Opening statement:
"Excited to start our prep today to get ready for Tennessee this weekend. I know our fans are excited. We are excited. One of the best stadiums in football, the best fans in football and we are excited to out and prep for them today, continuing the one rep at a time mantra from the standpoint of how we approach things, one practice at a time. We can't do anything about Sunday today except prepare for it to give our fans the best product that we possibly can to be on the field come Sunday. Tennessee offers tremendous amounts of challenges in several areas. They have a very good defense, they run the ball as physical as any team in the league and of course, their quarterback speaks for himself as far as being able to make plays in the pass and run game. We have our work cut out for us. We will start that preparation today."
On how eager he is to see the entire Browns team together on Sunday:
"Very eager. It is nice Monday that we had everybody at practice. In a lot of ways, it looked like a totally different team. We still have to take it to the game on Sunday, but more importantly, we need to take it back to the practice field today and keep preparing."
On emphasizing the importance of the season opener while keeping the mindset that it is a long season:
"We put the same emphasis on every game. We truly have been preaching since the spring that it is one day at a time. We can't do anything about Week 2. We have to do something about Week 1 so we do not mention any other games. This is the one we are focused on. We need to be because they are a good football team."
On if the Browns evaluate film from recent seasons or preseason when preparing for the Titans:
"Both. All of the above. We study of course what they did last year and we have studied what they have done the whole preseason. That is part of our job description. We have to make sure all of our bases are covered, and that is our job to do that. Prepare our guys to go out and play the very best that they can without the fear of failure. I want them to go out and just lay it out there on the line every snap, every series, all the way until the clock strikes zeroes. Do not care about the scoreboard – I want them to play the best that they can play each play, no matter what the score is."
On how the Browns offense will look with its full personnel on Sunday:
"Hopefully, productive. Hopefully, we learn what to do this week, how to do it and when to do it, and then that usually equates into production. That is what we are looking for out of every position. Our offensive line can be productive, our running backs can be productive, our receivers can be productive and our quarterbacks can be productive, tight ends and linebackers. Everybody needs to be productive in what their role is. Everyone needs to understand what their role is, do their job and not worry about everybody else. That is the reason we are trying to build accountability to each other, not to anyone else other than each other so I can depend on the person to my left and to my right that they are going to do their job and know that I am going to do my job. That is how you build accountability. That is what we have been preaching since the start of this thing. That is what I fully expect to happen."
On if allows himself to think ahead to his debut as a head coach on Sunday or if he has to be a robot by not factoring in the human element of it:
"I do not think robot and my name has ever been in the same sentence together (laughter). Truly, I know you guys do not believe me, but truly, the only thing I am worried about is today and going out and having the best practice that we can have today. I will worry about Sunday when it gets here. We have five days until Sunday. I know if we do not do our work and get what we need to out of Wednesday's practice, Sunday is not going to matter. It is the same with tomorrow and same with Friday. We are going to focus on today, same as me, same as our other coaches, same as our equipment guys and our trainers. Everybody is focused on today and doing their best job for the Browns and these fans today."
On if play-calling duties will shift at all during Week 1, given his reference to offensive coordinator Todd Monken calling some plays during the preseason:
"No, not at all. He is not the only one, but I am calling the plays."
On Browns defensive players holding each other accountable when trusting each other to cover on the field:
"I fully expect that to happen on game day. This whole thing of being accountable to one another started in the spring. You build accountability where you do not want to let your teammate down. To do that, it goes even deeper than that for me because I do not want to let them down on a personal level. If I am (DE) Myles (Garrett), I do not want to let Kirko (LB Christian Kirksey) down on a personal level. I want to be the best that I can be to my teammates on and off the field. That starts accountability. That starts trust. When you build it on the field, that lets you go play fast and know that somebody else is going to do their job, I am going to do my job and it all comes together. That is the only way you can do it. I do not know any other way."
