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Opening statement:**
"Another opportunity for our team to go out and play a really good football team that has a tremendous quarterback and is coached really well. It is a tremendous challenge for us to go to L.A. and play the Chargers, but we are excited about the opportunity to go on the road again. Big trip out to L.A. and play some football. We are a very healthy football team other than (WR) Sammie Coates. We have no other issues with our team. That is a blessing. We have everybody out there practicing, going about it, getting ready. We are excited about having all of our pieces in place and having a couple of more days of practice and get out to LA and get ready to play."
On leaving on Friday for Los Angeles instead of a usual Saturday travel day:
"I have always felt when you go to the west coast, it would be good to get out a little early and get a feel for what the day is going to be like because it is a three-hour difference. We are going to get their Friday. I will give them some time to themselves, and then Saturday, we will go over and practice at USC, grace the halls of the Trojan lore and see that place a little bit. Then have a good practice and go back to our hotel and have meetings and do the things we do before a game. We are going to try to get there and understand the weather a little better, understand the time difference a little better and see if we can go play a great game."
On if he is aware of the Sports Illustrated article on WR Josh Gordon:
"I have heard all about it. Obviously, there is nothing good that comes from those things, but again, that is in Josh's past. Hopefully, that is all we hear from that. I'm sure there will be lessons learned from him from all of that. I said this a long time ago, I think there is a cleansing that people go through in these situations, but like I said, I don't think there is anything great about that. That is a tough article, but I think that is behind him and we are going to move on."
On if anything in the article changed his opinion about Gordon and his return:
"I think the biggest thing is he still has to earn the right to be here. He earned the right to get back here. He has to earn the right to be here each and every day. He has been outstanding thus far here. Again, I think all of the things I think were talked about were past behaviors. Obviously, I think he understands that the antennas are up everywhere, and they should be. He has to do the work to make sure that those things are in his past."
On Gordon's camp inviting Sports Illustrated for the interview and SI mentioning Gordon lied during the interview process last month and if that makes him nervous:
"He wasn't here last month. Everything makes me nervous. It is not just Josh, right? I'm nervous about everything right now. We have stuff happening across the country; we have stuff happening here; there is all kinds of stuff going on. I am nervous about everything to be honest with you, but again, we have to deal with things as they happen and that is what we are going to do."
On if the Sports Illustrated and GQ stories caused the team to further evaluate whether the team should retain Gordon:
"I will keep those discussions between us in house, but trust me, we do try to vet out all of those things. All of those things, we do have conversations about and we do have those conversations with Josh about those things, too. I don't want you guys to think that we sweep anything under the carper and just keep on going. I don't proceed that way, and I don't think our organization proceeds that way."
On WR Corey Coleman saying he was 'shook' after dropping the potential TD pass on Sunday and what he says to a player after a drop:
"Go catch the next one. Have to go catch the next one. You have to get back up on the bike and do it again, and he was. He gets it. You have to make that play, but he is going to get an opportunity to do it again. When it comes, he has to make that play."
On if he likes that Coleman took the drop hard:
"I do, but he has to let it go, too. The competitive side, I'm glad that he understands how important it was, but there are going to be more. It would be different if he wasn't going to have any more opportunities to do that. The next opportunity that he gets, he has to make that play."
On the adjustment for OL Spencer Drango to transition from backup OL to filling in for OL Joe Thomas:
"One, he filled some very big shoes. That within itself would be tough. We are talking about Joe Thomas. We are not talking about somebody else that was playing left tackle, but I think for Spencer, he played a lot last year, too. He stepped in for (OL) Joel (Bitonio) so he has been on that left side quite a bit. When Joel went down, eventually, he became the starting left guard for the rest of the year. He has been through this process a little bit. I think he has handled it pretty well."
On challenges Chargers DE Melvin Engram and Joey Bosa:
"It is not fair. That is not fair. They are good. One has 10 sacks and the other has 8.5 sacks so that is 18.5 sacks between the two. They are both really good players. They both go after the quarterback relentlessly. They have done it to every quarterback that they have played against, not just one in particular. They hit the quarterback. They are good at what they do. We have to do everything we can to combat that. It is a tall challenge, but we started towards that process today. We have some work to do to get ready. For three hours on Sunday, we have to be at our best."
