Mangini Press Conf.

Transcript
10.19.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 10-19-09

(Opening statement)- "Good afternoon everybody. In looking at the tape, talking to the
team, I really feel that what I saw, or what I talked to them about after the game is pretty
consistent. I thought that it was another example of playing hard throughout the course of
the game. I thought the best examples of those were, we had the turnover, then were able
to generate a turnover in our area. We had another turnover, we were able to generate a
turnover after that, then be able to have the drive that we had, leading to what would have
been a one score game at that point. Those things are good, and that's what I expect each
week, regardless of what the situation in the game is, for us to be able to deal with
adversity, come back from it and then respond to it in a positive way. I thought another
good example of that was when we went down 14-0, came back with a kickoff return for
a touchdown or come out after halftime and have the drive that we had and score points
and make it a three point game. Those things are positive. Things that we have to
continue to address, and what hurt us this weekend, were the turnovers. It's hard to turn
the ball over and be successful, and defensively, some of the big plays. Unfortunately,
Ben (Roethlisberger) was able to do some of the things that he's done to a lot of people. I
thought we had some good answers for that, but they weren't quite what they need to be,
whether they be scheme or execution or other. We're going to correct those things. I think
that the style of play is moving forward. The execution needs to continue to get better.
We'll watch the film here today. The guys are in the process of doing that now, then we'll
move on to next week."

(On using the Wildcat formation and if he is hesitant to let Josh Cribbs throw the
ball)- "With that, it's been part of our package. It will continue to be part of our package.
How much we use it each week will vary. I'm not gun shy in terms of him throwing the
ball. It's like anything else, you take calculated risks. If it's not there, him keeping the ball
is never a bad option."

(On the flu is going around the team)- "Kamerion (Wimbley) was sick on Saturday.
We were hoping that he'd be okay for Sunday. We kept him as isolated as we could. He
just wasn't able to go. Big Baby (Shaun Rogers) started feeling it on Sunday morning.
Those are the only two that we've had. We're taking every measure we can to make sure
that we stop it at that. I talked to the guys about that, how important it was to continually
wash your hands, continually sanitize, all the things that we all know about trying to
prevent things like that. Anytime a player has those symptoms, we'll try to get them the
rest and the care they need and not put them in a position where they could potentially
pass it on or someone else can catch it."

(On if another player was sick early last week)- "[It was] not the same thing. It wasn't
the same. It happened and then kind of got through pretty quickly. It wasn't the same."
(On if flu shots have been given to the team)- "We've had flu shots available. I think it
was a couple weeks ago. It's that time of year. Everybody just has to be extra vigilant
with passing, whether it's picking it up, cleaning their hands. I'm not an expert on it, but
some of the things we can do, we need to do."

(On if he can order players to get a flu shot)- "I never have advocated that. I think it's
one of those things that you have to make a decision on, and everybody is different. Some
people feel like when they take the flu shot, they get sick. Other people feel like it's the
greatest thing. I just try to educate them on it and let them make the decision."

(On if the quarterback needs to be on the field in Wildcat formation)- "No, he doesn't
necessarily need to be. Miami does it sometimes where there's no quarterback on the
field. You can do it however you want to do it."

(On why Derek Anderson was on the field in Wildcat formation)- "I think it just
disguises the fact that it could be that or could not be that. When you break the huddle,
depending on how many seconds, it may be 20-16 seconds, usually a huddle breaks
somewhere around there. That's different then the 45 seconds or the 50 seconds, however
it works out."

(On if Anderson calls the plays on Wildcat plays)- "Yes, he'll call the play."

(On if he is hesitant to reach a new deal with Josh Cribbs because he does not want
to set a precedent)- "With all those contract things, those are internal. Like I said, I
really like Josh. I think he's done a great job. I like him, obviously, for his special teams
value, but the things that he's able to do, offensively, I think, have been very good. I've
liked the way he's worked at wide receiver as well. You really haven't seen as many
numbers there, but it's not something that we've stopped working on. He's still working
on that and I think he'll continue to develop there."

(On his thinking behind keeping Derek Anderson at quarterback)- "I think that there
have been times where we've moved the ball really effectively. I think the drive that we
had at the beginning of the second half is indicative of things that we can do. We have to
do a much better job of not stopping ourselves, whether it be with the dropped balls or
some throws a little bit off. It could be tightening up the protection or tightening up the
routes, all those things. I think we can get better at that, but there are some positive things
I've seen throughout the course of Derek working at quarterback that I think will get
better."

(On what they can do to stop dropped passes)- "It's like any skill set, you have to keep
working at it. Something's not just solved by doing it a little bit, it's deliberate practice.
It's consistent. It's every single day. It's not focusing on the end result, as much as it's
focusing on the process to get to the end result and not getting tied up with, ‘We've had
this many drops, that many drops.' It's, ‘Okay, what can we do to practice that skill?' It's
like tackling, defensively. We do the tackling drill every week as a group, offensive and
defensive guys together. We'll do it towards the start of practice, you guys have seen that
a bunch of times, and then guys will do it in their individual periods as well. It's such a
fundamental skill, but you have to keep sharpening the saw with something like that.
Blocking, hand placement, all the fundamentals, it's easy to get away from those things,
especially in pro football, where your time allocated to that stuff isn't probably as large as
it would be in college football, but it's not any less important."

(On what he does when he believes dropped passes are more mental than physical)-
"I think sometimes it's understanding where you have to improve. You saw Mohamed
(Massaquoi), where he had some outstanding catches yesterday and then there were a
couple of them that I think he was looking to run before he actually got the ball. That's
something that you can't do. You take your eyes off the ball for a split second, or start
thinking about the next step before you finish that step, and you don't get a chance to get
the next step without being able to get the ball. I thought Brian Robiskie had a couple of
nice catches yesterday. His first one there on the in cut late, the one on the sideline, he
wasn't able to come down inbounds, but it was pretty close. Those things are positive. I
think as we go and continue to work together and continue to get opportunities and really
continue to work on the process, that'll help."

(On who he attributes the dropped passes to)- "I think everybody can improve. I think
there are some things we can do with ball placement that can get better. You work on that
with the quarterbacks and you work on the things you can work on with the receivers
with them. Everybody isolates the things related to their area to get better."

(On the progress in the secondary against Pittsburgh)- "There were some big plays
that shouldn't' have been nearly as big as they were. They had an opportunity on Santonio
Holmes' catch, we just didn't execute the tackle after he caught the ball and he picked up
another, whatever it was, 15 or 20 yards. Even on Hines Ward, Hines' catch, where he
kind of stepped in front of Santonio on the over. We had a couple guys there. We didn't
quite leverage him correctly. Those are all passing yards. The catch is one element of it
and you want to get better at stopping that and then the second element is tackling once
he's in space. We can improve the consistency of the pass rush. I thought there were some
times where he was able to step up and get the ball off. I'd like to see us take better
advantage of some of the opportunities that we had. Brodney (Pool) had the interception
and I think we had a chance for another one, it would have been tough, but had a chance
for another one there. Linebackers play a role in that, too. A lot of those plays, some were
zone, some were man. In zones, everybody has to be in the right spot."

(On if Brandon McDonald's shoulder bothered him during the game Sunday)- "He
and I didn't talk to about it, specifically to that. We'll see where he is. I think everybody
has got some nicks here as we go. We'll see where he is for Wednesday, but I anticipate
him to be able to practice."

(On D'Qwell Jackson's shoulder)- "We're going to find out a little bit more here today.
I have to see where that is."
(On Bernie Kosar's role with the team)- "I've enjoyed getting to know Bernie and
spending some time with him. I really like some of the insight that he's able to give,
whether it be from a quarterback's perspective, and talking about it in that context, from
an offensive perspective, or even better, to talk to him from a defensive perspective on
things that maybe were frustrating to a quarterback. There's a lot of different ways that
our conversations have gone. He gives some good insight and I've enjoyed spending
some time with him."

(On if Kosar will be in meetings regularly or work with the quarterbacks)- "No,
that's not really what it's been. It's more informal than that."

(On developing chemistry between Derek Anderson and Chansi Stuckey)- "Chansi's
caught a lot of balls from him in practice, in the short time that he's been here. I'd say
with all of our third down routes, we can sharpen those up and do some things to improve
there. We've had some good opportunities on third down; some we haven't converted on,
a couple were batted. I think there's a lot of room for us to continue to improve there.
Sometimes it's reading the coverage and being able to understand exactly where you have
to fit. There are signs of things that I like and stuff that still has to get fixed."

(On if it seems like Mike Furrey has dropped off)- "No, not at all. Mike probably
didn't play as much as he should have this weekend. He still works on both offense and
defense. I anticipate him playing more between the two this week."

(On if he will call the NFL to get further explanation on the fourth-down
measurement call during the Pittsburgh game)- "I think the official talked about it
after the game. It's his call."

(On if he can ask the NFL to review the measurement call)- "Yes. We'll get some
more clarity on it, but nothing can change. Nothing can really happen from that. You just
deal with the next situation and move on."

(On if he has looked at the measurement on film)- "The coach's copy, you don't have
the measurement on it, so it would just have to be off the TV copy. I haven't watched the
TV copy of the game, so I'm not sure. I don't know if you guys have watched it or not,
but what do you think?"

(On if he anticipates any moves before the trade deadline)- "I haven't really been
looking at any of that. I really haven't. This morning's been all Pittsburgh and
transitioning to Green Bay. There's nothing, I'd say, that's imminent, but you never know.
Things happen. I'm not saying that it isn't possible, but like anything else, a call comes in
and we listen. I'm not out there pushing forward with anything specifically."

(On if Corey Williams could be traded)- "Corey's played more and more as we've gone
here, not just in sub, but in base. I think he's done a good job with the things that we've
asked him to do. Like I said, [there is] nothing imminent."
(On what the team needs to fix immediately)- "What I'm looking for is continually
focusing on us. That's been something that I've been emphasizing over and over again, is
that we understand what the game plan is, we understand what we have to stop from our
opponent, and those two things are huge, but it's how we execute. It's the things that we
need to improve on. Some of that could be catching the ball better. Some of that could be
continuing to improve the communication with protections, things like that, the
adjustments, defensively. As we make strides within the room, then the other things are
better and better. You have to understand those two things, those are key to winning the
game, but we also have to keep improving the areas where we need to improve on,
whether it's third down offensively, third down defensively. We actually got third down-
and-one stop and we were pretty close on that fourth-and-one stop. That's an area that we
hadn't been effective in, in the early part of the season, so minor progress there. [We]
continue to have very limited penalties, which is something I'm looking for. [We] did a
better job turning the ball over this week, than we had been doing, and that's positive. We
had three sacks, but I think there were some sack opportunities that if we had just done it
a little bit differently. Even right at the start of the game, I thought we had a great
opportunity, just weren't able to close the offensive tackle down enough to let the edge
rusher come clean. Instead of that being a sack, it's a 25-yard completion. It was just that
much of a difference in the detail. If we had just shortened that edge and let the guy come
clean, which he would have, we had held the guard long enough, but the tackle was able
to pop out, get a bump on him, the guard recognized it late, came off and Ben
(Roethlisberger) was able to step up. That's the difference between a sack and a 30-yard
completion. Those small things become big things. We've addressed a lot of them, and
there's been progress in a lot of them, but it's constantly making progress in all those
areas. It doesn't happen overnight, but we have to keep going forward with it."

(On if the team has the talent at wide receiver to have a productive passing game
this season)- "Yes, I think that we've shown, [at] a lot of different points, that we're able
to do some things effectively in the passing game. I thought even the drive towards the
end of the game there, four-out-of-five of those plays were plus-10 plays. They were all
passes and they were all positive passes. The start of the second half, things like that, you
see those things, everybody sees those things, but now it's being able to do those things."

(On if using Hank Fraley as an eligible receiver limits what Anderson can do)-
"There are pluses and minuses. One of the plusses is you get a more efficient blocker.
You get a bigger body. If you want to run the ball, those two things are positive. It's more
of an indication that you're going to run the ball, so play-action tends to be more
effective. A lot of times, with play-action passes, you're not releasing multiple receivers,
you're really trying to get the defense to come up and bite on the run and you're looking
for the separation between the linebackers and the safeties. Having a bigger body in there
sells that more. It gives you some more options in the running game. If you did want to
get everybody out, Hank's caught the ball a couple times, but he wouldn't be the first
option."

(On if Steve Heiden aggravated his knee)- "To me, it's a good example of kind of how
the injuries go during the week. I really thought that he'd be able to go, or hoping to, and
just wasn't able to when we looked at it. I thought the situation with Kamerion is a really
good example of how things can change dramatically in a hurry. He just came in, was
sick, and suddenly Jason (Trusnik) and Alex (Hall) have to pick up the slack there. Big
Baby, that was not a predictable thing, but it happens, right on down the line. A lot of
young guys had to play a lot yesterday. There were some young-guy mistakes. The good
thing is they get some experience and grow and if they have to do it again, hopefully,
they'll be able to take advantage of the opportunity even better."

Mangini press conf. 10/21

10.21.2009

Eric Mangini press conference: Wed. Oct. 21

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? Just in terms of
practice today, we're going to cut practice down a little bit. We just have to make some
adjustments. We had the flu cases and some more guys have come down with it. We're
actually working with quite a few less players. It'll probably shorten the player
availability, in terms of not as many guys to interview. Guys that won't be here today:
Jerome Harrison, Alex Mack, Anthony Madison, Brodney Pool, Shaun Rogers, Robert
Royal, Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik, Brian Schaefering, Lawrence Vickers, Corey
Williams, Kamerion Wimbley. We're trying to, the first signs of any type of illness, get
the guys home and out of the building. We're working as hard as we can to promote
things to prevent the illness, obviously stressing important things like sleep and hands
and things like that. It's that time of year and unfortunately we have quite a few guys who
are dealing with it. We'll adjust practice. We'll work around it and continue to move
forward on Green Bay.

"Looking at Green Bay, this is a team that presents a lot of challenges. Offensively, I
think they're playing really well. Aaron Rogers has been very efficient throwing the ball.
He has a 104 quarterback rating. They do a nice job, not just hitting the receivers, but
then the receivers do a nice job with the run after the catch. They're able to get a lot of
guys out quickly and he's able to get the ball to them. They've moved it efficiently against
everybody they've faced. Defensively, I don't know Dom (Capers) that well, but I've
always respected and admired the job he's done. I think they're playing very well
defensively. One of the things they do an outstanding job with is turning the ball over.
That's always a point of emphasis for us offensively, and this is a team that's very good at
it defensively. It's the 3-4. It's not exactly like our 3-4, but there are elements that we've
seen before, throughout the course of the season or the preseason, obviously, the first
time we played them, but that's evolved since we played them. I think they're getting
better each week. On special teams, I thought just looking back at the preseason game, I
think we've made strides since then on special teams. I thought they did a nice job against
us on special teams in the preseason. Especially their coverage units, I think are solid, and
they create a lot of pressure on things like PATs and field goals. You saw in our
preseason game, with the holding penalty and got quite a bit of push. They blocked one
already this year. That's something that we'll have to deal with."

(On how he will adjust practice because of the flu)- "We'll cut back on some reps. We
may keep it the same time, increase the amount of time in between plays, but take some
plays off it, extend the walk through a little bit. I'm going to talk to Brad (Seely) and the
coordinators maybe about the post-practice meetings. [I am] just trying to get them some
extra rest, give them a chance to just be as vigilant as possible with this."

(On if the players with the flu have undergone H1N1 testing)- "A lot of these were
really new this morning. It wasn't something that was apparent on Monday, so it's new.
We'll go through all those things. With HIPAA, things like that, we can't discuss it, but
we will go through and see where we're at."

(On if the team is taking more preventive measures against the flu than normal)-
"We're being really aggressive preventatively. If there's any sign of it and we think it's
heading that way, we'd much rather try to minimize the effects on the player and also the
possible exposure to the rest of the group."

(On if they are seeking league guidance on the flu)- "We're researching that now.
Houston had a similar situation. There are provisions if a team is hit by quite a bit of flu
cases. We will continue to research that and go through the process and see where we're
at."

(On what he means by ‘provisions' for teams hit with the flu)- "The exact rule, I don't
have all the specifics, but there are roster exemptions where you can bring up practice
squad guys to play in the game, without having to release somebody. Things like that,
that they've put in place."

(On if any of the players with the flu are in the building)- "They're all home."

(On if any of the coaches have the flu)- "No, they may not feel great, but that's typical
for a Wednesday. A little tired, but nothing that I've seen where we'd send them home
right now."

(On if any of the players with the flu had received a flu shot)- "I'm not sure. I didn't go
through player by player with that. I'm not sure."

(On if there are any positions completely affected by the flu)- "No, we'll have people
for each position. Vickers, we'll have to adjust there, fullback."

(On how he will adjust the defense without having D'Qwell Jackson)- "We have a
couple different options. I actually thought that Kaluka (Maiava) did a pretty nice job for
his first extended exposure inside. David Bowens started last year inside, five games, so
he's played there. Jason has played there some, Jason Trusnik. Barton can play with
MIKE or WILL, so that gives us some flexibility, depending on if you wanted to go with
a bigger guy or wanted to go with a not as big guy. It gives us some flexibility there, just
because he's played both spots."

(On if he knows how Jackson injured his shoulder)- "It might have been on one of the
catches by (Heath) Miller."

(On if Jackson finished the first half with the injury)- "I'm not sure exactly where it
was. It was pretty late in the half."

(On if he has spoken with Jackson)- "Yes, I talked to him yesterday, texted with him a
little bit last night. I know you're shocked by my savvy, but yes, did a little bit of that.
D'Qwell's such a good guy. Even though he's not playing the field, he'll be very active in
meetings. He'll work with the young guys. He'll work with whoever. That's who he is.
His concern isn't him. His concern is getting ready for Green Bay. When I texted back
and forth to him, he's like, ‘Don't worry about me, let's go on [to] Green Bay.'"

(On if Jackson has surgery scheduled)- "Yes, the timeline exactly, I don't have right
now."

(On why he did not include David Veikune in the list of players who could play
inside linebacker)- "I made a mistake, Tony (Grossi). I should have added him to that
list as well. David's made a lot of progress inside, playing the MIKE. Because he's been
there, I didn't think to list him with the group."

(On why he moved David Veikune from defensive end to inside linebacker)- "I saw a
lot of parallels with him and (Tedy) Bruschi, in terms of body type, in terms of the ability
to rush from an inside position, which is unique in itself. Tedy in 2000, when he first
moved inside, [there was] quite a bit of transition, because it is. It's a different world.
Once he got used to it, he was very effective. I'm not saying that the lines are going to
follow exactly the same way, I'm just saying body type, past experience, speed, the
ability to come up and take on guards, all those things I thought David would do a real
nice job with. Even height, some of that, [inside linebackers] tend to be not quite as tall as
the outside [line]backers."

(On why Maiava went in during the second half at Pittsburgh instead of Veikune)-
"Kaluka plays the WILL and that's what D'Qwell plays. It was the easiest, based on the
reps that we had allocated during practice. It was the progression that we had set, if
something happened to D'Qwell. [They play] the same position."

(On if Veikune will get reps at WILL)- "No, what I was saying is could move Barton to
WILL and Veikune to MIKE. Barton's played both. He's advanced enough where he
could play either at any point."

(On if it is disappointing that Veikune has not gotten many defensive reps during
games since he was as second round pick)- "No, not necessarily. As we've talked about
before, everybody develops differently. That's not an easy spot. You have to be able to
get in, run the huddle. You have to be able to call out all the adjustments. You have to be
able to make all the run-pass reads. There's a lot of stuff going on there. It is a big
transition going from end to that spot, but you have to do it at some point. I thought the
value of him getting that experience, working at that spot, looking at it, again, short term
and long term, thought that would be best for his development."

(On if Michael Gaines was signed because Steve Heiden is still hurt)- "I think it's
going to be the same as last week, where we have to go through the week and see where
he is. The thought process was to bring somebody in at the beginning of the week and
just have another person available should it not go the way we want it, hopefully it will.
That was really the thinking there."

(On Greg Jennings and Donald Driver)- "They're outstanding. They run really crisp
routes. Especially with Jennings, his ability to make people miss after the fact, even when
we were looking at Brett (Favre) in New York, there were a lot of big plays, what you
consider big plays 40-yard plays, 50-yard plays, and the reality was they weren't actually
40-yard throws down the field. It might have been a slant to Jennings for 10, where he
broke it for 40. He has good strength, good change of direction, things like that. Driver's
made some unbelievable catches, a couple one-handed grabs on the sideline. He has
excellent hands, speed. They're good size guys as well."

(On Aaron Rogers)- "That's a tough draw when you have to replace Favre in Green Bay.
He, obviously, has tremendous maturity. You can see the development that he's made
over the course of time. It's a pretty impressive quarterback rating, his efficiency, in terms
of completions. I don't know him personally, but just in watching him, I image he's a
pretty hard worker and really has developed his craft over the years."

(On if the Browns were interested in Clay Matthews before the draft)- "I liked Clay
and spent a lot of time with him, out at USC. [He's a] smart kid, actually talked a lot
about the Browns, talked about his dad. [He is a] really interesting guy, too. [We] talked a
little politics, talked [about] a lot of topics that you don't traditionally have in an
interview with a player. He's a very intellectual guy. He's a tough guy. He's a physical
guy, all those things."

(On if Clay Matthews is like his father)- "Yes, pretty good genetics."

(On if Ben Roethlisberger picked on Maiava when he went in)- "I wish it was just
him. He's picked on a lot of people. I don't think it changed his approach that
dramatically."

(On the importance of team speed on defense)- "It just depends on how you're built.
Some teams are built really small and fast and some teams are built bigger. Both have
merit. Both have some great things to them. Some of the issues we had this past weekend
were run after the catch. There was the play to Santonio Holmes, which was a comeback
for about 15 yards. It ends up going for 30 more yards after that. The over route the Hines
Ward stepped in front of. We had some chances to tackle him at that spot, but he gained
some extra yards. Those things, it's not about speed or anything. At that point, it's about
leveraging the player and getting him down. Those yards all count towards passing yards.
You can't let at a 15-yard completion be a 40-yard completion. You saw it in Denver,
same thing. You have to be able to take your hit, whatever it is, but minimize it to that
and not allow it to mushroom into something more."

(On if Brandon McDonald relapsed against Pittsburgh)- "I don't think it was a
function of that, Tony (Grossi). I think we had other opportunities too. Sometimes as a
corner, you are going to miss a tackle, and that's the reality. You're sitting there on an
island, you're trying to breakdown. It's going to happen. There are other guys that need to
help you at that point. I think it was a group effort."

(On if he hopes to see Coye Francies at cornerback more)- "We give him a lot of reps
each week. He needs to continue to develop and that's what I'm looking for. I think there's
been some progress. It's a little bit like when we were talking about Brian (Robiskie)
early in the season, there are certain roles on special teams that he plays and he has to
play them better than the next guy that we're bringing, otherwise, if you're not a starter,
that other guy wins."

Mangini press conf. 10/22

10.22.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 10-22-09

(Opening statement)- "How's everybody doing? Good. Anybody have a cold? I thought
yesterday that the guys did a good job, in terms of adjusting to the players that we were
missing. We scaled down practice some. I didn't have the afternoon meetings yesterday.
We were able to get the film work done here this morning. I thought as a group, [they]
adjusted well to the changes that we had. We should get Kamerion (Wimbley) back today
and Shaun Rogers back today. There really haven't been any new cases, so that's positive
as well. In terms of the timetable for the rest of the group coming back, not totally sure
yet, but we're going to just be as cautious as we can with this to make sure that we don't
go into the weekend and put the group that hasn't had it in a position where they could get
it. That's kind of where we are with the state of affairs, in terms of the flu related
symptoms.

"In terms of Green Bay, which we're working on, for us, again, it goes back to what we
need to get done on third down. Defensively we have made some strides and offensively
we need to continue to. We did some different things last week running the football, that I
thought were real positive. It will be a good compliment to the other things that we're
trying to get done on third down, but we're pushing forward on that today. We'll do a
little bit of two-minute work as well."
(On if any of the players with the flu are sicker or in the hospital)- "No. With our
medical staff, they're all in contact with them. Everything's being closely monitored. I
feel like we have a good handle on it."

(On if the coaches are feeling okay)- "Outside of just mixing and matching some
combinations of people and things like that, not too bad."

(On who has taken Tamiflu)- "Again, in terms of who took what, I'm not totally sure. I
started some of that myself, give it a shot. I feel great."

(On where the team will stay Saturday night)- "I think we'll be past the bulk of it.
Kamerion probably could have come back yesterday, but again, it was one of those things
where we want to make sure it's done and not get past it with him and then create it with
somebody else. It really has been a group effort, working with the doctors, working with
the trainers, making sure that we're doing everything we can to eliminate it. Even in the
building, anybody that we could have go home or any pregnant women, we wanted to get
home, just to be safe. It's really about trying to be safe and limit it as much as possible."

(On if it is safe to say that the team will not meet the requirements for roster
exemptions from the NFL)- "We have two that are Influenza A, which the presumption
is that that's swine flu. We're going through the process of talking to the league and
documenting the different things just to see where we are with that. It's open
communication, so I'm not sure where it will be, Tony (Grossi)."

(On if you need six confirmed cases of H1N1 to receive roster exemptions)- "That's
my understanding. As I said, we're in contact with them and we're trying to keep that
communication going consistently so we're aware of what we're able to do and what
we're not able to do."

(On if he knows if the other players with the flu do not have H1N1)- "I just know that
two are. I'm not sure of that status of the rest of them."

(On Joshua Cribbs)- "I anticipate him being out at practice today."

(On if it will take Kamerion Wimbley a couple of days to be back to 100 percent)-
"He looked pretty good. He looked happy. He looked ready to go."

(On if he thinks there are only two players with H1N1)- "Like I said, the other group,
there's testing that has to take place. [We will] process the testing and see where we are. I
don't know either way."

(On if he has ever been through anything like this before)- "No, this is new ground for
me."

(On if there is anything in a coaching guide about situations like this)- "I checked the
manual, [there was] nothing (joking). It's like anything else, you have to adjust. You're
always looking for way to teach off something. It's a good reminder to the practice squad
guys. You don't know. You don't know when you'll get your chance. We do a lot of work
with those guys, whether it's post practice or additional meetings, to always try to keep
them up-to-date and ready to assume a role if a role should open up. I think situations like
this are a really good reminder to them [of] how close they are. You're on a team and
you're on the practice squad. You have a chance at any point to make your case to play
and things change dramatically week-to-week, sometimes day-to-day and you get a
chance that maybe you didn't anticipate. The worst thing for anybody is to not be ready
for that chance when it does show up."

(On Aaron Rodgers)- "He has the ability to move in the pocket, whether the protection
breaks down and he gets out. They'll use him on some moving routes, boots, where he
fakes one way and roles the other way, sometimes dashes, where he just sprints out one
way. He can move pretty well. He can throw on the run and he can create some time. You
saw in the first preseason game, we had a three-man rush on, we actually had a little
pressure, but he was able to sidestep the pressure and then the play went too long and he
was able to hit it down the middle early in the first quarter there. That's some of the
things that he can do. Now, you take some chances when you hold the ball a little bit
longer, but he's made a ton of good plays there as well."

(On if he learned how to defend Rodgers in the preseason)- "That was really early in
the process for us. You look back at that, but the amount of really meaningful stuff that
you can take from the game isn't too significant. You do look at it, because it is a lot of
the same players, a lot of the core parts of the scheme, but things have changed for them,
things have changed for us and now you just try to get what you can from it."

(On Derek Anderson not letting dropped balls bother him)- "I think he's gotten better
moving on to the next play. That's a skill set that you try to teach everybody, players and
coaches, because if you're worried about that, you lose the next one. I've been impressed
with his work ethic. He's here late each night. He's really involved in all the different
things that are going on and I've been extremely happy with that."

