Opening statement:
"It is an exciting time. It is game week. It is always exciting when you are getting ready to kick off the season. Being on the road against a quality opponent against the Philadelphia Eagles, a good football team coached by a good guy, great guy, done well in the National Football League. It is going to be a tremendous challenge for our football team, but we are looking forward to it and excited about the season to get started."
On the Browns selecting team captains today and the quality of QB Robert Griffin III's leadership:
"The testament of Robert being named captain is it came from his teammates. They voted on it. Coaches had nothing to do with it. This was all his teammates. Obviously, he has embedded himself within the organization and this team, his teammates. I think that he has shown them that he is somebody that they can depend on and look to and that he is working each and every day to not only better himself but also his teammates, along with (OL) Joe Thomas on offense and (LB) Demario Davis and (DB) Joe Haden on defense and (LB) Tank Carder. I'm excited about the guys who were voted captains because those guys have worked extremely hard to change the culture and also to want to change our fortunes here from what they have been in the past."
On Donald Trump claiming elections are rigged these days and if he can confirm that the results of team captain elections are 100 percent accurate:
"They are 100 percent accurate. Wow, that one almost went over my head (laughter). Donald Trump? Hue Trump (laughter)? No. We didn't do that. I looked at them. I was a little surprised – I'll be very honest with you – because obviously, Robert hasn't been here very long and we haven't played a real football game yet. For him to be voted captain, he should feel good about that. His teammates feel good about him. No, we didn't rig that by no stretch of the imagination."
On preparing for Eagles QB Carson Wentz and if the Browns reviewed the team's draft evaluations of him due to his limited preseason playing time:
"I will be very honest with you, I haven't looked at any of the draft evaluation. He is one member of their football team, of their offensive football team. There are 10 other guys. There are some really good players on their offensive football team. They have a veteran offensive line. Their center (Eagles C Jason Kelce) is one of the best in football. Their left tackle (Eagles LT Jason) Peters is as good as there is. They have some young receivers but some talented ones. (Eagles WR) Dorial Green-Beckham's a tall, tall guy. (Eagles WR Jordan) Matthews' is a guy that has played a lot. They have good runners. They have a good offensive football team so it is not just the quarterback. At the end of the day, obviously, he is the leader, but we have to prepare for the offensive football team. Obviously, the quarterback is a part of that. (Defensive coordinator) Ray (Horton) has done a good job, along with the defensive staff. We are trying to get our guys ready for what we expect to see."
On the Browns OL preparing for Eagles DT Fletcher Cox, given his abilities:
"You said. He is as good as there is. I think he is the highest paid defensive lineman in football, and there is a reason why he is because he is pretty good. We understand the challenge. He is a tremendous player. Not just him, you have (Eagles DE) Brandon Graham on the other side, (Eagles DE) Mr. (Connor) Barwin on the other. I have great respect for their defensive football team and their (defensive) coordinator (Jim Schwartz). The game has to get played between the lines. It is not going to be played outside the lines. We are excited about it. Our guys understand the challenge at hand, and we will be there on Sunday."
On if RB Isaiah Crowell has the potential to rush 1,000 yards this season, given Crowell mentioned it as a goal:
"Absolutely. Only 1,000? Why not more? Yeah, I think so. I like Crow. Crow has done some good things. He is a very talented player. We just have to get a rhythm and play football the way we know we can, and we are looking forward to it. He is. (RB) Duke (Johnson Jr.) is. Our linemen are. This is a tremendous challenge for us this weekend. This a good defensive football team that we are facing."
On establishing a rhythm on offense:
"Coach Jackson has to be at his best on Sunday. That is what it is. This is not preseason football anymore. This is the regular season so this is a challenge, just like it is for the players for me, as well. I have to get our offensive football team along with the rest of our coaches ready to go. They had a good first day of practice, which is really the normal game week for us, and we have to go out and do it again tomorrow and just keep putting the finishing touches on as we get ready for the game."
On how LB Joe Schobert earned a starting role:
"He did what we asked him to do. At the end of the day, that is our calling card here – players that play the way we want them to play. Not that (LB) Nate (Orchard) didn't, just maybe Joe did it to a level that we had expectation. Not that Nate is not going to play, he is going to play. He has to, but at the same time, we think that Joe earned that right to be the starter at that position."