On areas Drango needs to improve on after having a dip in his performance the last two weeks:
"I don't know if you would say dip. I think it is like anything, the video tape, now people start to know who you are and how you play. Everybody has a book on them. Every player in this league does. People start to work on your weaknesses to try to accentuate those so he has to do everything he can to play as well as he can, and we have to help him with some of the things we do. The thing I like about Spencer is he competes. He battles. He doesn't run from it. If he makes a mistake, he will be the first to tell you. It is a tough job, but that is what he has to get done."
On if he would use a 'revenge' angle in Chargers Head Coach Anthony Lynn's position, given the Browns one win was against the Chargers last year:
"I don't think so. Let's be honest, we are an 0-11 football team. I don't think they are looking for revenge per se. That is a new regime there now. I think they are going about their business, working hard and they have something to play for. They are still in the playoff hunt. They are playing at home. We have to travel across the country. I think those are the things he will talk about. Maybe the players that were there from a year ago will talk about that, but I don't think their coaches will."
On if there are changes in preparation for playing in an intimate atmosphere and at the StubHub Center, primarily used for soccer games:
"Bring it on. No, there is not much you can do. There are not many venues like that in the National Football League. This is a temporary place for them. There are other teams that have played there. We get to see the video tape. You can call and talk to some of the guys you know across the league to see what that experience is like. Your team can get there a little early and make sure your shoes are right. It is still between the white lines. That is what it is going to be. It is a football game and we have to go play."
On the number of Browns fans who have reported that they will be in attendance this weekend:
"Let's go. Bring them on. Bring the Dawg Pound out there. Let's go to work."
On if he will travel to see USC play on Friday night:
"I will not. I will not get the chance to do that. They are in Palo Alto, if I am not mistaken. They are up a ways so I will not do that, but I know my high school team is playing Saturday night for the championship. I might venture over there for a moment. No, I will not get the chance to see USC play."
On what he likes about Chargers QB Phillip Rivers, including his competitive personality:
"You better know it (laughter). I have competed against Phillip so much. I have been in the AFC West coaching at the Raiders and all that. He is a competitive, fiery, good player. He has done a great job in his career there at San Diego. He plays with a lot of passion, a lot of energy. He loves to win, and he lets the other team know it. He conducts himself that way, and he is trying to beat you. That is what you appreciate about him. He plays well for their football team. He is a great leader, a great leader of men."
On if he will pick his backup QB by feel again and if he could change his backup QB:
"Yeah, it could. It could. Today is Wednesday so we will go through the rest of the week."
On keeping his equilibrium:
"My equilibrium is upside down (laughter). Let me be very honest with you about that. I just get myself tilted as the week starts, and hopefully, by Friday, I am upright. Sunday, gosh dang, it is rough. No, my family, first and foremost. That is the most important thing to me and then these players. These players keep me going. The fact that they come in here every day with their energy and their passion about 'Coach what do we need to do to go out there to win.' and going out there on the practice field and watching these guys compete the way they do to watching us travel or play here at home and looking in their eyes and knowing how much it means to them that they want to do everything they can to win. That is what keeps me going. It is the people in this building. There are some outstanding people here. I will be the first to tell you, we deserve to win. Again, we have to do what we have to do to win. I think everybody understands that."
On if it will be nice to return to Los Angeles:
"I am being very honest, I have been asked that quite a bit, even by our players and I am not going to kid any of you, not right now it is not. To be the leader of a 1-25 team, that is not what I want to take to L.A., but that is what we are going to take to L.A. so that is not fun because we are trying to get to the other side of the ledger, but we are going to go there with that intent. We are going to go there and play our tails off and play as well as we have all year. That is the goal. We have to go do it, but that is what we want to try to accomplish."
On WR Josh Gordon not performing well in his first game back from a previous suspension, including running sloppy routes and his attitude:
"Oh I have talked to him about all of that. Yes sir. There were no sloppy routes today. They were good routes. I remind him that stint, catching balls, not catching balls and all of that. I think he will be ready to go."
On how he knew about Gordon's previous behavior:
"Oh, I do my research. Trust me. Oh yeah."
On if he sees a different Gordon now than what was on film prior to that previous return to games:
"Oh, I do. No question. I see a guy that is in it, working hard. I have been forewarned about all the practice things. I do not see those things. I see a guy that has blended into this football team the right way and is stepping up, leading and trying to be the best version of himself. He has to go do it in a game just like any of our other players on Sunday."