(On Anderson saying there are about 15 plays over the course of the season he
would like to have back)- "When you try to put something that you want a person to
improve on, if you can put things together and then show them, ‘Okay, here are some of
the plays and this is what happened,' and you sit with the player and say, ‘Is this
correctable? Is it not correctable?' And the realization that all of these things are
correctable, then it's not as much of an inherent problem as it is something that can be
worked on and improved. It's a big distinction. It's an understanding, ‘Okay if I do these
things, the result will be better.'"

(On how he deals with receivers who drop balls)- "Sometime it depends on who the
guy is. Sometimes you can get in a guy's ear and that's it. They shut it down and it's over.
Sometimes you have to get in there and explain the importance of moving on to the next
play. Everybody responds differently. I've had DBs like that, where you're just hoping to
God that they don't get beat early, because it's over. At that point, you might as well put
them in one of the boxes to watch the rest of the game because it's done. There are other
guys that get beat five times and they're going to come out and compete exactly the same
way. Sometimes guys just need reassurance that they're going to get another opportunity
and you go back to them right away to say, ‘Okay, look, that was aberration, here's
another ball.' I showed a couple clips today of some catches Mohamed (Massaquoi) had
yesterday that were unbelievable catches. The other ones should be easy, like stealing,
just take them."

(On if the team throws too much on third down)- "Tony (Grossi), we actually ran
three times on third down last week."

(On if the team throwing 19-of-25 times on third down against Pittsburgh)- "I'd say
that most teams are probably on that same percentage, it just depends on the down and
distance. I'd say from a self-scout perspective, running three times on third down was
very different than what we had done. When you look at third down, a lot of teams, it'll
depend on, is it third-and-one? Most teams, that percentage of run-pass is much different
than say third-and-four. Some teams will never run on third-and-four. Some teams, if
you're going to get a run, they will be sprinkled in on third-and-12. There are trends that
way and it just depends on what your third down percentage is and what you think the
best chance of making that down and distance is."

(On if the offenses runs too much on first down)- "I think we're somewhere between
54 and 46 [percent]. It's pretty close to 50-50."

(On if he anticipates using Mike Furrey more this game)- "Do I anticipate him
playing more this game? Definitely. Now, it could be a combination of offense and
defense, but he'll definitely play more than he played last game. Sometimes the way that
goes, Jeff (Schudel), is what packages stay in. We were in a little bit more 21 and 12,
which is, 21 is two backs, a tight end, two receivers, like your standard set. 12 is the two
tight ends, two receivers. We were in a little bit more of that on third down than we have
been historically. That wasn't a package that Mike was in, so where he'd normally get
reps on the three wide receiver sets, we weren't using those groups as much, or as
frequently, as we had. That skewed his overall participation a little bit."

(On if he is disappointed with Furrey)- "No. I'm sure he'd love to be more productive
and I'd love him to be more productive, but some of it is opportunity. Some of it's the
way the games have gone. I really like Mike. I think he's a versatile guy. He's a complete
team guy. To me, the best, sort of, view of Mike is in the Cincinnati game, where he
catches a third down then breaks up a third down. That's kind of what he can do."

(On if he is comfortable with rotating Floyd Womack and Rex Hadnot at right
guard)- "It's one of those situations where they're both really coming back from injuries.
They both have different skill sets that you like and you want to involve them as much as
you can. I think that was really the goal. Hank's (Fraley) done some work as the extra
lineman, the tight end. Robert (Royal) got a little bit banged up mid-way through the
game and Steve (Heiden) was down, so we were a little light there."
(On if he worries about the continuity on the offensive line)- "What I like about that
group is guys can be plugged in and they've done it so much that there's a comfort level
with it. Hank, he can play any spot. I mean, Hank could probably play DB. He's that
aware. He's that knowledgeable. He's impressive that way."

(On if they are especially high alert against the Packers for big pass plays)- "We
were on high alert last week. That didn't sneak up on us. We just didn't do it very well.
The other thing with the Packers is they're able to, especially with a guy like (Greg)
Jennings, he takes some really small completions and turns them into big plays, because
his yards after the catch, the way he's able to make people miss. He's a strong runner.
Some of that is being able to make the tackle at the point of reception, as opposed to
giving them an opportunity to pick up another 15 to 20 yards."

Mangini press conf. 10/23

10.23.2009

The transcript of Eric Mangini's Friday 10/23 press conference

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? Eric Wright was
in a car accident last night. He was in this morning and we sent him just to get some
further tests. I talked to him about it. I'm really hopeful that he can play. I am really
happy that he is safe. That's where that is.

"In terms of the guys that had been out with the illness, we've got almost all of them
back. What I did yesterday, I didn't have the afternoon meetings. What I wanted to do
was make sure that we watched the tape with the group of guys that got back so they
would be familiar with Thursday's practice. Watch that as a group and have the guys that
did participate in practice, they can help them out. Coaches can make the points there and
they can hear them and then they will get together with coaches, as well, after practice
today to get caught up on Wednesday and the other game plan specific things. Hopefully
we are over the hump with this now. There really haven't been any new guys out with
illness. That's what I'm looking forward to, is to be able to get past this part of it, get
everybody caught up and move into the weekend."

(On if anyone is still out)- "Corey (Williams) is still out."

(On if Wright's accident violates any personal conduct policy)- "He was in an
accident. It was wet. There's really nothing else to it. I never want anyone to be an
accident."

(On if it bothers him that Wright was out until 2:10 a.m.)- "I wouldn't necessarily be
out at 2:10 in the morning, but you don't have curfew year round. That's not something
that we have. I'd much rather everybody be home but guys do go out. You don't want to
see anybody in any kind of accident or any kind of situation like that. I'd much prefer that
guys were in, that's each person's decision."

(On if a lot of players went to the Jay-Z concert)- "They didn't invite me. I like Jay-Z.
I don't know any more about that honestly."

(On if there was any substance involved)- "The information that I've gotten, which I
think is good information, it was just an accident. That's really all there is to it."

(On if Wright will be practicing)- "I have to see where we are with tests and things like
that. I am hopeful that he should be okay and ready to play."

(On when he finds out about situations like this)- "It depends, sometimes it rings at
2:30 a.m. sometimes you find out the next morning. I've had the whole range. I've been
off with the family sometimes hanging out and you get a call. The first thing you want to
do is make sure everybody is safe and then understand exactly what happened and
hopefully use that educate people moving forward."

(On when he found out about Wright)- "This morning."

(On if players who are out late have character issues)- "As I said, I'd much rather
everybody be in and studying and doing those types of things but everybody is different.
There are no team based rules on those things, but my preference would be everybody is
preparing at all times for the game."

(On if Wright will start on Sunday if he is healthy)- "Yes."

(On if he is planning to discipline Wright)- "He was in a car accident. There were no
other things involved with it. He was in a car accident. Like I said, I'll talk to him further
about best practices, but I'm glad he's healthy. I'm glad no one else was hurt. I don't ever
want to see anybody in that situation. Sometimes experiences like these are the best
teachers for the person involved and for those around him."

(On if Wright is up and moving around)- "Yes, I just talked to him 10 minutes ago."

(On if the team had to scale back on the game plan this week)- "We didn't scale it
back that much. No, usually what we do is, you start with a bulk of things that you want
to do and you look at how it goes. You tend to pull back some stuff anyways because
how you thought it was going to play, it didn't really play that well, or just didn't feel
right as you went through it, didn't look right as you went through it. That's actually
pretty common. What the guys are getting that are in here today is, sort of, the final
approach, or pretty close to the final approach. Now it's a function of, like I said, they had
the film here this morning. One of the things that I talked to the group about is we're all
going to work with them to get them up to speed and they're going to work at it as well.
None of them wanted to be out. This wasn't anybody's desire. They'll work with the
coaches, too. Today is a little bit earlier day, as Friday's typically are, so they'll spend
some time with the coaching staff afterwards to go through Wednesday, the scouting
report, questions they have. We extended the walk through a little bit. We'll maybe
extend it a little bit tomorrow, try to get some extra time there. It doesn't usually happen
on this scale, but guys do miss time at different points for different reasons, then you
have to figure out the best ways to get them caught up. Really, as you look through
preseason and you look through training camp and OTAs, again not to this volume by
any stretch, but that's the reason I like to work different combinations of people. It's the
reason I like to work practice squad guys into practice at different points, or guys that
maybe are on the back end of the roster, get them some reps at different points. This is
why we do the work post-practice with the young guys. You just don't know when you're
going to have that opportunity to play or when you're going to need to play. You don't
want to let a month go by where they haven't worked on the Browns specific things and
then suddenly say, ‘Hey, by the way, you're playing.'"

(On if he thinks the team will be where they need to be on Sunday)- "It was a little
different week. I think we'll be in the best place we can be, based on the situation that we
had. I don't think we're going to go into the game without making sure that everybody
understands what they have to do, without answering all the questions. Sometimes that
means reallocating time, like today post-practice. Typically, you don't meet with the
players post-practice, but we'll do some work with them post-practice today and you just
adjust. Things happen and you have to adjust. We have to move forward and be ready on
Sunday."

(On if he feels like he has aged this week)- "This week, huh? There have been a few
challenges here along the way, but they're going to happen. When I'm talking to the group
next year about the ability to be able to deal with adversity, or the ability to adjust to
things that happen that are unexpected, this is a good example of situations like that. It
comes up every year, where you weren't planning for something and it pops up and you
have to go. We just have to adjust."

(On if the team is thin at tight end)- "We signed Michael (Gaines). He's been working
and Greg (Estandia) has gotten more familiar with the system since he's been here. That
gives us a couple guys at that position. We have our secret weapon, Hank (Fraley), which
he'll probably be running down the middle of the field, wide open this week."

(On the media asking Hank Fraley if he has caught passes at practice this week)-
"He's keeping it under wraps. I am sure they are repping it in Green Bay right now. The
Hank package (joking). We've used bigger guys at tight end before. I think he's done a
good job with the things that we've asked him to do there. Then you can build some
different personnel groups. We have the ability to do that as well."

(On how he handles criticism from the media)- "I don't read Rolling Stone. I've never
had a subscription to it. I don't really know what they have to say. Everybody is entitled
to their opinion. I respect everybody's opinion. That's really where I'll leave it."
(On if he thinks the national media is unfair to him)- "What I really focus on is us. Us
making progress, us moving forward, us winning games, knowing this is a process and
like any other process it takes time. I don't spend a lot of time on the national sites or
things like that. I believe that the things that we are committed to are right. That's what
we're going to keep doing and over time we'll keep making progress and that's the
important thing."

(On if he views Derek Anderson's play as an audition to see if he can be the long-
term quarterback)- "I've never classified it as that [an audition]. Derek's done a lot of
things that I've been happy with. There are a lot of things that offensively we can
improve. I don't think that's specifically the offense. I like the way that he's worked. I like
the commitment that he's shown. I think that as we keep going, we'll keep improving."

(On Anderson's passer rating in the fourth quarter)- "We've got a lot of room to
grow. [There's] a lot of room to get better there. What I want to do is, be able to move the
ball in all four quarters. That's what we have to focus on, not the passer rating, but the
ability to move the ball more efficiently through the course of the whole game."

(On if he knew how hard Anderson worked before he became the starter)- "I have
only been with him this one year. I thought that he worked well during the preseason.
Since he has been the starter, I've liked the way he's worked as well. That's my frame of
reference. In terms of my experience with him, I've been happy with that."

(On if a quarterback's preparation increases once he becomes the starter)- "You'd

like all three guys to work at the same level. You'd like all your guys to work at the same
level. Just going back to the other events of this week with the flu and things like that,
you don't know when you are going to be there. You want to be ready when you do have
that chance."

(On if the secondary has struggled more in zone or man coverages)- "It's a little bit
different. There was a play last week where we got picked on the crossing route. That
was man-to-man coverage and when you get picked on those crossing routes, the rest of
the coverage is also in man-to-man, so everybody has their back turned. Often times,
those catch and run plays go for longer yardage. We also had the play where Hines
(Ward) came over, he was running like a deep-over route, stepped in front of Santonio
(Holmes), I think that was the one, and then kind of spun out. That was a function of
better leverage by the group that came in and understanding where he is, understanding
where the other defensive back is and trying to funnel it so that you have two edges to the
wall and then a point guy to the wall. What you don't want to ever do is have two guys
with this leverage and a point where the guy can break out. You'll see that sometimes on
outside runs, where a back will hit the sideline, there will be a DB out there and the DB
will take a step inside and get sealed off by the wide receiver and now you've given them
the whole sideline. What you want to do is maintain that outside position, force the back
to cut back in, because all of the pursuit is coming inside out. It's a small point, but it's a
huge point, because if you give them that sideline the pursuit now has to take this type of
angle, as opposed to forcing them back in to where everybody's coming. Little decisions
like that are the difference between really big plays and plays that aren't as significant. It's
the same thing that we use to teach our receivers about how important their blocking is in
the perimeter, because if they can seal that DB inside and we get the edge, it's the same
thing."

(On if there are any more confirmed cases of swine flu)- "All that stuff, Mary Kay
(Cabot), is still pending. With everybody back, it's really not as much of an issue now, in
terms of the NFL exemptions, things like that."

(On if he said he spoke to Wright 10 minutes before his press conference)- "Yes."

(On if Wright has already been through the testing he spoke about)- "Yes, he's been
down, tested and back."

Mangini press conf. 10/26

10.26.2009

Transcript: Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 10-26-09

(Opening statement)- "Good afternoon everybody. After watching the tape and looking
at the things that we didn't do very well in the game, there are plenty of things from an
execution standpoint that I thought we could do much better. What I really wanted to see
is if a play doesn't go the way that we want it to go, being able to limit the gain,
especially defensively, to what it should be and I don't think that we tackled very well.
Plays that may have been a 15 yard hit or a 10 yard hit ended up going for much longer
than they should have. That's something that we've talked about, defensively. That's
something that we've worked on, defensively, and we need to continue to work on it,
defensively. We have to be able to minimize the amount of damage any given play does
and that comes with sound execution in tackling, good job of leveraging the football and
forcing the ball back to where your help is coming from, and things along those lines.

"I thought, offensively, too many times the ball was on the ground. The quarterback
center exchange, whether it was on the goal line or the screen play that we had set up for
Josh (Cribbs). A point of emphasis was how good Green Bay is at creating turnovers and
our emphasis on being able to protect the football and every drive ending with some kind
of kick, whether it's a field goal punt or a kickoff; that's the goal every time. In terms of
running the football, there were flashes where we did it effectively and then other points
where we just didn't get a hat for a hat, which you need to have after you get the
movement on the first level. I thought, too, there were opportunities in the passing game,
especially for some big plays where we were a little bit off. Some of that was the route,
some of it was the throw, some of it was the protection. We took some shots. I thought
we had some chances for those plays and couldn't quite get it to where we needed o get it
to. There were some decent drives, but to end up with only three points on those drives,
it's going to be hard to put the type of points that you need to put together against a team
like Green Bay.

"On special teams, I thought it was a good day. I don't think it was as good a day as it
could have been for us. We had a couple nice returns that I think probably had a chance
to go the distance on. [We] didn't quite do that. I thought the coverage overall was pretty
sound, both on kickoff and punt coverage. That's been a real strength for us. It could have
been even more of a strength yesterday. I'm looking forward to a normal week of practice
this week, focusing on what's important for us every week, which is a style of play and
then, incorporating the corrections that we need to incorporate to execute the game plan
specific things related to Chicago."

(On if he will consider a quarterback change this week)- "No."

(On what he can build on from the beginning of the season until now)- "I think, Jeff
(Schudel), there have been times where we've done things very well. I think we've run the
football, at times, extremely effectively, whether it was Jamal (Lewis) or whether it was
Jerome (Harrison), back-to-back 100 yard rushers, different players. I think we've done
some good things in the passing game, in terms of being able to get the ball down the
field. Those things have to be put together and those things have to be consistent. Really,
there were some chances yesterday that may not have been the deeper throws, although
we had shots on the deeper throws, but some plays where they could have been better
catch and run plays. Get the ball to the receiver, they were in man coverage, just didn't
get it quite to the right guy, and he would have gone for a lot further than the initial catch,
but we didn't do it. I think that, defensively, we had the fourth down stop, the six plays
there on the goal line. It's hard to stop them for three. It's a lot harder to stop them for six,
and it was close there on the last one. We gave them three more downs on the pass
interference penalty; some progress there. There were a couple other scoring drives
where I thought we held up pretty well. They missed a field goal. They were down there
deep and (Eric) Barton made a play right there on the goal line. There have been
moments where we've done all those things effectively. There have been moments where
we've been able to apply pressure on the quarterback and disrupt the passing game, but
it's week in and week out being able to do that and being able to correct the problems that
are there and not have those create new problems."

(On if he thinks that once you show you can do something once that you should be
able to do it consistently)- "It may manifest itself differently against that opponent, but
I've seen all those different things at different points. It's being able to do it week in and
week out, even on special teams. I think we played a good game yesterday on special
teams, but I don't think it was as good as we could have played yesterday. I think there
were some blocks that, just a little bit tighter on those blocks, Josh has a chance to go the
distance and we weren't. It only takes one there, but that's an area where I think we have
the ability to score at any point and we had made a lot of strides there. It's not like the
numbers were poor by any stretch, but they could have been a lot better. There is a lot of
that in all the different areas."
(On his reasoning for keeping Derek Anderson as the starting quarterback)- "I think
he gives us the best chance right now to move the ball. I know his numbers have not been
impressive, but I don't think he's been alone in producing those numbers. I think there
have been a significant amount of drops. I think there have been times where we've had
chances and there have been some breakdowns in protection, but I've also seen him
complete some balls that they were well thrown and well caught. Even the throw to
(Michael) Gaines yesterday, it was a good throw, good catch, a place where only he could
get it. There have been a lot of those. I think there was a shot there on the deep ball to
Mohamed (Massaquoi), just a little bit out of his reach over on their sideline. I've seen
him complete those plays, not just in the games, but also in practice."

(On if not playing Brady Quinn has anything to do with the 70 percent of snaps he
needs to take to earn his bonus)- "Nothing, zero, nothing to do with it."

(On why he thinks good practices are not translating into game performance)- "I
think last week, the difficulty with practice is we had a significant number of people miss
two out of the three days. I think considering the challenges we faced there, it was a good
week of practice, far from a typical week of practice, whether it be in terms of reps,
looks, meeting time. I think with what we had, there were positive things. I thought the
guys tried to rally, tried to give the best look they could, tried to execute the things the
way we needed to execute them, worked to catch up there on Friday and Saturday. Then,
there have been other weeks where there have been good things, but sometimes the look
changed a little bit. The important thing to me is, you're going to get certain things in
practice, you're going to get certain looks, certain pressures, all those things, but there are
going to be things that change in the game. It's going to be a little bit different and you
really have to understand the concept of what you're trying to get done in order to address
the difference between what you've seen and what actually shows up. The ability to
reference things that maybe you practice a couple weeks earlier, and be able to go back to
that without the reps and be able to execute that. That comes up every week, offensively
and defensively. They played a little bit more of the bear front then they had show. Really
they had maybe used it two percent of the time over the first part of the season, and they
ran it about 20 percent of the time yesterday. You work on the bear front, and you've
done work on that prior to this week, but if it's going to be 20 percent of the game, you
have to be able to adjust to that and react to that and really recall some of the learning
that you had prior."

(On the reason for not using the Wildcat yesterday)- "I think that we probably could
have used it more than we did yesterday. That's the type of package that I'd like to, not
like to, we're going to have up each week. In terms of what the percentage will be, that'll
change weekly. I thought the look that they gave us, in terms of the way they responded
to it, was actually a good answer, but we had some other things that we could have tried
and probably should have tried."

(On if he comes to the conclusion that they should use a certain part of the offense
more during the game or after watching film)- "Usually it's during the game.
Sometimes it's the type of situation where you can get back to it and it makes sense from
where you are, in relationship to the score and the situation of the game. Sometimes it
probably doesn't make as much sense, but I think that yesterday we probably could have
used it more than we did."

(On if he would talk to Brian Daboll during a game about using the Wildcat)- "Yes,
that would be something that I would bring up."

(On if he spoke to Daboll yesterday about using the Wildcat)- "After the initial play
there, no. There were some other things that we liked that we wanted to get to, so we
wanted to take a look at that."

(On what a spread offense could do for the offense)- "We've done that at different
points with D.A. (Derek Anderson). With the type of defense that they were running
yesterday, which was much heavier man than zone, having those guys stacked, or in tight
where you can create some traffic problems and catch and run, things like that. Those are
usually very effective against man-to-man defense. Sometimes when you're spread out
against man, it becomes extra tighter coverage than when you're bunched up and they
have to adjust and combo and lock and communicate those things out. We have used
spread. Sometimes it comes down to how well you're protecting. You really lose the
element of play action when you do that, so if you're running the ball when you're in tight
and passing the ball when you're spread out, you don't really have the chance to show one
and do the other."

(On if the rookie wide receivers were open enough)- "I think there were points where
they were both open. We didn't execute. I thought on a couple of those balls we had a real
shot. There was one in two-minute where the corner had fallen off on Brian (Robiskie) to
come and trap Greg (Estandia), who was running an out route. He had come off to trap it
and the safety hadn't gotten deep enough and D.A. tried to get it off to him. It was the
second to last play of the two-minute drive there. He got hit right at the end by the corner,
who fell off the back, hit his arm and it fell a little bit short. If we completed it, it would
have been a touchdown. Then there was the fade that we were talking about to Mohamed,
where I thought we had a good chance. There were a couple plays where we created
some cause penalties, didn't get the completion, but got the penalty which, it doesn't
count as a completion, but it really has the same end result."

(On if the receivers are open enough to consistently move the ball)- "Yes, but to
consistently move the ball you need to have those guys open. You need to be able to get
the in and you need to protect. You also need to be able to run the football effectively.
You need to eliminate penalties. We had the offensive pass interference in the first drive,
where we started on the 40. We had another drive, it might have been after the missed
field goal, where we had a false start on second-and-10. Now you're in second-and-15.
[We] put the ball on the ground another time on second and long. Converted a third down
to Josh and then they knocked the ball out. They were able to get it there. [We need to]
punctuate a couple drives with those things, and stop moving the ball."
(On if he considers this to be the low point in his head coaching career)- "No, I
wouldn't consider it to be that at all. I think that anytime you take over a new situation
with a new group, you understand that it's a process. You can't lose sight of that. You
can't lose sight of what is important. To me, that's improvement, that's progress, and I
really felt that over the last three weeks we had made a lot of progress, in terms of how to
play the way that we want to play. I think this week, was unique and I appreciate that and
I respect that, but they don't change the game. We have to play the game, and we need to
play the game the same way regardless of whatever things have happened leading up to
that point. Understanding how to be a consistent player, understanding how to be a
consistent team, it's a skill that's learned. You just don't become consistent. You have to
work at being consistent and you have to make good choices every day and be able to go
out and execute when you have that one opportunity a week to do that. It's going to be the
challenge that we had this week. There will be a bunch of challenges coming up and you
deal with them and you move forward."

(On if he thinks the team will get back to playing how they did the previous three
games before Green Bay)- "That's the only football that we're going to play here. That's
the style with which we're going to play and that's the style that you have to play with to
be effective. You can't do it part of the time. You can't approach a game part of the time
that way, or a few games that way and not the other games that way. Every game
situation is going to be different. Every challenge is going to be different, but that
approach can't be different."

(On if the team needs a talent upgrade)- "I think that we can perform a lot better with
the group that we have. The group of players, the group of coaches that we have, I think
that we can perform better than we have. We've shown that we can perform better than
we have and we can improve individually. We can improve collectively, and that is what
I am looking for with these guys, is to make progress and to play a certain way."

(On what they can do to improve on the tackling)- "I think it's like anything else, you
work at it. You work at it, and you keep working at it. It's like a lot of things that you
want to do better in any arena. It doesn't just happen. It's doing it, improving it, coaching
it, doing it again and it's a fundamental skill. Being aware of the different types of
situations you're going to be in when you are tackling, all that stuff is important. It's like
anything else, you just have to keep working at it."

(On what encouragement he can give to the fans)- "I don't think that anybody is
pleased with where we are right now. We are going to work at it as diligently and as
deliberately as we possibly can. The mistakes are going to be addressed. The mistakes are
going to be analyzed. We're going to put a plan in place to fix them. There is a
commitment to that. That's not going to change. There is no sense of, ‘things are ok.' It's a
sense of, ‘we need to do things better than we're doing things.' And it has to be
consistently that approach, and it will be. It always will be. Win, lose, it's always going to
be trying to approve for the next week."
(On if he has any sense of how long it will take to get the team where he wants it to
be)- "I don't have a timetable set up, but what you are looking for is continued progress.
That's how we approach it, is, what do we have to do today to improve and understanding
that there are things that are going to improve more as we go. What can we do right now
to be better than we are?"

(On people outside the organization thinking it seems like Quinn has no future
here)- "The conversation that I had with Brady is really the approach. You need to, like
anybody who is not playing currently, you need to keep working at the same level. You
need to continually address the areas of improvement and you need to be ready when
your opportunity strikes, because you don't know when it's going to happen. That's what I
told D.A. when he wasn't the starter and that's what I talk to any of the players about who
aren't currently starting, is what can you do to improve? Not lose sight of those things,
not change your approach, because it changes quickly, and suddenly you have that
opportunity again and you always want to be able to maximize that opportunity when you
get it."

(On what he thought yesterday about fans leaving the game early)- "It's important for
us to give them something to cheer about. That's what we have to do. It's a passionate
group, and I respect that. We need to continue to move forward and make sure that
nobody wants to leave the stadium. "

(On if there is more work to do with the team than he originally thought)- "When I
took over, it was really the same sort of approach, it was understanding that are a lot of
things that need to be addressed and there is a lot of work that needs to be done. There are
some things that you can do short term and some things that you can do long term. Some
things that you can address today or tomorrow or the next day and other things that you
have to move towards as you go. Being part of this experience in three different places, I
guess it would be four, I understand it's different everywhere you go and there are
different challenges everywhere you go. It is a process."

(On what is different between this team and his Jets team his first year as head
coach)- "I don't think you can look at one factor. Every place that I have been, where
you've transitioned to, it's different. It's a different group of players. It's a different
schedule. There are variables upon variables. In terms of saying, ‘this one thing was
different.' I don't think it ever comes down to one thing."

(On if he began the season thinking the team was going to be successful this season)-
"I approached it the same way, in terms of working to win every single game. That's how
we approach next week, working to win that game and in the process, improving and
never losing sight of improvement and how we can improve and what areas we can
improve and appreciating improvement in whatever style or form that takes. That has
been the approach. [It is] really an approach that I experienced firsthand and also learned
being part of that with other head coaches."
(On if he has ever coached in a home game where you can hear the other team's fans
above your own)- "Yes, I've been in plenty of those games. I've been in other stadiums
where our fans were drowning out their fans. I've been on both sides of that spectrum."

(On if he thinks they are a better team now than at the beginning of the season)- "I
think we are right where we've played ourselves to be. That's what the record indicates. I
think that there are plenty of opportunities for us, with the rest of the season, to win the
games. We're looking tow in each one, but the record is what it is and that's a reflection
of what we've been able to do to this point. Do I think that we've made some strides? At
points, yes, and we're not going to stop doing that."

