Special teams coordinator Amos Jones:
On if he has a sense for who will contribute on special teams at this point in preseason:
"I feel like it goes all the way through the fourth game. Most of the previous 11 years, you were coming down to one or two guys on that fourth game, and you need to see them make a play and get them out real quick if they made a big play that you liked. I kind of do not judge that part of it. I just kind of focus on the day to day and the grind of trying to get them ready to see who can perform in the game settings."
On the kicking and tunting competitions:
"I think both of them are even from the standpoint of the reps are about balanced out. We have not had but the one field goal so everything has been the extra point. As we know in this league now, that 33-yard kick is very important. From a play scaling standpoint, I think both of those guys are trying to fight it out. We are trying to keep the reps even. That is why (Head) Coach (Hue Jackson) decided last week we would rotate them every play and try to get them there. From a punting standpoint, it is still one of those scenarios where they are pretty much even from a rep count, which is kind of how you want it to be to get it to a point where you can judge it at least fairly from a standpoint of numbers, but I do not see anyone stepping forward. I think that is the thing you want to see is someone just take it over in both positions."
On if it is negative that no one has emerged to 'take over' either position:
"I do not think I look at it as a negative from a standpoint of it is still good competition, but you would like to say, 'Hey, this is the guy.' I do not know if we are ready to do that yet."
On WR Antonio Callaway progressing as a returner:
"Really it has just been the punt return. Antonio has done everything we have asked of him to do. We have to do a little better job of getting his pocket cleaner, but the two or three times he has caught the ball, he has been able to show that he can make the first guy miss, which all great returners have to do in this league. He is catching the ball well in terms of that so it is a work in progress. Hopefully, game reps will continue to grow for him, as well."
On if DB Jabrill Peppers is still in consideration for return responsibilities:
"Absolutely, as evident by last week. They rotated every other punt, and Pep has been getting the kickoff return stuff for the most part in the first half, and in the second half, we have kind of been letting the younger guys get it."
On how the Browns identified and signed K Ross Martin:
"Ross has been a guy that is trying to make it into the league so you always keep your eyes on those guys. Ross is a guy that I think actually had a workout here before and then worked out when I got here. He came in and won the job that day from the standpoint of being a guy that Coach and (General Manger) John (Dorsey) wanted to put on the roster and give us a chance to have a competition."
On what he has learned about Martin:
"Very meticulous in what he does. He is really good with that he wants to have a plan every day. His work ethic has been impeccable. I see him as a guy that is really right on the cusp of being a guy that can probably kick in this league and hopefully very soon for him. He is a guy that can make kicks, and his kickoffs have gotten better from what we have needed him to do."
On if P Britton Colquitt's experience will give him the edge if the competition stays even:
"I think there are a lot of things that tip the scale – operation times, holding [field goals] and all of those things factor in. You always like the veteran guy, but you can't ever as a coach, get locked into 'Hey, this guy has been doing it for a long period of time.' You just have to keep an open mind with it, and that is pretty much what I have been able to do all of my career in terms of having competition at various specialists spots in that respect. You can't say that a veteran has it over the young guy, although a lot of the times, incumbents are the known guys. This other kid, (P) Justin (Vogel) was in Green Bay for 10-16 games last year so he obviously earned some spurs there."
On how long it takes to get to know the players on coverage units when joining a new team as a coach:
"You get to know them really once you get to training camp. You kind of get a body of work and know who they are from a work-ethic standpoint in spring ball. Once you get to this time of year, seeing them in the meeting in the mornings, seeing their faces, knowing where they sit so that you can make eye contact with them and watching them in their work ethic and how they do on the field is a big part of getting to know them as a person and obviously, the playing time and stuff like that to need to get to be productive. You learn more about them obviously when they get the pads on and then you learn a lot about them when they are in the game."
On the Browns coverage units to date:
"I do not think that we did a great job last week, but I was also more disappointed in the sky punt part of us. We downed five balls inside of the 20 the week before. I thought that we missed those opportunities to help really create the field position from that standpoint. Some young guys have got to merge and they have got to take their shot is what we call it. When they get in a position to tackle, we need them to do that. That is what we did not do last week with that second half group."
On if coaching special teams has become easier during his career as teams more strongly emphasize the importance to that phase of the game:
"For the most part, you still deal from a special teams standpoint of guys that did not play special teams in college. You have got a clean slate, and that can be good or bad. You have to try to mold them into what you want. That first rounder has to sit in that room a little bit. (OL Austin) Corbett is great on field goal protection. As good as he is, he is also a backup snapper type of guy. You kind of find some of those guys who are in tune to it. Most of them do not play it in college so you kind of have to just get them back into the mindset of, 'Hey, it is like high school football again.' You have to play on kickoff. You have to play on punt. That is the fun part of it, but it is also the challenging part because they pretty much do not have any concept of it."
On having special teams coaching intern Joshua Cribbs in the coaching group as a potential Pro Football Hall of Fame Candidate for his special teams contributions:
"And should be – I would vote for him if I had a vote. Both (assistant special teams coach) Sam (Shade) and Josh are unique to me. The question was about Josh, who I will say has been excellent because I can turn my back and tell him what I want them to do, and he does it the same as Sam. From a comfort standpoint, that is great. I think that anytime you have former players like Sam and Josh in your room – [the players] can get it from anybody, I do not care where they get it from, me or them – we do not care as long as they get it. Having Josh, along with Sam, as former players in the room and both of them were guys that played and were of core special teams guys along with starters and other various roles. Like when Josh took over the Wildcat, he was still doing his kicking role. Sam was a starter as a safety. It is beneficial to me to have both of them. Plus, both of them have good computer skills and good breakdown of film. They have a lot of good ideas. They are young still so that is the interesting part about it. No, we can't do that much because we have to focus on this. I like that part of it too because you give them a task, and they perform it."
On LB Genard Avery and if he will be expected to play a big role on special teams:
"I have seen a guy that can run, a guy that has a willingness to do things the way you want him to do it. He is going to have some growing pains like all rookies do. When you ask him to do something and you give him the reps in practice that he needs – the injury situation set him back a little bit of time – but now he is kind of getting back into it. You can see his growth a little bit. Last week, he started on kickoff. He got four punt reps. The next thing is kickoff return a little bit maybe this week and just trying to build his résumé of some preseason work so that you have something that you can teach him with. I think that he is a guy that gets it a lot, too, by repping it."
On comparisons for Avery's body type:
"The guy would kill me if I said it, but you know who I am thinking about, right? He wore number 92 for Pittsburgh (James Harrison). When I first saw him cover a punt – James played left tackle [on the punt unit] for us – when I first saw him cover a punt out here for us in OTAs, just the way that he ran with those big legs and big upper body, he reminds you a lot of a guy that has the potential to be a dynamic player in whatever phase he is playing."
On Browns players saying Avery attacks every assignment at 100 percent:
"I would agree with that. Usually when makes a mistake, he makes it 100 percent, which might not be right technique, but at least it is 100 percent. Shoot, that you have to love, especially as a linebacker."
On the special teams units using donut pads for drills:
"Early on when you do not have pads on, it gives you the ability to sink you shoulder and feel that contact point without it being a body on a body. For us, we pay more close attention to where the eyes are in relationship to that fit and what are they doing with their arms. A lot of guys want to one-arm tackle or no-wrap tackle so that is why we do that. Plus, it takes a little bit of stress off of a guy having to tackle a guy because they are going to get enough of that in four preseason games, we hope."
On players no-wrap tackling:
"There are a million ways to tackle. We still think that we have to use our arms. That is why they are there."
