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Opening statement:**
"As always with your first preseason game, there are going to be some good and some bad, but what really makes a preseason game successful is learning from the experience. We had some bright spots. Obviously, the win was the brightest spot we had. There are some things we can build upon and some mistakes we have to get corrected and learn from, but we have a nice stretch of practice days coming up before our next preseason game that we can really use the work to get better at some things. That is exactly what we are going to do. I can't thank the fans that stayed there towards the end of the game enough for being there, the Dawg Pound and all of our people. It was exciting for our guys to come away with a win in our first preseason game."
On if he has decided whether or not QB DeShone Kizer will start the second preseason game:
"No, I have not. I think it is still too soon for me to make a decision about the quarterback rotation. I watched and am still working through the tape and working through practice and what all of that is going to look like before I make that decision."
On if Kizer made a big step in last night's game:
"DeShone did some really good things, and there are some things we have to get cleaned up with him real quickly. Did he take a step? Yes, he did. Obviously, he did. Anytime you can win the game, make some of the plays he did, which was exciting for our team, there were some positives from that. We will continue to take those positives and work through those, but also work through the negative things that we have to get squared away, as well."
On if the Browns' desire to run the ball and having an improved defense would make him less apprehensive to play a rookie QB in the regular season:
"Absolutely, if that is the decision that we make, then I wouldn't have any hesitation. As I said before, there are a lot of things that go into making a decision about your quarterback. Defense has a lot to do with that. Special teams has a lot to do with that. All of those things will be factored in as we make this decision as we move forward."
On specifically what Kizer needs to improve from last night:
"Calling plays in the huddle. Making sure that we execute the play at the line of scrimmage. Like I said, he will be the first to tell you that there are some things that were not DeShone Kizer-like from practice and some things he needs to continue to work through and get better at. Those things are huge things in games, and a lot of those things go unnoticed, but me and him both know there are some things he needs to get better at."
On what he liked most about Kizer's performance last night:
"That he threw the ball down the field, made plays with his arm, made plays with his legs and stood in the pocket with poise."
On concerns with simply naming Kizer the starter this week, given other Browns QBs haven't 'seized the opportunity':
"I just think that it is too soon. I don't feel very comfortable, and that is why I haven't made that decision. I think there is a process to all of this. I think we are just in the beginning phases of it for him. You want to do what is best for your team and for your players. It is not just because people see a bomb that is thrown down the field for 45 yards. There is more to playing quarterback than just that. We are not there yet. We are going to keep working at this thing, and we are going to continue to coach all of these guys to get better. When it is the right time to make the decision that we feel is right to say, 'This is the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns for 2017,' then we will make that decision."
On QB Brock Osweiler and it appear that the WRs did not help him out much:
"I think it is a couple [of things]. Like you said, I think it goes both ways. I think there are throws he could have made. I think he will be the first to tell you that. I think there are some where our receivers could have gotten open a little bit better. It is a combination of them both. It is not just one area, but it is a unit issue as an offensive football team. We had some chances. We didn't take advantage of them, and we have to continue to do those better."
On why a rookie QB may not get a pass released on time:
"If a guy is unsure of a progression or a guy is unsure of a coverage – he didn't see the rotation of a safety or didn't see the rotation of a linebacker soon enough so all of the sudden you don't make the decision when it needs to happen and you are now searching – you end up holding onto the ball a little bit. He did do that a couple of times."
On if members of the front office are asking him questions about who will be named the starting QB, in addition to Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown:
"Besides you guys Sashi and the fans (laughter)? I think everybody is asking me that question about our quarterback and where we are (laughter). I would say and I have said the same thing to them, we have very high-level conversations about where we are and they trust my opinion and I trust what they have to say, too, but at the same time, it is the making of the quarterback and I think we all know that. It is the raising of a quarterback. That takes time. I don't think you do things out of a knee-jerk reaction. You just don't make decisions to make them. You kind of let things play themselves out, and they will. If a guy is good enough and deserving of an opportunity, trust me, we are not in a position to where we wouldn't give the best player an opportunity. We will continue to work through this and when we think the time is right, whenever that is, then we will make that decision."
On DL Myles Garrett's performance last night after watching the film:
"He did some really good things. He rushed – the initial quickness of Myles off the ball was outstanding. He played the run extremely well. He came very close to having a sack one time where he got inside of an offensive tackle, hit the quarterback and brought him down. I loved the hustle plays that he made. I thought he had a good game last night, and he has to continue to build on that as we move forward."
On a Browns injury update:
"The only person that I think that we are dealing with is I.C. (DB Ibraheim Campbell). Obviously, he will be in the concussion protocol and go through that as we go. Other than that, there were no major injuries."
On if it is tough for OL Cam Erving to play LT when he is competing for the RT position, given it appeared he struggled at LT:
"Oh, it is tough. I think there were a couple plays that Cam wishes he had back, but when I watched the tape, I didn't see… I was expecting the same thing that you guys saw, but when I watched the tape, it wasn't as bad as I think we all thought. Things are never as bad as you think they are, and they are never as good as you think they are. I thought he did some really good things. There were a couple times where he has to replace his hand and put his hand in a better spot, but he battled. Early in the game, there were some plays that he missed, but he did some good things last night, as well."
On how the 10 days of prep for the second preseason game will impact the QB rotation, specifically given how many reps that could mean for Kizer if he is ready:
"You just said it, and that is what I was alluding to earlier, that I wanted to really sit down and after watching the tape really map out our practice structure, even though I have a pretty good idea of what that is going to look like and how often the ones we are going to compete against our defense and how often the ones will go against the defense that way and make sure that these reps that I do want to dish out are the right ones and the right dosage for our players and for the quarterbacks in general. I am working through that process now. Obviously, the game got over late last night and we have been meeting and going back through the game so I am in the process of really thinking through that. It is really going to help us the next six days that we have coming up with six practices in a row before we break camp. I think it is really important that we are going to get in a lot of good work against each other and get a chance to continue to evaluate our football team."
On DL Nate Orchard receiving additional snaps last night, as well as others who are battling for positions:
"Yeah, I thought Nate Orchard showed up last night. Obviously, he made two plays in a row – he had a sack and then another tackle for a loss. That was outstanding to watch him go in there and compete like he did. There were several other players – (LB) Joe Schobert played extremely well last night. He handled the middle of our defense extremely well. There are so many guys over there that I can talk about from (LB) Jamie Collins (Sr.) to (DL) Danny Shelton. That is what we expect from those guys, but Nate Orchard and Joe Schobert to me really stood out last night because they are guys who have been fighting for opportunities, and they got them last night."
On if Kizer did enough to be second in the QB rotation against the NY Giants and to play against tougher defensive personnel and if that would be beneficial to his development, in the event he is not ready to start next week:
"I am going to think through all of those scenarios. I really am. I am going to look at this, just like you said, through these next practices and what it should look like when we get ready to play on Monday night. All of those things are on the table. Nothing is off the table. We will really look through this and see where we are, but I think right now I am really in a position to say where I am because I don't want to lead you guys into thinking that I am thinking one thing when maybe I am thinking another."
On OL Shon Coleman's performance at RT last night:
"He battled. He did some things, but there are some things to improve on and some things to work through. We have to make sure that we have a little bit better anchor from time to time. That is as much football as he has played here last night. He has to continue to get better. I have watched players going from Preseason Game 1 to Preseason Game 2 make a huge jump because now, we are not just playing against ourselves; we are playing against an opponent. Hopefully, that will be the same for him."
