QB Robert Griffin III:
On if he feels any more secure about his position after the trade:
"No, I'm just focused on what we can control as players in that locker room. We don't really worry about those things. Everybody is here to earn a job. The only person who doesn't really have to earn it is (OL) Joe Thomas. He's got nine Pro Bowls to speak to that."
On how he threw the ball during minicamp:
"I feel like we all went out there and got better. It was good to just get out there with the team– see how receivers run routes and learn their body language. I felt like that was really good."
On the message sent to Browns players with the trade:
"Like I said, I don't really worry about it. You just focus on what is at hand each and every day, conquering each day and getting better. Learn the language that we are speaking on offense and be able to go out there and execute it."
On if the franchise QB label is unfair:
"I've learned to not worry about those things anymore. Everyone is going to have their tags, what they call you and what they think you can and can't do. Your job is to go out and win games, not to worry about those tags. I feel like we are moving in the right direction as far as being an efficient offense and team and really coming together. "
On people saying the Browns don't have a ton of talent and won't win much in 2016:
"There's a lot of talent out there. That's for sure. It's really good. I feel like the offensive line has done a really good job, getting to the ball, getting in and out the huddle, getting the calls. It was really fun to see those big boys run around and then see our defense fly around and get to the ball. The effort and motivation is definitely there."
On going from being a franchise QB to not being that guy right now:
"You are always that guy in your mind. Every time you step out there as a quarterback, you have to have confidence, not only in yourself but the guys around you. The way do you that is you practice hard every single day, every throw, every rep is the Super Bowl. That's the way we are going to work. That's the mindset that (Head Coach) Hue (Jackson) has instilled into us. That is what we are going to do."
On if it bothers him that Jackson and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown say he has to earn it:
"That does not bother me at all because everything you obtain in this world is earned. It is not given. Throughout my career, I have earned everything that I have gotten. When things didn't work out, it was my fault. You take ownership of that. We as quarterbacks know in that room the stronger we are as a group, the better this football team is going to be. We are all in there trying to help each other, all competing for one spot and I respect those guys."
On if he knows what the offense will be like:
"It was our first minicamp. We had three days of practice. They threw the kitchen sink at us with everything we are doing. They even got into situational football a little bit. It was good to see the guys and see what stuck. You throw it all on the board and see what sticks. I don't think any of us could make an assumption of what our offense is going to be exactly like, but I do think we got in introduction into what coach Hue and (associate head coach-offense) Pep's (Hamilton) coaching style is going to be and what they emphasize. I think that was really important and we got that out of the three days."
On Jackson's coaching style:
"A lot of energy. Very demanding coach and that's what you want. They demand perfection. If you break the huddle the wrong way, you are going to re-huddle. It's an expectation that the players have to take ownership of and we will."
On how McCown has made him a better QB:
"Josh has got a lot of experience. He played with Jeff Blake, Jeff Blake (laughter). I know Jeff but… Josh has been around the block a couple times. It's really good to hear his wisdom. Like I said, you've just got to focus on what is at hand that day. It's good to have a guy like around and learn from him. I don't know what the future holds but he's a great guy."
On LB Paul Kruger saying that Griffin has jumped right in as a part of the group:
"I'm just excited for an opportunity to have a fresh start and grow with these guys and do something special here that the fans deserve. Honestly, those guys in the locker room deserve it, as well. We are all professionals. We all come from backgrounds of winning and that's what we want to do. To change a culture, it takes more than one person. It takes more than just the front office. It takes more than just the head coach. It takes all of us. Coach Hue is leading us and the guys have bought in. Now it is about going out and making it happen."
On his impressions of WR Terrelle Pryor:
"The other quarterbacks have a little experience with TP. I hadn't had any. He looks good out there. He is obviously a big, athletic guy who can run and catch the ball. It is our job to continue to help him refine his skills. He's a quarterback at receiver so you know he is going to work hard. He is going to put in the extra time. He is going to do the studying. I think the other guys are helping him as well. (WRs Taylor) Gabe (Gabriel) and (Andrew) Hawk (Hawkins) and (Brian) Hartline, they are really spending time with him and teaching him the craft and it is showing up on the film."
On if he knew Pryor from when they were both QBs:
"We were the same year coming out of high school. He was the No. 1 rated player in the nation. I was not (laughing). I saw a lot of TP and we both played as freshmen. I have to remind him that I was the freshman All-American (laughing). He's great. We have talked before I signed with signed with the Browns. It's great to have him here and know that he is going to have that mindset of a quarterback and be where he is supposed to be and try to do everything the right way."
On if his superhero figurines made the trip to Cleveland:
"Yeah, they did. I don't have a house or anything yet. The Incredible Hulk and all those action figures will be in the locker. Don't worry. I'm not going to ditch those guys."
