Included below are transcripts of today's conference calls with the following Browns players:
- TE Gary Barnidge
- WR Corey Coleman
- LB Christian Kirksey
TE Gary Barnidge:
On the first nine weeks of the season not going as hoped and how hard it is when the team is not being rewarded with a win:
"It is adversity. You just have to overcome the adversity aspect of it. You can't look at that kind of stuff. You can't let it get negative inside. You just have to work each week to get better and get a better result."
On the difficulty of a quick turnaround for a Thursday night game, particularly given the Browns' record:
"I don't think it has anything to do with your record on the quick turnaround. The quick turnaround is tough for anybody, no matter what is going on with their record. It is just a quick week and your body has to recover. It is tough to come back from it, but we will be ready for it."
On if he shares LB Christian Kirksey's sentiment that the Browns will not go 0-16:
"We really can't worry about that kind of stuff. All we can worry about is this week. We can't worry about the future games and stuff. We can only worry about what we have coming up this Thursday. The rest of it will play itself out."
On his comments about wanting to stay with the Browns for the team's turnaround when signing his contract extension and if the Browns leaders have come through on what he was told:
"We have a young team. It is stuff I knew that we were going to be doing. I knew things were going to be getting done this way. It is part of it, and I am so excited about being here. I want to be a part of this turnaround, and I truly think we are going to do that."
On if he is concerned with how the losing streak an affect young Browns players as the team looks to establish its new culture:
"No because our coaches are doing a good job of preaching against that. They will learn. They will learn from the vets. That is a thing that we have to do as leaders on the team is show what you go through and that there is adversity in the NFL and you just have to overcome it, you learn from it and it makes you stronger as a person."
On if he is having the individual season he hoped:
"I am fine with what is going on with my season because everyone is getting the chance to get the opportunity to get the ball. It is not a focus on one player and we are spreading it around, which is good, because everybody is getting an opportunity to make it tough on the defense to figure out who is getting the ball. I don't really worry about my personal stats."
On if he has heard whether or not QB Robert Griffin III has a chance to play again this season:
"I have not heard anything."
On how QB changes affected the Browns:
"I really don't think it has affected the team as much as everybody else likes to think it does. Everybody is still out there practicing. Everybody is doing their job and still learning. It is not like we have guys who step in and do absolutely nothing. Everybody is doing well when they step in at quarterback, and that is a credit to our coaches and to our team."
On if opposing defenses are scheming to make Kessler prove he can throw deep passes:
"I think they are just doing a good plan. They don't want us to complete a deep ball. I think a lot of them are playing against the deep ball and then they are trying to stop the rush, too, because they know we have a good rushing game. They are mixing everything that they do, and it is just stuff that we are learning through."
On Ravens S Eric Weddle:
"He is the same player that he has been when he was in San Diego. He has done a good job. He is true leader for their defense and has done a good job."
On what makes Weddle one of the top NFL safeties:
"He is just very smart. He knows and he pays attention to the formations and stuff. He knows what is coming and he studies that stuff. He is a real student of the game and that shows on the field because he knows what is going to happen and he is picking up on things. With guys like that, you just have to try to confuse them by doing different things."
On if the Browns can draw on their success in the first half of the first Ravens matchup:
"I definitely think we can. We just have to find a way to finish, too, when we have that opportunity. We have done a good job with jumping out. We just have to keep finishing. We will learn from everything that we have done, and we will just keep getting better."
On if he has watched the film of yesterday's Ravens-Steelers game:
"Not yet."
WR Corey Coleman:
On his first game back from injury and how he felt:
"It was rough because we lost. We have some things that we have to work on and fix. I felt good. I felt healthy out there. My hand wasn't bothering me or anything."
On if he had a smooth transition back onto the field mentally and if he felt any rust:
"I felt like I was in it and ran the right routes. We played a good time.
On the Browns offense having success in the first half but limited opportunities in the second half:
"I couldn't tell you to be honest with you about that. The Cowboys did a good job of scheming. We just have to get back to work, get back in the offense and clean some stuff up. We had some penalties and stuff that we can't have."
On how hard Browns players have taken the winless start and the mood of the locker room:
"It is tough, but we are not quitting. We are not giving up. That is the big thing. We are going to take it one game at a time."
On Head Coach Hue Jackson's message to the team now:
"We have a team meeting later on in the day, but we just have to keep on believing. We have to put a full game together. We have played a good quarter before and played a good half before. Now, we have to put a whole entire game together."