Mangini press conf. 10/28

10.28.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 10-28-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? In getting ready
for Chicago, some of the things we talked about, even in the preseason, anytime you play
one of Lovie's (Smith) teams, he's led the NFL in turnovers. In terms of being able to
create turnovers since he's been there, 30 percent of their points have come off of
turnovers. You know that they work on it consistently, because you see it. Whether it's
the defenders who are sacking the quarterback, their awareness of the football, the guys
down the field making the tackle, their ability to not only identify the football, but get it
out. It's been something consistent since he's been there and it's helped them. The amount
of points produced off those has won a lot of games for them. I think defensively, even
though this is a different scheme than what we faced last week, they create some
challenges in terms of the pressures that they use, like we saw last week. There's some
variation in what they do and who comes, so we're going to have to do a good job
identifying those things, being able to pick it up and then executing the pattern on the
back end. Even in the running game, some of the movements, some of it could be purely
off pressure, some of it could just be part of the overall scheme, but there is quite a bit of
moment that you have to adjust to as an offensive line.

"[Offensively], I really liked Matt Forté coming out. I thought he did a lot of good things
in college and that translated into pro football with the production that he had last year,
especially out of the backfield, leading all backs in receptions. I think he has the ability to
really dig it out and get inside, but he's also shown the ability to, when that's clogged up,
get to an edge and create some big plays. I know his average isn't what it was, but he still
hit the 61-yarder and he has the ability to do that at any point. He gets the bulk of their
carries. With (Jay) Cutler, I've faced him several times in Denver. He, like a lot of the
guys we've faced thus far, can create plays. He has the natural arm strength. He has great
confidence. He'll put the ball into tight spots, but he also can extend plays with his feet,
whether it's sliding up in the pocket, moving out of the pocket. He'll scramble some. He
had a touchdown scramble. His ability to get the ball in some tight spots, I think is
impressive and also, his ability to extend plays like we've seen is something that we need
to adjust to and do a better job with than we have been doing. I think their skill position
guys, (Devin) Hester, [is] really impressive in the return game, but he's developing more
and more as a receiver. The nice thing they can do with him is, he can get vertical, so he
creates those problems. They can run him on the reverses, the Wild Cats, he creates those
problems, and then he can take a slant, break a couple tackles and just like if he had in
punt return, he's in the secondary, he can make something happen. I think that Johnny
Knox has done a nice job with the way that they've used him vertically. He's created a lot
of pressure there. Earl Bennett made some impressive acrobatic catches over the course
of the season. There's one on, I think it was third-and-25 against Atlanta that he went up
in got. He had a couple that game that [were] similar to what you saw out of him coming
out of college. Then you have Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark, two tight ends that are
bigger guys, really good hands, with Greg having above average vertical speed for a tight
end.

"On their [special] teams, put whoever you want back there, whether it's Knox, Hester,
(Danieal) Manning, they can all score. Whether it's punt return, kick return, they can all
score, and they have. They all get some opportunities. Bennett's been back there a little
bit too, but that's going to be probably our biggest challenge to date, from a special teams
perspective, coverage unit perspective with the way that these guys can not only hit the
return but then also change field and make something happen that's not necessarily the
way it's drawn up."

(On if he thinks Green Bay kicked the ball out of bounds so Joshua Cribbs couldn't
return it)- "You know Tony (Grossi), I don't think they were trying to kick it out of
bounds with those. I think they were trying to pin it in the corner of the end zone and
then, just based on the way that they covered, overload the coverage, so it gets six guys
on that side, anticipating a sideline return because it was so tight to the sideline. I don't
think that the goal there was to kick it out of bounds, but to start on the 40, that's a pretty
good situation as well."

(On Jay Cutler's interceptions)- "Brett (Favre) has supreme confidence. Brett will
throw the ball into tight spots. Jay's like that too. He'll throw the ball into some tight spots
because he has great arm strength. He has excellent accuracy and he usually gets those in.
He can thread the needle. Every now and then, when you do have multiple bodies around,
you're going to get some that go the other way. There's great upside and there's some
downside there as well, but he's made a lot of plays doing what he does. You just need to
understand that there are some risks there. More often than not, he hits on the plus side."

(On having to play the Bears at home)- "They play well at home. I think that anytime
you're coming off a loss or a tough loss, we all have the same approach. We want to get it
corrected. We want to get the things fixed that we need to fix. We want to create and be
consistent with the style of play. I'm sure they weren't happy with the result last week,
like we weren't happy with the result last week. It's a tough environment to play in."
(On if Rex Hadnot is getting more reps)- "Yes, we've been trying to increase that each
week to get him to a place where he can handle more and more reps. We didn't want to
create a situation where it was too much right off the bat and have had a plan for that and
we're moving forward with the plan. He gets a little bit better each week. I thought he
played better this game than he had his first opportunity. We'll keep moving with that,
Tony (Grossi)."

(On if Steve Heiden is a candidate for injured reserve)- "No, I think, Mary Kay
(Cabot), that he's actually making some progress here. [We] have a real good shot to see
him here today practicing."

(On Hank Fraley)- "I really like Hank for a lot of reasons. I like the way that he
approaches everything. He has great professionalism. He's willing to play whatever role
he can play. He's helped Alex (Mack) throughout this process. He's an excellent
communicator. Last week, we were in a really unique situation to go into the game
without Steve or Robert (Royal) and really working with Michael (Gaines), who was new
this week and Greg (Estandia), who's been here, but hasn't had any kind of extensive role,
and those were our two tight ends for the game. Hank had been playing some in those
packages. We had to use him a bit more, but he's happy to do it. He does well. He
approaches it the same way he approaches his offensive line play."

(On if Fraley was in danger of not making the team before Hadnot got injured)-
"Rex went down fairly early in the process. I don't think I was looking at it that way,
Tony (Grossi), at all. I think that getting to know those guys through the course of
training camp, and as you get to know Hank more, you really respect his versatility. An
offensive lineman that can play three interior positions has a lot of value."

(On how he assesses the offensive line protection)- "I think, Jeff (Schudel), there have
been some packages that we've done a really good job with. I think one of the important
things, too, is our ability getting in and out of the huddle, assess what's happening, get it
communicated, make sure everybody sees it the same way. When we've done that, we've
been in good shape. When we haven't, that's where you get hit with something that could
have been communicated out more effectively. That's something that we have to do
better, is give ourselves some more time to assess what's happening. I think there have
been some individual cases where we haven't held up as well, whether it be against a
gain, or the back against the blitzing linebacker. Those things are technique errors that
can improve, hand placement, leverage, where you have a hat for a hat, but your hat
doesn't hold up against their hat. That, often times, just comes down to technique, which
is something we'll focus on too."

(On Mike Furrey in the nickel package)- "I thought he played pretty well. A lot of
people have been beaten by Donald Driver in the slot. It's a tough duty. I thought on that
play, he could have played a little bit more in the trail position, something that we talked
about. There is somewhat of a learning curve there, but overall I thought he did pretty
well."
(On what is says about the secondary that he uses Furrey in the nickel)- "With Mike,
it's a little unique, because he has started and played a lot of games on defense. It's not
where we were with Troy Brown, with a guy that had never played defense. He had
played defense. He had played pretty well on defense. Being able to use that to help us, I
think is a good thing. He's a smart guy, so he can get the things that he needs to do
offensively, as well as defensively, without it being an overload situation."

(On Kaluka Maiava's play against Green Bay)- "I think there were times he did really
well. I think that the personal foul penalty is something that I wasn't real fired up about
and he'd like to have that play back. Overall, for his first start and extended action, I
thought there were some things to build on and he'll get some more chances. I don't know
if it'll be every package or a variation of packages. David Bowens played in there as well,
where David went to MIKE and (Eric) Barton went to WILL, so that's another option that
we've worked with. I think (David) Veikune could get some opportunities, just have to
see how he does through the course of the week. There are some different matches that
we have there."

(On what happened on the play in the second quarter near the goal line when
Jerome Harrison appeared to be open)- "What happened is, when he initially went to
the flat, where Harrison was going to, that initial look, the corner was sitting there and
then the corner came off and squatted on Furrey. I think if we had held maybe a beat
longer on the flat, when that corner came off on Furrey, he could have had a chance. The
way that play's designed is, you try to go to the flat right now, based on whether or not
he's open or not happen. Then it goes from the flat to the inside player in the progression.
Derek (Anderson) went to the flat, looked there initially, had the squat corner, probably
could have stayed a beat longer with it, but then went to his second read and that's when
the corner fell off on Furrey."

(On if Anderson is able to see the field)- "You are able to see the field, it's just with
bunch patterns, with patterns where you have multiple receivers tight, things as they
distribute could take a little bit, I'm not talking about a significant amount of time, but a
little bit longer to clean up, because they have different combination coverages based on
you being bunched up. It's not as quick of a read, as say, you might get if they were
extended. It's really effective against a lot of man-to-man coverages because they have to
deal with leverage and things like that."

(On if Anderson could have gotten the ball to Cribbs earlier on the play Cribbs
fumbled on)- "On that particular play, he came back to Cribbs later. Could he have come
earlier? Yes, you could have, but each route has a progression, so I think he stayed on the
first progression and was looking for that, thought he had a chance there for a bigger play
down the field and then came back to Cribbs. We got the first down. We ended up losing
the ball on the fumble."

(On if there is a trend in the NFL of coaches going for it on fourth down)- "I don't
know what the numbers are. I'd say it's a little different based on who you're playing
against and how confident they feel with what they have there. I'm not sure what the
numbers are. There's definitely something to be said, numerically or statistically, for
going for it on fourth down, but there's also the risk-reward factor. You go for it on your
30, that's a scoring play. Essentially at that point, if you don't get it, odds are they're
going to score. Where statistically the percentage is high, statistically the percentage of
them scoring if they stop you is also high. You have to look at those two things when
you're evaluating it."

(On if his approach has changed on fourth down)- "No, I've gone for it on fourth
down a lot of different times. Sometimes, it worked out really well. Sometimes, it worked
out really poorly. Those are decisions that, if it works you look really good. If it doesn't,
you talk about it the whole next week."

(On Michael Gaines' 21-yard catch against Green Bay)- "Mike is the guy that caught
the touchdown pass against us in the preseason game. You remember that as well. He has
good hands. We're getting to know him here. He made some nice catches during the
course of the week. Really Greg (Estandia), since he's been here, has made some nice
catches as well. I thought he made a couple, they weren't necessarily big gains, but I
thought they were well caught in contested areas. That was positive as well. We'll see
where both those guys are, and also have to see where we are with Steve and Robert."

(On if Phil Dawson will try to play on Sunday)- "He'll work through the week. I'd like
to think we have a good shot at that."

(On if they need to maximize what Jerome Harrison can bring to the offense)-
"Jerome's gotten a significant number of carries this season, especially compared to the
previous years. His role is always going to be defined by the game plan and the things he
can do in the game plan. I think he's made some nice plays and I think there are some
plays that he can improve on and he knows that. I think he needs to continue to work on
his pass protection and he's been doing that as well. There have been some good
opportunities for him and there will be some other good opportunities for him as we go.
I'm not opposed to any breakdown of carries in any game."

(On if it was disappointing that Abe Elam was not in some of nickel packages
against Green Bay)- "No, we'll keep working different people in different spots to see
what the best spots are. Some things we felt that we could do a little bit better with
somebody else. It's not a knock on Abe and it's never a knock on somebody when you
transition them in. It's just, you feel like the matchup is better or the things that you're
doing in that scheme, it works out better for that person."

(On if Coye Francies is close to getting on the field defensively)- "I talk to Coye quite
a bit. We have a lot of rookies that are playing or contributing. He needs to find a way to
do the same thing. Just like when we were talking about with Brian (Robiskie), he has to
do it on special teams first and he has to show us that he's better than the guys that are in
his spot right now. Defensively, he has to keep trying to make a case for himself. You're
looking for continued progress from that spot. I talk to him about how important that is.
I've played with a lot of rookie defensive backs in the past and I don't think that he's any
different than those guys, he just needs to make his strong case to do that."

(On Chansi Stuckey's development)- "He's been playing in a role and he'll continue to
play in a role. He took a little bit of a step back last week. He was part of that group that
missed two days of practice. Ideally, this week will be a normal NFL week of practice.
I'm looking forward to him to keep carving out spots. He works, whether it's him or Mike
or Brian, you have some different packages. Cribbs has different packages. You're always
trying to use their strengths."

(On if the week off affected the way Kamerion Wimbley had been playing)- "Each
guy I'm sure responded differently to not being here. Practice is important. You want
everybody there. There's nothing we could do about it and it wasn't a situation where you
wanted to go out with coming off an illness and rep a lot of stuff. I think that would have
been counterproductive, but you do want to be able to get all the reps that you can get
during the course of the week and it helps. It helps a lot."

(On if there have been any new cases of the flu since last week)- "No."

Mangini press conf. 10/29

10.29.2009

Transcript: Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 10-29-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? One piece of
housekeeping, David Bowens, who missed yesterday for personal reasons, he had a little
boy, David Jr. It happened late Tuesday night, so he's back with us. Everybody's happy
and healthy, so that's good news. In terms of today, what we're going to be working on is
our third down package, offensively and defensively. We spend a lot of time on this,
trying to make sure that we have a plan in place that: 1) is going to be effective against
what they do and 2) emphasizes the things that we think we can really improve on and
carry over, not just this week but week-to-week.

"I thought yesterday overall was a good start to the week. We added some tackling drills
to continue to emphasize that. We'll do that again today. [We are] just continually
focusing on fundamentals and improving those things to make sure that even after we
execute the scheme or there's a completion or whatever it is, that we're doing things
fundamentally sound to either limit the production or to maximize the production
offensively."

(On if Steve Heiden will be able to play on Sunday)- "I think we have a good chance
there. I want to go through the week, because there was a week there where he got a little
bit of time and wasn't able to participate like we hoped he would. I think the same thing
with Phil (Dawson), made some progress there. I think there's a real good shot, but we
have to get through the rest of the week and make sure everything responds the way we
think it's going to respond and we hope it responds. Ideally, he'll be back as well."

(On if he thinks Dawson would be back already if his injury had been to his plant
leg instead of his kicking leg)- "I didn't look at it that way. I'm not sure how that would
have affected it from a timeline perspective."

(On if he would be more inclined to keep Dawson out this week since the bye is next
week)- "We wouldn't put him out there if we felt that there was a chance that it could be a
big setback, or anything along those lines. Whenever he is out there, that's when we feel
that he's able to do it. With the bye week next week, it's not something that we're rushing,
but we wouldn't do that whether it's the bye week next week or not."

(On if he pays much attention to statistics)- "No, what I'm looking at is where we can
improve the execution, because the stats will come if we improve the execution, and how
we can improve the execution. That, to me, is the most important thing. Defensively, I've
been a part of situations where the numbers weren't very good, but the point total is low.
Traditionally that's been consistent with this style of defense. At the end of the day, that's
the goal. Turnovers for us is a stat that I do look at, because it's been significant. The
amount of points that we've given up as a result of turnovers, I think we're net minus 56,
so points we've generated from our turnovers versus points that the opponent has
generated from the turnovers we've given up. That stat is significant. It's something that
has to improve and until it does, it's hard. It's hard each week."

(On Jay Cutler's ability to keep plays alive and how the secondary will have to
defend against it)- "It feels like we've dealt with that every week. Carson (Palmer), he's
another guy that is able to move around in the pocket in create some different things.
(Joe) Flacco, he has good mobility. Not that stationary quarterbacks are easier to deal
with, depending on what kind of passer they are. Peyton (Manning) doesn't move around
a lot in the pocket, Tom (Brady) doesn't move around a lot in the pocket, but they put up
pretty big numbers. It's different on the back end because the defense that you have called
to cover the play that you anticipate getting run, when it breaks down, the fits on the
break down have to be consistent. Each team has a set of scramble rules and each team's
scramble rules are different, so then you have to cover your scramble rules based on man-
to-man defense, which is easier because you stay with the guy that you're on, or zone
defense and understanding where you have to fit, based on is the outside receiver going to
run a come-back, or is he going to continue down the field. Is the closest receiver going
to be the low level guy or is he going to be the deeper level guy. There's a bunch of
different things that happen and as a defensive line, it's critical that you keep those guys
in the pocket so you don't get to that next level. It all works together and you have to
prepare for what they run, what happens if it breaks down and it adds some preparation."

(On how useful Michael Gaines is when preparing for Chicago)- "He does give some
insight. John is here as well, St. Clair, who has some experience with the Bears as well.
They know both those guys are here, too, so I'm sure they're taking that into account.
Maybe the traditional audibles, the traditional checks, the things like that, odds are, those
aren't going to stay the same through this week. Typically, when you get to this point in
the season, every team changes it up, maybe every couple weeks, or enough every couple
weeks so that it's not following the same pattern. There is so much movement that you
usually have somebody who knows something about that team."

(On what he sells the team on when they are 1-6)- "I don't really look at it as selling
them on anything. To me, it's on understanding what's important to get fixed and the
difference between the right approach and the wrong approach. There have been a lot of
weeks in the recent past here where we've had the right approach and I didn't think we
played the way we should play on Sunday, in terms of our style of play and that's the
starting point. The scheme, the calls, those things are going to change week-to-week.
Those things are going to be different based on which individual you're playing against,
but the style of play has to remain consistent, and the level of preparation has to remain
consistent. It's always easy to come in after a win and prepare. It's just as important to
prepare the same way after a win as you would any other week. It's really the same
approach if you aren't winning, is the only way to win is to be consistent and to fix things
and understanding that. It's more teaching that element as opposed to selling any sort of
miracle cure. There isn't one. It's hard work. It's commitment. It's dedication. It's
consistency. That's the formula."

(On the problem with running the ball inside the five yard line)- "Last week, one of
the problems was we had the fumbled exchange. We had a play that, I think, had a real
good chance to get home and we had that exchange and we ended up losing a little bit of
yardage on that. I thought we had a chance on the other one, the puller got knocked off,
as we he was coming around, kind of hit his hip so he couldn't get in the hole to get the
linebacker he was assigned to. We didn't have a hat for a hat on that and he just got
chipped. His pull could have been a little bit deeper and I think it would have avoided the
contact. That's the difference between having a hat or not having a hat, is maybe eight
inches on the pull. We have to get that fixed."

(On if he has ever thought about putting a defensive lineman in on offense when
inside the five yard line)- "Yes, I used to put (Richard) Seymour back there some. (Dan)
Klecko, when we had him, little Klecko, not big (Joe) Klecko. He's not that little, he's 300
pounds. You've done some of that. It's a different world though. Everybody wants to be
back there. Everybody talks about being back there and you get back there and it gets
noisy, especially on the goal line. When you're used to hitting someone, and even though
you are, kind of, with the blocking, it's still, it's different. We're willing to try different
people there. It's not the same world, I think, and guys figure that out pretty quickly when
they're back there."

(On if Mike Vrabel is successful at playing on offense because he is so smart)- "He

has great hands, too. He's made some really impressive catches. We've worked a couple
different guys as tight ends. I thought you were talking about more the fullback spot. The
other thing that happened, Seymour ended up getting hurt. Klecko ended up getting hurt.
I kind of moved away from the d-lineman/fullback role a little bit from that."

(On if Seymour and Klecko got hurt playing fullback)- "Yes, in that role, both of them
did."

(On if two defensive players getting hurt on offensive will change your mind about
using them in that role)- "Yes, it does."

(On if not feeling confident enough to run the ball inside the five affects how a game
is called)- "We felt confident last week that we could run it in and we did call two of the
three plays there to do that. I think we had a shot, probably more so on the first one than
the second one, to get it in. It wasn't a question of not having confidence there, it was just
the fumbled exchange hurt us at that point."

(On the draft day trade for Kenyon Coleman)- "I think he's done a good job in the role
that he's had. Really, when we were looking at other defensive linemen that were
available in that range, I think he probably has more play time and production than guys
that were drafted in that spot. That's a positive. Alex (Mack) has been able to play 100
percent of the snaps and I think he's making some real strides there as well."

(On Kenyon Coleman specifically)- "That was really part of the trade. When you were
looking at the range, or the defensive linemen that were available in that area and then
look at Kenyon's production versus that group, I think in that context, it's been positive.
Kenyon's a pretty consistent guy. He's performed how I envisioned him to perform. He
has a sack this year, I think, which is higher than his normal total."

(On if they adjust the playbook when the offense is not playing well)- "We've done a
lot of that. Sometimes it's taking the core plays and getting to them in a different way that
creates the defense that you want to run those core plays. It may be the same concept, but
you put the tight end outside the receiver and he runs the number one position's route and
the number two, then you get a little bit different match up. Same concept, same route,
same read for the quarterback, it's just some different matchups. There's been some
scaling back with some of the stuff we do. Some of it I've liked. Some of it I haven't
liked. Some of the things I think that we need to reengage in and reincorporate into the
scheme, so we'll do some of that too."

(On Brian Robiskie)- "Brian, the numbers don't really show it, but I think he has done
some better things over the course of his time of playing more. Route depths, stick at the
top of the routes, really understanding the different coverages, I think there's been
progress, just he hasn't gotten a lot of opportunities to get the ball. The few opportunities
that he has had, he caught the one on the sideline, he wasn't in bounds, [he] caught the
other in-cut. Hopefully, we'll keep getting him more and more involved as we go."

(On if the team loses confidence when they get in the red zone and aren't able to
score)- "You always want to get seven. I think there's an approach that we need to
continue to take, in terms of being able to get the ball into the end zone. You really
understand how important the smallest details are, because there's not a lot of margin for
error. You have everybody jammed up inside. Like I was talking about with the puller,
it's the difference between a very small amount of distance, but one he gets knocked off,
the other one, if he had gone deeper we probably would have had the hat that we needed.
I think it's more about understanding how subtle the differences are down there and being
able to capitalize on those things. Ideally, too Terry (Pluto), you get down there more
often. That would help too, just law of averages."

(On if not being able to score when in the red zone becomes more magnified when
you are not in the red zone a lot)- "Yes, and really I'm looking to get down there more
often to increase the averages of getting in."

Mangini press conf. 10/30

10.30.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 10-30-09

(On what his kids are going to be for Halloween)- "Let's see, we have Puss in Boots
from Shrek. Yoda, that's the one year old and Luke Skywalker, that's Luke. Luke loves
Luke Skywalker. The two oldest, they are big Star Wars fans. Jake is Han Solo and Luke
is Luke Skywalker. I am usually either Darth Vader or the Emperor. It's great. I have a
Darth Vader mask in my office. I am sure the players are wondering what that is for. [It's
for] when I Skype with them, I hope nobody ever walks in when that is happening. It's
fun. I know the Star Wars Symphony is coming to Cleveland. I had to watch that
documentary last Friday about the making of. Good times, good times."

(Opening statement)- "Today what we are going to do, you saw yesterday, continuing to
emphasize tackling. We got it a couple days this week. We have been doing it since
training camp. We are going to keep doing it. That, to me, is such a fundamental skill. It's
something that can improve and needs to improve across the board. It also helps our
offensive players with running with the football, understanding where a defender's
leverage is, how to attack it. [I] have been doing that for years, all of the different places I
have been and [I] believe in it. I thought that defensively we had a good day. I thought we
had a really good day yesterday with the communication. I can't stress that enough. I can't
emphasize that enough. The ability to identify what they are in, what the check is, what to
anticipate, and [to] do it quickly is key. I thought they did a nice job with that. Everybody
has to understand it. Everybody has to take part in it. That, to me, is another skill that is
developed and as it improves, we improve.

"Offensively, I think there are some things that we need to clean up from yesterday that
we will do here today. In all three areas whether it be the routes, the protection, the reads.
It is a little bit different package than what we have seen over the last couple of weeks. I
feel like we are getting closer in understanding how to deal with it. It's a different type of
front in terms of the way they penetrate versus some of the other teams that have been a
little bit more reacting. We are making some strides there as well. What we will do today
is, clean up those things, work on the red zone and ideally finish the week, practice wise,
on a good note."

(On the notion of using Josh Cribbs as a running back)- "I've done some of that in the
past, and I don't love making comparisons between guys, but with Brad Smith where you
could get into multiple wide receiver set. Say you had four wide receivers on the field
and a tight end, traditionally that would be an empty formation, everybody would be out
because you don't have a running back. We would take Brad, at times, motion him back
in the backfield and now you are in a three wide receiver, tight end and running back set.
You can run those types of plays with a guy like that, so they have to deal. It's one
personnel group which presents one set of issues, but you are creating another one
because that guy does have some running back skills. It takes time. It takes a lot of work
by the player and the group to get that. It's something that we have done a little bit of.
Josh has played a lot of different roles with the Wildcat, the receiver so you have to build
the package as you go."

(On why he chose to play Cribbs at wide receiver instead of running back)- "He does
have really good hands. He is strong when he is running his routes. He's good with run
after the catch. It's not that you don't think that he's going to be as good in the other role,
but you think that he has a chance to keep developing, potentially be really good in that
role, and also, our receiver group when we first got here was in a bit of a state of flux. I
thought that was an area where we needed to develop depth."

(On how the trade for Kenyon Coleman has worked out)- "I like the players that we
got. I think that if you look at Kenyon's production versus the other d-linemen that were
available high in the draft, where our initial spot was, and the production that he's had
and the play time that he's had, that's been a plus decision. Alex (Mack) has started every
snap and I think he gets a little bit better each week. I don't think last week was his best
week, but as a young guy, we all need to practice. We all need that and I think especially
with the younger guys, at a position that has as much communication as the center does
and as many variations as the center does, it's hard to get those days back that you miss in
practice. Some of the veteran guys who have years of experience can relate things back.
He's building that experience each time he plays and each time he practices. I've liked the
things that he's done. Same thing with Abe (Elam). Brett's (Ratliff) been in his role and
that's really the role that I saw him having when he came here. I think there are a lot of
plusses with it."

(On if it was determined before the draft that the team did not need to draft a
quarterback)- "You look at all the players available, but having D.A. (Derek Anderson)
and Brady (Quinn) here, it was important to me to see those guys. I liked working with
those guys and I liked the things that they brought to the table. It wasn't really our
mindset, in terms of that position going into the draft. That wasn't part of the equation."
(On if he saw enough from Anderson and Quinn before the draft to have a good
idea of what they are capable of)- "It's like anything else, you look at what they've done
based on the systems they were in and getting to know them and going through that
experience. You also have to then, see them in your system, the things you're asking them
to do, getting to know them through the course of the season, all those things come into
play. You may feel like you have a really good handle on a guy, but as you go through
the season, you know them much better than you did coming into it."

(On if there is a possibility of a player earning playing time by performing well

enough at their primary position, but not on special teams)- "Yes, you look at both
sides of it, but they really have to beat somebody out at their position in order for that to
be the dominant part of the decision making process, or play a role on substituted
defenses that is significant. If they're not doing either one of those things and you bring
them to the game and they're not giving you reps on [special] teams, you can't do it."

(On if a player's playing time can be decided solely on his performance at his
primary position)- "Yes, definitely. If you've carved out a role somewhere else, the most
important thing is what is the role? What is the game day role? The role can take a lot of
different shapes. If you're the star, the third defensive back playing in the slot. Are you a
substituted safety? Are you the third wide receiver? What is your role? How are you
contributing on game day? You want to be able to make sure that the 45 guys that you
bring there are all adding value to the game. Some of the reps that you take off somebody
else, allows them to play better at their spot. What you don't want to do is, bring someone
to a game, give them reps because you feel like they should have reps, but it's not what's
best."

(On how much the health of the tight ends affects the game plan)- "It was tough last
week, I can tell you, because we had both those guys (Robert Royal and Steve Heiden)
down. Greg (Estandia) had played, had been here a little while. With (Michael) Gaines,
he had just come in. Hank (Fraley) had played a role there to some degree, sort of hoping
that one of those other two guys, whether it be Robert or Steve, could go, [we] we're sure,
we had the flu element. (Lawrence) Vickers was out, so Gaines had to play some
fullback, as well as play some tight end. There were a lot of moving parts. Now, the good
news is, for Gaines, he's been here an extra week and he has some exposure to those
different spots. We've gotten Lawrence back. Steve's been able to go to some degree.
Robert's been able to go to some degree. Greg has been able to go to some degree. Is it as
clear as you would like it to be? No, but at least it's moving in that direction, which is
good."

