Q. You said at your news conference that you didn't watch video of the Ravens game because of the short turnaround to tonight's game in Cleveland. Do you do it that way also to send a message to your players that this week was all about looking toward this game.
A. If the message was received in that way, then great, but that wasn't my intention. There were really some challenges this week in terms of preparation. There's usually division familiarity, which is a great place to start in terms of your general knowledge, not only of the players in their division of labor, but the schematics, the strategy component, how the Cleveland Browns play. Three weeks ago, they made a couple of significant changes in making Ken Dorsey the play-caller and at quarterback with Jameis Winston, and that really created some anxiety in me, and the more time I could spend familiarizing myself with those men in their roles and how it might change Cleveland's offensive personality, I thought that was more worthy of my time.
Q. Another thing you said about the short turnaround was that you have learned about the importance of the final 24 hours before kickoff. How do you now like to utilize that time?
A. For me, I drown myself in situational scenarios. I try to have the feel of six or seven-day preparation on a four-day work week, and so there's no shortcut to that. I absorb a lot of video. I've had as many formal and informal conversations with components of my staff relative to circumstances. There's a great deal of comfort in preparedness when you're on a seven-day cycle between games, and it's my job to get myself to that place on a four-day work week, and that's how I spend my last 24 hours.
Q. One of the things you often do in your postgame remarks is give credit to that day's opponent. Why do you take that approach?
A. Because I understand how competitive this league is and how fine the line is between drinking wine and squashing grapes. This is the ultimate parity league. This is a humble man's business, because you know your next butt kicking is right around the corner. It's just the nature of it. And so I've learned to absorb and own negativity, while at the same time, I've gained an appreciation for tipping the cap to preparedness on the other side and quality play on the other side. As someone who has benefited greatly from being in this ecosystem all of my adult life, I owe that to the game.
Q. Is learning how to deal with success – and by that I mean the ability to re-focus on the next opponent after the defeating the previous one – the last piece of the puzzle for a team to develop with designs on competing for a championship?
A. There's no question, because as the road gets narrow, you've got to continually get better. And the only way you get better is working with an edge, and you better have that edge regardless of the outcome of football games. You better assume that the Joneses, the people who you don't see are doing similar things. You pay them that respect, because sooner or later as the road gets narrow, it's going to be good on good in a bowl, and you better be ready.
Q. It's mid-November in Cleveland, and this game will be played outdoors in a stadium that borders Lake Erie. At racetracks, thoroughbreds that perform well on off-tracks are referred to as mudders, and that's a compliment. Are there NFL QBs who are "mudders?"
A. There's no doubt. Old No. 7 for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That Northwest Ohio boy was born for ugly days. I enjoyed working with him. He was at his best in miserable conditions. He thrived in it. Some people are built like that. Some of it's a mentality, some of it's just where they're from, and what they're used to in terms of their relationship with the game as young people. But certainly there are people who thrive in those circumstances and have a skill-set that's geared toward those circumstances. Le'Veon Bell was another one, being a Columbus, Ohio, boy and a guy who played college ball in East Lansing. Very rarely did he lose his footing. He had good balance. His feet were always under him. It didn't matter what the surface was like, he was virtually the same, regardless of ground conditions, as another example.
Q. Have you been around Russell Wilson long enough to know whether he's a "mudder?"
A. I have not. And, you know, I'm excited about it. He likes to talk about the 12 or so months that he spent in Madison, Wisconsin, but the jury's still out. We'll see.
Q. Is there a best way to throw a wet football?
A. I think that's a very individual thing. And you know, hand size and arm strength and arm talent are components of the equation that make every discussion a little bit different. Russ has very big hands, like Ben has very big hands, and it really allows them to manipulate and control the ball. I would imagine that he's going to have a solid aptitude in terms of cutting the wind and controlling the ball in less than ideal circumstances.
Q. Does Justin Fields' willingness to put his hand in the pile as the scout team quarterback and his general work ethic play any part in wanting to utilize him in packages during games? In other words, rewarding a guy who's doing things the right way?
A. It does not but it doesn't mean that we don't appreciate it. You know, we utilize him because we feel like we have two really capable quarterbacks. And I hate not utilizing talent, and particularly talent that is unique. His physical skill-set is rare. And when given an opportunity to infuse that in games, we're certainly going to do it. But at the same time, we're certainly appreciative of his efforts in terms of the things that he's willing to do in terms of helping our group prepare.
Q. In talking about rookie inside linebacker Payton Wilson when asked about the play he made to come out with an interception on a Lamar Jackson pass to Justice Hill, you called him "legitimately humble." What does that mean?
