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Is running always part of your game, to run so effectively and that much?
"It's something that I've always trusted and something I did a little bit at Stanford. If there was nothing there downfield, then I felt comfortable with my legs that I could get a first down or a big gain. It was nice during the week to rep some of those run plays, and it happened to pay off during the game today."
How did you feel overall in your first regular season action?
"I felt very comfortable out there. I felt good in the huddle, leading the guys and getting to the right plays. There are some plays you'd like to back. Obviously you want to protect the ball and put your team in the best position to keep the ball and go in and score. There are some plays I'd like back, but overall I felt very comfortable out there, and confident."
Going into the game, did you know you would be jumping into the game at some point like you were before Cody Kessler got hurt?
"I knew I was going to jump in and get a couple plays — we'd repped them during practice, some of those read option plays. They worked well all week, so I knew there was a chance I'd get in and get a few reps just to get my feet wet. Obviously it's very unfortunate what happened to Cody. I'm hoping that he's doing very well. I just wanted to go in and do my best."
How many reps did you get in practice aside from the read option during the week?
"I'm always getting scout team reps, and I'm getting a lot of mental reps — I count those. Any time that Cody is in there, I'm standing right behind him going through my reads and progressions. I felt good out there."
What did you see on that long touchdown run?
"It was one of those read plays, and the (defensive) end crashed, so I kept the ball and was able to make someone miss and saw the end-zone close by. I wanted to do what I could to respond to the goal line."
Has anyone told you it was the longest touchdown run by a quarterback in Browns history?
"No one has told me that. That's pretty cool."
Cody Kessler is in the concussion protocol, so you don't know how long he will be out. How confident are you are called on to start next week?
"I'm confident in myself and my preparation. I feel good about my process and putting in the work, studying, watching film, getting reps during and after practice. I'm confident in myself. Obviously, I hope that Cody makes a speedy recovery — he's our quarterback and we trust him. But I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I'm ready."
Hue Jackson said a quarterback only has so many hits in his body. How are you feeling now after taking some hits today?
"That's what happens when you run the ball — you're going to get hit. That's something I welcome, and it felt good to get those first few hits out of the way. When Cody went down, it's my job to get down when I could and protect myself."
You did run well at Stanford. Do you think you can survive playing that way in the NFL?
"I think if I'm smart about it and avoid the hits, and do it within the scheme of our offense and don't try and go crazy with it. If I can get a few yards, get five yards and some positive gains, and get down and protect myself, I think that's going to be really valuable for our offense."