(On if he has separate game plans depending on how many tight ends will be able to
play)- "There's not really a group that you have where you can [plan for not having a
tight end], 21 there's a tight end. 12 there are two tight ends. 11 there's a tight end. You're
kind of down to 20 personnel, which is two backs, three wide receivers, or 10
[personnel], one back, four wide receivers. That's what you're working with at that point.
You try to build some flexibility with the plays. Hank may be able to be an in-line guy,
like he has been. Going back to a long time ago, and I've said it a lot, the whole concept
of building flexibility, ‘Who can play here? Who can fill in here?' in case you get into
spots like this where you have moving parts or you don't know what exactly the
equation's going to be come Sunday because you're working through it during the week."

(On Green Bay saying that they had practiced against Elam's blitz all week)- "I think
that when you win the game, there are a lot of decisions that look really good. We run a
lot of different things out of that set, and if they were able to pick that up, I think that was
[a] good job by them. I think that play could have been minimized if we had made the
tackle. It's like anything else, you take a chance, it should go for 15, not for whatever it
went."

(On if he has been pleased with how Elam has done in blitz situations)- "Yes, we're
bringing a lot of different guys just based on formation and I think Abe has done a good
job when he has blitzed. It was a quick pass, so it wasn't going to get home either way. At
the point, you just make the tackle."

(On the intensity of the team against Green Bay)- "The one thing I've been really
pleased with is, the three weeks prior I thought that we were really getting a sense of how
we had to play each game. Sometimes there are setbacks, but there's a way that you have
to do it. We had been moving closer to understanding that. You have to learn from it and
you have to be able to come back and do those other things that we've been looking for,
because there was progress there. You don't want to take a step back to move forward."

(On how satisfied he has been with Brian Daboll's play calling and if he has thought
about taking a bigger role in it)- "I try to help out in all three areas, and be involved in
all three areas to whatever capacity I can and in whatever positive way that I can. I have
an understanding of what we're doing, why we're doing it, the thought process, what our
next steps are, if those things that we planned for aren't working, what's our alternative,
which base plays are we going to go back to, or if it looks a little bit differently, what's
the next move. I think collectively, there's not one area where we could say, ‘Okay, that's
exactly what we want,' and I don't think you'll ever find that. There are plenty of things
that everybody can do better. I thought we can throw the ball better, we can catch the ball
better, we can coach better, we can pick up blitzes better, there are plenty of areas to
improve. Believe me, it's not just offensively."

(On if Daboll takes it hard after a rough game)- "Most coaches I've been around, they
all take it hard. You enjoy the win for about a half hour and then the losses tend to stick
longer, but you have to move on. You have the next team and the next opportunity and
you look at it objectively and correct it and move forward."

Mangini press conf. 11/3

11.03.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 11-3-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. In terms of the decision that was made
yesterday, I can tell you that anytime a decision like this is made it is difficult personally
and professionally. George (Kokinis) is a friend of mine and I respect him and I wish his
family well. I can tell you that for a variety of reasons things didn't work out. You never
go into a situation like this with the intention of it not working out. We felt that,
organizationally, this was the best decision in order to move forward. We have a strong
structure in place on both the pro side and the college side and things will continue to
operate effectively on a day-to-day basis. I understand that you all have a lot of questions
and there is really nothing that I'm going to add to this. I hope that you can respect that.
What I will talk about are the things that we're doing as a team over the course of the
week in order to improve.

"What we did this morning and last night is, as a staff last night, we went through the first
and second down packages. We really analyzed the things that we did well, the things
that, as part of that, that we think we can continue to improve on, whether it be scheme,
technique, whatever the case may be, things that we want to remove from the various
packages and some things that we want to add. The coaches put together clips to reflect
that, a scouting report, sort of a Browns scouting report and adjustments. [We] presented
that to the players and then we'll go out and practice that here this afternoon.

"Today was first and second down. Tomorrow will be more of a third down emphasis,
like a typical Thursday. As a coaching staff, as individual coaches and as players, we're
all looking to focus on things that we can get better at and collectively doing that so that
we can move forward after the bye week and make the progress that we're looking for."

(On if a new General Manager will be hired this season)- "As I said, in terms of this
topic, there's nothing else that I'm going to add. What I will talk about is anything that is
to do with the things that we're doing this week and things directly related to the team
that we're working on."

(On why he won't talk about the General Manager situation)- "This is really, for a
variety of reasons, all that I can say at this point."

(On why he did not mention the General Manager change yesterday)- "In terms of
the timetable, things like that, it's the same thing. I've really said all that I can say, Jeff
(Schudel)."

(On who will address the General Manager situation if he will not)- "I understand,
Mary Kay (Cabot), and I appreciate the questions that you guys (the media) have. I
completely appreciate that, but I hope you can also respect that I've added all that I can
add right now. What I can talk about are the things that we're doing here today."

(On what having two dismissals in the past week says about the stability of the
organization)- "We've had one situation where that was the case. What I can say is that I
feel like we have a very strong structure in place on the personnel side and I'm confident
that day-to-day we'll be able to execute the things that we need to execute."
(On if Bernie Kosar will fill some on Kokinis' responsibilities)- "Mary Kay (Cabot), I
understand the question, but really, this is all that I can say. I hope you can understand
that as well."

(On if there are legal reasons why he can't talk about Kokinis)- "There's really a
variety of reasons, Tony (Grossi), and I'll just leave it at that."

(On if Randy Lerner plans to address the situation)- "I think that you have to talk to
Neal (Gulkis) about that. I can just tell you what I'm addressing."

(On if he understands why fans want to know what is going on within the
organization)- "I completely understand the questions and I respect that. I can just tell
you the things that I can address and it's for a variety of reasons. I hope that you can
understand that as well."

(On how he keeps this from becoming a distraction to the players)- "In talking to the
team, the important thing that I've stressed, whether it be today or yesterday or at any
point, is the important thing for us is to be able to focus individually first on what we can
improve, and then collectively what we can improve. Those things are the important
things that we need to do. We need to get that done this week and that's what we're
focused on, all of us are focused on. I spent a lot of time with the coaching staff
yesterday, this morning and trying to really work through the different things that we
think need to be addressed short term, need to be addressed long term. We'll meet more
on personnel, in terms of player performances and evaluation and things like that on
Thursday, but that's also a component of this. [I have] historically made a lot of strides
during the bye week. It is a unique time where you can put some more emphasis on
individual technique, can sit down with the players one-on-one and either address their
performance, address their concerns, address what they're hoping to achieve over the
course of the rest of the season. I look forward to those meetings. We have, like I said,
point of attack tapes made on each guy, whether it be actual game tapes or whether it be
practice tapes, where they can look at that individually to help them get a better feel for
what they've done or with their position coach, with the coordinator, with myself, where
we can go really share some time and I can give them my perspective on things. Just from
my experience over the last three years, those meetings have been very valuable."

(On if he has made any further conclusions about possible changes)- "No, Tony
(Grossi), what we're going to do is, like I said, we're looking at it from a scheme
perspective and also from a personnel perspective. We will spend some more time as a
coaching staff going through, player-by-player, areas where we think either that player
can improve, how we can help him improve, some of the points of emphasis that we need
to really work on with them. Whether it be during the individual periods, however we're
going to get that in place and really formulate a plan for each guy and also look at the
ways that we can develop them into bigger roles or into different roles that we think can
help us."
(On if Brett Ratliff will get more reps)- "Over these practices and things like that, we'll
try to work all three guys to some degree. What we do still do, Tony (Grossi), is the
opportunity periods. That's often a time for the third quarterback, in this case Brett, to get
some of those reps that he may not get during the course of a normal practice. It's our
stuff. It's our packages. It's obviously our players."

(On if Ratliff is a candidate to start after the bye week)- "No."

(On what he thinks the image of the Browns is around the league)- "You'd have to
ask people around the league. I know that the things that we're doing, the way that they
players are working, the way that they coaches are working, the way that the organization
is working, is all based on one end goal and that is to win, first and foremost, but also to
improve at every level at all times. That's not going to change. I've been part of this
process before. I've been part of it with different head coaches. I've been part of it as a
head coach myself and there's not one specific pattern that it follows. It does take time. It
does take a lot of hard work. It does take deliberate practice. That is consistent with every
place that I've been, every experience I've had."

(On if this is harder than he thought it was going to be when he took the job)- "I
didn't look at it in terms of how hard it would be. I looked at it in terms of how important
the process was and understanding that each place is going to have different challenges
that are unique to that organization, that are unique to that group of players, that are
unique to that coaching staff. There isn't a set pattern. Even when I was in my third year
in New York, there are things that come up every day that aren't on the agenda. They
aren't on the schedule, there's no blue print for how to deal with those things, but it is
stuff that you have to look at, you have to try to make good decisions on and you have to
move forward. Each year's been radically different. Each group of guys has been
radically different, but the consistent thing is the way that you have to approach it.
There's no substitute for hard work. There's no substitute for constantly analyzing ways to
improve and being committed to doing that. There just isn't. It was true with my
experience in New England with Bill (Belichick). It was true with my experience in New
York with Bill Parcells. It was true with my experience as a head coach with the Jets.
There's no substitute for that. It may be a cliché, but it's a cliché for a reason, because
that's the truth."

(On his thoughts on final personnel decisions being given to someone else in the
future)- "My goal is to win and my goal is to improve. There's never opposition to
someone that can help us achieve that goal. That's true here. It was true in New York with
the Jets. I remember my early experiences with Bill (Belichick) as a young guy. Bill
would always listen to anybody's opinion and anybody's ideas, as long as there was a
rational to it, as long as it was well thought out. [He] was open to it and was willing to
introduce those things or try those things. I really respected that and learned a lot from
him from that perspective. It was the same thing with Bill Parcells. You appreciate the
feedback. You appreciate the honesty. You appreciate people trying to constantly
improve at what they're doing or constantly help the group improve. You want to hire as
many people as you possibly can like that. You want as many players around like that,
just individuals that are intrinsically motivated to be the best at their craft and to make
sure that the organization is as positive and as productive as possible. Every mentor that
I've had has had that approach, regardless of how much success they've had and that's
probably why they've had the success that they have had."

(On if this was an organizational decision he signed off on)- "Really it's what I said,
it's an organizational decision that we felt gave us the best chance to move forward.
There's really nothing else I can add."

(On if it was a difficult decision)- "You never go into any situation with the intention of
it not working out and that was true in this case. The organization felt this gave us the
best chance to move forward."

(On how many of the players he brought in this season he thinks have the potential
to be franchise impact players)- "I think that everybody who's here right now is
contributing to the things that were doing now and hopefully the things that we're
building towards in the future. Everybody contributes to that process. I feel comfortable
with the guys that we've brought in and their contributions, their approach, their work
ethic, things like that. It's all part of what you continue to grow."

Mangini press conf. 11/9

11.09.2009

Transcript: Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 11-9-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? [My bye week]
was good actually. I spent a lot of time with the boys yesterday and the day before. That's
always rejuvenating. I think the players, it's nice for them to get some time with their
families or get away. That's the nice thing about the week.

"In terms of what we're doing here today, it's really an extension of the bye week for us.
What I've traditionally done, what I decided to do this week as well, is we had the two
days last week where we covered each phase, first and second down, third down. Today,
our focus will still be on us and the concentration will be in the red area and goal line and
the areas that you'd normally cover on a Friday during a typical week. Following that
process leading up to it from a preparation perspective, you go through it, you analyze it,
you look at the thing you're going to carry through, you install if you're going to add
some things or correct some things, review the tape and then go out and practice the
things that you want to get corrected. That's what the emphasis is here today.

"One thing that we did housekeeping wise, which is always positive to be able to do, is
we elevated Marcus Benard from the practice squad to the active roster. Marcus, to me, is
a good example of what we're always trying to do. He was an undrafted free agent. He
was a hand in the dirt guy, who always had his hand in the dirt in college, nickname was
King Kong. He had a lot of production in college at a smaller school and then, to come
here, to stand up, to have to learn how to play linebacker and all the other things that go
with transitioning from college to pro football as an undrafted guy. I think he's done an
outstanding job. He was our [practice] player of the week against Buffalo. The thing
that's been consistent with him is his work ethic. You'd like to be able to always elevate
off your practice squad and we were able to do that here today and I'm happy for him.
Now, in talking to him, I said, ‘That's the first step. The next step is to get to the 45-man
roster.' That will be dependent on his play on special teams, or his role on special teams
and then, what other roles he can play for us defensively. It's good to have the players
back in. It's good to be able to get out there together. The weather's been pretty amazing
over of the course of the weekend and it looks like we have another day like that today,
so that's what we'll be doing."

(On if he has made a decision at quarterback)- "What I'll do is I'll let you guys know
about that on Wednesday. We'll talk about that more and our preparation for the Ravens.
I know where I'm headed, I'd just rather talk about it on Wednesday. We'll talk about that
in conjunction with our work on the Ravens."

(On Eric Barton)- "I think we'll know more, we'll at least have some real clarity either
later today or tomorrow. Once we do, even if I'm not talking [at a press conference], I'll
let Neal (Gulkis) let you know."

(On if he has told the quarterbacks his decision yet)- "I haven't sat down with the
quarterbacks, so that's part of it, Mary Kay (Cabot)."

(On what linebacker position Benard plays)- "He's outside. I'm going to keep him
outside. I think, similar to keeping David Veikune inside, really letting him concentrate
on one spot. I think he has the ability to where he could play inside from his athleticism,
his strength, things like that. I think his best chance to contribute is outside."

(On if there is still one roster spot open)- "Yes, we do."

(On if he knows what position will be filled with the roster spot)- "We'll have some
more guys in for workouts tomorrow. I have an idea where we're heading, but want to go
through the workouts and see where those are."

(On if they will need another inside linebacker if Barton can't play)- "(Jason) Trusnik
has played in there, so he could be a potential candidate from a MIKE perspective,
similar to David Bowens and David Veikune, so you have those three there. You have
Kaluka (Maiava), who's worked as a WILL, (Blake) Costanzo who's worked as a WILL.
Ideally in a 3-4, those positions are mirrored. We have a little variation in body types, but
you can have combinations based on the package, based on what you're seeing. It doesn't
have to be filled by one guy all the time in all the different packages."

(On if Jamal Lewis is okay)- "Yes, he'll practice here today. That's the other nice thing
with the bye week, it's easy to lose track of how long these guys have been working and
hitting and things like that. It does give you an opportunity to get some guys some extra
rest. He'll be back here today."

(On if all of the players made it back)- "Yes, everybody else made it back. Everybody
else was on time in making it back. You're always looking forward to that attendance
sheet coming through."

(On his message to the team coming out of the bye week)- "When you look at it, and I
think the players have an appreciation for it, when you look at where we've fallen short in
different areas, again it comes down to things that are correctable, like ball security, our
consistency in catching the ball, placing the ball, depths of routes, depths in coverage,
rush lanes defensively. There are a lot of things from a fundamental perspective that if we
improve on, then the outcome will be different. I experienced this in New York all three
years, to take a step back to look at it, to look at it, to look at it objectively, be able to
spend some time on it, show the players it and have the realization that, if we correct
these things and do these things better, then the outcome will be different. Often times, a
long play versus an intermediate play versus a no gain comes down to a small technique
thing. There was a play against Green Bay late in the game, where Robaire (Smith),
who's really been outstanding, especially over the last couple weeks, just got caught
inside a little bit. The softness in the c-gap, the back was able to get through and that
ended up being a significant play from amount of yards gained, but that's correctable.
He's played that a lot of times, he just kind of bit a little early. It wasn't him alone, it was
also the outside linebacker getting a little bit of width. To be able to see those plays and
understand how that small amount of softness can translate in to a big gain, it's positive
from the perspective of it is correctable."

(On how many players met with him during the bye week)- "There were different
guys at different points. The other thing is, that is really open today as well too. I'll get
together with some more of those guys here today. The exact number, I'm not sure what
the total number was, but it's good. It's positive. I also had the opportunity to spend some
time with coaches, where you don't usually get a chance to sit down with a lot of guys
and say, ‘Here are some things I really like. Here are some things I think you can
improve.' Get their feedback on things, on a one-on-one basis, that they think we can
improve, they think they can improve. It was a coach in New York who actually brought
that to my attention. He had done a lot in college and it really was nothing that I had ever
been exposed to. In pro football, I had never sat down with a head coach for a one-on-one
to talk about things I could do better, usually those came in a very loud fashion and
publicly. I thought it was positive and I thought it was a good idea and incorporated it."

(On meeting with the coordinators)- "Interestingly, with the coordinators, you do spend
more time with those guys. I'll spend, probably, the most of my time with Rob Ryan and
Brad (Seely), just because each week you're going through the game plan, you're going
through the corrections on a daily basis. That's a little different, I guess, than the meetings
I was talking about, with more the assistants."
(On what he talked about with Brian Daboll during the bye week)- "I guess what I'm
getting at is that wasn't that type of meeting, because we meet quite often. It's more time
spent day-to-day then say, the other position coaches."

(On what they can do to get the offense going)- "I really believe there are a lot of
things that we can do to make the offense more effective. I think the starting point for us
is protecting the football. The amount of opportunities is always going to be limited by
the times we have the football. We're giving it away too often. It's not purely in the form
of interceptions, it's ball security. We need to do a better job as a show team constantly
pressuring the ball, almost to the point where it's overkill, because that's the amount of
emphasis that you have to put on it. Whenever the running back is finishing the run, you
want to have two, three guys tearing it away to keep giving that awareness to the running
back, to the receiver. Every play getting those guys pressuring the football, because the
better we protect it, the more chance we'll have to score, the more chance we'll have to
sustain drives and that, to me, is the starting point. Then, it's being able to take advantage
of the opportunities that are there, whether it's throws or catches, being able to execute
those. That's the second thing. I think from a scheme perspective, there's a range of things
in the different areas, first and second down, third down, red zone, that we have looked at
that we'll incorporate moving into the second half."

(On if they will do more fumble drills now than in the first half of the season)- "It's
been a point of emphasis, but obviously we're not doing it effectively enough. We do
track all those things during the course of practice. I thought the show team guys, last
week, did a really nice job. They were all over the football every play, regardless of
where the guy was. They were knocking it out on his way back to the huddle. Sometimes
that's what you have to do, is over emphasize it, to get what we need to get done, done."

(On if the GM rumors are a distraction)- "It's not going to be a distraction for me, or
any of the coaches or any of the players. There are so many things that come up during
the course of a season, whether it's this or any of the other elements that come up, or have
come up, that really, like any other part of what you're teaching, it's very important that
you can focus on what's important. What's important for us is what we're doing on a daily
basis and our preparation for the next opponent. Being part of different programs and
seeing the way distractions can affect, or aren't allowed to affect things, has given me
good insight into how important that skill is. The emphasis is always going to be on the
things that we need to do on that day and not the things that are happening externally."

(On the rumor about Mike Holmgren)- "With any of the names that come up, I'm sure
there's been a range of names that have come up. I talk to Randy (Lerner) all the time
about different things. Again, my emphasis, my focus, is going to be on what we're doing
here day-to-day getting the team ready."

(On if there is a sense of urgency to bring in a GM-type person before the end of the
season)- "What I believe in is that anybody that can help us be successful, anybody that
can help us move forward, I'm always open to, whether it's in that role or any other role.
Whether it's a player, coach, whatever it is, I'm open to anybody that can help us
improve. We're always looking to do that individually and organizationally."

(On if he talked to any GM candidates last week)- "What I've been focused on is the
team and the things that we can do to improve the team. That's what I'll continue to focus
on."

(On if there is anything he wants to change about his approach for the next eight
weeks)- "You're always going through that self-reflection and looking at the way I
approach squad meetings, the way I approach staff meetings, preparation for the next
opponent, practice schedules, the outline of practice, distribution of personnel, all those
things are things that I'm looking at. I like to think that we change those as we go and
there are some things that we'll continue to change as we go."

(On if he is going to make any changes in his approach)- "Yes, and there have been
throughout the course of the season. It won't stop this week. It will keep going each week.
Looking at it, what did we do well? What did we do poorly? What were preparation
errors? What are things that we want to emphasize? What's the best distribution of time?
All those things are things that you look at."

(On if the use of the Wildcat was looked at during the bye week)- "That was a
component of it. We've been running elements of the Wildcat since the first week. We
ran it in the Minnesota game. We've run it at different points throughout the season, some
with greater frequency, some with greater success. It's a good package. It's something that
I like, that Brian likes. Obviously, Josh (Cribbs) really likes it. It's going to be different
based on how the team plays it, how they adjust to it, but it is a good package that we'll
continue to carryover and continue to have available each week."

(On how the practice schedule will change with a Monday night game)- "It's different
coming off the bye as well, because today is really a Browns-centered day, not a Ravens'
day. There have been elements of Ravens prep throughout all three days, but it's really
Browns-centered. In terms of the daily schedule, that will be pretty consistent, with the
extra day (Saturday) being more of a review type day than anything else."

Mangini press conf. 11/11

11.11.2009

Transcript: Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 11-11-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? A couple things,
we signed Josh Stamer to the active roster. We currently have one roster spot open and
[there are] some things that we're looking at in terms of filling that, but I'll let you know
when we do that as we move forward. In terms of the quarterback situation, I had a
chance to sit down with both guys, which is what I wanted to do before I shared the
decision with anybody else and Brady (Quinn) will start this week against Baltimore. I
think that he's had some good weeks of practice. I liked what he did over the bye week
practices. I think that he's worked hard since the first transition was made and I respect
that. That's what I asked him to do. I look forward to him taking advantage of this
opportunity and helping us improve offensively.

"In terms of Baltimore, one of the things that happens is, as you play conference
opponents for the second time, there's more familiarity. You go back and you look at the
first game. You look at the opportunities that were there and there were opportunities in
all three phases that I didn't think we did a very good job capitalizing on. On special
teams there were three guys that we identified that we needed to control in order for our
return game to be effective and they have five out of the nine special teams tackles. You
have to protect the football, we had four turnovers. Defensively, it's a very good running
game and we weren't very good there. (Joe) Flacco, I think, continues to improve and
[we] didn't disrupt him very much. His quarterback rating was outstanding and they
generated some big plays. All three of those things will kill you. I think it's a creative
pressure package that they have defensively, and even when they don't pressure, they've
got players that can cause problems. We have our work cut out for us. The positive thing
is having the exposure that we've had with some of the new guys, even from my
perspective, the coaching squad's perspective, I think that familiarity should help us and
the work that we did over the bye week should help us as well."

(On if he will stick with the quarterback decision for the rest of the season)- "With
any of these decisions, I'm not looking to change. That's never the intention when a
decision like this is made."

(On what makes him think Quinn will play better than he did the beginning of the
season)- "I like to think that throughout the course of the season guys continue to
improve. He's had more time in the system. I think he's done some good things in the role
that he was playing, which is what I asked of him. I think that he's worked at the same
level that he worked at when he was the starter and prior to becoming the starter and, to
me, that's the key for any type of improvement. That's what I'm looking for."

(On if Derek Anderson will be the backup quarterback)- "Yes."

(On where Quinn has improved the most)- "It's hard to put it in a long term context,
because this is my first experience with him. I watched him some in college when he was
coming out and things like that. I think his comfort level in the system has gotten better. I
think that his overall control of the offense has gotten better. I think especially over the
last two to three weeks he's been very efficient as a passer and I've liked the things he's
done. That's one of the things that he and I talked about last night. There are a lot of tools
in this offense that are available and I'm looking forward to him using those and I think
he can."

(On what Quinn needs to do better than he did the first two and a half games)-
"Collectively, believe me, there's plenty all of us can do better in all three phases, starting
with myself and the coaches and moving right on down. There were times where I feel
like he really knew where to go with the ball and maybe didn't go there as quickly as he
could of. Sometimes that comes with being more comfortable and I've seen that comfort
level increase and I'm anticipating that will translate."

(On if Quinn was hesitant to make certain throws earlier in the season)- "Sometimes
it's a function of just going through your read progression and going with what you know.
I've seen him make a lot of good decisions and what I want him to do is be comfortable
with his thought process, be comfortable with his reads, be comfortable with what he
knows. If you make a mistake, you make a mistake. That's going to happen, but just be
comfortable with what you see and go with what you see. I think that helps."

(On what happened with Anderson)- "In fairness to Derek, I think that there were a lot
of things that played a part in this. Even last game where we moved the chains and put
the ball on the ground, that's hard. Where the ball was in a place where it could have been
caught and it wasn't. Were there throws that he missed? There were some of those and
there were some reads that could have been better. I really like Derek and I really liked
the way that he handled himself. I like the way that he's worked. I've enjoyed getting to
know him. I don't think that, by any means, this is some sort of final statement on who he
is. I think that it's an opportunity to continue to grow and I'm sure he will."

(On Quinn's completions earlier being mostly shorter passes)- "To me, it's not going
to be a function of, ‘We have to throw it to this place, this many times because you're
only completing short balls.' Throw it to the open receiver. That's what I'm looking for,
whether it's a hitch, whether it's a check down, whether it's a tight end on a five-yard out
or whether it's a go route to somebody, throw it to the guy who's open. I've played against
a lot of really successful quarterbacks. We played New England one time, they threw 10
hitches because of the way we were pressuring and killed us, because we couldn't get
there with the heat and they just kept being patient, taking it and taking it. When you
come out of it, then that creates some other opportunities. It's a function of getting it to
the right guy, getting it to the open guy, moving the chains and scoring points."

(On if Quinn is over thinking things)- "I think that anybody who has a lot of decision to
make has to go through those quickly. Brady approaches everything in a very serious
way, in a very detailed way, and I think that's a great quality, I really do. As you get into
the games, you've done the work, you've done the homework, you've prepped and now
it's a function of going with what you see and sometimes you're right and sometimes
you're wrong. We've all experienced that. You just have to go with what you know. It
happens a lot of times defensively, too, where the secondary will see something. They
feel like it's the right adjustment, they're slow to make it and you have some guys doing it
and some guys not doing it. At the end of the day, you just have to go with the things that
you've learned and I anticipate him doing that."

(On if Anderson lost confidence in the players around him)- "I never got that sense at
all. I know it wasn't felt by me. It wasn't felt by the coaching staff. I never saw that from
any of the players. I think these guys have worked really well together. Obviously, we
want it to translate into a lot more production, but this is a good group of guys. They're
committed to getting the things fixed that we need to get fixed and I appreciate that work
ethic."

(On if Quinn would have developed more if he had stayed in all season)- "Anything
like that is hypothetical. My feeling with any decision is, you make the decision at the
time based on the information that you have and you're always trying to make the best
decision at that point. That's the way that I approach it and that's any decision. You
evaluate it. You look at it and you move forward based on the information that you have
and how you feel."

(On Quinn's mindset while he was the backup)- "He's been consistent throughout this
whole period, same as D.A. was when he wasn't starting. That's what you want. That's
what you expect. It doesn't always go the way that you want it. It doesn't always go the
way that you anticipate it going, but you deal with the decisions and you work to
improve. You're going to get another opportunity and when you get that opportunity, now
you're on the best chance to maximize it. He and I talked about that when we had our
initial conversation, how important it was to not let the preparation drop off, to not let any
of the things that he's done tail off and he didn't."

(On if he anticipates Anderson getting another opportunity to start)- "My comment,

Jeff (Schudel), was more big picture. I think that in any situation you're in, regardless of
whether you're the starter, you're the backup, you need to prepare at the same level week
in and week out because you don't know when things are going to change. Look at the
inside linebacker position, we've lost both our inside linebackers. Guys are getting
opportunities that maybe they wouldn't have gotten had we had both Eric (Barton) and
D'Qwell (Jackson) here. With that opportunity, it's a great chance."

(On if Barton will need surgery)- "It's something that he's looking at with the doctors
and discussing. That decision will be made at some point."

