Browns press conference – Page 3

Myles Garrett ready to ‘lead the pack’ for the Browns ‘to that promised land’

Garrett had a teleconference with reporters to discuss his new contract extension

Myles Garrett understands that with great compensation comes great responsibility. After signing a 5-year, $125 million contract extension, Garrett talked about his need to be the leader for the Browns defense to help bring glory to Cleveland’s long-suffering fans.

Building off his message to fans posted to his Instagram feed on Wednesday, Garrett is ready to reward the Browns’ faith in him and lead the team to unprecedented heights. He held a teleconference call with reporters on Thursday and discussed his goals.

“I like that the history is what it is because it’ll make it so much sweeter when we turn this around and win big playoff games, and then finally get to that last one,” Garrett said. “I’d like to be a part of that. I’d Iike to lead the pack for that. I want to lead them to that promised land.”

He knows that a great way to make that happen is by getting recognized as the best defensive player in the league. Garrett has long coveted the Defensive Player of the Year award, and it clearly still drives him.

“I was in the Player of the Year conversation (in 2019),” Garrett said. “I don’t want to make it a conversation anymore. This next year, I want to ball out and win that award. I want to take my team to the playoffs, and even higher than that.”

Garrett will be the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL in terms of annual salary once the extension kicks in.

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Kareem Hunt knows ‘I’ve got to be smarter’ to stick around the Browns

“I’ve got to be smarter and cannot be doing stuff like that.”

Kareem Hunt said a lot with his proclamation during a Zoom teleconference with reporters on Monday, but nothing is more important than that self-aware admission that he must do a better job of staying out of trouble.

Hunt has always been forthright in acknowledging his poor behavior, and he stayed true to form in Monday’s Zoom session. Without specifically addressing the infamous Cleveland hotel altercation that got him suspended for half a season and exiled from Kansas City, or the tearful traffic stop this winter that nearly cost him his Browns career, the running back covered what he has discussed with new GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski.

“Just pretty much, I cannot have that. It is not acceptable. I’ve got to be smarter and cannot be doing stuff like that,” Hunt said. “We had a good talk. They see me on the field as a guy who is going to make some plays this year and help the team win. That is what I have been looking forward to. We have been talking. I keep in touch with coach all the time about what he wants to see and stuff like that.”

He appreciates the chances he’s been given with his hometown team, too.

“I am blessed that the Browns gave me another opportunity. So yes, I am lucky to have another opportunity to play football. You never know. Honestly, I am just blessed to play the game, so I always feel lucky to play football. I know any second it can be gone.”

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Browns WR coach Chad O’Shea pleased with progress from Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry

Browns WR coach Chad O’Shea pleased with progress from Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry as they recover from injuries

New Cleveland Browns wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea inherits one of the most talented starting duos in the league in Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. It’s a tantalizing proposition, though one that fell short of expectations a year ago.

O’Shea, who spent 2019 as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, likes what he’s seen from his stars so far.

“We’re going to try to put the team first and we’re going to try to put winning first,‘’ O’Shea said during a Zoom teleconference with reporters Wednesday. “They realize that. They embrace that. They’re also aware that there are other players at other positions that will help us win games and who are capable of really helping us. Everybody’s role is kind of what you make it. I see it as a real good problem to have where you have a lot of opportunities and a lot of players that can really help us win.”

O’Shea was asked about their respective recoveries from offseason surgeries. So far, so good, says O’Shea,

“They’ve really taken advantage of the opportunity. They’ve made a lot of progress. They’ve certainly made improvements and again, the goal is at some time that we’re able to throw and catch the ball around, but at this point, they are just following the plan that is in place.”

Landry is recovering from hip and pelvis surgery, while Beckham had core muscle surgery. Both players played through considerable pain last year and it showed at times.

Browns VP Kwesi Adofo-Mensah embraces being a role model for young black men

Browns VP of Football Operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah embraces being a role model for young black men in his new role

One of the first things new Browns VP of Football Operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took note of after being hired was how many young black men congratulated him for his climb up the NFL’s front office ladder. Adofo-Mensah was taken aback by how much reach his move from San Francisco to Cleveland had on the African-American community.

Adofo-Mensah noted he got “a lot” of congratulatory notes “from awesome Cleveland fans”, but it was others that he got that really hit home.

