Offensive coordinator Todd Haley:
On if linebackers coach Blake Williams would jump in if he and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams 'squared off':
"No, I do not worry about those types of things."
On if the Browns needed to improve mental toughness and discipline:
"Yeah, at this time of year every team, No. 1, you are trying to from your identity and what type of group that you are going to be. That is the type of group that we are looking to be. Any opportunity that you have a chance to do that, we are trying to do it. Guys are making progress. You want a mentally tough group that can overcome adversity. You definitely want a disciplined group that is not going to do things that get you beat in a game."
On if he has concerns about Browns players receiving days off by Head Coach Hue Jackson:
"The great thing about here is Coach Jackson gives us assistant coaches the opportunity to speak our opinion. Ultimately, it is his decision of what he wants to do, and I will 100 percent support it. It is not always the case where assistants get to voice and opinion or thoughts. Some of them he is going to take. Some of them he is not. Whatever decision is made, I am 100 percent behind."
On if Bills WR Corey Coleman spoke to him about Coleman's playing with the second team offense prior to the trade, given the footage in last night's Hard Knocks episode:
"He did come talk to me. I am really focused on the guys that are here practicing. We have a big job going on here in trying to get to where we need to be. I will stick to talking about these guys."
On if WR Antonio Callaway has 'won him over' by the end of the NY Giants game:
"It is a working progress. He did some good things. He did some not so good things. He is another one of these young guys with enough potential to have you excited as coaches. Anytime that you are a young receiver coming into this league, having coached this position for a long time, it is a tough, tough transition. We are pushing all of those young guys every day as hard as we can, trying to get a couple of them to come out of the pack."
On how QB Tyrod Taylor has improved since offseason workouts:
"His understanding of the plays and the concepts that we are running. That takes time. Some are similar to what he has known, and some are not as similar. That process takes time. I just asked them all the other day how the all felt about the verbiage because when it starts to become their real language and when there is no more translation going on… So much of the time in this league when you have guys that come from different systems, different languages, they are translating early on. 'This means that.' A lot of it is the same. They all felt really comfortable. That made me feel god about the direction we are going. He is following the pattern of successful players. He is generally the same guy every day, and he is getting a little bit better each day. That is all that we are looking for from everybody."
On OL Joel Bitonio at LT:
"I think that he is doing a good job. Every minute that him and 63 (OL Austin Corbett) are working together is very important to us. He is making progress, and Corbett is making progress. I feel comfortable with where we are right now from the first five standpoint."
On free agent WR Dez Bryant and if there are concerns about chemistry and fit in the locker room:
"Are you assuming that is happening? If? We are going to coach the guys that are here. If Dez Bryant, who obviously has been a good player in this league, is in this mix, then he is going to be coached like everybody else. I tell everybody that shows up here, we do not care by what means you get here, if you are willing to put your hand in the pile and work and be a part of moving forward and having success, I am all for it."
On if the Browns need another veteran WR, given the young players in the room:
"I am excited about these young guys. I really am. That being said, as I just said, if guys are willing to come in here and guys with the résumés and pedigrees like somebody like [Bryant], of course, we are going to accept them and coach the heck out of them. The young group is a group to be encouraged about. There is not just one or two. There is a group of them. We are looking for a couple of guys that kind of separate themselves from the others."
On QB Baker Mayfield:
"He is making progress. He is much like Tyrod. He is a younger guy that has more to learn, but he has generally been the same guy every day and he has made consistent progress. That is a good sign. For his first game, he had an opportunity to get out there and run around and throw the football. For the most part, he made good decisions and made some real good plays. That was all good stuff."
On his air time on Hard Knocks and talking with WR Jarvis Landry:
"They showed everything, huh? I forgot about [the show airing], but I got a lot of texts this morning."
On if Landry has taken Callaway 'under his wing':
"I love Jarvis and what he brings to this team. He is going to be at the forefront of changing this culture. There is no doubt about that. Tyrod, you could throw in that group. Jarvis is a guy that wants to win. What more could you ask from a guy is that strong, strong desire to have success and win games? For us, the fun is in the winning. It is too much work if you go out there and don't experience the fun of wining. Jarvis is the type of guy that will do anything necessary to give us the best chance to get that done."
On if Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger's concussion is an example on why he is adamant on not touching the QB:
"I am not going to comment on other teams. I have a strong opinion in practice. I feel like good teams stay away from their quarterback because those are guys we cannot afford to lose by accident or on purpose. That is a must."
On the Browns running game against the New York Giants:
"Not good enough. Our mentality obviously in that first game was that we were coming out and throwing the ball around a little bit. I was happy with how that went. We did not have the front-line guys in there for very long, and we have a young group behind them that we are pushing hard to make progress and improve. They know they have to be better. Our backs have to be better. We can't have 7 minus-runs for 17-20 yards or whatever it is. You are starting to give up points when you get into that area. We have to be better so obviously, that has been an emphasis this week."
On the Browns running game in practice, given the defense has won recent goal line situations:
"Defense won them because they are on the 3 (yard-line). If we get 1 yard when we are in goal line, we feel like it is a successful play. It is all perception. Our defense looks like they have a chance to be pretty good, and that is good for us because it will make us better each and every day. We get a lot of looks, probably more looks than most teams are seeing this time of year. We are trying to use that to our advantage as best we can to become a smarter team that is more aware and adjust quicker. It is a work in progress as I said."
On knowing when a team is mentally tough enough:
"Hard things to measure but groups that are able to overcome bad portions of practice, bounce back and find ways to have success in games obviously. You are looking for a team that can bounce back within a game, bounce back after poor games. Just general overall pretty obvious things that you are looking for. You are looking for a team, a group that does not back down, that continues to fight and is able to overcome adversity."
On if he sensed the Browns may need more work in developing mental toughness and discipline than his other experiences, give the 1-31 record:
"I have not really thought about it. Each and every year for every coach is a new year and new people. It never stays the same. I have been very focused on this group and trying to develop a group with an identity and a group that is hard to deny what we are trying to get done."
On the Browns TEs in addition to TE David Njoku:
"I am really excited about (TE) Darren Fells. He gives us a big body, a true pro that has been a real leader in that room and has made plays. Despite his age, he does not have a ton of tread off of the tire. He is a big body that I think can really help us in the run game and can still do things in the pass game. (TE) Seth (DeValve) unfortunately has not been out there much, but when he has, I think we were all pretty encouraged by the progress he was making. We just now have to get him on the field. We have some young guys much like the receivers that we are hoping one of them is able to come out of the pack."
On what Mayfield has shown that he can be successful in the NFL when he is ready to play:
"Speaking on the [Giants] game, your first opportunity to get out there with real bullets flying, I thought it was not too big for him. He was by no means perfect, but he kept his cool and he was never flustered. I think it is clear to everybody that he can throw the football. The key for him is to just keep working, keep learning from the older guys in that room – (QB) Drew (Stanton) and Tyrod – that really give him a great chance to grow and develop. As I said earlier in the year, it is a unique group and one that is a lot of fun to be around. I am sure any young quarterback – Baker, (QB) Brogan (Roback) – it is an ideal environment to grow, learn and develop."