(On if Barton's injury is career-threatening)- "Again, there are a lot of different

opinions on all injuries. The important thing to me is [to] keep talking to Eric and keep
working with him and make the best decision for him."

(On using David Bowens as an inside linebacker and Jason Trusnik as an outside
linebacker)- "That was our base set. Bowens has played inside. He started inside last
year for five games, so he's played inside quite a bit. He's worked inside quite a bit. Even
with Jason, similar to David Veikune, he was a guy who had only had his hand in the dirt
and then worked outside, and then has learned inside. There are a lot of guys in this
system who can play both. Ideally, those four linebacker spots, to have to flexibility to
move those guys around based on need or depth is a good approach. I'm trying to think of
some of the other guys. We've had probably about four or five guys like that who've
played both outside and inside. Cody Spencer was another guy, Brad Kassell, right on
down the line, Roman Phifer."
(On Trusnik's play at outside linebacker)- "I thought he did a really good job. [We]
weren't anticipating initially when we made the trade for him to be thrust into that type of
role so quickly, but he was and he took advantage of it. I sent Mike (Tannenbaum) a text
just telling him he'd be proud of Jason's progress."

(On if he thinks the receivers will be more reliable the second half of the season)-
"I'm looking for all of us to increase our consistency. I really am. When you look at the
body of work, there's a lot of plays that could be there, but you can't deal in ‘could've,
should've.' You have to deal with what's there and what our opportunities are and how do
you change that."

Mangini press conf. 11/18

11.18.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 11-18-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? Today with the
short week, we spent a little bit of time on the Baltimore game with the group and then
really moved right into Detroit and the preparation that we have for them. [It is] a little
different with the short week, in terms of how much time you can really spend watching
the tape of the previous opponent. You try to go through and get the most important
points and then during the course of the week as there are some parallels or things that
you can draw on from the last game in the teaching of the game plan for the next game,
you do that whenever possible. With Detroit, just knowing Jim (Schwartz) and spending
time with Jim and working with Jim, I know how they're working, how they're preparing.
Jim's a really smart guy. I like the things that he did in Tennessee. I like the things that
he's doing there as well. I can see improvement from the team as the weeks have gone by.

"I think offensively with (Matt) Stafford, he has really made a lot of nice throws through
the course of the season. [There have been] some times where, whether it's the fade route,
[he] has hit some of those, whether it's stutter-goes, hitting the hole shot in between the
corner and the safety in cover two, his poise in running the offense. I think all those
things have improved. He's had some games where he's struggled, but that's pretty
common with a rookie quarterback like he is. I like the presence that he's had. I spent
some time with him before the draft. [He is] really impressive, the way that he could
almost answer questions before you asked the question and his control of the Georgia
offense and things like that. I'm sure he has that same control over Detroit's offense. You
look at Calvin Johnson, he's a guy that can ruin the game. He's had some impressive
plays this season, [he has] been a little bit banged up. At the start of the Chicago game,
they hit that stutter-go that I was talking about. [He] had the 64-yarder, 67-yarder against
New Orleans, made some outstanding catches throughout the course of the season. [He
is] obviously a guy that they can go to and rely on. Even with his partner on the other
side, the other member of the Johnson tandem (Bryant Johnson). He's made some really
nice catches as well, two fade routes for touchdowns, really tight coverage one-handed
grabs, things like that. With Brandon Pettigrew, I think that he's a big, physical guy with
good hands and he seems to be getting more and more comfortable in their offense as
well. In the running game, [they have] three different types of backs. I think that the style
of running offense that they have, there's some changes for them to generate some big
plays, some gap-trap type things, things that we've seen at different points throughout the
course of the year.

"Defensively, with Jim, he's going to stop the run. They're about eighth in the NFL right
now in generating negative plays in the running game. I know if you look at their average
it may not seem that way, but 11 percent of their plays in the running game are negative
plays. This is another week where you're dealing with multiple blitz packages. It could be
the corner coming, it could be the safety coming in rolled up cover two, mixture of
linebackers, different combinations. That's something that we'll have to do a good job
with."

(On if he expects Joshua Cribbs to practice today)- "We'll probably going to hold him
out today, but expect him to practice later this week."

(On if he thinks Brady Quinn is mentally prepared to go on)- "What Brady did, in
terms of running the no huddle offense the whole game, that's not easy to do and I
thought he did it well. Multiple personnel groups, different formations, even the plays
where Josh went into Wildcat, all those things were done out of no huddle. I thought that
he did a really nice job with that. There were times in the game, and I've talked about
this, but different tools that you have within the offense, I thought that he tried to use
those as well. There were points where we got things going and until we eliminate the
self-inflicted stuff it's going to be hard to sustain much. What he did with running the
offense and the approach that we had, I thought he did well. In terms of the injury that
happened, personally it looked like he was trying to make the tackle. Knowing Brady,
he's a good person. I don't think he'd look to ever hurt someone deliberately."

(On if he is comfortable with Quinn going forward)- "Yes, I am. I think the fact that
he is such a good person and his confidence in who he is, that helps anybody when they
go through times that may be frustrating."

(On the team's performance the second half of the Baltimore game)- "I just think that
when you play a team like Baltimore, who is really good at turning the ball over, and they
always have been, it's that much more important to really protect the football. I don't
think that anybody was trying not to protect the football. The throws that we had and the
opportunities that we had to catch it, we didn't do well enough. When you bounce the ball
up, usually not good things happen. Defensively, I think a couple weeks ago against
Chicago, where it was more of a stationary offense, we were able to get to a lot of
adjustments and I thought the communication was very good. This week against
Baltimore we were able to do the same thing and what I really liked is there's a lot of
shifting, there's a lot of motioning. There's a lot more movement then we had against
Chicago and I thought overall the communication was sound. It just takes that one play,
and that's what we had, where it was a miscommunication on the deep ball and in a tight
game, you can't have those."

(On if he thinks the Lions can prepare for the no huddle)- "It's like anything else, you
prepare for what you've seen on tape. I think our ability to go in and out of it at any point
is very helpful. It's not the easiest thing in the world to simulate during the course of a
week, defensively, because the show team is working off of cards. You're trying to go
through no huddle and the other side's trying to show the look that you want and get the
guys in the right place. You do the best you can. You simulate it the best you can. I'm
sure they'll work on that. I'm sure they'll work on Wildcat-type things. I'm sure they'll
work on some of the things they've seen us do throughout the course of the season."

(On the reason for Chris Jennings' extended playing time)- "I've liked what Chris has
done in practice. Really, his role isn't as significant on third down. J.C.'s (Jerome
Harrison) done most of that stuff, so in order to kind of maintain the roles and what we
thought was the best guy for each role, and when I say third down, Tony (Grossi), we use
some of those plays on early downs too, but that package. I wanted to be able to get him
active, to give him a chance to see what he can do, give him some chances for carries.
That was the thought process."

(On how Jennings played against Baltimore)- "I thought he did well. I thought he had
a couple runs that were good runs and one that I think he lost a yard or two, or whatever
it was. There really wasn't a lot of space for him to work on that. The thing with Chris is,
he's gotten a little bit better each week. The next step for us was to give him a chance to
carry the ball in games. He had a carry early in the season, I forget who it was against,
but made a guy miss, picked up eight yards. [He] had a catch earlier in the season. This
was trying to work him in to the rotation."

(On if he expects Jennings to be more involved for the rest of the season)- "I want to
see, again, how he does this week. The other thing that Chris has to continue to do is help
on [special] teams. If he goes to the game and takes a spot of a guy who maybe plays
more of a [special] teams role, he has to be able to fill that role in way that's either at the
same level or higher."

(On if Jennings penalty on the kicker was legit)- "I mean they called it, so it's legit."

(On if he spoke to Cribbs about him handling the end of the game differently)- "Yes,
I talked to Josh about that I talked to the team about that. That's really how I felt. If you
get in that situation, in retrospect, I'd probably do it differently. You don't traditionally
kneel down in those situations. It's natural for everybody to be competitive, but I'd have
probably approached it differently. I talked to Josh about that and told the team the same
thing. I never want to see anybody hurt at any point on either team and never want to put
anybody in a position where that could happen."

(On if Cribbs said anything about his lateral)- "Again, that's Josh being competitive as
well. He got caught up in the moment and the play. That's what all the guys are like.
When they're in for a play, whether it's the last play of the game, the first play of the
game, the 50th play of the game, they're going to try to do what they can do to achieve the
goal of the play."

(On if the play call was a hook and ladder)- "No. The way the route was designed, it
had the shallow crossers. It wasn't designed hook and ladder."

(On how he keeps the player's confidence at a high level)- "When you go through the
tape, you identify the areas where there have been problems. I have been involved in this
in different areas. One year it could be sacks, how many sacks you're getting, another
year it could be picks, another year it could be forced fumbles, whatever the area is. You
have to go through the process of how do you generate more of those, how do you
generate, obviously for us, more points. You look at the missed opportunities, whether it
be turnovers, dropped ball, the self-inflicted wounds. It has to start there. It's really got to
start there. Then you're giving yourself the best opportunity to score those points, when
you're taking away extra drives, when you're taking away third down conversions and the
amount of plays in a game decrease, the odds of you being very productive decrease as
well."

(On if he spoke to the team about the union coming in)- "No, I didn't say a word to
them about it because I'm completely comfortable with the way that we practice."

(On if the union coming in is something he would talk to the captains about)- "I'm
open if they want to talk to me about it, but I am completely comfortable with what we
do."

(On if he has thought about reducing Jamal Lewis' role in an effort to develop the
younger players)- "That's not really how I'm looking at it. I think that part of that has to
be earning the right to get those reps. With Chris, it wasn't a function of here's a young
guy, let's just put him in because he's a running back and Jamal is retiring, that's not the
approach. It's more, here's a guy who's worked really hard. Here's a guy who's shown day
in and day out that he deserves an opportunity. He's improved on special teams, now let's
give him a chance. It's more that than the other."

(On if Jerome Harrison missed a block on Ray Lewis' sack)- "I don't think that was
him whiffing. I think that they just didn't get back inside, it was a call, a middle dog cross
two inside linebackers, and the way that they formed it, Alex (Mack) took the first one
and J.C. was offset over here. He tried to come back inside, because usually the way it
hit, he would take the guy that was coming to his side, but he ended up getting the guy on
the other side, the way that they ran the stunt, so he wasn't in great position to pick that
up."

(On if they have to average better than 2.1 yards per pass)- "Yes, it has to be better
than that. You're not looking to average 2.1 yards a pass or anything like that. Ideally you
have some catch and run type plays. You're able to be a lot more effective in that."
(On what has to be done to make the passing game more effective)- "Like we talked
about, protecting the football so you can have more drives, be able to get the ball to the
places we need to get it to. When we do have those opportunities, catch the football.
Protection, there are some areas there where we can improve. There are some shots that
we had down the field where we would have taken a shot but didn't hold up as well as we
need to in protection. That's a pretty good defense that we played. I'm not making any
excuses or anything like that. It wasn't good enough. That is a pretty stout defense."

(On if Mike Holmgren was interviewed by the organization yesterday)- "That's not
really something that I'm going to talk about. Randy's (Lerner) really handling that, so I'll
let him talk about that."

(On LeBron James saying he could help the team)- "I think he should come on down. I
know he's pretty busy right now, but if he wants to give it a shot, the guy is gifted
athletically, competitive and tough. I'm sure whatever he applied himself [to], [he would]
probably be good in baseball or soccer or swimming. The guy is a freak athletically."

(On if Steve Heiden and Dave Zastudil will practice today)- "No, neither one will
work today. I think with Zastudil, it doesn't look great for the weekend."

(On what can be done to the protection in order to give Quinn more time)- "There
have been times where I thought it's been very good. It's unique when you play the
Ravens, because it doesn't matter who's in their front, they all can rush the passer, then
they have multiple blitzes. With that veteran group of guys, they run the same blitz, just
guys are in different spots. That's a great thing when you're a defensive coordinator, when
you have guys that have worked together for that long, who you can run the same concept
but give a completely different look to the offense. Anytime you play those guys, you
have to deal with them rushing four, you have to deal with them rushing three and then
you have to deal with the different packages. They combine the front there, but then they
also bring a combination of the star, the safeties. There are a lot of things that they do that
as you have a system in place for a long time, you can keep adding and building, because
the reps are there with the group."

(On if the pressure on Quinn was a function of the protection or the Ravens'
defense)- "Like I said, I thought that there were times that we did do a good job in terms
of identifying it, sliding the protection over, getting things picked up. There were other
times where, whether it was the play that we were talking about with J.C., the different
blitz pattern and where he was located versus where he had to get to. It's not easy to slide
over, get Ray Lewis with a full head of steam and they got us on that one."

(On what his long term process is and how the players he has acquired since
becoming head coach play into that process)- "I think the short term process is getting
ready for each week and playing each game. That's one element to it and that's the most
important element right now. The long term process is understanding how you're going to
prepare for a game, understanding how you have to practice to get ready for games,
understanding the concepts that you run offensively and defensively, so a year from now
these aren't new things in relationship to the defense that you're facing or the offense that
you're facing. There's some reps built up in that, like we were talking about with the
Ravens' defense. It's the young players that are here, understanding what it means to be a
pro. A lot of these guys typically would be getting ready for bowl games now. It's
different. There's a lot of football left. There are no teams on the schedule that you
schedule to, you know how it works in college football, it's not like that. Every week
you're going to face somebody that's talented. Often times for the young guys, someone
that's older than themselves. That's a process. Look at Alex Mack, he's played quite a bit
of football and I think he's gotten little bit better each week. Kaluka, (Maiava) I thought,
did a really nice job this week in a significant, significant role and working with a guy
who wasn't playing inside. [You] figure both of those guys, neither one of them, Kaluka
hadn't had that type of play time and David (Bowens) obviously hadn't had that play time
inside and hadn't been the play caller. With Mohamed (Massaquoi) and (Brian) Robiskie
and (David) Veikune and those guys, they're all learning as you go. Next year they're
going to be at a higher starting point. Working with the game plan, all those different
elements come into play that as you put reps together, as you put time in together, as you
put experiences in together, you get to start at a higher level the following season."

(On if Reggie Hodges punted well enough for the team to go forward with him)- "I
think it's like anything else, he's going to have to continue to punt at a level that we're
looking for. If that wasn't the case, then obviously we'd continue looking. I have some
experience with Reggie in the past. Reggie's worked in this role in the past with other
teams as well. We'll just keep him honoring that."

(On Zastudil's injury)- "I think that with a lot of different things, it's stuff that guys
work through. Sometimes it improves. Sometimes it doesn't improve. You just monitor it
and work with it and see where you are each week."

Mangini press conf. 11/19

11.19.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 11-19-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? Yesterday we, I'm
sure you guys got the release on Steve Heiden and Dave Zastudil, put them on IR, which
is always disappointing. [We] just didn't think that they were going to be in a position to
play moving forward and thought it was the best thing that we could do at this time. The
two kids that we claimed off waivers, I think that both of them have chance to come in
and compete and see where they fit, whether it be initially on special teams or whether it
be special teams and some type of role offensively and defensively. We'll just have to see
how that goes.

"In terms of what we're doing today, we'll be inside again, playing in the dome, working
inside. It's a concentration on third down with some review of the things that we did
yesterday. I thought that overall yesterday was a productive day for us. It's a little bit
harder coming off a Monday night game. It's less rest for the guys, but I thought they did
a nice job with it."

(On John St. Clair not practicing yesterday)- "He should participate today."

(On if Heiden's injury is a function of him coming back from his knee injury too
soon)- "No, I don't think it was a function of that. It was getting the injury on Monday
night and the amount of time that it would take to rehab that. He was still continuing to
maintain and work through the previous injury. The combination of the two just didn't
seem, from a time perspective, that he'd be ready to play at the level that he'd want to be
able to play at and we'd want him to be able to play at in time to really continue to help us
this season."

(On if this injury is something Heiden might not want to come back from)- "No, not
at all. I think if anything he's disappointed that it went the way that it did. He's worked
incredibly hard to play this season and he'll work equally as hard this offseason to get
back. I anticipate him being ready to go for next season."

(On if he would want Heiden back next year)- "I really like Steve. I think that he's a
good blocker. He's a reliable receiver. He is a good teammate. I enjoy working with Steve
and coaching Steve. I think that he's got a lot of football left in him."

(On if the kicker's injuries are an accumulation of wear and tear from not having
other kickers in training camp)- "No, I don't think that's the case at all. I've been in a lot
of training camps where you've only had the two kickers that you go into the season with.
Sometimes those things happen. We had Mike Nugent last year where he just stepped
wrong in the first game of the season and ended up hurting himself. Sometimes it's just
how the plant foot comes down or a little bit of a twist. It's such a specific skill set that
sometimes those things happen."

(On if surgery is possible for Zastudil)- "I don't think that it's been ruled out. I think
we'll just see where we are here. I'd say it's definitely a possibility."

(On if he regrets trading Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards)- "When you make
the decisions, you make the decision that you think are best. I think that we've had plenty
of opportunities to score. I think we've had plenty of opportunities to move the football. I
don't think those opportunities will go away. There have been a lot of different reasons
why it hasn't happened, but the important thing is addressing those and getting those
fixed."

(On how he judges the wide receiver's progress)- "It has to continue to improve. [We]
added a receiver. Chansi (Stuckey), we just thought that it would be better for this game,
with him missing practice last week, to be one of the inactives. He's part of that
competition as well. We'll see which combination of guys is the best each game."
(On if he can tell how much not having Edwards opposite Mohamed Massaquoi has
affected Massaquoi's production)- "I don't know if you can specifically point to how
the coverages would change or not change. Every team is different. Some teams you face,
the coverage is what the coverage is. That's the system they run. Other teams will push
the coverage. It just depends week in and week out. He'll continue to have opportunities
and I expect him to improve the production as we go."

(On if he thinks they can capitalize on the Lions' defense and score)- "Yes, you go
into every game with things that you feel you can capitalize on. That really wasn't
different the last game or the game before. It's much more executing the game plan,
seeing the coverages that you're getting, being about to go the places that you want to go
to with the ball and then if the plan you have isn't dictating the coverages you expected or
the things that you expected, being able to adjust and address it during the game."

(On if he gets a better idea of where the team is when they play a team like the
Lions)- "I feel like there are a lot of things each week that you can look at and see, get a
sense of your level of improvement, or the progress or your effectiveness. In terms of
playing the Ravens this past time, I thought the defense played significantly better than
what we did in the first game. I don't know how many drives they had of over 40 or 50
yards in that first game and weren't very effective in disrupting (Joe) Flacco at all. [We]
didn't do a very good job against the running game. There weren't a lot of positives
coming out of that game, but I thought that defensively this game, there were a lot of
positives against a good offense with really the same people, from the Baltimore
perspective, that played against us the first time we played them. I thought on special
teams we could have done a better job this past week then we did and I was looking for
that. That's a good special teams group they have in Baltimore, but I think we have a
good group as well. We missed some opportunities during the game that I think could
have helped us. Offensively, I think there were some things that we did in terms of the no
huddle, the formationing and items like that that did help us, just didn't help us enough."

(On Kaluka Maiava)- "As he gets more and more comfortable with playing inside, with
understanding the defense, and this was true when I met him at USC. He had a really
outstanding feel for the things that they were doing there. He could explain all the
different adjustments and he had been in that system for quite some time. With a rookie
coming to a new system, playing a new position, and when I say that, he was a weak side
linebacker there, but it wasn't in the 3-4, it was in more of a 4-3 type system. It takes
time. He's worked at it. He's gotten more and more reps. He's gotten more and more
opportunities. I would expect as he keeps a deeper understanding each week, he'll
continue to improve."

(On how they find players like Chris Jennings)- "There's a lot of different ways. Some
people have connections to either coaches or front office people in those leagues
[Canadian Football League], when the arena league was operating, connections there.
You track those leagues. With the new football leagues that are coming out, you'll track
those leagues. It's the same thing with Kurt Warner."
(On who in the organization is responsible for finding Jennings)- "Sometimes, Tony
(Grossi), with that the connection may not be in pro personnel. It may be a college scout
who has a good connection to the Canadian league. You try to draw information from
everybody in the building. You don't know necessarily who's going to find out about a
player, but we always want people to share their information and then you research it and
look into it further."

(On if pass protection is the main reason Jerome Harrison is not getting more
playing time)- "He played last week. He played primarily on third down and there was
quite a bit of protection required there. He's played on first and second down. You have
three running backs and you're distributing the reps. [We] wanted to take a look at Chris,
because I think he's earned a look based on the things that he's done and that was
something that we did this past week. If he continues to progress in practice I think that
will continue to be the case. It's one play, three guys and it's spread out differently."

(On Brandon McDonald getting beat by Derrick Mason)- "Derrick Mason, he beats a
lot of people. That pass play, Brandon was supposed to have help. That was part of the
miscommunication. I don't think he was alone on that play by any stretch. As a
cornerback you go through different challenges during the course of the season. The
important thing is to be resilient and really identify the things you have to fix. Ty Law
could get beat, come right back and no big deal, go at it the same way, but he'd work to
fix the things that he had to fix. Being out there at corner, too, when you get beat or have
a breakdown, everybody knows. It's usually a big play. There's times where the defensive
linemen may get beat four or five times, it's three or four yards, nobody really notices in
the pile up, but out there, you're on your own often."

(On the type of season McDonald is having)- "I think there's been some times where
he's played really well and some times where he's had some plays that he'd want back and
we'd want back. The thing with Brandon though, he is a very competitive guy. He's
competitive in practice. He's competitive in the games. It's a function of improving the
areas you have to improve in."

(On if Monday night's game was Shaun Rogers' best game of the season)- "I don't
know if it was his best game. I think he's played well in all the games. What I like about
Shaun is, they score that first touchdown, I think it as the first one, first or second one, I
can't remember, [he] goes and blocks the extra point. It's easy for a big guy on PAT, field
goal block to go push. You're doing your job and you're pushing, but you're not really
getting anything done. Shaun gets something done there. There are a lot of plays like that.
He pursues well to the football. Again, at 360 [pounds] that's not easy to do. It's a lot
easier to do it at 190 [pounds]. His motor runs high. He can be disruptive in both the 3-4
and when we play him offset or in sub."

(On if Rogers' motor was a question for him when he got here)- "It really wasn't,
because in watching the game tape form last season you saw the motor on tape where he's
running the football. That was what I based my initial impression off of, as opposed to
things being said one way or the other."
(On how well he got to know Matthew Stafford before the draft)- "I watched tape on
him, but in meeting with him and talking to him and interviewing him, [he is] really
bright, really bright. His control of his college offense, his understanding of his college
offense [was] outstanding. He'd go player-by-player and give everybody's assignment. He
could tell you if this happened, then this is what those 11 guys would do. If this
happened, this is what the 11 guys would do. He could answer questions by anticipating
where you're going next. There were times where we were going to ask a question and he
was already starting to answer it. I'm sure he's getting that same feel for what they're
trying to do in Detroit. Each week he'll improve. He has good ability to deliver the
football. He's made some mistakes, but that's not uncommon. He's made some plays on
the move. There was a really nice roll out play against Minnesota. It wasn't complete but
throwing to his left on a rope in the end zone on a read out by the receiver, I thought it
was pretty indicative of some of the things he can do with his arm."

(On the reasons Stafford's production is low)- "I think you were right, there's a lot of
different reasons why that could be what it is. Interceptions I know affect passer rating
quite a bit and he's had some of those. There's been a lot of good throws on tape. There's
been some tight throws in cover two, in between the corner and safety, some nice throws
on the fade ball, does a good job with the outs to the tight ends and slot receivers. There
are a lot of good plays on tape."

(On if he anticipated the struggles the team would face)- "The thing, to me, that is
most under our control and most important is to not have the turnovers. Nothing affects
outcome bigger than give-away, take-away ratio. There's been a bunch of times where
we've been on the negative side of that. It affects outcomes. It affects production. It stops
drives, all those things. That's something that I think we should be better at and you have
to be better at. You have to. The differential in points based on turnovers is significant.
It's hard to win that way."

(On if he thinks if they could improve the turnover ratio that it would positively
affect everything else)- "Yes, turnover ratio dramatically affects outcome. It always has
and it always will. The difference between an even game, a minus one, a minus two, a
minus three, the winning percentage is dramatic."

(On Detroit's secondary)- "They've played some different combinations. Another guy
that's been fun to watch is (Louis) Delmas. I met with him quite a bit before the draft. [He
is a] really good kid, very tough, big hits on tape in college, bit hits in pro football. I think
he's going go to have a really productive long career."

(On why Anthony Henry did not play last week)- "I'm not sure exactly how they
finally got to the outcome they got to."

(On if Joshua Cribbs is going to practice today)- "Yes he is."

(On Robaire Smith)- "Robaire has been outstanding. Robaire has really been
outstanding, not just in terms of his play, but the things that he does in the [class] room.
He's a guy that will have a coverage, it's called an AFC, automatic front and coverage,
based on formations. There may be 10, 12 checks based on all the formations. For him, it
changes some, but usually the defensive linemen are given the call by the linebacker,
which way to go, directional call. He's the type of guy where you can say in a meeting,
‘We're going to go through this AFC,' and he'll nail 13 in a row. He'll know what the
coverage is, what the check is. That's a great example to the young guys. It's him
understanding his job, but him understanding the whole defense and what we're trying to
get done with each defense and why. His play, I think, has been really good, stout against
the run, aggressive, physical, good finish. I've been extremely happy with him."

(On if the defensive line had the best game of the season against Baltimore)- "They
played well against Baltimore. I think there have been a lot of games where they've
played well. I think it's a pretty stout group, with Kenyon (Coleman) on the left and
Robaire on the right, Baby (Shaun Rogers) inside, bring in (Ahtyba) Rubin or C.J.
(Mosley) or Corey (Williams). I think all those guys have done a nice job in the different
roles that they've had."

Mangini press conf. 11/20

11.20.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 11-20-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? Just a little news,
without having the two defensive captains, with both of those guys being on IR, just had
the defense yesterday vote for a replacement captain. [They] pretty strongly endorsed
David Bowens so he will be serving as the defensive captain through the rest of the
season. I personally feel it's a really good choice. He's a guy that I've known for a while.
He's played multiple positions and he's played them all well. He's always been someone
that whatever you ask him to do, he is going to do it [and] he is going to do it to the best
of his ability. He's going to try to make those around him better. I think as you've seen
over the last couple games, with him playing inside, the level of communication. I think
Eric (Barton) did a great job with communication and D'Qwell (Jackson). Going from an
outside linebacker to an inside linebacker, being responsible for the huddle, being
responsible for making all of the checks with the front seven, that's not easy. I think he's
done it really well. Another strength of his is the mentoring of younger players and just
his overall approach to each game, to each day. I was happy with that. Today we will
continue to work inside in preparation, obviously, for playing the first game inside this
season. [We are] really on our typical preparation path, [there's] no strong variation
there."

(On David Bowens playing only 20 percent of the snaps early in his career)- "I'd say
that 20, I would imagine, that was the minimum for him. You are always trying to find
good roles for him if he wasn't going to be the starter. He always had a period in the
game where he may go in for two or three series as outside linebacker, he may come in
two or three series at inside linebacker. He'd have a designated role in dime defense
where he was in each series for that. He worked on the goal line and that position
flexibility, I would imagine, probably came to 20 or well over 20 plays a game."

(On explaining why Bowens doesn't have many career starts but has had a long
career)- "I completely understand why he's played as long as he has. He's got a great
approach in season. He's got a great approach during the offseason. He is really smart, so
he can fit into any system. He's a great guy. He's got toughness. He can rush the passer.
He can do a lot of things. The longevity part I completely understand. Why he didn't play
more early on? That I am not sure of. I would have loved to have him. I love having him
now. I would have loved to have him earlier on."

