Offensive line coach Andy Moeller:
On OL Cameron Erving and what he needs to do better:
"He has done much better mentally coming back off of OTAs and in the spring, which is to be expected. We have kept him more at right guard. He has taken some reps at left tackle, not too much at center so far yet because we have (OL) Alex (Mack) back and he can practice. He needs to do the little that all younger guys do on a consistent basis, and although that sounds generic, typically that is the case. He is smart. Good effort. He just needs to keep refining and developing the techniques to be consistent in doing so."
On potentially spreading Erving too thin across the line, especially during his first training camp:
"If we spread him too thin, we did back in the spring, and he really handled it well because he practiced at center there, as well. Going into this camp, there was a little bit less of that to be more detailed and address the issues I just got done talking about. That is what we are doing from that standpoint. It is not too big for him. It is not too big for him mentally, and it is not too big for his personality. He is not going to be starry-eyed when he plays. He reminds me a lot of (OL) Joel Bitonio in there. That part is not going to be too big for him."
On if there is a spot on the OL where Erving is strongest:
"That is being played out right now. If he is, then he will be in there."
On OL Alex Mack's status:
"He is doing good. As great a player as Alex is and as proven a player as Alex is, long before I got here, he is getting back into consistently being down in a bent position. I don't see any lack of movement. It has been a while since he's played. He hasn't had the pads on since early October against the Steelers a year ago. It is more of those things. He came back in great shape. Mentally, he is the smartest guy I have ever been around."
On OL John Greco's play last year and this year and potentially competing with Erving:
"Last year, John did a great job for us. John really exceeded my expectations a year ago. He has played well this fall. He is a competitive guy. He is a veteran. He knows how to play. He is smart. John is obviously an important guy, and I like the way he has played so far."
On if he can compare the developments between Erving and OL Joel Bitonio in their rookie seasons:
"I think part of that is what was here last year and what is here this year. If Cam would have come in and Bitonio wasn't here, maybe Cam would be where Bitonio was just because of depth. These are great questions and great problems to have, much better than who in the hell is going to be the next guy stepping up. Trying to fit a puzzle of talented players together. that part of it is going to be really good. As far as a comparison, Cam is a different type of guy physically. He is longer, athletic. Joel is a little bit quicker, but they both do kind of remind me of one another from being able to handle things mentally, and from what I anticipate, how Cam will handle the pressure of a game, which I think he will do just fine."
On OL Michael Bowie:
"Michael has done a great job. First of all, he got here and he has lost a lot of weight and gotten himself in great shape. He has done everything in the offseason we asked him to do and reported back. I really just started coaching Michael in the spring. He was on our team last year, but he was injured and not around. I am learning him as we go, but I have been very pleased with him. He can move well. He is tough. He has a physical element to him. He is not near where he needs to be from consistently doing what we want him to do, but he has certainly put himself in position to help us. There is no doubt about that. He has done a great job since way back in February, when he walked into my office and we had a talk and he was 40 pounds heavier than he is now."
Defensive line coach Anthony Weaver:
On if training camp injuries are worrisome, considering last year's in-season injuries:
"Not at all. It's a part of the game. You hope it never happens, but you're not surprised when it does. The thing about this group is we don't flinch. We just continue to work and it's next man up. While we're disappointed – we all want (DL) Billy (Winn) out there because he was doing some good things – there's a bunch of guys out there who have stepped up in his absence."
On DL Danny Shelton's first few practices:
"He's doing a heck of a job, but he's a rookie so he makes rookie mistakes. He still has to learn all the defenses and all of those things, but for a rookie at the point he's at now, I think he's doing a tremendous job."
On how valuable it is for Shelton to practice against the Browns first-team OL, particularly Alex Mack:
"It's huge. Obviously, the quality of competition against our offensive line, you're not going to find anything better. Just the sheer experience, there's no replacement for it. You can go in there, you can sit on the board, you can talk about it, you can watch film, but until you actually do it, you don't know how he's going to react. To his credit, he's done very well, whether it's with the ones, twos, whoever he's gone against, he's played very well."
On if Shelton making impressive plays as a rookie is eye opening to him:
"It's not eye opening because it is the same thing that I saw he did in college. So for me, and him being a first-round pick, I think it's expected. He has high expectation for himself. I have high expectation for him. Those to me are plays I expect him to make."
On DL Xavier Cooper:
"X has done a great job. He's continues to have tremendous get off, off the football. He's doing a great job with his hands and getting off blocks and making plays. The thing about him is he's a football junkie. For instance, I was eating a snack with him the other night at 9 o'clock and almost everybody was going home. I went home. He told me he was going home. (Defensive coordinator) Jimmy O'Neil walked by the meeting room around 9:30 p.m. ,and he was in there watching film. That's just the type of guy he is. He will undoubtedly be successful in this league."
On his confidence in improving the run defense:
"I am. I have the utmost confidence in what we've done as a staff with Jim O'Neil and (secondary coach Jeff) Hafley, with everybody because it takes 11 to stop the run. Then the guys we have out there on the field, we've definitely brought guys in that can stop the run. Our group as a whole, our defense as a whole there's added emphasis on 'Hey, guys, this is what's going to keep us from being dominant. We need to improve on this.' And you can see that out there on the football field right now."
