On if he is aware of the Dallas trade rumors:
"Yeah, I'm aware of that. My family is from Texas, as you guys know. As much as you try to not be aware of things, they make you aware of things. I'm aware of it, but my focus is here and what we have to do with this football team."
On if he can be in control of his future in regards to being forceful in where he wants to play:
"I mean, I guess you could to a certain degree. Everybody could take control of their future if they want to act a certain type of way, but for me, that's not how I choose to operate. I feel like I'm on this team for a reason. This is where I'm at. Until things that are outside of my control or that decision is made otherwise, I'll be here focusing, doing everything I can do to help this team. To your point, could that happen or can a guy go about that? Yes, but that's not the way I choose to operate in these situations."
On if he sees that changing:
"Not for me. No. Like I said, there are people that they're running the team to make those decisions. I just believe in organizations in this business and the roles that everybody has. My role is to go out and play as good of football as I can and to help those guys around me do that, as well. That'll be my focus. It's tough when you have some of these things going on, have some of this noise going on, but it's a great opportunity to just exercise mental focus and toughness, to be able to go out and do your job. I'm looking forward to practice today because it's a good kind of test of yourself of how much you can block out the noise because that's what this job's about."
On if member of the Browns organization have talked to him about the Dallas trade rumors:
"Yes, and we'll just leave it at that. We're on the same page."
On the Dallas Cowboys having interest in McCown, given he grew up in Texas:
"Growing up in Texas, I've worn No. 12 most of my career because of (former Cowboys QB) Roger Staubach. My brother started doing that. Obviously, the Cowboys, if you grew up in Texas, are near and dear to everybody's heart. Once you cross over into the business portion of this life, those allegiances kind of fly out the window. You have a job to do. For me, my job and my heart is here and doing everything I can to help the Cleveland Browns to be good. That's what I'm about. Like I told you guys before, if you spend five minutes in this city, it's easy to be all in because of how people feel about this team. Being in the organization, with the people here, with my teammates that are here and having spent a year with (OL) Joe Thomas, Hawk (WR Andrew Hawkins), Grec (OL John Greco) and these guys, it's great relationships. All of that is nice. It's neat, especially being form Texas, but at the same time, this is where my focus is."
On if he is comfortable running an offense that might be tailored for another QB's skillset and if there is a second plan for when he plays:
"I think any good coach can take the guys that he has and adapt. There are things that we can do similar and there are certainly things that we can do different. With this system, what I'm learning is that and what I've learned from just being around (Head Coach) Hue (Jackson) and (associate head coach-offense) Pep (Hamilton) in this short time, and this league's about matchups already, you go into a gameplan thinking that way and you have to do that with your quarterback, as well, to maximize his ability at a high level. I don't think that's any different. All of us take the same kind of practice reps at the same type of plays because we have got to be able to do it all. Like you said, some of us may be able to do those things better than others and you might go into a game week going, 'We going to lean this way versus that way,' depending on who the guy is. As a player, it doesn't discourage you. You just go and do what you're asked to do and have complete trust in the coach's ability to put together a gameplan that'll help us win the football game, no matter who is playing quarterback."
On if people talking about his future with the Browns now feels different than when the team signed QB Robert Griffin III:
"No, in the immediate other than just friends and family blowing me up, asking me about it all the time. I think when this stuff starts happening, the assumption is that there are conversations going on all along. I am just coming to work and it's business as usual for me. I think when that buzz starts happening, they feel like you're involved in it. You're not involved in it as a player. That in it of itself makes it immediate, but for me, it's separate, because I come to work and I'm worrying about the checks that we have in practice, the two-minute drill that we're going to do in practice and those things. That's where my focus is. Today for me, it's a great opportunity to practice focus. You can't fake what's going on right now. This can be a distraction, but you can harness it and use it for good because you can really focus on what you have to do at practice today and really zoom in on these things and block that other stuff out."
