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Opening statement:**
"Obviously, not the outcome we wanted. Our guys continue to fight. We got down 28-7, and I watched a team that just kept going after it. We put ourselves in that spot where we were down, didn't play as well and did some things on defense in the second quarter. We were able to right those things at halftime and play better on defense. Offensively, we made a few plays early but not consistent enough and then had some turnovers in the second half that would have given us an opportunity to be in a little bit better position. We have to continue to address that and get better at those things. It was disappointing because we wanted to win the game. We wanted to go and win a football game that we thought we had a great chance at. I give Indy the credit. They did a good job. They held us off, and they did some good things. We are going to keep growing, keep getting better and keep coaching this football team."
On the WR position:
"We just have to keep coaching them and keep working at it. We have guys. We just have to keep doing the little things and doing them better. It is a group that I think comes in here every day to work, and we just have to continue to take what we do on the practice field to the game field."
On the difference in the Browns defense in the second half:
"I just think we made some adjustments. (Defensive coordinator) Gregg (Williams) and the defensive staff made some adjustments to do some things differently. We didn't see (Colts WR) T.Y. (Hilton) running as free in the second half as he was in the first half. That was a huge adjustment that we made and were able to get that accomplished. That gave us a chance in the end to have an opportunity to win the game."
On if there is concern about the psyche of the team:
"None of us like losing. There is a human element we all deal with. Let's be honest, that is there, but I think this team is very resilient and I think they will keep working. I know they will. I think they will keep coming here and getting ready to go. We have a big game this week, and I think we all recognize that, but these guys are pros and they understand what their job is and they understand what we need to do, but I am not going to tell you that I don't think about the human side of it. As the head coach, that is something I do have to think through with our football team."
On if the next two games at home feel crucial:
"I think for us, every stretch is crucial. Obviously, being here at home is good for us, playing Cincinnati and then I am just going to take this thing one at a time. That is what I want our team to do, but this is a big game for us this week because this is the game we are in, it is here at home and it is a division opponent."
On if the Browns can win now, given the team's youth and transactions appearing to point more toward the future:
"I think this team can [win]. I think we have to do some things better and work a little bit harder and make sure that we do some of the detail things right, but that question that you just asked, I think that is something you have to talk to (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Sashi (Brown) about and the executive team."
On if he hopes Brown and the personnel team will make an impactful trade, similar to the acquisition of LB Jamie Collins Sr. last season:
"My job is to coach the guys that are here with our football staff, and that is what we are going to do. I am sure that our executive team is scouring everywhere looking at who could potentially help our football team. That is what they do so I am sure that that is being done."
On if there were signs the Browns run offense is improving:
"Yeah, I saw the first play of the game – ran for 10 yards. That was huge, and I saw some other runs a couple times pop through. I thought (RB Isaiah) Crow(ell) was hitting it extremely hard. When you get behind like you do, again the game changed. That is part of it. We are going to do everything we can to win the game. As I said before, it is not just the running game or the passing game. What do we think it takes to win? You get down 28-7, the game changes. We had to play the hand we were dealt and did some things to get back in the game, but we can't be playing from behind, that far behind, and think, 'here comes the run game.' You have to do what you need to do to get your team back in the game."
On if the offensive pass interference penalties against the Browns were valid:
"We will see. We will petition the NFL and see what they think. I think some of them were things that we need to understand better, but I will be interested to see how they saw it."
On if he talked to the officials about the offensive pass interference calls:
"Oh, I have talked to the official."
On if he talked to Browns players about the offensive pass interference calls:
"I have talked to our players. I have talked to the official. I talked to everybody involved. These are not new plays. These are the same things we have been running since training camp so I am not going to sit here and tell you that our players are at fault. I would like to, like I said, get the ruling back from the league and see what they say because some things I don't agree with. The players knew, 'Make sure you watch it'. We had another play right down in the scoring zone where the ball with right over Crow's head where (TE) Seth (DeValve) was running right down inside. Same play, we didn't get called. It looked the same to me. There was no call at all. I think our guys were definitely on top of it once they had been called a couple of times, no question about it."
On perception that DB Jamar Taylor may not have given full effort for the entirety of Colts WR T.Y. Hilton's 61-yard TD:
"Jamar is a captain on our team, and he is a captain for a reason. I know Jamar extremely well, and I don't think he was trying to give up or not play hard or any of that. I think for a second there maybe somebody felt like the guy was about to be down and be out of bounds. I think there are some things that he will do differently as we go, but to say that he wasn't trying as hard as he could, I didn't feel that or see that."
On the psyche of the fans, given the lack of wins and demonstrations during the National Anthem:
"You said the first thing, winning. That is what I can control, the winning part of it. I think our organization did a great job yesterday of putting a statement out about how we felt about that. I'm going to leave it at that. We spoke on it. I support what we feel and what we have said about it, and I will leave it at that."