On if the potential of a winless season has crossed his mind and if the team has talked about it amongst themselves, given LB Christian Kirksey saying the team would not go 0-16:
"We haven't, but I am looking at one game at a time."
On sharing the field with Ravens WR Steve Smith Sr. again, how he is a role model and if that fueled his game when the teams first met:
"I wouldn't say it fueled by game, but he is an unbelievable role model. I talked to him. He has done so much for the game. I respect him. We have to try our hardest and put in the work this week getting prepared for them and do a good job."
On his reaction after the first Browns-Ravens game:
"It was kind of hard to be excited because we lost. It was still frustrating because we put a great quarter together and a great half together, but we haven't put a full game together."
On his interaction with Smith after the first game:
"We talked, and he told me good job. He is an unbelievable guy. He is a smart guy, too."
On QB Cody Kessler targeting him on one deep pass and if the next step is for the offense is to hit on more deep passes:
"It is hard to say because I am not the offensive coordinator or the head coach. I just do what I need to do."
On believing he can have another big game against the Ravens this week, given his performance in the first matchup:
"You can't look at it like that. I have to come to work. I have been out for a couple weeks. I have to get on the field and make sure I know exactly what I need to do on plays. They know what I did last time that we played, too, so they are going to be preparing. I am going to be prepared, too. We are going to see on Thursday night."
On Ravens S Eric Weddle and what makes him a top NFL safety:
"He is smart. He is really athletic. He is a good overall player."
LB Christian Kirksey:
On the feedback he has received to his statement that the Browns will not go 0-16:
"To be honest, I have not even been paying attention to it. I am not going to focus on that right now. I am just trying to focus on this week and stay focused for Baltimore."
On if he felt that a message needed to be sent:
"No, I just spoke with the guys and doing my thing. We just fight together and getting through every week. Where we are at now, all my focus is shifted toward Baltimore week and we just continue to practice and try to have a better week, but that is all my focus is."
On challenges the Ravens offense present:
"They have a veteran quarterback. (Ravens QB) Joe Flacco, he is a good quarterback. He can control the offense, a lot of his plays are on the outside to the receivers, and they have a good run game and a good offensive line so they are a pretty solid offense and are in our conference. It is a short week for us so we have to make sure that we stay focused, stay the course and make sure we do what we have to do."
On how hard it is to be 0-9:
"It is just adversity. Each year, no matter what you are doing you are going to face some kind of adversity. Right now, ours is being winless right now, but that is life. You have to keep going. You have to take the punches and you have to roll with it. One thing I know about this team is that we are going to continue to fight. I have full faith in our coaching staff and I have full faith in our organization that we are going to keep fighting. That is our main goal."
On if he has taken it upon himself to be more of a team leader this season:
"Yeah, I look at myself as being a leader, especially on this defense. I have been here for three years now, me and (DB) Joe Haden probably are the guys that have been here the longest so I do look at myself as a leader. We have other guys like (LB) Demario (Davis). He has done a great job leading the defense. Guys have to take that role and be out there on defense. Me being in my third year, probably one of the most senior guys on the defense, I have to take that role."
On how tough it is for LB Jamie Collins Sr. to play every defensive snap after joining Browns this week:
"When you have a guy with that talent, you have no doubt in your mind that he can go out there and play so that is what he did on Sunday. He went out there and made a couple plays for us and played every down. He came in and fit in right away. I was proud to see him go out there and fight with us and come to battle with us. He will be with us all year and he will be focused."
On how the Browns can improve the defense to stop the bleeding:
"We just have to go into the film room and really critique ourselves and see the areas we need to improve. Each year, you have that something you need to work on. Now, we have multiple things we need to work on. It will get fixed. You have to continue to practice, to watch film and continue to learn more and grow closer as a defense. We need to get it done. We just have to keep working and keep pushing."
On if the lack of personnel continuity on defense is detrimental:
"No, it does not hurt us at all. The more positions you play, the more that you know what is going on. Having guys that are fresh, it helps you. You have guys in there that when they get tired and need a breather, another guy can go in right away in position for our defense. (Defensive coordinator) Ray (Horton) is doing an extremely good job keeping guys fresh and having guys know multiple positions. It balances out."
On Ravens WR Mike Wallace and his ability to stretch the field:
"We all know about Mike Wallace. We all know about his popularity and the dynamic player that he can be. He can take the top off a defense. He is a fast guy. He runs routes very well. You have to make sure he doesn't become a spark in the game and you have to keep it in front. We know what we have to do, and we just have to make sure that we give everything we can."
