Head Coach Hue Jackson:
On DL Myles Garrett's status after leaving practice early:
"Obviously, I will know more once we get inside, but I think it is his foot. We will see. I don't know how it happened. Just those things happen. Hopefully, everything is OK, and we will see once I get a chance to go inside."
On if it is related to what has impacted Garrett's participation in previous OTA practices:
"I don't know that. I don't know that for sure. I won't know more until I can go in there and see what it is."
On if it is a good sign that Garrett did not go inside the facility and remained outside for the remainder of practice:
"I think that is a good sign. Hopefully, like I said, I will know more once I get a chance to go inside. Hopefully, everything is OK. We know those things happen. I'm glad that it is towards the end. He did some good things today, and we will see where we are."
On ending practice due to weather and if the team had much of practice remaining:
"We had three more plays left in the whole period. To me, if we are going to have thunder, plus being in [the field house] with 90 guys, it is just tough. I just thought it was best if we just move forward and move on. We have a big day tomorrow. Let's just finish strong."
On if it is significant that QB DeShone Kizer took the first snaps with the first team offense today:
"You said it – you know the answer (laughter). No, I told you guys that I'm just going to mix and match and keep going. He has been going with the ones. He has since OTAs have started and since minicamp started. I just changed the rotation a little bit. That is all."
On when Kizer will be ready to compete for the starting job:
"We will see. Not yet. I just think there is a lot of work to do and a lot of growing to do. As I said before, I won't know more about him – I'll get to know more about him though, I should say, as I keep putting him out there and keep putting him in tough situations."
On Kizer stating his mechanics are better from under center than out of a shotgun formation and potentially that the shotgun tendencies at Notre Dame helped create bad habits, and if that was his observation or his:
"I think that is his [observation]. I won's speak about Notre Dame because I wasn't there, but I think most young quarterbacks who play in the shotgun, it is easy to get a little lazy because when you play under center, it forces you fundamentally to do some things differently. We all know the college game is a shotgun game. Up here, you have to be able to do both. I think that is what he's worked on and has forced him to do things a little bit more detailed, but we also play in the shotgun, too. It is a happy medium that way. I think he has noticed the differences being a little bit more under center than being in the shotgun.
On Kizer's balance of confidence and humility and how that could benefit him:
"I have always told the quarterbacks that this league will bring you to your knees so you might as well start down there every day. You better have that characteristic that you just mentioned because it is a tough league and things don't always go your way all of the time. You just have to keep working through it. That is good to hear that he has that. I have always felt that about him. It is good to know that you guys have noticed that."
On Kizer's mental ability, given the prominence of his physical abilities and stature, and if he is ahead of his time with his analysis of his own game:
"I wouldn't say it is ahead of his time. I think that is a characteristic that a guy has to have. You have to be able to see how you can get better and the things that you are going to need to do to get better, especially playing in this league. This is a big man's league. You have to be able to analyze yourself and don't get too high and don't get too low and kind of fight through it in order to handle the rigors of playing quarterback in the National Football League."
On his reaction to seeing a player go down as Garrett did:
"That is part of the game. Obviously, I don't want to see any of our players kicked, hurt or any of that. Hopefully, things will be fine. We don't want to lose any player, especially not one of our really good players. Hopefully, things will be OK. I think they will be. I don't know that for sure, but we will find out as I go inside."
On minicamp wrapping up tomorrow allowing Garrett more time to rest and get healthy, if needed:"Absolutely. Like I said, we will know more here pretty soon."
On if he is getting a sense for how good the interior OL can be and its impact:"Oh yeah, we will know more when we put on the pads, but I know we are more physical, and we are stronger. Obviously, (OL) Kevin Zeitler brings a lot to the position. (OL) Spencer Drango has improved from a year; watching (OL Gabe) Ikard playing there, watching Marcus Martin play on the right side. I think we are stronger. I think there is more ability there and then obviously, as you just said, (OL) Joel (Bitonio) has not even practiced. The potential of what we can be is good. Now, we have to gel and come together and become a unit and all of that goods stuff. There is still a lot of work to do, but I think the pieces are there, and I think that is important."
On assessing RT now:"We have some good candidates. (OL) Shon Coleman has done an outstanding job. (OL) Cam (Erving) is battling. Those guys are doing well. Somebody is going to really assert themselves here when the pads come on because that is when we will find out more, but both of them have done some good things. They are growing and getting better every day. The fun part about them both is they have the versatility to play on the left side, too. In the group, between those two guys and I am sure some others will surface, too, I think we have some candidates that can get the job done."
