njoku) in spurts and flashes has shown improvement and Baker has continued to improve. It is a growing maturation process at this level. Everything is different. The looks are more complicated with each and every week. When we go into the meeting room we are watching tape, there are enough times where you see the lightbulb go off to be encouraged that he is growing. (RB) Nick Chubb has continued to get better. (RB) Duke Johnson (Jr.) has continued to get better. The group as a whole, we have shown enough flashes to be encouraged to not feel like this is out of line as the way I like to see it. I have been on teams where I said, 'Crap, we do not have a chance.' Not many but a couple of years where during my career where you are like 'What are we going to do?' I have not felt that way. I feel like we have a chance every single time we go out there. We are a young group, we are growing and we just have to keep coaching them and keep doing the things we know are the right things to do, and it will start to show – maybe not as fast as everyone wants it to or obviously as fast as we want it to, but you can't hit that panic button"
On quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese and him helping Mayfield learn during games:
"That is what is going on, and it is not just Coach Zampese, and he does a terrific, terrific job. That is one of my favorite rooms whether as a receiver coach – no disrespect to any of the players I have coached – man I can't wait to get to work every day. As I have said in here, it has a lot to do with (QBs) Tyrod (Taylor), Drew (Stanton), Kenny and Baker. It is fun. It is a great environment, and I feel like we make progress every day. It will show and I do not have a doubt about it."
On the jolt created by RB Carlos Hyde being traded late in the week and if that means RB Duke Johnson Jr. will get more touches:
"It was a jolt, and I think it was something we as a group offensively – normally, I do not talk on Saturday mornings – I pulled them all together to talk about because it had not happened to me having a starter traded midseason like that before. Carlos came in here, and I can't say enough about him. He is a part of that culture change being one of the guys that helped that culture change which is a big job. I do not know if everybody understands just how big of a job it is and how it takes everybody to get something turned around that had not been going well for a long time, and he held up his end of the bargain. I told the guys it is the NFL, though. We had to handle that adversity no different than Ty going down or there is going to be a bad loss to [Los Angeles]. How you handle that adversity as I said last week is sometimes more important than the adversity or crisis itself. I was proud of the guys. I thought they were able to keep their focus despite losing somebody that a lot of guys really cared about, not just on the offense but the defensive guys too. He is a great kid and I really wish him the best luck, but it is the NFL and we had to go on and I thought he did a great job for the most part handling it."
On Jackson's comments postgame Sunday about potentially needing to make changes and if that can be credited to emotions following a tough loss:
"Yes, that is what it sounded like, and we talked about it. This is an emotional game. It is not for everyone. Coaching in the NFL, especially being in that spot, is not for everyone. It is a high-pressure and high-stressed job. We just have to keep doing what we know is right."
On if he ever regretted a postgame comment when he was a head coach:
"I am sure [I regretted a postgame comment]. I am sure I have probably said things today I want to take back (laughter). I say things at home I want to take back really quick (laughter). That is something that gets over looked at times. It is a great paying job for all of us. It is the greatest job in the world besides being a player. I tell the players all of the time. They have the best job in the world and we have the second best job in the world, but it does not come without pressure, emotion and distractions. I will tell one more quick story because I always appreciate this. I have five kids. My house is chaos full time. When we go on the road, I am in a hotel room and I do not know what to do. It is too quiet. (Pro Football Hall of Fame DB and former NFL defensive coordinator) Dick LeBeau, we would always sit on the plane together on away trips, and I got to the plane and I was rushing. I think one of my kids fell down in the driveway, and he says, 'Are you alright?' I said, 'Just chaos at home. Todd Jr. fell and he is bleeding.' He sat there – Dick is such a great man and that was my favorite time sitting by me – he looked to me and said, 'That must come pretty handy when you are calling plays in the fourth quarter.' When you have a household like that, you learn to block a lot of things out and that is the name of the game. Block you all (media) out (laughter). Block family out. I told the players, family, they do not always know what is right. They just want you to feel good, and we have to block it all out in season. That is the way you become a good group and a good offense. You have to just keep those blinders on and keep working."
On Roethlisberger's shout out to him on his radio show:
"I knew about it because I get a little sheet with potentially because I do not pay attention to it. I do not listen to it. I was trained by my father during the season. We did not get a newspaper at the house. He would not let the Post-Gazette be delivered to our house in season because he said anything you read may affect what you are trying to do. I was a little kid and that stuck with me, but I did read it earlier today and Ben is a great player. He has been to the top of the mountain. I am sure he is preparing. He is probably working on his quarterback sneaks and such, and we are working hard here and are trying to be the best we can be because we have to be. We have to play our best game of the year against these guys so it is a big game."
On Steelers players saying he would not be happy with what Jackson said:
"It is all perception. It is all perception. I am misunderstood a lot of times. I have learned to accept it, and what matters to me is that these guys respect, do what they are supposed to do and get better. That is what I take pride in."
On not being the only person to mix up his kids' names:
"All of the time. Now, it is receivers, too (laughter)."
