Included below are select quotes from interviews with the following Browns players during today's media availability:
- DB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
- DB Joe Haden
- DL Tyrone Holmes
- DL Danny Shelton
- OL Joe Thomas
DB Briean Boddy-Calhoun:
On earning more opportunities to play after his INT-TD at Miami:
"I'm just going to continue to do the same things I have been doing. I'm going to prepare the same way, treat every game the same way. I'm not going to change my routine. I'm going to keep the main thing the main thing and just try to get better each and every day."
On his last name:
"Boddy is my mother's name and Calhoun is my father's last name. My dad died when I was seven years old, and I got his name added on in 2012 when I was old enough."
On his first name:
"My grandmother gave me that name. She had a friend that he said if he were to ever have children, he would name his son, Briean. My grandmother loved that name. He unfortunately didn't have any children so she told my mom to name me Briean, and that is how I got it. That is how you get that tongue-tied name (laughter)."
On if he has a nickname:
"Yeah, (Head) Coach (Hue Jackson) calls me 'BC.' Some people just call me 'Boddy' for short or 'Calhoun.' Usually, they stick to the last name, Boddy or Calhoun. Not too many people call me Briean."
On going from an undrafted rookie to starting an NFL game and recording an INT-TD:
"You prepare. You prepare for the opportunity, and the more you prepare, the more ready you will be. I think everyone on this team does a good job of that. That is why you see guys coming out here ready to play. It is because they put the work in throughout the week. Come Sunday, the game is easy. If you just prepare the right way and take practice as serious as the game, I think you will be fine when Sunday comes."
On defensive coordinator Ray Horton putting players in position to succeed:
"Oh yeah, he is great at that. I love Coach Horton. He does a good job of putting us in good positions to make plays and positions to help other people make plays. That starts throughout the week with all the things that we do in practice."
DB Joe Haden:
On his status:
"I'm feeling better. I'm coming along."
On the probability he will play at Washington:
"No timetable. Just working with the training staff just trying to get back."
On if he will practice today:
"I'm going to be out there. I don't think I'm going to practice today, though."
On what caused his groin injury:
"Messed it up during Thursday's practice. Strained it just covering (WR Darius) Jennings. It was a simple curl route, opened up and I felt it pull."
On the process warming up in Miami:
"It was a true gametime decision. (Head) Coach Hue (Jackson), he said that I'm down. He saw me working out and he just said, 'You are down this week.' He made the decision."
On if it was frustrating to not play at Miami after a great performance against Baltimore:
"Super frustrating. I was hoping to play every game this season. I was working my butt off to be out there with my guys. It is disappointing. It is upsetting. You want to be out there but you physically can't. It is really tough for me to not be out there with my guys, especially trying to really be a leader for this team, knowing I have to make certain plays. It just sucks not being able to be out there."
On added frustration watching Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry have a big game:
"Yeah, I feel like I can make a difference in the game. Not being able to be out there, it sucks. The fans, the team and everybody wants me to be out there. I want to be out there more than anybody so just not just being able to be out there sucks, but if you physically can't be out there, then there is nothing I can do about it."
On what he proved to himself during the Ravens game:
"It was exciting. I was happy to just be able to go out there and just make plays. That is what I love to do. That is when I'm in my comfort zone when I'm out there on the field. All the rehab, all the treatment, all the extra hours that I put in going through the surgery and being able to go out there and play, it is reassuring. I felt like I always still had it. It didn't feel like I lost a step or none of that. Going out there and being able to perform definitely made me feel good, but I'm just ready to get back out there and keep going."
DL Tyrone Holmes:
On his role in Montana's defense:
"I just played right and left end. It didn't really matter. We just lined up and played. We switched all the time. It was whatever."
On his performance during the past two games and what that has done for his confidence on the field:
"It is huge. Any player, his confidence, the momentum side of the game is huge, I think everyone, you already have to have a certain level of confidence to be successful in this league. That is just added, just reassurance like 'Hey, I know I can do this thing. I belong in this league and I know I can get things done.'"
On looking forward to an increased role for the Browns defense:
"I think anyone on the team is looking for an increased role. You just want the opportunity to impact the team and help the team out as much as possible. That is the goal every day is to go out and battle in practice and battle every rep I get, and hopefully, show people what I can do."
On his emotions when the Jaguars released him following training camp:
"Going through preseason, my mentality was just give it everything I have and everything will work itself out. When I got cut, yeah, I was upset because I wanted to make the team, obviously, but God works it all out and I ended up here, and I couldn't be happier."
On hearing Browns fans say that the team got a steal by in claiming him off waivers:
"I hope, I hope (laughter). That is cool. I just want to be the best football player that I can be, and that is all I can say."
On Sunday performances by young Browns players like DB Briean Boddy-Calhoun and LB Corey Lemonier, who also were cut by previous teams:
"It just says that there are a lot of good players out there. All three of us are very hungry and want to make an impact."
DL Danny Shelton:
On his production this season:
"I feel like I'm more focused this season. I have more determination to produce for the team."
On if his weight loss contributes to his increased production:
"Really just being tired of losing and wanting to have a better looking record for the team, the city and the fans. Just feeling like we have to continue to keep fighting."
On DB Joe Haden's play against the Ravens, given Haden missed significant time last year with an injury:
"I always knew he was going to be a dominant player. Just to see him make those plays, it is really calming. You have that confidence in him. You know he has confidence in himself. We are just going to continue to believe in our teammates and believe in the team and the process."
On the boost it would give the Browns if Haden is able to play at Washington:
"It would be awesome. We definitely want to have our best players out there. For him to be back, it would be really good."
On the cohesion developing among the Browns front seven:
"Yeah, it is just really understanding how the NFL is, really understanding the situation that players are going to leave and players are going to come in. You just have to continue to do your job. Being a young team, I know they are definitely feeling that. I don't want to say it is stress, but at the same time, we are trying to work together and continue to communicate so we can grow as a young team."
OL Joe Thomas:
On what progress he hopes to see from QB Cody Kessler in his second NFL start:
"The standard. We are hoping that he can clean up some of the mistakes he made over the weekend and continue to improve upon the things he did well. I think everyone saw the first drive we had in the game was maybe full of a few butterflies and it didn't turn out the way we wanted. Hopefully, we have that out of our system and we can go right into his second start rolling."
On what Kessler did well at Miami:
"He did a lot of things well, but the No.1 thing he did really well was just maintaining his poise in a tough environment. It was a lot louder than people expected last weekend. Cody did a great job just staying in the huddle, getting the plays, getting in and out, making quick decisions and keeping his composure."
On Kessler during his first few series of the game:
"He did a great job. He was a guy that he stood back there and he surveyed the defense quickly and he got the ball out of his hands. He did a great job controlling the offense, getting guys in and out. There were a number of different plays where (WR) Terrelle (Pryor) was the quarterback and he had to go out. It felt very seamless."
On how impressive WR Terrelle Pryor Sr.'s performance was at Miami:
"Yeah, it is really impressive for a guy like Terrelle, who was cut by a number of teams last year. I think people wandered if his NFL career was going to be over. He came in here with a chip on his shoulder and with something to prove, and I think he has proven it in a big way. He showed that he can be a quarterback, he can be a running back and he can be a receiver. He can do it all, and he is a big weapon. That is a credit to Terrelle and his hard work that he has been putting in, but it is also a credit to (Head Coach) Hue (Jackson) and finding a way to put a tremendous athlete on the field where he can make a difference."