On how to help defensive players not look to cover for another player and simply do their job and communicate effectively:
"The trust that they built, the accountability that they built, the reliability, all of these abilities that mean a hell of a lot more than physical ability. If I have physical ability and I am not reliable, accountable or dependable, it does not matter. I think these guys understand that. I think they have been practicing like that. Nobody is perfect, but I promise you I want them on Sunday to not worry about anything other than their job. They are going to do their job. If anything bad happens, it is my fault. We are going to do the work over the course of the week to get them in position to do the job on Sunday. If anything else happens, that is my fault."
On Ps serving as holders in today's NFL whereas QBs or WRs with the 'best hands' would fill the role in an earlier era:
"That is a great question. I lived that. I was in Dallas when we went to Seattle for a playoff game in 2006 when our backup quarterback became the starting quarterback halfway through that year. Now, that is a good question from the standpoint of the holder, the punter, the kicker and the snapper. They spend all of practice together so they are usually able to get the most work together with each other. Just to answer your question bluntly and honestly, that is the reason. That is the reason that most people in the league do that. I am not saying it always is the right thing to do. Certainly, if we did not feel confident that would happen, we would explore other avenues. At the present time, we think that is the best way to go."
On if the Titans signing K Cairo Santos affects the Browns gameplan:
"We are still going to go and try to block his kick. We do not care who is kicking it."
On if there are similarities between Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick's and Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel's defenses, given their time together:
"You can definitely see the similarities from the front standpoint. I think it is kind of a hybrid from a standpoint of those guys do an excellent job in pressure so maybe that is that Baltimore impact a little bit. I know they are very well coached at all areas up front and in the secondary. They are very well coached and tremendous ability in a bunch of different spots. Of course, their running game and their running backs speaks for itself and the quarterback speaks for himself. He was not taken No. 1 overall for nothing. A bunch of good players in this league."
On the Browns plan during training camp to ensure WR Odell Beckham Jr. would be ready for Tennessee:
"Odell is ready to go so, yeah, I feel good about the plan."
On if he has seen a noticeable difference in Beckham as Beckham ramps up for the regular season:
"I think there is a couple of different stages in this season. I think the speed of the game is one thing in training camp, and it is another thing during the lighter part of training camp. The first week of the season is another tempo. I don't want to make it sound like this, but it is just the games are faster. Then you get to the end of the season with playoff hopes on the line and it is another speed. Then you get the playoffs, and that is a whole other speed. The Super Bowl is another speed. There are several different tempos. I do not know if I answered your question, but yes, I have seen it. He is not the only one I have seen it under. The sense of urgency, I kept talking about that a couple of weeks ago because we wanted to continue to strive to increase the sense of urgency. That is what you see a lot of times. I have to get this right. I have to run this perfect. I have to throw this perfect. I have to cover this perfect. I have to cover this guy with inside leverage. I have to pressure the B gap. The sense of urgency with these guys definitely increased, and it needs to. I think it has been over the past week and a half."
On if the Browns offense's sense of urgency changed as a result of the struggles against Tampa Bay, including for QB Baker Mayfield:
"There were a lot of things going on during that game. Honestly, I am going to refer my comment about the rear view mirror. I am not really worried about Tampa Bay. I think the sense of urgency has picked up offensively and I think that it has picked up defensively. I think it continues to need to rise. I think it will. I have no doubt and I have total confidence our guys are going to prepare the way that they need to prepare and then I have total confidence that they are going to play the way they need to play."
On if G Eric Kush is expected to start at RG:
"Yeah, that is who we are going with right now."
On if the Browns are excited to 'unleash the defense,' particularly given the national attention on the Browns offense:
"I am excited to see. Truly, I do not want to avoid the question, but I am truly excited to see our team play. I am not trying to be funny, but I am truly excited to see them prepare this afternoon. I like the process of getting ready for the game. I like the process when the light clicks for receivers or for DBs and if they learn something new. If you are going to motivate someone, teach them something they do not know and watch them go have success with it, they will come back for more. That is called motivation. I am excited to try to teach these guys. Our coaches are excited to teach these guys and then watch them implement it, have success and come back for more. That is how you build trust between the coaching staff and a player."