On if the team is where he wants them to be at this time of year:
"We are heading in the right direction. I am really excited about what we are creating on defense. As the years go by here, we want to have an established quarterback. We don't want to have this question where you guys are saying, 'Who is the quarterback?' every year. That is a problem we have to solve. I feel good about our offensive line. We have some young emerging players at receiver. We have some young dynamic tight ends that we have to continue to grow. The pass catcher, we have to get (WR) Corey (Coleman) out there and keep him healthy so that we can be what we can be on offense. We have two dynamic runners so I like our runners. Special teams wise, we have a real good punter, long snapper and kicker, and there are some core guys that are returning to our football team. Are we close to where I thought we would be? Yes. For me, I have to continue to solve the quarterback issue because that is where it starts. Everywhere else, we are really growing. Not that we are not growing at quarterback but just having a guy, and having a guy and saying, 'This is the guy and this guy can run our organization, run our team and play at a high level and help us win.' That is always going to be the question all of you will have until we solve it so I get that. Outside of that, our team is heading in the right direction. Again, I give a lot of credit to our executive staff, our coaching staff, our training staff and everybody involved with our football team because I think we are better. Now how much better we are we will find out more in training camp and when we start getting these Ws or Ls that go in the win-loss ledger, but I think we are a better football team than we were a year ago at this time and I think we are remarkable improved across the lines, and that is where it starts."
On at what point in training camp does the Browns hope to name a starting QB:"I don't want to rush that because I think you have to make the right decision. Faster is always better than later, but at the same time, I am not going to put a timetable on myself because there is still a process that we all must go through as an offensive unit to say this is the guy and this is what we feel comfortable with. I am not going to back off of the characteristics that I want our quarterback to exhibit. We can't turn the ball over. We have to be able to run the team and play within our system and deliver the ball and make plays and uplift this whole organization. That is what it takes, and we will find out who that guy is."
On if there is confidence that whichever QB wins the job will be able to succeed:
"I think so. Once we do that, we have to. I'm going to do it because I think that guy gives us the best chance to win. This is still truly about winning more so than anything. The players in the locker room, our fans and everybody deserve that. This isn't who is the nicest guy or I like somebody more than the other. It is who can help us win because at the end of the day, that is what it is all about."
On if he always prefers to name a team's starting QB prior to the first preseason game, similar to last season:
"I like to. That is something that I think is important to our team if I can, but if I can't, then I won't. There is a timetable, I guess, with everything, but I'm not going to rush. There is not a rush. Let's take all of the information in. Let's give these guys a legitimate chance. I know a lot more about them today than I did when we started, and I'm sure I will know a lot more about them as we go through training camp."
On how Kizer is different with the first team than with the second or third team:
"I really couldn't tell you how he is different because really I have only had him with the first team. I'm just being very honest with you guys. I told you I would need to see him so I haven't put him with a different team. He has been with the first team exclusively. That doesn't signal anything. It is just to me, if I'm going to find anything out about him, I have got to see him with good people to see what he brings to the table. Obviously, there are some things that he has done well. There are some things he would be the first to tell you he has to really improve on. Now, how fast can he do that? I don't know. We will find out." On how he got Kizer got into the mindset of not needing to rush the process of his development and playing:
"Hopefully, it is conversations we have had. We didn't draft him to say, 'You have to do this right now.' We drafted him to develop him and develop the talent and see if he could get there. We already have some capable guys here in (QBs) Brock (Osweiler) and Cody (Kessler), and we want to see if he can compete with those guys. Obviously, there are some things he does really well, and as I said earlier, there are some things where he is still a young quarterback. He's still learning, but he is emerging. I do believe that. We will see how this all unfolds. Hopefully, he will keep working at it and the other guys will, too. This summer, the work they put in will be the key, and they will come back here ready to go."
On when he'll script out QB rotations and playing time for training camp:
"Hopefully, by my fifth Mai Tai somewhere (laughter). No, I will think about this. I will try to get away and really think through all of those things. I look at how many plays we have per day and then try to look at where we are within the installation and what I feel a guy needs to do in order to demonstrate and put his best foot forward. That will happen over the next several weeks because I will start scripting for training camp and putting all of that together. We will have an idea heading into it what that rotation is."
On if the Browns communicate with QB coaches like Tom House and Adam Dedeaux, who Kessler and Kizer said they will spend time with this offseason, about where players need to improve:
"Tom and Adam, first of all, they do a great job. I have had a real strong relationship with them. Anytime a player can have someone who is really tutoring and mentoring them – because coaches can't [during the offseason] – there is another coach who has a watchful eye who understands quarterback play in the National Football League who is watching and advising you. That is a benefit. You can't be with us coaches at that time, but you are with somebody who understands that expertise and what needs to be done. That is a benefit. As far as what they know to do, like I said earlier, they have been around me. They know what I look for. They know what I want our guys to do. I think that's a positive for us and for our players."
On why DB Calvin Pryor III hasn't been involved in drills:
"He is learning our system. We try to put guys out there so they have the best opportunity to showcase their talent and ability. If a guy doesn't understand our defensive scheme or if we don't think a guy is ready to be put out there, why do that? I think we are just putting a guy in a bad situation [if you do that]. Hopefully, he is learning. He is getting better. He is starting to pick things up and how we do things, and hopefully, when we get back for training camp, he will be out there competing."
