Opening statement:
"Back in the division against a really, really good Baltimore defensive team, offensive team and special teams. It is a really god team that is going to be coming to FirstEnergy Stadium. This will be another big challenge for us, but our football team is always up to the challenge. We are looking forward to it. It is going to be a big time division game here this weekend. Have to get ready. Good day of work. Good to have a lot of guys back out there. Obviously, (QB) Tyrod (Taylor) was full go today. His back is feeling a lot better. (LB James) Burgess' (Jr.) knee, did not practice. (DB) Damarious Randall with the heel, (WR) Antonio Callaway with the knee and (WR) Jarvis Landry with the knee, they could not go today, but I feel good about at least three or four of those guys having the chance to be back this weekend before the week is out. We will see how it turns out during the rest of the week. We need all of them back out there competing and playing. Hopefully, we will get these guys back. Other than that, I think that we are pretty healthy and excited about playing."
On expecting Taylor to be the backup QB against Baltimore:
"Yes, I do."
On optimism about Landry's and Callaway's chance to play on Sunday:
"I have a great level of optimism. I feel good about them."
On if Callaway's game reps are decreased, which other receivers would fill in:
"However that falls out, it will be based on gameplan. It will."
On Ravens QB Joe Flacco's past 'career slump' and early success this season:
"I could not tell you whatever 'career slump' if I am not there. I just know that he is playing well. Joe has always been in my opinion a good player. Been their quarterback for a long time. Was the quarterback when I was there so he has been there a lot of years. He has a lot of experience and knows how to play. He is leading their team. They are 3-1. They are playing well."
On how often he reflects on his time with Flacco when coaching rookie QBs:
"I do. There are a couple of things. No two players are the same, but sometimes the situations are the same. I can always look back on things. Not so much about him, but I have had rookie quarterbacks here. We just kind of learn. There are some things that you learn to do and learn not to do. We work through those as a staff with our quarterbacks and keep (QB) Baker (Mayfield) moving forward."
On OL Desmond Harrison facing Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs:
"He is getting better. He has gotten better over the last couple of weeks. This is a tall task. You are talking about Terrell Suggs, arguably one of the best players in this league. It is going to be a real challenge for him, but I think our guys are up to the challenge."
On Harrison's improvement:
"One, I think that the game has slowed down for him a little bit. Two, there have not been the penalties that started in the first game and through the second game, and then those things have kind of disappeared. Obviously, he had a holding call last week, but I thought that was a good play by him when I watched the tape. I think that he is improving. I think that he has gotten better every week and he needs to continue to do so."
On if the 2-point conversion attempts are based on analytics or wanting to be aggressive on offense:
"No, it has nothing to do with analytics. It has to do with personnel, feel and practice and the things that we do in practice. I feel good about those opportunities when we take them that we have a good chance to make them."
On if anything is 'holding back' RB Nick Chubb from getting more carries, outside of RB Carlos Hyde's role and production:
"No, just have to give him more carries. There is nothing holding him back. We just have to stick him out there. We need to do a better job of making sure that he has a series or two each half and go from there. Nick Chubb is going to carry the ball. You said it, (RB) Carlos Hyde is the starter, and he is going to carry the ball, too."
On considering RB Duke Johnson Jr. as a returner:
"I will consider anything if I think it is going to make us better. I think that we are looking at everything. Did some things today. Worked through things. I think that we are going to do everything that we can to get the offense, defense and special teams better."
On if he has to 'dig in' more with the special teams:
"I am going to dig in everywhere. I just am. As the head coach, I have that opportunity to do that so that is what I am going to do."
On DB Jabrill Peppers returning to form on defense and as a returner:
"He will. There is no question in my mind that he will get there. I think that he got a little dinged in the game last week, and that is what took him out of a lot of the plays last week. I think after the punt-catch where the guy ran into him, it kind of took him out of the game. He was down for quite a while. He was only there for an emergency situation. I think that is what that is. I think that Jabrill did some good things. He has to continue to improve. We have played one quarter of the season. We have a lot of football left to play. I think he is going to have a huge impact once it is all said and done."
On the Browns' play on special teams:
"We have to get better. Do not have to talk about it more than that. We have to get better."
On his comment about considering anything possible to improve the team:
"That is what I am doing."
On if he would consider making a coaching change on special teams:
"No. I do not think I need to do that. I think I need to take my experience that I have had and use it and go over there and help as I can, get other coaches on the staff and help and see if we can get better."
On if players have to be coached on being more careful on return situations to avoid penalties:
"I do not think the word is careful. I think just doing the fundamental things and not making an understanding what is going to cause a penalty. Sometimes, I am being very honest with you, maybe those are not penalties that are laid on – the flag is on the ground – and sometimes they are. We have to do the fundamental part of it better, get our hands in the right spots and get our bodies in the right spot so that we do not come close to have a chance to getting a call in those situations."
On how he plans to improve special teams:
"That is my job. I have been in every meeting from special teams to defense to offense. My focus is on cleaning up the things that we need to clean up and get better at. It starts with me, down to our assistant coaches and that is what we are going to do. We are going to get it better."
On if special teams coaching intern Josh Cribbs can help the unit improve:
"He is. He is doing his part. I think Josh has got to play his part, and I think he has done that. We just got to continue to get better."
On if the Browns can 'shake up' personnel on special teams:
"We shake it. We can shake it up. There might be some things you see different this weekend. I can't give all of those secrets away today, but we are going to do what we think we need to do to get better."
On plans for the second quarter of the season:
"Get better. We have to catch up now. We dug a little hole. We have had some chances, some opportunities to win some games that we did not. There are some other plays we felt we should have made that we did not so we feel like our backs are against the wall a little bit. We need the second quarter. We have to get going and play better football and get some wins."
On the mentality following the first quarter and moving on to the second quarter of the season:
"Have to move onto the next quarter, absolutely. I think that is important. I think you got to go take this thing, and that is the way I have done it. I think it is important for the players to be able to not look too far ahead or too far behind. Look at right now. This is the next quarter of the season. We have four games starting with Baltimore this week. The most important thing we have is the Baltimore Ravens this week, and after that, we will worry about the next game in the quarter the next week. That is how we go about it."
On considering adding a return specialist to the roster:
"(General Manager) John (Dorsey) is always searching, always looking to make the football team better. I am very confident in that."
On if there is a need to limit DB Damarious Randall playing through his injury:
"No because we understand he is not going to hurt it anymore. He is not going to hurt it any more than what it is hurt, and he can play with pain. That is what he has done the last couple of weeks and done some good things in the last couple of weeks. We do not want to take two interceptions off the field. Do not want to do that, and he has made some huge plays for us and covered some guys. Even 80 percent Damarious Randall is really good for our football team so I think that is important."
On Randall saying he is frustrated since there are other plays he know he could make if he was 100 percent:
"Oh yeah, I could see [his frustration]. I could see the frustration in him, but I just appreciate that he is fighting through it and doing it. Hopefully, the type of injury he has, I think eventually it just kind of goes away. He has handled it well and has done everything for this football team, and I appreciate that."
On what Mayfield brings to the Browns on and off the team and what separates him from other QBs:
"He is our starting quarterback. He is the first pick of the draft so he is very talented. We think he has the make-up that we look for in that position. We think he still got a ways to go. Still growing each and every week, but he is demonstrating the ability to pass the ball and to lead a team. Obviously, we have some turnover things we need to clean up. I think he has turned into a leader both on the field and off the field. I think the players kind of look to him, and I think that is important. He kind of has that charisma, and I think that is a good thing."