On where he believes he stands in competing with Griffin for the starting QB position:
"I think we're just doing that. We're coming out here and competing. No matter what the reps are, what everything is, we just come out here and compete and push one another. I don't get into trying to figure out who's where and what. That doesn't do any good. Like I told you guys before, we're all about helping each other and helping to play at a high level. If you get into 'Oh man, did I have a day than him? Or did he have a better day than me,' than sometimes you can lean toward rooting against somebody. That's not what I'm about. I'm about (QB) Robert (Griffin III) playing at a high level, myself, Austin (Davis), Cody (Kessler), us playing at a high level as best as we can to help our team. That's what it's about. That to me is competing the right way and competing to help your team be better. That's the concern that I have with the competition. Other than that, I really don't get into how it's stacking up and all that stuff. That's for the coaches to decide."
On what he's seen in WR Corey Coleman and what might make him more than just another rookie:
"Just that he's scored a bunch when we've had some of this live stuff. He's done a really good job. He's coming in and working. He's learning the system and terminology. A lot of times, I think you see with young guys is while they're learning, their skillset will diminish a bit. In other words, you won't see them be as fast as they can be. You won't see them do some of the things that maybe that's why you picked them. The cool thing about Corey is he's still learning, but when the ball touches his hands, he's exactly why you picked him. That's impressive to me. He's shown in that sense it's not too big for him when the bullets start flying and we start playing. Every step if the way now, when we'll have some live little scrimmages in practice and then we'll scrimmage and then the games so we still got a long ways to go, but I think that's the main thing that stands out to me and what may separate him is that he's in a learning curve right now, but when the ball touches his hands, he's about scoring and getting in the end zone. That's impressive."
On if he is able to help Griffin in regards to his past career experiences, given his career path:
"I hope so. Obviously, we've shared different thoughts on things that we've gone through. I won't get into all of that. I think any time, like I've said before, you're a teammate of somebody and you want to share your experience and what you've gone through, not just on the field but life in general, because you spend so much time with one another, you want them to have the healthiest experience in life they can. Absolutely, we share those things. I give him anything that I can remember or things that I have gone through that I think may help. Absolutely I share those things."
On if Griffin can benefit from those discussions:
"Absolutely. I think he already has. He already is. I think it's a credit to Robert of being able to say, 'These are some things that I like, that I'm going to continue to do and there are some things that man, maybe wasn't the best at that time.' He's thrown those away and trying to move forward. That's a mark of a guy growing. It's a mark of growth and wisdom just to be able to say, 'Man, I'm not going to do this, the same thing and the same mistakes twice.' Absolutely, I think he's shown that so far this spring, and that will continue to happen."
On reconciling in his mind that he might be a backup QB this season, whether or not he remains with the Browns:
"I reconcile that in my mind through, I've said before, as a person of faith, this is the day right in front of me, I'm just going to live that out as best as I can and then move on to the next day. I just believe God has got the rest of that, and that will sort itself out the way it's supposed to. That's not always easy. (ESPN Cleveland.com Browns beat writer) Tony (Grossi) and I talked about that in the spring. That's not always comfortable, but for me, that's the best. It relies me to lean on my faith. In that, I'll find peace and because of that, I'll be a better husband, father, teammate and all of those things. That's my mindset really is to go about it that way. If it changes, it changes. I'll attack that situation the same way I've done as I've been here. My focus is being here, being on this team and helping us win."
On the capabilities of QBs Austin Davis and Cody Kessler:
"They're working their tails off. They're improving, especially for Cody. Austin has been through it now a few times where he's learning offenses. More than anything, I'll say is that they're asking all of the right questions. We stand close together back here. They're bugging Pep about this thing or that thing. They're always asking questions, which is great. That's the only way you can learn anything. They're asking me the same things. They are certainly improved every day. Really, it's hard to measuring anything until you start getting into games and you're really in the live action. What you want to see is some sort of consistent improvement every day, and you certainly see that with those two guys, for sure."