(On if playing indoors can help get the passing game going)- "I am always hoping that
is going to be the case, where we can get the passing game rolling. Playing indoors, you
are guaranteed good weather, which usually helps. Although I don't think we have had
very many games where the weather hasn't been good. It's pretty unique from my
experience with being in Cleveland. [We've had] pretty amazing weather so far."

(On if Joshua Cribbs can return to all of his roles on Sunday)- "I anticipate Josh
playing all of the roles he normally plays this week."

(On if he and Jim Schwartz learned about ‘the processes' from Bill Belichick)- "I
think the process part is just the reality. I think it's a reality. I think Jim's had a lot of
experience. He's coached a long time. He's seen a lot of different things. He's been part of
some really good teams. You might lose some guys in free agency, you might have to
kind of start over, based on whether it's the cap or the draft or whatever it is and you go
through that cycle. Even though he was with one team for a long time I am sure, I am not
sure when it happened, but the ups and downs where you go through a year and you have
to take that approach. He is a really smart guy."

(On what he remembers most about Schwartz from their days with the Browns)- "I
remember, I'd say smart is one of the things and a great worker. He's got a great work
ethic. He is constantly looking for innovative ways to do things. There's a lot of analysis,
I forget what it was, he was using regression formulas for a while to evaluate tendencies.
Was he a math major at Georgetown? He might have been. I'd probably have to bring
somebody in to help me with that part of it, but I think he was able to do it himself."

(On his relationship with Shaun Rogers)- "Shaun and I get along really well. It's been
fun getting to know him. With the Halloween party and seeing him with his daughter, I
had my kids there and we were talking about that. We were talking this morning, our
wives both were working at a homeless shelter the other day together, and just sharing
some of those experiences. [It is] fun to see some of the guys that you only see in this
environment, typically, with their kids. It's nice to be able to take a step back and just
enjoy each other's company from that perspective. There are a lot of good conversations
we've had. He's been a good guy to get to know."
(On if Rogers dressed up for the Halloween party)- "No, he didn't dress up for that
Halloween party. It's funny watching him chase around a little one. I'm used to him
chasing around big ones."

(On the right side of the offensive line)- "Really, at the guard spot, it's been more than
two guys because you've had Hank (Fraley) in there for a bit, Rex (Hadnot), Floyd
(Womack). [We] went through a tough spot there, Rex got hurt during camp and then
Floyd got hurt early in the season and both guys, I think, were doing a lot of good things.
They're moving a little bit past the injuries. Each week it gets better. There has been some
changes in there at different points, which goes back to why you work those guys in a lot
of different spots, because you don't know who's going to be there and when someone's
going to have to step in and fill the role. I think John's (St. Clair) had some good games. I
think there have been some games where there have been some struggles. He's very
consistent in the way that he approaches things and all three of those guys are."

(On if the injuries on the offensive line caused any problems in developing
chemistry)- "The good thing is that they had all worked in there and they had worked in
different spots. Hank had been in there. John had worked in there a little bit, but he's been
out at right tackle. Floyd's been in there. Rex is in there. All those guys had worked with
the other offensive linemen, so that's been a positive because it wasn't the first time that
they had worked with Floyd or Hank or any of those guys. When you miss time with an
injury and you come back, it does take a while to come back and get in the flow. I
thought Rex was having a good camp and then Floyd got dinged early on. They're both
back, but it takes a little while."

(On it seeming like Jerome Harrison is upset)- "In terms of that, you have to talk to
him. Anything that he wants to talk about, he can come talk with me at any point, just
like all these guys can. When you have three running backs, and I think really with Chris
Jennings, Chris has done a nice job. Chris has really worked hard to create opportunities
for himself. Unfortunately there's only one running back. It's not like some other
positions where you can play multiple guys at the same time. You can create some
packages like that, but there's one. You have certain things that you like Jamal (Lewis) to
do. You have certain things that Jerome does. You have certain things that you want to
see Chris do. Try to build in the flexibly so that they all can work in each of the roles if
they have to."

(On if he watched the Miami at Carolina game last night)- "No, I don't even know
who won."

(On the plusses and minuses of kicking a 45-yard field goal versus going for it on
fourth-and-three)- "I think there's a lot of factors. I'm sure they talked to the special
teams coach, talked about the range, talked about the comfort level there. You get the
field goal blocked and it's a tie game. You miss the field goal, it's from the spot of where
the field goal was kicked. Fourth-and-three, you look at the percentage of conversion
rate. We actually did a whole study on if you're kicking form this yard line versus a
fourth down and one, two, three, four, five. Percentage of kicking the field goal and
making it, percentage of converting the fourth down to a first down and kind of look at it
like you would any other stats. Some of the other part comes in how comfortable do you
feel with that play that you have, because that's a ‘gotta have it' play. Do you feel really
good about it? What do you feel about what they're going to do? There's a host of
decisions there. You go for that fourth down and you make it and it's great. You kick the
field goal, you make it, it's great. Field goal get's blocked, it's really bad. Miss the fourth
down conversion, they score, it's bad."

(On Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on fourth-and-two from his own 28-yard
line)- "I think that Bill's made a lot of great calls. I don't question that call at all. I've been
a part of enough of those games with Peyton Manning where he gets the ball, good things
usually happen. I think they walked down the field the drive before. You have Tom
Brady and that offense, that's pretty high percentage football."

(On if he sees a negative message being sent to the Patriots' defense with Belichick's
decision)- "No, I see a really positive message being sent to the Patriots offense. We trust
you to get this. You take some chances. Everybody's seen Peyton Manning do what
Peyton Manning does each week. In the Tampa Bay game, down 25 points with whatever
it was, five, six minutes and they went into overtime. We played him in New York one
time. We were up by four with 1:50 left. We have to kick off. Maybe you should have
onside kicked, get the ball back, they didn't have any timeouts. If you don't get it back,
blitz. He's special in that situation. We played him in Indy, we ended up winning .Willie
McGinest came off the edge and tacked the guy on the one yard line, but that was another
one where we were up and now we're sitting on the goal line. Not a great feeling,
especially in Indy. It's like a track meet."

(On if Joshua Cribbs' recovery seems amazing after how bad it looked)- "I really do
think the things that they did were precautionary. You would want them to do that with
any player anytime there's a chance that it could be something more. We had the tests
done that night. They were all negative. I think the medical staff did a really good job of
making sure every possible step was taken to be right."

Mangini press conf. 11/25

11.25.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 11-25 -09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? A couple things in
getting ready for the Bengals, I thought that the first time we played them, I really liked
the way we played that game. I thought that was the first time that we played the style of
football that we're looking to play. It was a game where they got up early, we were down
14-0, [we were] able to come back, at different points it didn't look very good. Baby
[Shaun Rogers] blocking the extra point and then going into overtime. [It was] obviously
a difficult loss, but I liked our approach. I liked the way we dealt with adversity, all those
things were positive. I think the one thing you see with Cincinnati, as well, is they've
dealt with tough situations throughout the season and [have] been very resilient and won
some tough games. [They are] 7-3 now, they lead the division. Outside of a fluke play
against Denver, [they] really should be 8-2. As you look at them defensively, really
collectively, but defensively, when they've been able to force turnovers and the offense
has been able to protect the ball, Marvin's (Lewis) winning percentage is impressive. It's
close to .900 percent. That's been his trademark. That was something that he's always
been very successful at doing, is creating turnovers, whether it was here, whether it was
in Baltimore, where ever he's been they've done that. They got a couple against us. They
got one in the end zone right in the end zone. They had the one where they stripped the
ball out and returned it for a touchdown. Last game we did a much better job protecting
the football and that's something that we're going to have to do, as well, this weekend. In
the running game they're able to penetrate and create some negative runs. They have
some pressure packages like we see each week and they'll change them up a little bit and
we'll have to deal with that.

"Offensively, (Chad) Ochocinco is as dangerous as ever. Laveranues Coles is a guy I've

talked about before, know really well, I think he's made some really nice contributions.
[He is a] tough guy, great competitor, great teammate. Andre Caldwell, right on down the
line, they have some weapons in the passing game and the running game with the
emergence of Bernard Scott and the addition of Larry Johnson. We have our hands full
there and I don't think we did a good enough job in the running game last game. They
average close to 5.1 yards a carry. In the return game, (Bernard) Scott's handling some of
that. He had that impressive return against Pittsburgh. Caldwell, he's been dangerous and
then with Quan Cosby, he does some nice things in the punt return games. It will be a
challenge for us on special teams. I thought we did a nice job last time we played them on
special teams, but it will have to be at the same level, if not better, to achieve anywhere
near the same results."

(On if he has spoken with Jim Schwartz)- "Yes, I talked to Jim for a while. We cleared
the air. I like Jim. We've always had a good relationship so we talked through that. The
bottom line is we didn't do enough to win the game. Jim and I are fine."

(On if he will use Jerome Harrison at Cincinnati)- "Jerome is live for every game. All
three of those backs are. I had a good conversation with Jerome last week. I anticipate
him having a good week of practice. Chris Jennings has done some good things. It's a
nice situation with those guys being as competitive as they are. I could see a situation
where all three backs are up. We'll see how the week goes from a special teams
perspective, from a numbers perspective, but I could see all three of those guys being up
or Jerome being up and Chris being down. It just depends on how it goes."

(On if Harrison seemed disappointed about not being part of the game plan lately)-
"That's the nice thing about any conversation is you can go through and talk about some
of the things that you can do better, some of the things I'm looking for, some of his
expectations and just have a very clear vision of what you have to do collectively, my
expectations, his expectations and what he has to do to be active. I thought it was a good
talk. You like to do that anytime that a guy has a question."

(On if it was disappointing to not have Brian Robiskie and David Veikune active at
Detroit)- "I don't really look at it that way. I look at it as bringing the guys that do the
best job during that week and give us the best chance to win. Marcus Benard was active
and that's positive. Here's a guy that's worked his way up and made a case for himself and
had a chance to play. Chansi Stuckey had been hurt the week before, he was down. He
was back. I thought he had a good week of practice and goes out, has several key
receptions during the game, so that's positive as well. It's no different for those two guys
either. They're live all during the week. Whoever makes the best case during practice will
be up and how they fit in the [special] teams game will play a role as well."

(On Robaire Smith's season)- "He's had an outstanding season. He's as tough as I've
been around, really physical. You almost have to slow him down in practice against the
scout team, just because he is so physical, he is so competitive. [He is a] really bright
guy. Learns his job, learns the concepts of the whole defense. I really like him. [He has a]
great personality, pretty funny guy. I'm happy he's here."

(On if Smith's return from his Achilles injury is remarkable)- "I hadn't looked at it
that way, Mary Kay (Cabot). [I know] coming in, he had had the surgery, he was
rehabbing. Just by judging from his rehab and those things, it looked really positive in
terms of his approach and the progress he was making and even the early part of practices
and things. He's a pro. He goes out every day. He works. It doesn't matter what the drill
is. It could be a drill that they're running during special teams, he's doing the best he can
at it. That's why he's played as long as he has. You love to be able to point at guys like
that and say, ‘You want to know how to play eight years, 10 years, however many years?
Just watch him. Watch his approach. Watch the way that he studies. Emulate that and you
have the best chance to reach your potential.'"

(On if he thinks the offense turned the corner)- "What I was really happy with, Tony
(Grossi), is the plays that were there to be made, we made them. We worked on the no
huddle and have gotten better at that. The protection, I thought Brady (Quinn) and Alex
Mack and the whole group did a nice job with identifying the different looks, and they
had a lot of different looks, and getting the protection where it needs to get to. It was a
nice use of different tools by Brady and the receivers and taking advantage of some of the
things they gave us. Those are all things that we've talked about through the course of the
season. Those are all things that we've done, we just haven't done them to our capacity.
To see that, I was encouraged. I think they were all encouraged. You don't want to be like
a one hit wonder. You have to go out and do it the next week."

(On if he should expect a new level of offense by this point in the season)- "I expect it
every week. To me it's not, ‘We should really be clicking by Week 11,' you want to see
that each week. The other key thing was no turnovers. [There is a] huge, huge difference
in what can happen offensively when you don't turn the ball over. [There were] very
limited balls that were catchable and dropped. [There were] very limited misses on
throws that were makeable. You start chipping away at those things, those self-inflicted
wounds, where you're stopping yourself and now you're going to move the ball."

(On if the game plan was for Brady Quinn to use the pump fake or if it was
instinctive)- "You try to incorporate that anytime you're throwing deep balls because you
want to be able to hold the safety, so if you're going to you're to the right you want to be
able to try to hold them to keep them out of the mix. I think it's something that maybe we
did a little bit more last week, but it's part of the program each week."

(On why they waited until Quinn got back in to emphasize the no huddle)- "I've
always really liked it. There are plusses and minuses to both ways of doing it. If you're
stationary, you can usually anticipate what the coverage is more often than not. You can
see different looks. You can really key in on certain things and you see that with the New
England system, the Indianapolis system. That's one approach, the stationary read and go.
The other approach is the no huddle, which can force them to declare quicker. There may
be some things with shifting and motioning, where you don't have as clean a read, but
you get an advantage in terms of their adjustments aren't as clean. They can't get to what
they want to get to as quickly as they'd like to get to it. I took both approaches. [My] first
year in New York we ran no huddle every snap of the whole season and then [at]
different points throughout the next two years [we] did the same thing. I like it."

(On if when they made the quarterback change is when they went to the no huddle)-
"We practiced it each week with D.A. (Derek Anderson) and that was still part of the
offense. [We] just moved to it a little bit more with the bye week where we had some
time to look at it and discuss it. It might have been more a function of that than anything
else, being able to take a step back and look at it and evaluate it."

(On if Robiskie's production is not what he expected)- "[I have had] just so many
experiences with young guys where they hit at different times. Some guys hit really
quickly. Some guys it takes a while. David Harris didn't start right away in New York,
then got an opportunity to play and did a nice job, but he wasn't ready to start even
though he was talented, even though he did some good things, he just wasn't ready to
assume that role and that's a guy that's played inside linebacker his whole career and is a
really bright, hard working guy that cared. [He] just wasn't ready at that point. Some
other guys are able to step in right away and be really effective. Some guys it takes a year
or so. David Givens, when we first had him in New England, [he had] a lot of dropped
balls initially. He just kept working at it and ended up doing really nice things, but he
wasn't ready at that point."

(On fans thinking it was lame to blame the loss at Detroit on the Lions' injuries)- "In
terms of those things, it wasn't like I was trying to shy away from accountability because
at the end of the way we're accountable for losing the game and for not making enough
plays. That's me, that's the coaches, that's the players. That's what it was. I think I was
frustrated with the situation and probably expressed that more than I probably should
have, but at the end of the way we're responsible for it. We had plenty of opportunities to
win the game and we didn't. That wasn't good enough. I think that as we move forward,
what I'm looking for is for us to be able to play complementary football. We've shown
what we can do offensively. When we don't turn the ball over, when we don't have self-
inflicted wounds, we can move it effectively. We've shown what we can do defensively.
[There have been] different points throughout the year where that's been very effective.
On special teams it's the same thing, but we have to put all three together and play
complementary football. Game in and game out you have to play with the game intensity
game in and game out. You see signs of it, but it has to be consistent. It's something that
we're committed to. It's something that work is ongoing. You feel like you learn some
things each game as a team, as a unit, as a staff and you try to take that learning and apply
it to the next game. As this process goes on, [I'm] looking to see continued progress.
Everybody's committed to it. Everybody's frustrated with where we are. Everybody's
determined to fix it. That's what we do each day, work as hard as we possibly can to give
the fans what they deserve, which is a consistent winning team that plays at a high level
all the time. That's what we're committed to, that I'm committed to, that's what the caches
are committed to, that's what the players are committed to and that's what the
organization is committed to and that's not going to change and they deserve it. They
deserve it. We're going to work as hard as possible and as diligently as possible to make
sure that happens. That's ongoing and there's no lack of resolve by anybody here."

(On why Robiskie and Veikune have not played much)- "Robiskie has played quite a
bit the games he's been active. I'm not sure his exact play time numbers. His production,
that needs to improve. There's no doubt about it. He realizes that and that's something that
he's working at. Each week we have to make decisions. We have 53 guys and we can
only take 45. Some of those decisions are based on special teams and who can give us the
value there. When you're in that situation it starts there for you. You have to make a
contribution there. When you get your opportunities on offense and defense you have to
make them count."

(On Josh McDaniels' trash talking with opposing players before his game and if
players have tried to get him started during pre-game warm ups)- "I don't know what
happened with Josh out there. No, not really. I can't remember and even if that was the
case, you have a game to play so you just focus on that."

(On if any players have tried to engage in trash talk with him before a game)- "I
don't remember that happening. That's my personal experience. Like I said, I'm not sure
what Josh's experience was."

(On if the Lions having the last ranked defense affects how he looks at the offense's
performance against them)- "What I really look at, and I know it's hard to see because
the production hasn't been there offensively, I look at the different opportunities where
we had a chance to move the ball throughout the course of the season and there's been
plenty of them. We turn the ball over or we drop a pass, whatever it is, those were against
defenses that were ranked differently then where Detroit may have been. The execution,
to me, is what I looked at and what I was really encouraged by."
(On if the game against Cincinnati has been their best game of the season)- "We
didn't win, but I was really happy with the way that we approached the game. I was really
happy with the resilience of the group and it didn't matter what happened in the game, we
fought the same level. They had that chance to kick the extra point and to block that, I
thought that was outstanding. There were different times in overtime where they had
chances and we were able to stop them. I'd say from an approach perspective, I really
liked that. I think there have been times throughout the course of the season where there
have been some really good things, but putting it together is what we have to do."

(On if he thinks Chris Jennings can be a featured back in the is league)- "It's really,
really early for that. He's young. He's inexperienced. He's enthusiastic, which is all
encouraging. He's made some nice plays. He had a nice play against Cincinnati where he
was almost caught in the backfield and picked up eight yards. That feature back role, that
takes some time and there's a lot of things to it that you have to do. He is chipping away
at establishing a role which I've been happy with. He's come a long, long way from when
we first got him. [I'm] looking forward to him to just keep moving along that path."

Mangini press conf. 11/27

11.27.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 11-27-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? Did everybody
have a good Thanksgiving? [Mine] was great, hung out with the boys. My sister's here
from out of town. My brother-in-law just got in. Some guys from the building that didn't
have family in town came over, so we had a good group. [We] hung out a lot. [My]
back's a little sore from picking up the kids. My three year old wanted to wrestle a lot. It
was good stuff.

"Yesterday we didn't have the afternoon meetings, so we just pushed things a little bit
back today just to make sure that we got the tape covered from yesterday and still have a
similar amount of time for installation, game planning and things like that. That's why we
had the later start. I should have got you [the media] those times. I thought I did, but I
didn't. You saw that we claimed Matt Roth off waivers. He was assigned to us. Matt's a
guy that came into his own, I thought, last year as an outside linebacker. It was the first
time that he had really played that role. [He is] a tough guy. He was, I think, a two-time
wrestling champ in high school. You like those guys with the wrestling backgrounds
because they understand leverage. They understand hand placement and things like that.
He was tough to handle whenever we faced him in New York. It's good to have him here.
We'll see how quickly he is able to get all the information and that will determine how
big of a role he has at the game on Sunday.
"In terms of today, the other interesting thing this morning, we had a lot of guys that have
never driven in snow, never dealt with snow. I think they're in a little state of shock.
November was the third best ever. I kept telling them, ‘Look, it's going to snow.' And
every day we'd come out and it's beautiful. They're getting used to that. I think Mohamed
(Massaquoi) went and bought some Timberland's, his first winter jacket, all that stuff. It's
like, ‘Get used to it, buddy. This is the beginning.' We will roll through, do our standard
Friday prep. Like I said, the only real difference between today and yesterday was just
cutting off some time in the afternoon to get them home with their families and putting a
little bit of time here on the front end to make sure we cover everything we need to
cover."

(On if Miami was trying to move Roth to defensive end)- "I didn't really get into that
with Matt at all. I just know that when we faced him he was impressive, I thought, in the
preseason last year and he hadn't played in any regular season games at outside
linebacker to that point. Talking about him, they had Joey Porter on the other side, they
had him on this side, he did a really good job of collapsing the pocket. [He is] a strong,
physical guy. I don't know what he had against us. I think he had a couple sacks. He's
tough to deal with from that perspective."

(On why Roth only played four games this year)- "Again, I didn't get too deep into that
with him. Things change sometimes year-to-year. Situations change year-to-year. I don't
know what exactly happened. For me, it was more a function of seeing him as an outside
linebacker in, not in exactly the same system, they play a little bit more gapped down
guys than we do, but he was playing the outside linebacker spot there which is a
relatively close comparison."

(On the odds of Roth being able to step in and play right away)- "That's a good
question. He's spending a lot of time with Matt Eberflus, extra time, to try to get ready.
[We are] giving him reps in practice. It is hard to come to a new place to pick up all the
terminology, even though it may be the same concept it's just translating it into what you
know takes some time. Hopefully, with his background and not being a rookie, that'll go
quicker."

(On if seeing a former second round draft pick and starter on the waiver wire
makes him think the player can have a significant role in future years)- "Yes, you
look at all those opportunities that come up and you try to think both short term, ‘How
could they help us right now?' and what's their contract status. Do you have them for a
couple years? Is it something that you'd have to deal with directly after the season? The
nice thing about claiming guys or bringing guys in, even if it's just to learn about them,
it's valuable because you see them in meeting rooms, you see them on the practice field.
It's so different then when you are drafting, because you don't get the same exposure. You
don't get the same contact."

(On if Jason Trusnik could move more to inside linebacker with the addition of
Roth)- "Jason has to work both inside and outside now. He has been backing up David
(Bowens), Kaluka (Maiava). He played inside there before, not in games, but he has
worked inside before. I think if anything, it gives you a little more flexibility as to what
you can or will do."

(On how the team has changed since playing Cincinnati the first time)- "We had
D'Qwell (Jackson). We had Eric (Barton). We had Steve (Heiden). We had Dave
(Zastudil). We've lost some guys that played key roles in that game. All that being said,
we've had other guys that have stepped in and done a nice job. I think on both sides of the
ball we've done some different things, whether it be the no huddle or shifting and
motioning, some of the things defensively in terms of our approach to different
formations, but they've done some different things as well. It evolves throughout the
season. The funny thing about your season is you go in with a plan of how you're going
to play it and often times something else hits and then you stay with that and an area that
you weren't going to emphasize becomes a huge part of what you do. Typically in the
offseason you really like that stuff, you think, ‘We're going to build off this,' and the next
season something else hits. It's like a lot of the diamond fronts, the bear fronts, the 4-6
stuff, we had never really done that in New England until we played, the week of
Thanksgiving, against Atlanta, put a bunch of that stuff in, had eight sacks, then that
evolved over time and it became part of our package. We hadn't been playing much cover
two in 2001 and Tampa [Bay], I think had won the Super Bowl or Tampa been pretty
dominant defensively, so we incorporated some of that against Indy [Indianapolis] the
second or third game, we won like 40-something to 14 and that became a big part of [our
defense]. It was a different type of cover two then the typical Giants cover two, because
they played a ton of that in New York when Bill (Parcells) and Bill (Belichick) were
there. We just changed it. It was a different approach, it was more of an eight man drop
and that evolved. Sometimes you go back to the playbook and say, ‘That was a great
concept. We should bring that out of the attic.'"

(On if he thinks the team is better overall than in Week 4)- "I like to think that we've
made a lot of strides in different areas. It's different because you've taken out some
players that had really significant roles. Eric Barton and D'Qwell played all the snaps
inside at that point. Eric was calling the defense. D'Qwell was helping to call the defense
and both those guys are gone now and I think David's done a nice job. Kaluka's done a
nice job. Guys have stepped in. It's hard to go apples-to-apples. They have Larry
Johnson. Some of the things that they're doing offensively have evolved because of
success they've had in different areas. It's hard to say that definitely."

(On if Cincinnati looks like a tough team)- "I was talking on the conference call, I
think one of the things that impresses me is the motor of the defense. There's a lot of guys
to the ball after every play. There's some big hits that happen down the field that aren't by
the secondary necessarily, [but] by defensive linemen chasing or the linebackers chasing
and the guy gets stood up and they come and blow him up. Even in our game, I thought it
was a good indication of how they play where Jerome [Harrison] got stood up and
somebody came around from the backside, had the awareness to get the ball out. They
make a lot of plays like that. Those are effort and awareness plays that you appreciate as
an opposing coach."
(On how you get a team to be tougher)- "You're constantly working on that. You coach
off of situations that you've been in. I thought we showed a lot of toughness in that game,
not just physically but mentally, where you're down 14-0. We had come off the, who'd
we play before, Baltimore, come off a game where we didn't respond very well to
adversity. We were down 14-0 early and come back and respond and fight. They go up,
we block the PAT. It was a lot of back and forth and that takes physical toughness, but it
also takes mental toughness to know, ‘That's a situation. So what, so what. We have a
bunch of time [to] go back and respond to it.'"

(On if he has seen ups and downs in the team's toughness this year)- "I think overall
it's consistency, is more what's been a little bit up and down for us. I thought last game
was a good example of that. Things hit, clicked offensively and we didn't do the same
things we had been doing from a technique perspective defensively and that was
disappointing. Even on special teams, I think we're a good special teams unit. I didn't
think that we played to our potential last week. That's not taking anything away from
what they [Detroit] did, but you have to go out. You can't just roll it out. Even last year in
New York, I thought we had a lousy week of practice leading up to the Denver game. At
that point we were 8-3. We went out and played exactly like we practiced. There was a
lot of hype. A lot of we were just going to roll it out there and win games, and you can't
do it, because everybody else sees what your record is. Everybody else responds. You
better play with the same intensity. You better practice with the same intensity and we
got smoked by Denver. It wasn't a surprise. That's what I said to the guys after the game.
I said, ‘Anybody shocked by this outcome? Look at how we practiced during the week.
What did you think was going to happen? [We're] going to show up and win the game
because of our record? It just doesn't work.'"

(On Chad Ochocinco)- "He didn't have a lot of yards against us, but like he usually
does, he had impact plays. He had two touchdowns. You only have to be wrong on him a
couple times and he kills you. [He has] great hands, very good intensity. The margin of
error for a guy like him or Calvin Johnson, it's so small that you drop off a little bit and it
kills you."

(On how serious Shaun Rogers' injury is)- "I think that with Shaun, Vic (Lawrence
Vickers) and Robert (Royal), I think we have a shot to see all three of them practice
today. I'll wait until we get out there to make sure, but [they've] been moving along here
throughout the course of the week. I'm sure a little turkey doesn't hurt anybody."

(On who would play inside if Rogers can't play)- "(Ahtyba) Rubin's played inside
there. Corey's (Williams) actually played a little bit at the nose position. C.J. Mosley's
played some at the nose position. Any of those guys could go in and do that."

(On if Carson Palmer's stats reinforce the need to have a franchise quarterback)-
"Everybody wants one. You're always looking for that position to play well and usually
when that position plays well, you're in every game. Like any other position, you can
continue to improve at it. I think we've had spots of good things. Last week it clicked,
now it's, can you do it the next week, can you do it the week after? Can you have those
same performances week in and week out and not be up and down? [It's a] constant
challenge. I think Brett's [Favre] playing pretty well right now and it's made a difference
for him."

(On how important these last six games are for the Brady Quinn)- "I wouldn't say
that it's just important for him. It's important for all of us. These are all opportunities,
each week to go out as a group and improve and build on the lessons of the weeks before.
Some of these lessons have been learned in a very hard fashion, but they only have value
if you take something away from them. If you don't then they're just tough losses. They're
just tough experiences. The value in anything is what do you get out of it? What do you
take away from it? How do you learn about yourself? How do you learn about your
teammates and how do you respond? Teddy Atlas, I was talking to him, he's in Russia
now training a fighter, he called me and said, ‘You have the greatest human MRI
machine in the world, because you get to see how everybody deals with adversity. You
get to see how everybody responds to difficult times,' and it's true. It's true."