On if he likes Kizer taking responsibility for the loss:
"There is a part of that I do want him to assume because I think he knows the buck starts and stops with him, but I also recognize – he does, too, and it is my job to show him – that everybody plays a role in it. It is not just him. He has to do his part, and he has to do it better. We have turned the ball over quite a bit the last several weeks, and we can't do that if we want to win football games. That is part of something that we are talking about all the time. We have to take care of the football, and we have to get more turnovers away from the other team's offense. I do get that. He is a guy that wants to make sure that he is out in front and wants to handle things correctly, but I don't want him feeling like everything is on his shoulders. He has to do his part and do his job better, but we all around him have to do our job better, too."
On if Kizer's decision making is the source of turnovers:
"I don't think it is poor decisions. When I look at it, I think he has to understand the situation and where the people are so the decision is not what it is. The ball is going to the right person. The ball is just not in the right spot more so than anything. It is not decision related. It is probably accuracy more, making sure that the ball goes at the right person at the right time. I will say this, the one in the scoring zone, it is time on task with a guy in a spot that maybe he should have been in a little different spot. You think he is going to be in a place, and that is what we have to fight against. We just have to continue to work in sync together so that those guys are always on the same page."
On considering the opportunity to kick a FG to pull within one score late in the game rather than going for a TD:
"Absolutely. We needed a touchdown and a field goal. We needed both. How they were going to come, we were going to take them, but we had a chance at that time obviously to score a touchdown, and that is what we did."
On if WR Kenny Britt should have caught the pass that led to Kizer's second interception:
"I don't want to get into if he should or shouldn't have. My thing is if there is an opportunity to make a play for our quarterback, let's see if we can make it. I think that is what is important. I think Kenny tried as hard as he could but he wasn't able to make it. The one thing we know in this league is tipped balls don't find the ground. They find other teams. We have to find ways to make the plays, find ways to throw it a little better and all of those things. We have to work better together."
On how the team finished from an injury report standpoint:
"Good. There are no new injuries to report. Obviously, (LB) Jamie (Collins Sr.) is still in concussion protocol. (WR) Sammie (Coates) with the hamstring, we will see where that is and see how that progresses this week. (DL) Myles (Garrett) is doing better so we will find out more about him this week, as well, but outside of that, there is nothing new to report."
On if Garrett is expected to practice this week:
"We will see. We will see."
On if he can maximize production from WRs with the personnel in the position group:
"We have the group that we have. These guys are working hard and are trying to be the best they can be. We are going to keep working with these guys. We are going to get them better. We are going to make sure that when we go out there our next opportunity that we can go out there and play even better than we did this past week."
On if he was surprised WR Ricardo Louis did not perform as well Sunday:
"At the end of the day, these guys are trying the best they can. What we have to do is continue to put them in situations so that they can have success and get better."
On if RB Duke Johnson Jr. is getting enough touches or if there needs to more effort to get him the ball:
"More of an effort (laughter)? Trust me, that is because you guys see him making a bunch of plays. 'Let's give him another 10 opportunities'. I get it. We are trying. I think the other team knows he is a guy who is making plays so they are going to do everything they can to take him away. Duke has done a good job, made some huge plays yesterday and is working at it. He will continue to make plays for us."
On limiting penalties:
"The OPI calls were different. Those were some different penalties. We had another personal foul penalty that was kind of close. I think you guys saw the late hit on the quarterback. I thought that was kind of different and questionable. I think our guys are trying within the rules. We talk about the rules and what you can and can't do all the time. We just have to coach it better and our players have to understand it better because there are some things that I think are really borderline and on the edge that I think we are getting called for that we have to understand better."
On if the team discusses an officiating crew's tendencies prior to the game:
"We take the team through it on Friday. We show them who the crew is and exactly what they have called and what their crew is known for calling. We try to give them an idea of what is coming. We were kind of well outside of the scope of things yesterday, that is for sure. We will continue to do that, continue to educate our players on what the crew is looking for and see if we can get better as well."
On DB Derrick Kindred's penalty:
"When he jumped offside? That is a concentration penalty. At the end of the day, you have to do that better and understand the situation. That can't happen."
On DB Jabrill Peppers disappointment following Sunday's game and if his role in the defense is a factor:
"About him being as deep as he is? No, we are not concerned. I think if you see any of our players down after the game it is not because of the style of our play; it is because of losing. I think that is what it is more so than anything. Our guys go out to every game with the expectation of winning and want to win. I would be disappointed if he wasn't disappointed after the game. I don't think that has anything to do with how well he played or how deep we played him or anything like that."