On if he has had any contact with WR Josh Gordon recently and if he's been able to help him in any way since his petition for reinstatement was denied:
"I don't know what to say to that. Josh is family. I've had contact with Josh since the announcement. I'm sure he'll see this or watch this. He knows I'm always there for him no matter what happens. I'm rooting for him. I hope he understands this situation that he's in and what's at stake. I think he does, but it's up to him ultimately to make that decision. You cannot tell a grown man what to do. All you can do is be there for him and try to help guide him. I've been there for him, will continue to be there for him, and I hope he makes the right decision so he can get back in the league and show everybody what he's really made of."
On how crazy it is for the Redskins to have traded with the Rams to move to No. 2 to take him and now they traded up to No. 1 this year as the Browns traded out of the No. 2 pick:
"Yeah, a lot of ironic things happening in the league nowadays but can't really focus on it. The Rams called the Redskins stupid for doing that, then they did it. I don't know. I don't care honestly. Whoever they're going to draft, I wish the best for that guy, but it has been a crazy couple of days in the league. Josh Norman with the franchise tag getting taken off. That's pretty crazy. Those are all things that you see and then you just let them roll off your back because there's nothing that you can control about that. Just focus on what you can control and what's at stake in your building, as opposed to what's going on in the other buildings."
On if he has worked with Tom House yet:
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you (laughs). Tom House has been great. It's been a really, really beneficial experience."
On what facilitated the choice to work with House:
"You want to work with guys that have worked with the greats. Me, personally, and every guy in that locker room – we're not working to be average or good. We want to be great. He worked with (Patriots QB Tom) Brady and (Saints QB Drew) Brees and a load of other guys, and they've seen success. I wanted to take on that challenge and challenge myself to be great and try to work with a guy that knows how to make that happen. That's why."
On what the main benefit is that House provides:
"Just the process. Being an NFL quarterback is not easy, but if it was easy, everyone would do it. The process of how to take care of your body, how to take care of your arm, how to take care of your mind and set goals each day. It sounds simple, but when you have 1000 things that are running through your head – protections, formations, plays, reads – it teaches you how to manage that. Then, he's just a guru when it comes to arm mechanics and things like that and how to keep your shoulder healthy. All that stuff's been really, really helpful."
On if he'll continue to work with House throughout the offseason:
"Without a doubt. It's not just a one-off thing. It's a lifestyle. I plan on living that lifestyle."
On if it added any pressure to be drafted by a team that moved up in the draft to get him and advice he would have for the two quarterbacks that could be draft at No. 1 and No. 2:
"The only advice I would have is what I said with my mic drop last time: no pressure, no diamonds. It's no biggie. Just go play ball. Have fun. You can't control what they gave up to get you. All you can control is what you do when you get there. I wish those guys the best. I don't know who it's going to be, but I'm always rooting for guys to be successful unless they're on defense. Then, no not if we're facing you."
QB Josh McCown:
On how things are different under Head Coach Hue Jackson than last year:
"Obviously, when you change head coaches, it is a whole different set of ideals and things that come along. More than anything, the thing that I have observed is just the confidence that he attacks every day with and the energy and the juice and the intensity that he goes about everything from meetings to walkthroughs to the practice field. It is contagious. As a quarterback room, we are trying to take his lead and follow that and go with that. I think if you look at every position group, they are all trying to do the same thing. I would say that is the No. 1 thing, just the urgency with which we go about everything on a daily basis."
On if the Browns not taking a quarterback in the top-two picks gives him a sense that he will in fact remain with the team:
"I don't know. I don't know what is going to happen. Really and truly – I hate it because it is just cliché – but it is a day at a time. I wish I could give you something else, but that is it. That is the only way to do it because a lot of times if you get ahead of things, it affects the day that you are trying to have because you are worried about what is going to happen tomorrow, the next day or if you are looking behind you, you are worried about that. Then you don't maximize that day. You don't get the best out of that day. For me, that is the focus. You can't manufacture these kind of situations in life. This is real. It happened. It is a great opportunity, especially playing this position, to focus and have mental toughness and just going, 'You know, I'm not going to worry about that. I am just going to focus on what I have to do today and go and work hard.' The way that Hue comes in and works and the way he attacks the day and approaches it, it is very contagious and it makes it very easy to just immerse yourself in the day and not even get concerned with those things. That is just a part of the gifts that he has as a motivator and as a leader. That is my mindset is just come in and work."