(On if he still has some questions about exactly the kind of quarterback Quinn can
be)- "I think I have a very high comfort level with what I think a lot of the guys can be.
One of the things that come up often times with players and my communication with
players or talking about my approach is, I view it as, ‘This is what you can be and my job
is to push you as hard as I can to achieve that potential.' Sometimes you don't even know
how good you can be. Sometimes you don't even know what your potential is because
you frame of reference is college or your frame of reference is limited, but it's my job to
make sure that you reach that potential, whatever it is. Whatever bar it is, I have to make
sure that you reach that and collectively that we reach that. Sometimes it's through
positive reinforcement. Sometimes it's through pushing. Sometimes it's through different
approaches, but that's what I am committed to doing, is to make sure that guys achieve
their potential."

(On where he thinks Quinn's potential is)- "You saw a lot of elements of it last week,
where [there were] just some really smart decisions. You come out. You see the
formation. You see that we're outnumbered in the running game and you throw a quick
look pass to the receiver. It's not on a script. It's not necessarily a part of the call, but you
know that's something that you can do to respond to a situation that's not very good. If the
protection doesn't look very good over here we're going to get hit. We're going to have to
throw it quick. Being able to change the protection to get that picked up to allow the route
to develop, hitting some of those deep balls that we hit, all those things are things you
see. Now it's, can we do them on a week in and week out basis, which I believe we can,
but we have to actually do it."

(On if he is confident the team is over the loss at Detroit)- "Yes, and that's another part
of the process, is learning how to not dwell on the past, but to learn from the past and not
to look too far in the future. That's a tough skill to learn, because you're surrounded by
revisiting what happened and they're always talk about two, three weeks down the road or
whatever it is. It's hard to always be in the moment, but the best chance you have to be
successful is to be in the moment. It takes discipline. It's a learned skill, I think, like
anything else."

Mangini press conf. 11/30

11.30.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 11-30-09

(Opening statement)- "A couple updates from the game, in terms of Big Baby (Shaun
Rogers), he is going to be going on IR, so not very good news there. With the other three
players that were injured, with Brodney (Pool), he had a concussion, so we'll have to wait
and see on that. With concussions, we take that very seriously. We spent a lot of time in
New York researching that and researching the best ways to evaluate when to bring a
player back, the safest way to bring a player back. I carried those things over here and
we'll go through that process and just see where he is throughout the course of the week
and evaluate as we go. With Kenyon (Coleman) and Kam (Kamerion Wimbley), it will
be a ‘wait and see' type situation. That's going to take some time and just see where we
are during the course of the week.

"In terms of what I said to the team this morning and how I felt about the game, I thought
that we started slow. I thought we started slow in all three phases, from the opening
kickoff to the first offensive series. We did a few things in the first offensive series that I
liked, but I thought it was too slow from what we had outlined and what we wanted to get
accomplished, and the same thing defensively. I thought in the second half we played
better, had opportunities. We had opportunities throughout the course of the game, we
just didn't take advantage of them. Offensively, Cincinnati did a good job with some of
the looks that they gave us that were a little bit different. We handled most of them. Some
of them they got us on. I thought we had some opportunities for completions that we
either dropped or were missed throws and those were the things that we didn't have the
week before. I'm happy with the fact that we didn't turn the ball over. At 13-7 it's a good
situation and we just couldn't continue on the momentum that we had from the first drive.
I really felt like if we had come out better in the first half, things could have been
different."

(On where Rogers' injury is located)- "It's like his lower leg and his ankle."

(On if Rogers has anything broken)- "I don't really want to get into specifics of it."

(On if the team's record has anything to do with putting Rogers on IR)- "No, that's
never been the case with him. He is going to need surgery and this is just where he is. He
is very disappointed. He wants to be out there. It hurts. It's just unfortunate, really
unfortunate."
(On if the team's approach to concussions has been affected by the NFL's emphasis
on the injury)- "No, we've tried to be very aggressive with that in New York and here as
well. It's just one of those things that you do everything you can to make sure that you're
not putting the player at any greater risk and that you have the best information available
when you're making those decisions. It's important to us, organizationally, and it's
something we take very seriously."

(On how Pool's concussion history will be factored into his return)- "Medically, I
don't get involved with the specific parts of that, a lot of that I have to more or less allow
the lead to come from the medical staff. My emphasis and our emphasis is safety and
proper evaluation and things like that."

(On if he thinks the NFL is on the way to installing preventive practice measures
against concussions)- "I don't know all the different things that are being discussed. I
think everybody's open to whatever puts the players in the best position to avoid those
things."

(On if he thinks hits have become more violent over the past couple of years)-
"Again, I'm not sure. I remember over the course of time there being a lot of violent hits.
I think, if anything, the NFL's done a great job of really emphasizing player safety.
Sometimes you get a penalty that you might disagree with, but you understand the intent
of why they're doing it is to try to protect the players and you respect that. That's
everybody's goal. Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, understanding that injuries are a
part of the game, but trying to minimize risk wherever you can."

(On if there is a special helmet Pool can wear)- "I'm sure we have researched all those
things. We'll take the steps that we need to take. In terms of the specific helmet, I'm not
sure, but I know that anything that is out there that could possibly either be preventive or
after someone has had one give them more protection, we're all for it."

(On what the team loses when Rogers is out of the lineup)- "He's big. He's disruptive.
They have to deal with him from a game plan perspective. It's difficult from that
perspective. Coupling D'Qwell (Jackson) and Eric (Barton), really that whole interior's
changed dramatically from the start of the season. I really think that (Ahtyba) Rubin's
done a nice job throughout the whole season, the whole offseason, training camp. He's
really developing in that role and this is a great opportunity for him to continue to
develop in that role. He has done a real nice job."

(On if they will have to add defensive linemen to the roster)- "We'll look at that,
whether it's some combination of the active roster or the practice squad. [We will] kind of
see what's available, who's available, how they fit."

(On where the breakdowns in the run defense occurred at Cincinnati)- "There were a
couple different spots. With (Bernard) Scott, you have to keep him inside. You have to
keep him within the tackle box. He has excellent speed when he gets to the edge. He has
very good ability to cut. [We've] seen that on some of his kickoff returns and things like
that. I thought he did a nice job finding the crease, whether it be directly outside or in that
c-gap, the softness in the c-gap. I thought our tackling at times led to extra yards that
really shouldn't have been the case. They have a big, physical offensive line. Larry
Johnson, he's been successful for a long time and he's a good back."

(On if the offensive design for Cincinnati was short passes)- "We called vertical
passes yesterday, like we've called throughout the course of the season. Sometimes
they're there and you take a shot. Sometimes you don't have it deep and you want to get
the check down, get a positive play. Some of it's a function of protection where we
weren't able to get it to the deeper receiver because we didn't have the blitz picked up or
had to go to the hot site. They blitzed a little bit more than they had the previous game
and they had up until this point."

(On if Quinn gets rid of the ball too early sometimes)- "No, if you're outnumbered you
have to go to either the site adjust, which is the outside player or the hot, which is the
inside player because you don't have the numbers to pick it up."

(On the perception that on passes to Mohamed Massaquoi, Quinn throws to one
spot and Massaquoi is not there)- "I don't think there have been a significant number of
breakdowns in terms of what the assignment is. There's a couple times where Mohamed
was a little deep when he should have been maybe two or three yards more shallow.
[There were] a couple times where the throws weren't there. I don't think it was a
fundamental lack of understanding by the players as to what the adjustment is. That does
happen from time-to-time. That's always the goal, defensively, is to show one coverage,
change the coverage and that changes the quarterback's read, changes the route
adjustment. We're trying to do it. They're trying to do it. [We want to] force them into
post snap reads."

(On the area where Ahytba Rubin has made the most improvement this year)- "[He
is] very good with his hands and his hand placement inside of the center's chest. I think
he's gotten better at shedding the blocker and being more patient with shedding, because
you can, if the running back's starting to your right, you throw him off too early and go to
your right, he'll cut back to the void that you create. You have to be patient and know the
right time to throw the offensive player off and I think that's improved for him. His block
recognition, understanding where the double teams are going to come from, what his
reaction should be on those blocks. [Those are] all things that come with time and
experience and I think he's improved in all those areas."

(On if Brandon McDonald and Coye Francies will get more playing time if Pool is
out)- "With any of the playing time, it's got to be earned. I think that it will depend on, as
we look at San Diego, where we're going to have Mike Adams, whether he'll work back
at safety or work at corner. We've had different combinations of people working at those
different spots. Some of it's going to be a function of what we see that they're doing. With
Coye, I think he needs to keep working and establishing a role, a defined role, not that he
hasn't, but he has to make even more of a case for himself."
(On if Quinn's mis-throws when he is pressured)- "Some are a function of that. Some
are just ‘you miss.' He missed on them."

(On what can be done to work on having a higher completion percentage)- "We
constantly are working on timing and release and things like that. You continue to drill it.
You continue to get a feel for your receivers. Some are throws that he's made before and
made them easily. Sometimes you just miss some."

(On at what point in a season like this would he start to worry about losing players)-
"That's not something I'm worried about at all. This is a good group of guys. They work
hard through the course of the week. I think that the one thing that you do when you are
facing adversity is you use each opportunity to change that and that's what we have every
week. Every Sunday we have an opportunity to change the outcome. That's why I was
disappointed coming out and not playing better early in the game, because that's why we
do all the work that we do during the week. They have been consistent with that and I
haven't questioned that at any point throughout the course of the season. I don't anticipate
that being an issue throughout the rest of the season. I expect this group of guys to
maintain their commitment to change the outcome."

(On if Brian Robiskie has not been active due to effort or performance)- "This week
I thought that Jake (Allen) has had two really good weeks since he got here. Sometimes
it's a function of that. Neither one of the guys was going to play extensively on special
teams and I thought that Jake earned the opportunity. Brian's played in a lot of games.
He's had a lot of play time. He could be active again this week, but he's going to have to
go out and earn that play time. It's a unique position at receiver. Mike Furrey plays on
defense. You have Josh (Cribbs) who obviously has a dominant role on special teams. I
think Chansi's (Stuckey) doing a really nice job in the slot. Mohamed's (Massaquoi)
played well throughout the season. You're looking at either going with four receivers or
going with five and the fifth receiver you're trying to have a defined role. What packages
is he going to play in? What roles is he going to play in those packages? You have to
make those decisions throughout the course of the season. Do you bring the third tight
end? Do you bring the third running back? Do you bring the fifth wide receiver? Usually
the determining factor is what else they can do in the game."

(On if the feelings surrounding the 1995 Browns' season are similar to this season)-
"I was here in '94, too, and I saw the success that we had that year. I've been at places
where you go through transitions and been a part of that and understand that and
understand the things that go into building short term and long term. I think there are a lot
of things that take place during that process. I've been happy with the way the guys have
worked. I think that there have been some positive things throughout the course of the
year in all three phases. It's a function of us being able to collectively do that at the same
time and be able to take the lessons that you learn and apply them to the next week and
take advantage of that opportunity. That's what we're going to continue to do."

(On which offensive problem area is the easiest to fix)- "The one thing I have been
happy with the last two games is not turning the ball over. I think that's important. It's
really important. That's been good. I think that when you have the opportunity to catch
the ball, which is such a fundamental skill set and something that we work on
consistently, you have to be able to maximize those things. Those are the things that we
did do in the Detroit game and you saw the difference. I thought that we did that well at
spurts last week. I thought Mohamed made a tremendous catch going towards the tunnel
on our sideline. I thought Mike Furrey had a really nice catch. I thought guys at different
times made some really nice plays, even Greg (Estandia) on the scramble, third-and-five,
rolled back in and made the catch. Two plays earlier he really should have had a catch
and dropped it, which was right there. It was consistent concentration, looking the ball in,
tucking it away and then turning and running."

(On if he thinks catching the ball is the easiest area to fix)- "I think they're all
important. I think that we've thrown the ball, made all those throws and need to continue
to make the throws when the guy's open. From a protection perspective, there are going
to be things each game that are different. There's going to be things designed to beat the
protection, then it's a function of being able to hit the hot or the site. Three or four times
yesterday I thought Brady did an excellent job with that. In that last drive there, hitting
Chansi for a first down when it wasn't picked up. The more you do that the less likely
they are to pressure. Even the tear screen to Josh, the third down play, I think it was third-
and-14, we had blockers out there, missed the guy and he tackled Josh for no gain. They
were bringing pressure off the other side. The week before we had hit it against a
pressure look in Detroit and went for 34 yards. The difference between getting that initial
block and not is the difference between that play going for nothing or significant gain."

(On if they saw something from the Bengals defense that caused them to not use the
Wildcat at Cincinnati)- "No, not necessarily. We had certain plays up. I think you saw
the play, the direct snap to Josh, throw back to Brady. You had another third down play,
it was just designed a little bit differently. We tend to get a very specific type of
adjustment when Josh is lined up at the quarterback position, so we tried to get him the
ball a little bit different way where they couldn't get in that same front and coverage.
Even though he was hitting the same spot, essentially it's the same number of blockers,
just trying to build it a different way to take away the standard sort of front we've been
getting."

(On the reports that Charlie Weis has been fired from Notre Dame and the type of
relationship he has with Weis)- "I like Charlie. I've always liked Charlie. I worked with
him New York, then worked with him again in New England. I've been friendly and
talked since he's been at Notre Dame. I haven't heard any news one way or the other. He's
a really good football coach. I respect him a lot. That's really all I've thought about that
situation."

(On if he would look into Weis because of his relationship with Quinn)- "I really
haven't thought about any of that and don't know what Charlie's situation is. I hope he
hasn't gotten fired and I wish him the best. He's a good friend. He's a good coach. I don't
know what his status is."
(On if Pool has had any other concussions this year)- "No."

(On if there would ever be a time he would tell a player with multiple concussions to
retire) - "I think that the best thing I can do is have them listen to the people that really
understand the injuries. I don't know enough about each of the specific injuries to really
give any sort of advice as to how to treat the injury or respond to the injury. I want all the
guys to be safe and to be smart and you be supportive as well. In terms of specific advice
related to specific injuries, I think each guy has to really spend time with the doctors and
make that decision themselves."

(On if Quinn will be the starter)- "Yes, Brady will continue to start."

Mangini press conf. 12/2

12.02.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-2-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are you doing? Just getting
ready for the Chargers, pretty much whatever area you watch with this team, they've been
very successful throughout the course of the year. You look at their defense and one of
the things that you notice right off the bat is the volume of giveaways that they've been
able to create. It's a zone blitz team so they'll bring combinations of blitzers and typically
play zone behind it. It's primarily a three-deep zone, but sometimes you get a mixture of a
couple of other things and they do it from a lot of different looks. They have very
effective rushers when they do bring them, so that's going to be something that we're
going to have to deal with both in the passing game and the running game. The pressure
that they've been able to put on quarterbacks has been successful in generating sacks as
well. That's lead to some key turnovers. Really when you look at the Kansas City game,
the score was fairly lopsided and most of those are the result of turnovers that they were
able to generate. I've been happy with the way the offense has operated the last two
games and going nine games with a turnover and being able to get to the point now where
we've had two in a row here without having a turnover, so that's been something that
we've improved on. [It's] something that's going to be very important again this weekend.

"Their offense, it doesn't matter who you want to talk about, they can produce, they can
score. I think one of the things that jumps out at you, outside of (Philip) Rivers'
quarterback rating and his number of TDs to interceptions, is the volume of plays that
they've had of 16 or more yards. Almost 20 percent of all their pass plays go for 16 plus
yards. They've done a nice of protecting the football. They've done a nice job in terms of
sacks allowed. [They can] give it to either of the backs or the fullbacks and both those
guys can hurt you in the running game.

"On special teams, [they have] good coverage unties, good skill guys. Facing (Darren)
Sproles over the years, he can take it straight ahead and beat you with his speed that way
or he can change directions, go the wide field and create some problems in that area as
well. It's a challenge. It's a big challenge against a good team. The other thing that I've
really liked that they've done is not have very many penalties and I think that's helped
them as well."

(On the status of Brodney Pool)- "It's not looking very positive. I'll have more
information for you. He's definitely not going to play this weekend and there's a chance
he won't be playing again this year."

(On Kenyon Coleman and Kamerion Wimbley)- "I think we have a shot with both
those guys. We're going to have to see how the week goes and see how it plays out."

(On if Pool is around the team still)- "He's here."

(On if Pool will have to consider not playing again)- "I think with that, Tony (Grossi),
we have to first move through this part of the decision making process and get all the
information and see where we are and then you really discuss moving forward at a later
point."

(On what he will do at safety this week)- "There are a couple different options. Mike
Adams had played there quite a bit. Mike Furrey's played there quite a bit. Bubba (Ray)
Ventrone, Hank's (Poteat) played there at different points throughout his career and
throughout his time here as well. There are some different combinations that we have."

(On if he would be comfortable putting Brandon McDonald in a starting role)- "Yes.

Situations change each week and just because someone moves out of the starting role for
a little while doesn't mean they can't move back in and play at a higher level than they've
been playing and continue to improve."

(On if it is difficult to talk with a player about not playing again)- "As I said, we
haven't talked about the long term. That discussion, I think, is a discussion for a later time
period. You never want to have a conversation about injuries with anybody, but
unfortunately it's something that is a reality. It's never a fun conversation, but they're
always important."

(On if he has filled the roster vacancy)- "We haven't done anything yet. Like I said, this
is something that we're still moving forward on."

(On what happened on the play that injured Pool)- "In terms of the specific thing, I'm
not really sure."

(On if Pool was injured on a helmet-to-helmet or helmet-to-knee hit)- "I can't

remember if it was actually helmet-to-helmet or whether it was helmet to some other pad.
I'm not totally sure."
(On if Pool's injury happened on the play Coleman got hurt)- "Again, Marla
(Ridenour), I'm not exactly sure when the timeline was."

(On how he would feel if the league made a rule about practicing without helmets)-
"Tony (Grossi), I haven't really thought about it. I think a lot of those decisions, the
league spends a ton of time on. [They] consult all the experts in the field and research
thoroughly. That'll be a discussion, I think, for the different offseason meetings.
Whatever the plan is collectively that is brought up and adopted we'll adapt to. I think
that it's important to leave it up to the people that really understand this a lot better than I
do."

(On what input the coaches have in guiding the league's decisions regarding
concussion)- "Again, I don't know what the range of options are. It hasn't been something
that you delve into significantly right now, but it is something that's important. I know
that they are working on it and they'll continue to work on it and consult people. I do
think it's important for the experts, the people that really understand all the nuances of it,
to get their feedback and collectively try to make the best decision."

(On if the emphasis on concussions is overdue)- "I just don't feel like I'm enough of an
expert on the topic. I'm totally in support of whatever can help in terms of player safety,
especially anything that has long term affects. You try to minimize risk whenever you
can. I'm in support of that. I just don't feel qualified enough on this topic to really give a
lot of insight on it. I can say that it is important. It's something that we've studied, that
we've worked on, we take seriously and will continue to take seriously. We'll take as
much guidance as we can on it and just always put the players in the best position."

(On if he ever had a concussion when he played)- "I don't think so."

(On if they could accomplish the same things in practice without helmets)- "I
honestly haven't thought about it, Tony (Grossi). I think it's tough in a lot of areas. Part of
the reason you wear helmets is to protect against guys bumping heads by accident. I don't
know what the right answer is there."

(On if they went back and determined if Pool's preseason injury was a concussion)-
"I know that all the injuries, we have a lot of tests that go into it, base line tests and
comparative tests. There's a very detailed process. It's something we stress, so we went
through the complete process. We wouldn't put anybody back on the field that wasn't able
to be cleared medically to do so."

(On if Pool will be placed on injured reserve)- "Again, Tony (Grossi), that's something
that I'll have more information for you probably either later today or by tomorrow."

(On if he expects the Chargers to run the ball a lot)- "I don't really know what their
philosophy is going to be. They have a lot of good options. Give the ball to LaDainian
Tomlinson. Give the ball to Sproles. Throw it to (Antonio) Gates. Throw it to Vincent
Jackson. They're all good. Take your pick."
(On what he would do if he was the opposing coach in this situation)- "I've been part
of different scenarios like that. I remember a game where the whole secondary for the
other team was beat up. It was all new guys. I think there was an anticipation offensively
that we were going to score a ton of points and I think we lost like 19-6. You just don't
know. I think the important thing is the guys that do have opportunities to come in take
advantage of those opportunities. I have a lot of faith in (Ahtyba) Rubin. If Kenyon can't
play, whether it's C.J. (Mosley) or Corey (Williams), both those guys I think will do a
great job. They played significantly throughout the course of the year. We moved
different guys inside. Jason Trusnik [has] never really been a heavy inside linebacker, or
really a starter fulltime, he has 10 tackles last week. I think that's the positive part of this,
is guys get a real opportunity to step up and show the things they can do. I've seen so
many times where you're pleasantly surprised by the way that they respond. These guys
all have been working hard and they've all been studying. It's another really good lesson
for the group that you just don't know when your opportunity will be and you don't know
whether it's going to be for 10 plays or 10 games or five games or what it's going to be.
You want to make sure when you get that chance you really maximize it. I remember
Curtis Martin always used to tell a story, when he first got to New England, I forget
which backs were in front of him, and he told those guys, ‘You better hope that I never
get in.' They all laughed, you know he was a rookie. He was serious. I don't know if you
guys know Curtis, but when he talks he's not joking about what he's saying. He told them,
he said look, ‘You better hope I never get in, because none of you guys are playing
again.' He got in and none of them played again, but it was a big joke when he first said
it. Sometimes you get that shot and you don't come back."

(On if he remembers when Antonio Gates came out of college)- "I don't. I wasn't part
of that evaluation. I know there's been a boatload of trying to find the next Antonio Gates
and it doesn't really happen that often. He had played football [before], so he did have a
football background. We tried all different kinds of guys. We tried out a Rugby Union
player from Australia, one of their best players, in New York. [We tried out] a basketball
player a couple times. I can't remember his name now, but he was the heavyweight
champion from Ohio State, wrestler. He hadn't played football and we brought him to
rookie mini-camp a couple years ago. We had him and the kid from, I think it was, Iowa.
Both of them had been heavy weight champs back-to-back years, tried them out."

(On how he rates Gates as a tight end)- "How would you rate him? He's really, really
good. He's really, really good. They can split him out and he can run routes on
cornerbacks and safeties and do that effectively. He has a great ability to adjust to the ball
wherever it's thrown. Often times when you look at tight ends, some tight ends may have
really good hands, but most of the routes that they catch are in stride or clean catches.
The tight ends that are able to adjust to balls thrown behind them or thrown high, those
are the ones that have incredible value because often times they're in traffic, they
quarterback's got to throw it away from a linebacker that may be in front of them or
somebody coming down and their ability to pluck it from different spots. That was one of
the things I liked about Dustin Keller when he came out, is you could see on tape the way
that he could adjust to the football almost around the whole clock, all the different spots
on a clock. It's easier said than done."
(On the keys to limiting Gates' production)- "When you face guys like this you try to
do a lot of things to stop him. I've seen it all tried with him, whether it's playing nickel,
where they have a DB on him. I've seen some teams put their best corner back on him.
I've seen him get jammed up at the line of scrimmage. I've seen him get double teamed
from a linebacker and a safety, from two safeties. You see it all. They can move him
around, split him out, put him in different personnel groups. It's not like the other group
of skill players aren't very dangerous for this team. With Rivers, he's more than happy to
throw it down the field to any of the other guys, as well and they've been effective there."

(On Corey Williams at nose tackle)- "He's worked in there, more so throughout the
course of the season than in mini-camp and training camp and he's done a nice job. The
thing about him is he's a little different than your typical nose, because he's got some
good wiggle. You can stunt him and do things like that that you wouldn't maybe do with
just a pure mauler type. That adds an element of uncertainty for the offensive line. He has
done a nice job in terms of taking on the center, being stout, so that's a possibility. C.J.'s
played in there as well and he volunteered to do that. He wanted to try it out and I thought
he's done some nice things in there."

(On if he assumes there will be less double teams with Shaun Rogers not playing)-
"Typically in a 3-4 defense there's only so many ways that you block it. If you want to
run a straight ahead direct run, you double team on the nose to the backside WILL
linebacker, they fan out. There are not that many variations of the blocking schemes that
you get. They have to account for the front seven to get a hat for a hat, so it's just
numerically how you want to do it. You can double team on the end if you wanted to,
some teams do that. It's a change. It's sort of new over the last, I'd say, four years."

(On if he has seen any difference in LaDainian Tomlinson over the past couple
years)- "He has eight touchdowns. Dramatic differences? I don't think there have been
dramatic differences with him. I see him make guys miss in the hole. I see him get the
edge. I see a lot of the same things that you've come to appreciate over the years. They do
mix Sproles in quite a bit and you understand why. He's a guy that's explosive as well."

(On if a bad record can affect injuries)- "No, I think when guys get rolled up on or
whatever it is, it's not a function of what your record is, it's just a function of what
happened in the game. I've been part of seasons where you may not have had the season
you wanted and haven't had a ton of injuries. I think a lot of teams deal with injuries
throughout the course of the season. It's important to be able to have depth. Almost every
team in the league has lost somebody significant and lost other players as well. You don't
go in planning for it, but unfortunately it happens. When I say planning for it, you're
always planning depth wise, but you're anticipating these are the players that are going to
play and ideally play through 16 games and then what's your contingency if they can't."

Mangini press conf. 12/3

12.03.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-3-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are you doing? As you know,
yesterday we put Jamal (Lewis) on IR and Brodney (Pool) on IR. [It is] obviously
disappointing for them. Jamal has had such a tremendous career and [this is] not the way
he wanted to finish it up. I can't thank him enough for the contributions he's made, his
work ethic, his toughness, his commitment to the younger players and all the things that
he's done just in my short experience with him. With Brodney, I really thought that he
had continued to develop throughout the course of the season. I think that the strides he's
made in the deep part of the field and understanding the system, all those things have
been real positives. It's not the way that he wanted to finish the season either, but it was
really the best decision right now for the players from a medical perspective. We claimed
Ramzee Robinson off of waivers. [He is a] cornerback. We currently have one spot open.
We'll see how the week goes in terms of how we're going to fill that spot.

"With practice today, [we are] working on third down and reemphasizing some of the
things that we did yesterday. They'll do some similar things on first and second down that
they do on third down. There are some game plan specific things that we'll have to adjust
to once we get into the game. They are a multiple team in terms of their attack
offensively and defensively in that area, so we've got our work cut out for us here today."

(On if Lewis suffered brain trauma)- "I'm not going to get into specifics of the injury.
When we were aware of him having symptoms we did the testing and at that point the
doctors felt it was best for him to go on injured reserve, so that's the decision that we
made."

(On if Lewis was hurt during the Cincinnati game or before)- "The first that we were
aware of it was after the game, actually not directly after the game, but the next day.
Immediately, we started testing and that's when the doctors made the decision. We
wanted to go through the whole process before and talk to everybody and make sure that
we were as thorough as possible before making the final decision, but that was the
process."

(On if Lewis is seeing a specialist today)- "With both he and Brodney, they've gone
through a series of tests. They'll continue to do that. We'll do everything organizationally
and in working with them to make sure that we get all the information possible, not just
in the short term but in the long term."

(On if there have been more concussions this year or if the NFL is just taking them
more seriously)- "In my experience in New York, we always treated [concussions] very
seriously and tried to do everything possible in terms of pretesting, post testing, anything
that we could do to make sure that player safety was the priority. I think a lot of teams do
the same thing. In terms of trends, I'm not sure what the trends are, what the numbers are,
but I can tell you that personally, from a head coaching perspective, it was a priority for
us in New York. It's been a priority here. The emphasis is on player safety."