“Some of them were from black men who were just saying that it inspired them to see somebody like me in a position like this,” the 38-year-old exec explained in his Zoom session with reporters on Thursday. “That honestly was super meaningful to me and helped me kind of see that for what it was.”

What that is in Cleveland is a front office led by Andrew Berry, another young black man. It’s a rare occurrence to have two prominent, decision-making roles occupied by people of color in the NFL, a league where more than half the players are non-white.

That’s not lost on Adofo-Mensah.

“I know the league is trying their best,” he said. “It is a complex problem. It is not necessarily always the result of bad intentions. It is just sometimes these things are self-fulfilling feedbacks that continue over time, and it really is hard to break the cycle.”

Adofo-Mensah continued,

“Honestly, it is a cycle that happens throughout the rest of society. The NFL is no different than corporate America or Silicon Valley, where I just came from. I know that the NFL is trying, and I am going to be part of that effort to try and get my two cents of input.”

Joel Bitonio: ‘we’re going to try and use our power’ to help fight injustice

Browns LG Joel Bitonio in a Zoom conference said ‘we’re going to try and use our power’ as players to help fight injustice

Cleveland Browns team captain Joel Bitonio met with reporters on a Zoom video teleconference on Tuesday to talk about the offseason progress. Bitonio tackled the ongoing protests and unrest surrounding the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by police in Minneapolis.

Bitonio talked about the players using their collective platform to help fight injustice, police brutality and endemic racism in America. He noted the Browns met as a team, including coach Kevin Stefanski, in a separate Zoom session on Monday and talked about what came out of that discussion.

“The conclusion we came to is obviously there’s injustice in this world right now and people are hurting,” Bitonio said. “People need help, and we’re going to try and use our power and our position to help them. Jarvis came up and he spoke to the team for maybe 10 minutes yesterday and just tried to tell us how we can use our platform a little bit better because I think the vast majority of people want to help. They want to improve the situation.”

Bitonio talked about his personal experiences with friends and their battles with racial and socioeconomic injustices. He stressed the importance of listening and really hearing what is said, the intensity behind the emotion.

“I think people are hurting, though. I think there is a real hurt and a real cry for help, and they want people to listen to them and understand where they are coming from. I think that is the biggest thing is they do not want to start an argument and they do not want to start a crazy discussion about it. They want you to listen and they want you to truly accept what is going on and then kind of see where we can go from there.”

The full media session is available via the Browns’ YouTube channel:

Joe Woods envisions his Browns defense playing dime package as a base

New defensive coordinator Joe Woods envisions his Browns playing dime package as a base, with 6 DBs and 1 LB on the field

The Cleveland Browns rarely deployed more than two linebackers in 2019 in then-coordinator Steve Wilks. Under new defensive coordinator Joe Woods, it might be rare to see more than one.

Woods told reporters in a press teleconference on Thursday that he envisions the dime package (4 DL, 1 LB, 6 DB) being his base defense in Cleveland. He knows that such a radical transition cannot happen overnight, though.

“I would like to transition into a dime system, but it is going to be something that is going to take time to get into, just because of getting their reps,” Woods said. “Eventually, I would like to have a nickel package, where we have two linebackers on the field, but also, just to create better matchups and be a little bit more diverse in our scheme, I would like to get to a dime package, where we are putting an extra safety on the field.”

Playing a base defense with three CBs and three safeties is something Woods’ defense did in San Francisco. It was aided in part by having a dominant defensive line. The Eagles and Chargers have also used base dime at times lately.

The key to making it work is having versatile safeties, guys who are comfortable and effective playing as a de facto LB. The Browns drafted LSU’s Grant Delpit in the second round with that potential in mind. Veteran Karl Joseph can also fill that role.

Woods seems content to roll with a nickel defense as his base to start, though he’s not exactly sure how the LBs will sort out just yet. Speaking about the linebacking corps that includes B.J. Goodson, Mack Wilson, Sione Takitaki and rookie Jacob Phillips, Woods offered this,

“This is going to be a situation where once we get on the field and we start running our defense, it is going to be how well they fit in a specific position. Are they capable of making plays, based on the scheme? It is going to be something we are going to have to feel out once we get back for training camp. I will tell you what, all of those guys in the meetings really have been doing a good job so I know mentally they can handle it. It is just physically, what are they capable of doing?”