On if he has ever had a head coach snap him the ball like Jackson does:
"It is cool. Obviously, that is the value for our position that you get with an offensive head coach and a guy who is committed to training the quarterback is to be able to get around Hue. He is hands on. He wants to get in there and get involved with drills. He has some things that he likes us to do and then (associate head coach-offense) Pep (Hamilton). It makes for a really good room. It makes for a competitive environment where we can go and learn, especially when you have two guys with the experience that they have had, two guys, obviously that have been play callers. The opportunity for quarterbacks to grow in this building is there just because of the experience between those two guys. He sets the tone and he believes so much in what he is teaching and how he wants it done. It is very evident early on that he is going to be very hands on with whatever he needs to do to make sure that we play a certain way and do things a certain way. That was just an example of it."
On if draft prospects are under more pressure and scrutiny now compared to when he was drafted:
"Absolutely. Social media, obviously, brings so much more urgency to everything. You pick a kid and by the end of rookie minicamp, he's a bust. It's like, 'Man, let the guy play. Let's see what he's got.' Or the other way, by the end of rookie minicamp, they are ready to put him in the Hall of Fame. Let the guy play. I do. I think that is just part of our society now. Everything happens so much quicker and the scrutiny, as well, but I think it takes time. It takes time for players to develop. That is part of it, though. Guys will adapt, I'm sure. It's just a different world. Thankful I came in when I did."
On WR Terrelle Pryor's progress:
"We were just talking about that the other day. I am very impressed with him. It seems like he is getting more and more comfortable playing the position and being out there. His skillset – he is big, fast and all of those things – but last year, you kind of saw him thinking a little bit while he was doing it, trying to do things right so it takes away from your skillset. It is nice to see as he is learning it and kind of getting it that his skillset is coming back to life and you're seeing that he is a big, fast guy that can go and can catch the ball well. He can be an asset to us. I am just impressed, first and foremost, with just his work ethic, just how he is approaching it. Like we said last year, that is a hard thing to do. It is not very often that guys are afforded that opportunity to make a position change like that and/or are athletic enough to do it. Terrelle certainly has worked his tail off. Hats off to him. He is doing some good things. He just has to keep working, but you are starting to see little glimpses of what it can become and it is exciting."
On QB Robert Griffin III and if it is different seeing him play up close:
"He is talented. He is very talented. He has high-level arm talent and obviously his athletic ability. It is great as an older guy to be around him. It does, it pushes you. It raises your level as far as, just trying to when we run the drills and do those things trying to keep up with him and stuff like that, it just pushes me to work harder. I'm just impressed with his work ethic and his drive and the way he goes about things. He has an attention to detail and he wants to do everything right. He wants to do everything exactly how Pep and Hue are asking him to do it. He is committed to that, and that is what it takes. You definitely see, though, that the skillset is there. It is just about him continuing to get comfortable in the system and learning. It has been fun to be around him. We have a fun room with (QBs) Austin (Davis) and Connor (Shaw). The last three weeks, it has really been a good room to be in because you just feel we are enjoying one another and what we bring to the table professionally, but then too there is a competition that is there, a competitiveness that is there between everybody that is bringing out the best in us. At the same time, we are all for each other and wanting to see each other succeed. It is a fun room to be in. I really have enjoyed the last few weeks."
On if he is able to block out that other teams are looking for starting QBs and QB free agency:
"I try not to think about it, other than when the questions are asked. For me, it is just this team. This focus, this team and get ready. Like I said before, if that happens, we will cross that bridge when it gets there. For me, it is just developing and getting ready because if your eye is on tomorrow or what might happen next – 'I'll just wait it out until I'm on a new team' or something like that – then you don't get better and what if you stay here? Now, you are not very good here where you are supposed to be. For me, it is focus and play. I have gotten a chance to work really hard the last few weeks and play some football this week. It is just continuing to grow. To be around guys like Hue and Pep, I have benefited these last few weeks. I feel like I have gotten better these last three weeks just being around these guys. That is my focus is continuing to do that. Like I said before, if it changes, it changes. Those things are out of my control, but what I can control is being in this building, working hard and enjoying being around this team and just trying to carry out the vision that Hue has set before us."
On if he believes his value due to his experience increases if the Browns select a QB in later rounds:
"Whoever is in that room, we want to help them. We want to help them and we want to help them play well. First and foremost, my job for this team is to be ready to play good football. That is No. 1. That focus starts with me going out and doing what I've got to do to keep myself prepared and ready to work. Then, all of the other stuff is just what comes in our process as we help one another and the experience that we have, we can feed off of one another and use it. Obviously, I have a few more years than these other guys and definitely more years than a rookie coming in. We are not holding back anything. We want to give that guy as much as we can to help him because it is about this team. It is about this team and about this position playing better. First and foremost, it starts with me improving myself as a player and then helping the guys in that room continue to help themselves and improve as a player. That's the mindset. Whoever is in there, that will be the approach and we will go about it that way in hopes of playing good football at this position for this team."