A. He asks good questions. He gathers information from anybody who's capable of helping him on his professional football journey. I see him interacting with coaches formally and informally, with veteran players formally and informally. He's got no ego, and being legitimately humble is an awesome place to begin in terms of getting better. We've got two guys, young guys, who are playing critical roles on our defense – him and Beanie Bishop. And both guys have that same spirit, which I think makes them attractive little brothers. It makes the older guys want to help them in terms of their journey to get better. And it also gives the older guys patience for when they make mistakes. And let's be honest, when you lack experience on the job, you're going to make mistakes. And I think the spirit in which they go about their business makes them attractive young coworkers, and that's what I mean when I talk about being legitimately humble.
Q. You always speak highly of Chris Boswell, and his statistics, as you say, need no endorsement from me. But what can you tell me about him when it comes to having social presence in the locker room among teammates?
A. Boz is well-liked in our locker room. He's not your typical kicker, if you will. He has a social standing within the locker room, and I just think it's probably his mentality more than anything else. Forget the job that you hold. Belief in self, a competitor's spirit allows you to fit in, and just the way he goes about his business. Boz is the type of guy, who if he's lining up for a 49-yard kick, he'll want to move the ball back a yard. And that resonates with guys. Guys connect with that mindset, regardless of the job description. And so he is an integral part of what we do, not only in terms of his ability to kick the ball and put it through the uprights, but socially speaking guys respect him. He's been on the job a long time. He's right-minded. He has an NFL football player's mentality.
Q. You're very hands-on as a head coach in dealing with the players. How do you handle Chris Boswell, or is it a case of if it ain't broke, leave it alone?
A. I stay the heck away from the specialists. I'm not superstitious in any way, but when it comes to specialists, I've got a rabbit's foot. I put my left sock on first, etc. There's a scarcity of talent in that space. There's also a scarcity of expertise in that space. I got a lot of experience on the offensive side of the ball, both playing and coaching. I spent the majority of my coaching career on the defensive side of the ball. Very rarely am I going to get uncomfortable in any form of conversation, in offensive or defensive play, including the big guys. But I was a punter on my eighth grade team. I wasn't a very good punter. I pulled the ball down and ran half the time, because I was given the green light to do so. And other than that, I don't have a lot of expertise in terms of that space.
Q. Jameis Winston starts tonight for the Browns. He was the first overall pick of the 2015 draft by Tampa Bay, and during his 5 seasons there he was the primary starter from Day 1, was sacked an average of 30 times a season, and in 2019 led the NFL in attempts, yards, and interceptions. Who or what is Jameis Winston now?
A. I think he's still that same guy in mentality. He's a gunslinger, and I say that respectfully in that he has unbelievable arm talent. He's got arm strength. He has the ability to place the ball in the tight spaces, and he has the courage to do so. He's a competitor. You know, gun fighters get shot, and when you play a guy who has talent and belief in himself like he does, something's going to happen. And I just say that in a real respectful way, like you better catch interceptions when given an opportunity, because he's going to come at you. If you catch the ball, you may have an opportunity to win the game like the Chargers did a couple of weeks ago. If you don't catch the ball like the Ravens a couple of weeks ago, he's going to throw for 350 and beat you. You just know that going into a game against a guy with a mentality like that, and you've got to respect it. It's no different than a than a 3-point shooter in basketball. You better get out there and get a hand in his face. If not, you know he's going he's going to kill you, and that's the approach that he takes to play. And I doubt that has changed at all during the course of his career.
Q. The Ravens used to be the Browns, and Steelers-Ravens is salty in part because of that past relationship. Is Steelers-Browns now salty?
A. Selfishly, I want to have a rivalry with everyone in the division, to be quite honest with you, I want the Ravens to hate us. I want the Browns to hate us. I want the Bengals to hate us. You're not doing it at a high level unless you've got some hate in your life, unless you've got some testy games, some challenging circumstances. And for me, we respect the AFC North, the competition in the North, the organizations, the talented players and coaches. But make no mistake about it, we want to be in the middle of every conversation and discussion. We want to be everybody's chief rival. Because we realize there's no way of circumventing what it is that we're hunting. You've got to go through it. And the AFC North is a good place to start.
Q. In terms of decorated players on the Browns roster, I think No. 1 number would be Myles Garrett. What do you expect from him tonight?
A. It's primetime television. It's at his house. We can't allow him to wreck the game. It's not possible that a guy like him rises up in a moment like this; it's probable. You don't get to be who he is, you don't get to be who T.J. is without an appetite for grasping moments. And so we respect it. We understand the venue that we're in. We understand that this is primetime television. That all the eyes are watching, and guys like him generally rise up. It's like playing the Lakers on Christmas Day. You know LeBron is going to give you some points. You just know that. And that's how I view these primetime games where you're talking about significant players in the National Football League. You're playing on Sunday night, Monday night, Thursday night. Guys like Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, they've done it all their lives, and so you shouldn't be surprised when they do.
