QB DeShone Kizer:
On if having to wear a Miami Hurricanes t-shirt is the most humiliating thing that has happened to him this season:
"Yeah, the ribs, the benching and all of that stuff, this is by far worse (laughter)."
On how his ribs feel:
"Feeling better. I got a bunch of treatment, and things are looking well."
On what he did better last week:
"Made a couple of big plays. It has been about team-protecting, don't turn the ball over, check the ball down and try to eliminate sacks. Now starting to add the big plays to that, and we were able to do that a little bit. Now it is about moving forward in that direction about scoring as many points as needed to win the game."
On Jacksonville's defense:
"Off the end, they have two completely different solid pass rushers. It is on us to make sure that we are prepared for both styles. You have one guy who is 6-8, 300-plus pounds powering through, and they have another guy who is a speed guy who can change directions quickly. It is on us to make sure that we are prepared for both styles of rushes and making sure that we are ID-ing our protections the right way to make sure there aren't any free runners at the quarterback."
On if potentially having backup tackles on each side poses a significant problem facing a Jaguars defense that leads the league in sacks:
"I wouldn't assume so. This is professional football. We have two great guys who are going to step in. If (OL) Shon (Coleman) gets back, he is back. If not, then (OL) Zach Banner is going to step up and play just as well as he did in the second half of the Detroit game. I think we have a really good offensive line that has been working to gel together from one group, eight in that room. The guys who have stepped in have been doing really well, and I'm looking forward to seeing the ball in the end zone."
On if the emphasis to release the ball more quickly is to take pressure off of the offensive line:
"No, the reason we are getting the ball away quicker is from the seven sacks that I took in the first game. I quickly learned that in order to be team-protecting, you have to be able to check the ball down and understand where your outlets are. It has nothing to do with game planning for the offensive line. It has everything to do with me just making sure that the ball is out of harm's way."
On if his eye grow wider when watching Jacksonville's defense on tape due to the team's athleticism:
"Yeah, they are talented. They have two corners who have proven themselves out there, which allows them to do a bunch of things within the tackles and has led them to become the sack leader in the league right now. It is on us to make sure that we are executing our job. Every play is designed to make sure that every guy is blocked and accounted for. It is on us to make sure that we are doing our job to account for everyone out there."
On Jaguars S Tashaun Gipson's comments regarding the Browns:
"He was never one of my teammates. I don't know what type of guy he is, but I look forward to going out there and executing my job to try to prove him wrong with those comments."
On if Gipson's comments have been discussed in the locker room:
"There is no discussion needed other than the fact that we are 0-9 looking for our first win."
On if he thinks about the prospect of going winless:
"Not necessarily. I think that the Jacksonville Jaguars are the biggest thought in front of us right now. It is going to be the next team next week. It is all about just doing whatever we can to build on this foundation that we are trying to lay here and work towards our first win. I think this team has continuously gotten better, and we are headed in the right direction and it is about making sure that we can get over that hill so that we can start winning consistently here."
On the 'mythical' rookie wall that comes into play at this point in the season:
"It is mythical. I'm fine. We have been able to stay on the path that (Head) Coach (Hue Jackson) has set out for me at the beginning of the season. I have obviously had some hiccups and a couple of ups and downs, but right back on the track that we want it to be on. Now, it is on me once again to take my game to another level and making sure that I continue to put this offense in the best position to score points."
On excitement for WR Corey Coleman to return:
"He is a burner. He is going to allow us to push the ball down the field vertically and everyone knows that, but just to add more playmakers to this team is never going to hurt us. We were getting in a little rhythm with the guys that we had and to add someone else to that rhythm is going to be a big benefit for us."
On if it is realistic to expect Coleman to be 100 percent after missing multiple games:
"With a minor hand issue, I would expect him to come back ready to go. I know he has been working his butt off to make sure that he is at 100 percent, and until he proves otherwise, we are going to expect him to go out there and make the plays that he has always made."
On the importance of the run game:
"This is AFC football this weekend. You can expect the weather to be a little chilly, might expect a little rain and a lot of wind. It is going to be on us to make sure that our run game drives everything. This offense is kind of set up to where with the solid offensive line that we have and the great running backs that we have that the pass is always going to feed off of the run. We were able to do so in Detroit and look forward to building on it this week."
On if it is daunting to face Jacksonville's defense, given the team's ability to impact QBs this season:
"It is professional football. You have to expect that every defense you play against is going to be stout. Once again, it is on us to make sure that we are executing our duties and are learning from the guys who have not had a lot of success in the past against them."
On if Coleman particularly provides the offense more options in the middle of the field, given a recent tendency to throw passes outside of the hashes:
"Not necessarily. The way that we have been able to game plan, we have had some access outside and we have been able to take it. As we move forward, we are going to take what the defense gives us. When they are going to funnel things internal into an eight-man box, why throw it inside? If they do give us that opportunity this week, expect the ball to be in there."
On clarifying the Browns have thrown less over the middle is due to opposing defenses stacking the box:
"Yeah, again there in the AFC particularly, there is a lot of one-high coverage. When you are playing one-high coverage and then you have outside leverage defenders, everything is being funneled inside so it is best to attack the outside during those times. Once again, you have to be able to take what the defense gives you. If you can go out and game plan precisely and can find something over the middle, throw the ball in the middle. If there is something open outside, get it outside. It is all about throwing the ball where they are not."
On RB Duke Johnson Jr.'s toughness and how he demonstrates that in games every week:
"Every week. He is a guy who the first hit typically doesn't take him down, and that is why we like to get the ball in his hands. His toughness has shown on the field. He is not a big talker. He is kind of a to himself type of guy, and when he is out there being as electric as he is, he just sparks us up as an offense. It is on us to make sure that we get the ball in his hands at least once a drive to make him do what he does."
On TE David Njoku being angry about the play that led to his rib injury:
"That is my boy. He is going to stick up for me as much as I am going to stick up for him. His drive comes from a different way than most. He takes his personal relationships and his camaraderie with his teammates personally, and that is what kind of drives him out on the field. I am looking forward to seeing what he is able to do after the comments that he made recently."
On if he watched the Notre Dame-Miami game with Njoku:
"I watched the first half with him unfortunately (laughter)."
On what he did for the second half of that game:
"I went up to our hotel room, which we happened to share, and locked the door to make sure that he wasn't watching the second half with me (laughter)."
On clarifying if his University of Miami shirt was due to a lost bet:
"Yeah, this is definitely a bet."
On if the t-shirt bet was with Njoku or Johnson:
"That is just him. I owe Duke a pair of tennis shoes."
On if there was another aspect to his bet with Njoku:
"Yeah, but we will keep those comments to ourselves."