Baker Mayfield’s ‘it’s time to work’ quip shows off a more subdued, focused attitude

Baker Mayfield: “It’s time to work, do our thing – instead of talking about it” mantra shows a more mature, focused Browns QB

In his press conference with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield covered a lot of topics. And while his words about working with new coach Kevin Stefanski, staying busy in the quarantine, getting to throw with new backup Case Keenum and other things were all important in their own rights, the presentation from Baker himself mattered.

What we saw in the Zoom session was a more measured, more mature, more pensive Baker Mayfield. It’s a welcome addition to the Browns.

While part of the allure of Mayfield is his swagger, his brashness, it didn’t age well from Year 1 to Year 2. Encouraged by the last regime, which was attracted to sizzle, Mayfield fizzled in his second season.

The most telling quote from Mayfield’s meeting with the press came with a determined look, a subdued humility that comes from the experience of selling the sizzle instead of the steak.

“It’s time to work, do our thing — instead of talking about it.”

If that’s the new mantra for the team with Mayfield as the more mature leader and the quieter, more structured Stefanski, it’s a very positive step in a new direction for the talented team. Given how Mayfield broached at the same basic theme several times, it’s clear he’s either bought into the mindset or is trying hard to get there.

Perhaps Mayfield has figured out that putting the work in as a team will allow him more latitude to be the guy who infamously planted the flag in The Horseshoe or the cocksure QB who celebrated a touchdown with a lewd gesture.

Here’s hoping we get more of this Mayfield. It’s time for No. 6 to silence his critics by making sure the talk isn’t just for show anymore.

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Baker Mayfield sees his skills as ‘a great fit’ in Kevin Stefanski’s offense

Baker Mayfield sees his skills as ‘a great fit’ in new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was the latest Cleveland player to participate in a Zoom teleconference with the local media. The affable quarterback joined from his home in Texas.

The obvious question about football is how well Mayfield believes the progress is going with rookie head coach Kevin Stefanski. The two still haven’t met in person since the coronavirus pandemic forced all interaction to occur remotely, but the QB and coach remain in close contact. Mayfield thinks it’s going to work very well in transitioning to a more measured, balanced offensive attack under Stefanski.

Mayfield sees his skills blending very nicely with the offense Stefanski is teaching.

“I think it matches up very well,” Mayfield told reporters. “I think my skill-set matches up very well. I think it will be a great fit.”

The emphasis is on making better, quicker decisions and focusing more on the fundamentals than the flash, which is not how the 2019 season went under Freddie Kitchens. Mayfield was much more reserved and focused on being deliberate in his responses than in the past, too.

Jacob Phillips ‘ready to work’ and establish himself in Browns young LB corps

Jacob Phillips is excited to land in Cleveland. The Browns’ third-round linebacker knows he has a great opportunity to establish himself right away in the young LB corps.

Phillips talked about his opportunity and more in his press conference call with reporters following Day 2.

“That was one of my key things: one, to be the outcomes of this draft coming into room where I will get an opportunity,” Phillips said in his conference call. “I feel as though I will be given an opportunity in Cleveland. I am ready to work. I am ready to put in every ounce that I can to succeed and help the team win. I just want to make sure that I bring that winning tradition I had in college to Cleveland.”

Phillips could quickly earn the starting inside backer job. He led a talent-laden LSU defense in two ways: tackles and emotional fire. Those are qualities that can help Phillips get on the field a lot as a rookie.

Jedrick Wills: ‘I fit in perfectly fine’ with Browns’ wide zone blocking scheme

One of the first questions asked to first-round pick Jedrick Wills in his initial Cleveland Browns conference call dealt with how the new tackle will adjust to a new blocking scheme. Wills confidently quelled any worries about his ability to adapt.

“I think I fit in perfectly fine with the wide zone scheme,” Wills stated proudly during his call. “At Alabama, we ran multiple different types. I did just about everything, and wide zone was in our packages. I feel like I am going to adapt easy, just learn the plays and get to work.”

He’s also going to have to change sides, from right tackle to left. That change brought a little more trepidation to his answer, but Wills remains ebullient about being the Browns new left tackle.

“As far as switching to left side, I think it is something that is going to be in the best interest for the team. I predict it is coming very soon. It is going to be something I will need to work and learn that position.”

He can get help from right tackle Jack Conklin, who thrived immediately after making the opposite switch as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Browns legend Joe Thomas has also offered to help Wills make the adjustment to the left side.

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