On striving for a family atmosphere among this team:
"I think that is truly what it is about. At the end of the day, these players have to know that I care and that I'm trying to create an environment for them to be the best they can be. That I want the best for them and I want to get the best out of them. At the same time, I'm not going to mother them by any stretch of the imagination. We have a job to do. We get paid to do a job. Our job starts this Sunday in Philadelphia, and we have to do it as well as we have ever done it."
On former Redskins DB Darrell Green's critical comments about Griffin off the field:
"I know Darrell so I'm not going to comment on what Darrell has talked about. Obviously, we have an expectation for Robert and of Robert, and Robert understands that. Anything that we feel like is out of bounds, trust me, I will address with any player, not just Robert. There is a right way to do things and thee is a wrong way to do things, and I know sometimes people make mistakes. We deal with everything accordingly. I don't want to get into what Darrell is feeling or talked about. I'm going to take our judgement here within our organization with what we are doing when it comes to Robert."
On if the multiple past connections for players and coaches, specifically the Baylor players and his past experience with WR Terrelle Pryor, will benefit the Browns:
"That is a good thing, right? I think it does a little bit. This is a Cleveland Browns football team. It's not –I appreciate what you are saying – but it is not Baylor, it is not the Raiders; it is our football team, and it is going to be defined by what we start to do this Sunday throughout the rest of the season. Will those connections help a little bit? I think we all know each other, if that is what you're meaning. I think that part helps, but I don't treat (WR) Terrelle (Pryor) any different than I treat (OL) Joe Thomas or (DB) Joe Haden or anybody else. I would hope that the Baylor guys are connected to all of our players and not just the Baylor guys, and I think they are. I think our guys understand that this is our football team – the 2016 Cleveland Browns – and we need to be the best that we can be each and every day. That is what we are trying to do."
On if practicing against a mobile QB like Griffin helps the Browns defense when facing an athletic QB like Wentz:
"The Eagles are going to do what they do. The quarterback is going to do what he does. Like I said, he is a rookie, and we get that, but the guy is a talented player. We truly believe we are facing an offense because it is his first game. Will it have helped a little bit, some of the things, watching Robert run around? Maybe, but maybe not. It is the first game so you really never know exactly what you are going to get until the game starts. Our guys have to prepare for everything and react to everything. That is what we are trying to do. I'm sure there team is doing the same when it comes to us. No one knows, really. I'm sure nobody is going to look at the preseason and think we were a juggernaut or anything like that so that's fine. We are going to show who we are come this Sunday."
On the Eagles defense and the team not surrendering a TD in three of four preseason games:
"Good defense. Good defense. They are good. They are well coached. They play hard. They play good and have good players. That is the making of a good defensive football team. It is a tremendous challenge, but it is like that every week in the National Football League. We get it. There are going to be great players that you face. We talked about Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham already – (Eagles DB) Nolan Carroll, the corners and the safeties, (Eagles S) Malcolm Jenkins – they have good players, but I don't think there is another team we are going to play that doesn't have good players or great players. We have to rise up and play. That is just the name of the game in the National Football League."
On former Ravens coach Brian Billick's tweet about not seeing one winnable game for the Browns:
"Who said what (laughter)? Wow. Good for him. I didn't know he worked here (laughter). I'm just being honest. Nothing to Brian, but I think it is really interesting that everybody can comment on other people's teams and don't even understand their inner workings. I have great respect for Brian. He was a great coach in this league. We will see if that's true. We will see if what he said is true. We will look back in 16 games and see if it is right, but I'm not going to get caught up in that. Obviously, I think you guys know my competitiveness, I don't want anybody to say we can't win anything. I just don't think that is right. I don't think it is fair. At the same time, I know how hard these guys work, I know what the expectation is and we have to go prove it. Me talking about it is not going to change it. The only thing that is going to change it is what we do on the field."
On if the Browns are a team full of players needing second chances and with chips on their shoulders:
"It might be looked at that way. We are a group of men who are hungry, that we do understand and realize that there is something to prove, but we hope to have this chip on the shoulder as long as I'm here. I truly believe that. I don't know any other way to do this. There are 31 other teams that are trying to knock us off, and we are trying to knock them off. That is just part of this deal. That is the way it is in this league. It is competitive. When you are down people try to step on you, and when you are up, people try to pull you down. That is the way it works."
