QB Robert Griffin III:
On today's practice:
"Practice was good. Communication is always key in any offense, but especially the way that we are running ours, you have to stay on top of that. I thought from Day 1 to Day 2, it was a great transition. We ran a lot of different things, showing the defense a lot of different formations and plays. I thought all the guys are really picking up on that. I feel like today's practice was a good practice. I go to (Head) Coach (Hue Jackson) after every practice and tell him that I wasn't good enough because that is what you're working for. If you ever get to the point where, 'Hey, that was good enough,' then you are not really trying to perfect your craft. I think every guy feels that way. I feel like we were doing a good job throughout the entire practice."
On his reaction to the Browns drafting QB Cody Kessler and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown's comment that other QBs should 'not sleep on him':
"All of us are going to have to earn our spot on this team and earn our spot on the depth chart. We drafted Cody. I actually knew a strength coach that was out there at USC with him for a little bit, and he said he was a great guy. Since he has been here, he has been awesome to work with, a great young man, a God-fearing young man. We always tell him, especially I tell him, that if he needs any help, we will be there for him. We are not going to horde our notes or horde our special keys here and there. We are going to try to help him be the best football player he can and then go out there and compete on the field."
On how he has thrown the ball in OTAs, given his reaction to specific plays:
"I am working for perfection. At this point in the process, completions aren't enough. I want to be perfect with the ball. That doesn't mean you shy away from acknowledging a guy making a great play for you or getting a completion in a game. Those passes are OK, but right now in practice, we are working for perfection so that in a game, it can be perfect, as well. When you see me get upset or you see a receiver get upset, he might have caught a 70-yard bomb, but maybe there was something in his route that maybe he wanted to do better or there was something in my throw or my process that I wanted to hammer down and do better. That's where that comes from."
On embracing competition while trying to establish himself as a leader and 'take over' for the Browns:
"Everybody has to earn everything that they get. When you go out there and you perform at a high level and you show guys that they can trust you, that is when they will buy in. You don't really focus on putting together a plan to take over the team. You put together a plan to go out and execute the offense, be there for guys when they need you to be there and continue to grow and increase the camaraderie amongst your teammates."
On what he executes well in the Browns offense:
"As a player, you want to be able to do everything. There is not one area where you say, 'This is what fits me best.' That is why we practice. That is why we try to make our strengths stronger and our weaknesses our strengths. I don't look at it that way. Every single day, things are changing. Coach is getting a better understanding of the personnel that we have. We are getting a better understanding of what he is asking us to do. It is ever-evolving. We like the direction that it is going in. It is just a lot of fun to go out there and play a kid's game for a king's ransom."
On comparing the experience implementing the Browns offense to the Redskins offense:
"Every coach has their own philosophy. You have to learn how that coach wants you to play and how we are going to play football – what's our brand of football? That is the process we are all going through. It is a little different coach by coach, but I think the guys have bought in and are really showing Hue the respect that not only he deserves but that he shows up and works for every day."
On his impressions of WR Corey Coleman, who also went to Baylor:
"I know everybody thinks I played with Corey. I didn't, but he did go to Baylor and I happened to go to Baylor, as well, so I kind of know what he is about. I had a chance to be around him. He is a dynamic individual. I think the guys in that locker room, the receivers in the receivers group, are going to help bring him along and teach him the ins and outs of what it means to be an NFL receiver. He had a great day yesterday. Now, he is at the Rookie Premiere. I hope he has fun and stays safe."
On the process of Coleman's transition to the NFL, given he also transitioned from Baylor to the NFL and the limited route tree Baylor uses:
"I appreciate the question. I think (Baylor Head) Coach (Art) Briles would be upset that you say it is a limited route tree, but I know what you mean. He caught a lot of go's. He caught a lot of slants. He caught a lot of hitches. He has those routes down. The NFL asks you to be able to do more. It is not that you are going to run bench-cuts and post-corners and sluggo-seams and all of those consistently all of the time, but you have to show that you can do it. That is the beauty of the NFL. You get to step up to the next level and add to your game. Not just Corey but the rest of the receivers and every receiver that we have, they want to continue to add to the game. We have the coaches that are going to teach them to do it the right way. As we continue to learn the technique and how they want it run, then we can become coaches, as well."
On his mindset knowing that the Browns have not named a starting QB and if it affects his preparation and sense of support:
"The support comes from your teammates, it comes from your coaches every single day. There is an expectation when we step out there on the field that – it doesn't matter who the guy is – if they name you the starter, you still have to go out there and work and beat out anybody who is coming for your spot. The way I look at it is that it is my spot and I have to go out and defend that and go out there and grow with my teammates, grow within the offense and just showcase my talent and ability, and Coach will make the decisions accordingly to how he feels. Every single day that you step out there on the field, you have to earn it. I think this is the perfect situation for me to be in."
On if knowing he has to go out and compete provides extra motivation:
"It would be no different if I was the starter. It would be no different. There are no external motivators. You have a target in mind and you want to hit that target." On recent reports that stated he had a list of 'demands' for the offense in Washington
"I am so far removed from Washington now and focused on this opportunity here in Cleveland that I don't even worry about those things anymore. I can only focus on what I can control and that's here in Cleveland, being with the Dawg Pound, being with my teammates every single day. I just focus on those things. I didn't even see that story." On if he has been in Cleveland long enough to have a sense for how much a Browns championship would mean to the city, in relation to the 'Believeland' 30 for 30:
"I have had an opportunity to watch that documentary. Just being able to talk to the guys in the locker room who have been here for a long time – (DB) Joe Haden, (OL) Joe Thomas – those guys have experienced a lot in their time and they have been great players and great leaders, but they want to win. They want to have a winning team and go to the playoffs and go far in the playoffs and hoist that trophy. That is part of the reason that Coach Jackson came here. It is the reason I came here. We feel like those guys deserve everything that we want to bring them that they want. We feel like they deserve to be winners because they have worked for it. That is a motivator for us. Every day that we show up, we know that we have Joe Thomas, who is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and Joe Haden, who might very well be a Hall of Famer, and we want to make sure we help those guys win football games so that they can enjoy that, and not just for them, but for the city, for the community. We understand how long it has been since this city has experienced dramatic success. It would be big for the Cavs to win it this year so we are rooting them on, but we also know we have business to take care of."
On his individual goals for improving in the passing game:
"I haven't played in a year so I really wasn't able to get a gauge on where my game had evolved from my first year, my last year in Washington to last year. I just want to get back out there, have some fun, play ball, get completions and win football games. At the end of the day, all of us are focused on winning. It is not stats. It is not this area or that area. It is about winning the games. A lot goes into that and I could spend all day up here talking about it, but I'm not. I just focus on those things, focus on what I know I can get better at fundamentally and just through the process and trust that process." On how much Jackson can help him in those areas, given his areas of expertise:
"I picked up on that before I got here. That is one of the reasons that I came [to Cleveland]. I am a believer. I believe that Coach Jackson can help me be a better player, and I feel like he can help this team win football games. He is going to put us in the best position possible to make that happen. It is up to us to decide how great we can be. I really do look forward to that, but I know he can help me, I know (assistant head coach-offense) Pep (Hamilton) can help me, (senior offensive assistant/wide receivers) Al Saunders can help the receivers and all of these guys are going to help us be a great football team."