(On the league's emphasis on concussions)- "I think the league each year tried to
develop things that protect the players and I think that's a great thing. They spend a lot of
time researching it. They talk to a lot of different people, the leading experts in the field
and I think that's very positive. The more that we can keep guys healthy and on the field
the better it is for everybody."

(On if he encourages players to wear mouth guards)- "Really with all protective
equipment, I think there's benefit to all of it. There's a reason for all the different
components of protective equipment. The mouth guard in relationship to concussions,
again I'm not sure what that study is, but I know that if it has any positive affect there, it's
a good thing."

(On if Lewis had complained about concussion symptoms before Cincinnati)- "The
first that we were made aware of it was this week. Immediately, we started testing and
that's when we found what we found and then went through the process."

(On how the decision to put Pool on injured reserve worked)- "With any injuries it's
driven by the medical staff. You make sure that you have all the information. You go
through all the testing and then you make a decision after that. It's as thorough a process
as we can possibly have and again, the priority is on player safety."

(On if Pool's season would still be over if his injury had occurred earlier)- "Again,
it's based on the doctors and what they think and what the staff thinks collectively. It's not
where you are in the season, what your record is. It's none of those things. It's based on
player safety."

(On if the doctors gave Pool a timeline for returning)- "We talked about it more in
terms of the season and we'll address moving forward after that."

(On if he is convinced Lewis will retire)- "That's really Jamal's decision and that's a
very personal decision for each player. I'd rather leave that question up to him. Whatever
decision he makes I'll support."

(On if the team will do anything Sunday to honor Lewis)- "Marla (Ridenour), this is
so new that we haven't really talked in terms of those things. Really the emphasis has
been on preparing for the game from my perspective. Obviously with this news and this
transition, that's taken a lot of time as well and it's an important thing. At the game, that
wasn't something that I personally talked about with anybody. He has had a tremendous
career and I respect all the things that he's done."

(On if the team goes outside of their medical staff to evaluate head injuries)-
"Anytime there's a specific injury, what we're always going to try to do is get the best
information, however we can do that. If it's independent, it's independent. Whatever we
need to do to get the best information is what we always adhere to."

(On if Lewis and Pool have only seen doctors in Cleveland)- "Yes."

(On if he thinks players have a false sense of security about safer helmets)- "I really
couldn't answer for all the different players. I know that as an organization you're trying
to get the best possible equipment. You're always looking for trends. It could be related to
concussions. It could be related to dehydration. There are often new things that become
available. I know there were some items that became available this year in terms of
dehydration that we tried during camp. You're constantly looking for anything that can
protect the players. It could be in the form of a helmet. It could be in the form of types of
undershirts again for hydration, things like that. Best practices, you're always searching
for best practices."

(On why he did not say anything to the media on Wednesday about Lewis' injury)-
"It's like anything else, Tony (Grossi), you have to go through the process and go through
the testing. Until you have concrete information, that's what you do."

(On if the team needs another running back)- "We usually activate two more often
than not. We'll look at different guys. We've brought different guys in not just week but
all throughout the course of the season at all positions. We have Thomas Brown on the
practice squad. He's done a nice job. We'll evaluate all those things. Typically we bring
two to the game and that's what we have on our roster."

(On if the team needs a running back better than who they already have)- "I think
that both those guys (Jerome Harrison and Chris Jennings) have done a nice job when
they've had opportunities. Jerome has had some good games. I like the progress that
they're making. I think Chris Jennings is a guy that has done a good job with the
opportunities that he's had and he's working to create more opportunities and they'll have
that now. Again, you never want to see anybody injured or lost. It is a great opportunity
for younger players or guys that maybe weren't in that lead role to make a case for
themselves and step up and be productive."

(On how much injuries complicate an already difficult season)- "Injuries happen at
different rates each year. You're constantly stressing flexibility, depth. I know we talked
about that a lot during training camp and the early part of the season. There's the
counterargument about continuity versus flexibility. You just don't know when it's going
to happen. You don't know at what rate it's going to happen. You don't anticipate losing
two middle linebackers, but it happens and it's happened [to] different teams, different
places, different positions. You're constantly trying to build depth. Hopefully the guys
that you have there and that have been working there then step up and are able to fill the
void."
(On if the league mandating the use of an independent neurologist is in affect yet)-
"Often times you do that anyways, but that's something that's going to be in place. I think
anything that helps the process is a good thing."

(On the specific hit that triggered Lewis' symptoms)- "As I said, Tony (Grossi), the
first that we were made aware of it was on Monday. At that point, that's when we did the
testing."

(On if Lewis said when he was hit)- "It wasn't really that type of discussion. It was more
symptom-based and that's when we initiated the testing."

(On what symptoms Lewis complained of)- "I'm not going to get into specifics of all
the different things."

(On the upside he sees in Pool)- "I've seen him make progress throughout the course of
the year. I was happy with a lot of the things that he was doing in the deep part of the
field. [I] really liked the range that he showed. I think he became a better communicator
as the season went on, as he got more comfortable not just working in the system but
working with whether it be Abe (Elam) or Mike Adams or whoever he was back there
with. Those things are all positive. Like with any new system, as you get more
comfortable you tend to play faster because you're not thinking through the adjustments.
You're not thinking about what your responsibilities are. It's much more of a reaction type
thing. I was pleased with that. I would imagine that any of the guys that come back who
have had experience and reps would continue to improve. It's always a plus and you're
always able to do more and more individually and collectively."

(On if Pool has a fierce enough personality to come back because he is soft-spoken)-
"I've known a lot of guys that are really soft-spoken off the field but play with a great
intensity on the field. I don't think necessarily the personality off the field is a direct
relation to the personality on the field. Again, with the future, he's had a lot of good reps,
a lot of good experience, a lot of good progress so I anticipate him continuing along that
path."

(On if he thinks Lewis is a Hall of Famer)- "I don't get a vote in that, but I think he's
had a tremendous career. You hope, you hope [he makes it]. He's done a lot of good
things. He's had an impressive career."

(On if Lewis had a chance to talk to the team before he left)- "That wasn't something
that he and I talked about or he mentioned him wanting to do. I'd be happy for him to do
that if that was something that he'd like to do."

Mangini press conf. 12/4

12.04.2009
Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-4-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are you guys doing? Today what
we're doing is we're going to clean up some things from yesterday in the third down work
that we did. I thought there were some good things defensively, but this is similar to, say
Baltimore, with the shifting and the motioning and things like that, so you have to really
understand what the final formation is and where the different pieces are. They have so
many ways to build formations and so many players that can really produce big plays if
you're not exactly sound on what you're doing, so that's something that we'll review a
little bit here this morning and also go through the red area and goal line and move
forward from there. That'll be the focal point this morning slash afternoon."

(On how he will approach the short week coming up)- "We experienced the same
thing last year [in New York]. We played New England on Thursday night. The nice
thing about that and the nice thing about our situation is it is a conference opponent, so
there's some familiarity with who you're playing and what the scheme is. I think those
games are always a little bit tougher when it's someone out of conference or you have no
exposure to. That's tough. It's tough as it is just to get the same level of preparation. The
other nice thing is both teams are working the same amount of time. You may not be able
to do all of the things you'd like to do in a typical week in terms of changing the scheme
or how extensive the plan can be, but the familiarity does help. You have to be conscious
of where the guys are physically. You can't really take the same approach from that
perspective either. You're balancing that. You're balancing the level of install."

(On if he will back off reps for some players in the San Diego game in preparation
for the Steelers game)- "No, probably not. That wouldn't be the approach, typically. I
haven't done that in the past."

(On if he is going to let the players play their normal amounts on Sunday and see
what happens on Thursday)- "No, I mean you look at it. I've played these games
before. You try to play the best players that give you the chance to win. It would be hard
to go through and say that's the right number of reps in each game. You don't know how
many reps either sides going to have. Are you going to have 65 snaps on defense? Are
you going to have 75? Are you going to have 50? You don't know until the game plays
out."

(On if they will be moving guys around in the secondary)- "The positive thing for us is
that Mike (Adams) has played both corner and safety so he has that ability. Hank (Poteat)
has played bother corner and safety. Mike Furrey's been working on defense. Ray
Ventrone has gotten reps throughout the course of the season and some reps in games. [It
will be] a combination there."

(On if he is comfortable starting Furrey at safety)- "Yes, I'd be totally comfortable.

He's started 11 games there in the past. I'm not sure how many interceptions he had, I
think he had four or five interceptions and was third or fourth on the team in tackles,
somewhere in that range. [That is] pretty incredible. He started 11 games and either the
next year or the year before he had 98 catches. That's pretty versatile."

(On if Brandon McDonald's role is still in sub defense)- "He's been rotating through as
well. Each week what we do with that, Mary Kay (Cabot), is just evaluate the week of
practice and look at how they did and the matchups and kind of finalize it towards the
end of the week."

(On how the secondary has looked during the course of the week)- "We have gotten a
couple new guys. What we try to do in practice is mix the players in different periods so
they are working with different people. They get the same number of reps that they
would, but you want to have those different combinations because you don't know when
they're going to be working together. That's something we've always tried to do. It's not
always the same guys getting the same reps all the time, hearing the same voices all the
time. That's always helped us. We try to do that defensively every week with every
position, because you don't know."

(On how challenging the possibility of having four new defensive starters is)- "It's
challenging. We don't have a lot of guys in the same spots that they were in at the start of
the season. I think [there are] like three or four. Look at David Bowens, he started but he
was outside. Both inside linebackers aren't there. Nose [tackle] isn't there. Really, if Kam
(Kamerion Wimbley) couldn't play, and I'm optimistic that he can, that would be
different. Same thing with Kenyon (Coleman), if he's not able to go [we] really have to
see where he's at, that's another new spot. There's quite a few new guys. What you like is
to see the way the other guys respond. I think Jason Trusnik is a good example of that.
[We] really brought him here to play a role, continue his role on special teams, continue
to develop as an outside linebacker. [He] ended up starting, then he's moved to inside
linebacker. He's played both spots in the same game. He's led the team twice in tackles.
David Bowens, working at outside linebacker then he goes inside. Ahtyba (Rubin), him
getting the chance that he's getting. Mike Adams working at corner and safety. I think it's
a really great opportunity for guys to establish themselves as real solid contributors."

(On if Bowens is even more of a coach on the field now)- "Yes, he's great that way. He
understands the whole defense. He's able to help communicate the calls. I really think the
group has done a nice job. You're always working to get a high level of communication
and having some new pieces in, that heightens it and I think they've responded well.
They've done a lot of stuff as a group outside of just what we do in the typical day,
working together on their own, making calls, sort of simulating the game through tapes so
that they all have to communicate and I think that's been helpful. I've seen some progress.
There hasn't been a significant amount of mental errors considering that there are so
many new pieces."

(On if he spends more time teaching in practice than he would like to at this point in
the season)- "You're constantly teaching. Some stuff you do have to spend time on that
you wouldn't typically spend time on. Some of it [is] learning guy's names. We've had
quite a few new faces come through, but it's good though. What's exciting about it is it's a
challenge. You saw what Matt Roth was able to do. [He] comes in, [is] here two days.
Being a veteran guy, being in a similar type system that helped him, but everybody was
helping him. Coaches were helping him, he was working hard himself, David Bowens
knew him from Miami. The guys really responded to him. It's almost like a real sense of
community, everybody trying to help everybody else out to be successful."

(On how the Braylon Edwards trade has worked out so far)- "I think with any trade
you have to really let it play out, but I've been happy with Jason (Trusnik) and I've been
happy with Chansi (Stuckey). Chansi's been able to come on a little bit more over the last
couple games. He had that one set back with the injury, but I think he's getting more and
more comfortable working with the group that we have. We have the potential now for
two other young players here in the future and you have to see who those guys end up
being. [We] probably won't know the value for a couple years, like drafts, you can't really
evaluate a draft for two or three years down the road."

(On if Kaluka Maiava could start this week)- "Yes, he could start. He could start at
any point. He works like a starter does. I'm not hesitant at all to ever start him. I think he's
done a really nice job for a young guy. Most of those guys, they're getting ready for bowl
games now and this is a whole new world. They'd be off doing exams. I don't know how
long it is until a bowl game, but there's a lot more football to go and they've already
played a lot of football. They're all working through that as well."

(On if he looked at Maiava as a situational player when he was drafted)- "You're

really looking at him as a third and fourth down player when you [draft him]. He's not a
tiny guy. He's 235 [pounds]. Typically though, we're looking about 250 [pounds] for
those inside guys. D'Qwell (Jackson) had similar size. [I've] had a few guys kind of in
that middle range that have been very effective. They may not be able to go down and
take on the blocker exactly the way that a thumper would, but they find ways to do it very
effectively. Roman Phifer played inside there. He was a bigger guy, but his style wasn't
the just blow it up type."

(On if it important to give Brady Quinn these last five games to define he is)- "I think
every game that you play you have a chance to define those things. I think that every
game that you play you learn some things and you develop a little bit. The important
thing is to keep that development going. On the flip side of that, sometimes when you
aren't playing you have to use that time as well to continue your development."

(On if Brian Robiskie could be active this week)- "Yes and really every week is a week
that he could be active. It's not a set pattern where he's going to be down for two and up
for three. Every week you have that chance. He had a nice day yesterday and I anticipate
he'll have a good end of the week here today."

(On what he is not seeing from Robiskie that has caused him to be inactive when
Matt Roth stepped right in and played)- "Matt Roth is a much older player, a much
more experienced player. He has a lot of reps in the system, a lot of play time. It's not
really apples-to-apples. Often times with [being] inactive, it's not a function of what
they're not doing, it's a function of what somebody else is doing. A big component of that
when you're in that fourth, fifth receiver role or fifth corner back role, fourth safety role,
you have to contribute in a meaningful way on special teams or you have to have a very
specific role in a very specific package that you do better than somebody else. If you
don't have one of those two things that always guarantees that you're on the 45, then it's
going to be a week-to-week type situation."

(On what Mohamed Massaquoi needs to do to gain consistency)- "It's hard to say that,
‘if you this one thing you're going to be productive.' Sometimes the coverage dictates
how many balls you get. If you're rolling over the top of somebody or it's heavier in your
direction you're going to get less balls. Sometimes it's a function of does the quarterback
get the ball to you? It's not just one defined element there. He's another guy that will
continue to grow and continue to mature and hopefully be a guy that can have those
productive games week in and week out."

(On if Massaquoi is performing equally well in all games)- "With receivers, it's
different. Your production is often dependent on what the defense does and someone has
to get you the ball. It's different than a running back where they get those touches and
you can determine how many touches they get. With receivers, you can't guarantee how
many touches they're going to get in a game."

(On if he was expecting more out of Robiskie)- "I'll tell you, with draft picks it's
different. Every guy's different. Every situation is different. I've seen it go a lot of
different ways. You get some undrafted guys that come in and play a ton. You get some
guys that are drafted high and they may not play as much and [it] really hits the second
year or it hits later in the season. I don't think there's any set pattern for draft picks or
young guys in terms of they have to develop over this timeline and this is the grid. It just
doesn't work that way."

(On if Alex Mack is a good NFL starter or a good rookie)- "I think he's played pretty
well throughout the course of the season. That's not an easy position to play. From my
perspective, I think he's played well. Do I think he could do a lot of things better? Yes,
but that's true with every position. He's come in, he's played every snap. He's done a good
job mentally. He's done a good job physically. He's been consistent. I think he's got a
long, bright career here."

(On how disappointing it would be to have the game blacked out)- "I know
everybody is working to make sure that that isn't the case. Obviously, we'd love to have
all the fans there and all the seats filled. It's a great feeling. It's a great environment. I am
always excited to have if that'd be the case."

(On if he gets a sense around town that the fans' frustration level has grown
throughout the season)- "I am not really out of the building very often, I see my kids. I
understand their frustration. We're all frustrated. We all want better results. We are all
committed to getting better results. I understand it. I get it. We're working to fix that
every day, diligently, consistently as a group and it will happen."
(On what he is shooting for as they go through the last five games in relation to his
career)- "For me, it's not really about the career. With me, it's about being the best
possible head coach I can be and preparing the team as well as they possibly can be
prepared. To giving them the best possible opportunity to be successful every week. To
making sure that we are consistently making progress and building both short term and
long term. As I've said before, sometimes the progress isn't as apparent as we'd want it to
be, but as long as we're moving forward that's what's most important to me, is to
consistently be moving forward."

(On if he has a seen a situation like this with so many injuries and roster turnover
before)- "In New England a couple games, I don't know what the stretch was, but you
guys remember Don Davis? He played linebacker, a really fast linebacker. He started for
us at safety. Troy Brown, who was a receiver, he started at star. Earthwind Moreland, I
think he came in off the street, he started at corner. Randall Gay, he was a rookie free
agent, he started at the other corner. I can't remember who we had inside. Larry Izzo at
one point played some safety for us. You mix and match and they did a great job. Those
guys did a great job. Watching Don Davis, he was 240 [pounds], playing safety, he was
fluid, smooth. He did a good job. Troy, he was transitioning into more of an O and D
player.”

Mangini press conf. 12/7

12.07.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-7-09

(Opening statement)- "Good afternoon everybody. A couple things, we're going to put
C.J. Mosley on Injured Reserve. We signed Derreck Robinson, a defensive lineman. I
feel like I've been talking about this quite a bit, but it is obviously disappointing for C.J.
He got a chance to play even more than he had been. He had been contributing
throughout the course of the year and that role was going to increase. It's just tough for
him. I'm just disappointed for him.

"In terms of the game, I thought that the best thing we did was when faced with the
situation that we were faced with at 27-7, it would have been very easy to kind of let the
rest of the game play out. I never felt that for a second form the guys and really liked the
way that they just fought back. They fought back and got to a point where we're onside
kicking for an opportunity to get the ball back and go down and score. A lot of things had
to go right during that time period for us to get into that position. What I'm looking for is
consistency and to not dig that deep of a hole. It's a skill to be able to deal with adversity
and fight through the adversity and play out the four quarters, and I was pleased to see
that. I was also really pleased to see some of the performances by guys that got either
their initial opportunity or another opportunity and really took advantage of it. I think all
in rookies counted for about 13 receptions. That's really good progress from that group.
"I think, defensively, one of the things that is challenging when you play a team like San
Diego is dealing with their weapons but then also having to deal with the different spots
that they're going to be in and communicating out the adjustments and really
understanding how you have to play the different calls. I don't think we did a good
enough job with that yesterday. Regardless of who's in or who's out or what's happening,
it starts with communication. If everybody's not on the same page, in terms of what's
being played or who fits where, it's hard. It's really hard when you have guys like
Antonio Gates or (Darren) Sproles, or take your pick. They can turn a small mistake into
a really big play, which they did yesterday.

"I thought on special teams, there were times we played really well and some plays that I
think we could have done much better on, especially in the kickoff return game. We had
some good returns, but I thought that we had a chance for a couple other ones that could
have been big plays and potentially game changing plays. We have really transitioned
into Pittsburgh. We are starting to work on the scouting report, presenting the scouting
report to the players, presenting some of the gameplan to the players on a limited basis
here today. We'll have a walk through a little later this afternoon. Tomorrow is our
biggest preparation day. The next day will be more of tying it all together and getting
ready to play another difficult team to prepare for and obviously a team that, whenever
you play them, you anticipate the opportunity to play them."

(On how different the short week is)- "They're tough. It's better when you're playing an
opponent you're familiar with because you do have some things to draw on, which is
always positive. We played New England last year on a Thursday night and, not that
getting ready for New England is easy, but at least there was a lot of familiarity. We
played Dallas one time on Thanksgiving. It was a little bit harder, because everything was
so new. The key thing is to just zero in on what you want to get accomplished, make sure
that those things are understood and understood in a very thorough fashion. You probably
can't do all the things that you'd normally do during the course of the week, but the things
that you do do you have to make sure that they're done well."

(On the difference in Brady Quinn the last three games)- "I think it's collective, really
when you look at it. I thought the protection yesterday against San Diego was, for the
most part, outstanding. Very few times was he pressured. I thought those guys held up
well and not just the offensive line, but the tight ends that were involved, the backs that
were involved. I think there were some really good throws, but also some really good
catches. We've come in here enough times talking about balls that were dropped that
were easily catchable balls. I thought yesterday there were some balls that were caught
that were really difficult catches, and that helps, too. I think his awareness of what the
defense is giving us and if it's not there, not trying to make something happen just
because you feel the pressure to make something happen, but going to the check-down or
going to the underneath receiver. I think he's made good decisions there. When he had
chances to throw it down the field he did and I they were really, I thought, solid
calculated risks based on what we were getting. Overall, offensively, we have improved
significantly the amount of turnovers from the bye week until now. We've improved in
the red area. We've improved on third down. That's a function of all the different areas
improving."

(On if he is happy with Quinn's in-game decisions)- "Yes, I've been happy with his
overall decision making. There were a couple plays yesterday where I would have liked
him to get rid of the ball sooner, whether it was the strip that we had in the red zone, or
the sack that we had there on second-and-one. I understand what he saw and both those
plays I thought were really well protected. One just came off the left side a little bit late.
He probably had no sense of that happening, just because he was behind where Brady
was initially. Some of that's just the time clock in your head, ‘I've got a maximum of this
amount of time because something's probably going to get cut free.'"

(On if anybody was open on the two-point conversion)- "It would have been tight.
With that, though, if it's not there, you really just want to almost like you would on a last
play, throw it up. If it gets picked it doesn't matter. Either you get a batted ball or you get
into a tight spot or whatever the case may be, a penalty, you just have to keep it alive."

(On how he gets Quinn to establish some consistency)- "That's really the goal. I think
even yesterday, I thought we played much better in the first and fourth quarter than we
did in the second and third quarter. I think, defensively, we could have helped by not,
obviously, allowing them to hold the ball as long and provide some more opportunities
there. Consistency, to me, is the goal across the board, because as we've talked about, one
really good kickoff return, one really average kickoff return, one really good defensive
series, one really bad defensive series. The scheme doesn't dramatically change. The
opposition doesn't dramatically change. You can't relax. There can't be any moment
where it's not the same exact approach and you're looking for that within games, within
weeks of practice, within seasons. It's so important just be able to approach it day in and
day out the same way. It's not an easy skill to learn and it takes a lot of discipline."

(On if he thinks he would see more consistency from Quinn if he had been starting
all season)- "I think that, offensively, we've made improvements, collectively. I'd like to
think that regardless of who was at quarterback, we'd be performing better. The things I
was happy with both guys, there are things I was unhappy with across the unit. I think as
a group we're playing better and that's reflected in the different areas. Third down, we've
made substantial amount of gains. That's been a problem area for us. Since the bye it's
increased significantly. Same thing in the red zone, substantial gains there. Turnovers,
there have been substantial gains there. You keep working at it. You keep addressing the
problems. It's deliberate practice and you're going to get improvement.

(On Brian Robiskie)- "I think he had a really good week of practice. There's a strong
correlation in my mind that how you practice is usually how you play. I think he had a
really good week of practice last week. I think Evan Moore is a good example of that,
too. He's had two really strong weeks of practice and got an opportunity. You never now
with a guy you haven't seen play in a game, how he's going to respond. A lot of the things
that he did yesterday were things that we've been seeing throughout the course of time
that he's been here. That's always somewhat of the unknown when you have a guy who's
standing out in practice. You put him against another uniform in a game situation, how's
he going to respond? That's how Chris Jennings got bumped up. The next step is, ‘okay,
during the game what do they do?' I think he had an outstanding week and it reflected in
the way he played."

(On if something as simple as Moore coming in can provide a spark for the offense)-
"I think anytime you can insert someone with six catches for 80 yards, that's good. It
helps. I think J.C. (Jerome Harrison) had a really nice day yesterday, both running the
ball and catching the ball. What I really liked about him yesterday was his blocking.
That's something that we've talked about. I don't know if you remember the play where
Brady sprinted out to his right. I thought he had an outstanding block on the edge
pressure guy. He really sealed the edge on the backside and allowed for that long
completion to take place. He's capable of doing that at all times and I thought he made
some strides there."

(On if he has seen enough improvement in Quinn to feel comfortable about the
quarterback position moving forward beyond this year)- "Really, what I'm looking
for right now is the next game. That, to me, is the most important thing because as Tony
(Grossi) said, it can be up one week and down the next week. You need to see the
consistency, not just from the quarterback position, but from all these positions. You
want to see Brian come back and have the same level or production, or Evan. Mohamed's
(Massaquoi) had some 100-yard games. He's had some quiet games. We've had some
really good protection and we've had some games where the production wasn't as sound.
Chris Jennings has flashed at different points. What we do week in and week out, the
things that we've improved, can we maintain that improvement and then address other
areas and improve in those areas? That's what you have to find out and you have to see."

(On what happened to the offense in the second and third quarters)- "We had the one
drive there where we had second-and-one. We didn't take a shot and got sacked on the
play. Those second-and-ones plays; the important thing is whether you're running the ball
or passing the ball is, if you're running the ball you can't bounce it out. You don't' want to
bounce it out and make it third-and-four. If you're throwing the ball, you want to be able
to take the shot, if it's not there you get rid of it. You live to fight another day. Everybody
has a different approach on second-and-one. That would have helped us. We were in a
position where I think we could have either scored or gotten close, sustained the drive,
that type of thing. I don't think we did a very good job defensively, in terms of three-and-
outs. They held the ball a long time. That limited the opportunities as well. [It was] a
combination of things."

(On what convinces him that the Chargers didn't stop fighting)- "I talked to Norv
(Turner) after the game and the first thing he said was how impressed he was with the
way the guys fought and he wanted me to tell the group that. He said that we had a tough
group of guys, which I agree with. That was his feedback. I think that when you're a team
in San Diego's position, you've got a lot of things riding on every single game. You don't
let down."
(On if the fact that the team is still playing hard speaks for how they feel about
him)- "I think it's a good group of guys that care about what they're doing. They work
hard. I haven't sat back and questioned their work ethic at any point. I think they care. I
don't think it's gone the way that any of us has wanted it to go. I think they appreciate the
progress that they have made in different areas. It's a good group of guys. They care
about what they're doing. They care about each other. They care about the team. I can't
imagine them playing any other way."

(On if C.J. Mosley is headed for surgery)- "I'll find out here shortly, but I would
imagine that's probably the direction it's going."

(On if he thinks he'll have to convince Randy Lerner that the team is headed in the
right direction)- "I believe in what we're doing wholeheartedly. I know that the outcome
hasn't been what I've wanted. It hasn't been what anybody's wanted. I also knew coming
in here that things don't happen overnight and that you have to work at it and you make
progress in different areas. We're constantly focusing on that. There are things that
happen, whether it be on the field. There are things that happen, organizationally. There's
evolution in terms of the coaching staff, the approach. There are a lot of things that go
into building a successful organization over time. It doesn't happen overnight and I
understand that. That's something he and I talked about coming in. I've been in a lot of
different situations like this and to do it the right way, it takes time."

(On if he expects Lerner to stick by him)- "I think that we share the same vision and
understand that it's not easy. It's not easy to build something that lasts and that can
compete year in and year out. It's important to do it the right way. There's no one set
formula. There's no one set timeline. You have to come in and make good decisions
every day. You have to commit to doing it the right way. That's what we're committed
to."

(On what Jerome Harrison can do on the field to that leads him to believe Harrison
can be a featured back)- "He's done a lot of different things that you'd look for from a
feature back, whether it be catching the football out of the backfield, you saw him on the,
what we call it a ram pass, where he kind of bent up the seam coming out of the
backfield. He's caught screens and check downs and different routes like that. You see
him run the football. He's been able to run it effectively inside. He gained over 100 yards
against Cincinnati. He's done some good things on the edge. I've had a back that has
some similarities, with Leon Washington, and I think Leon has a chance to be an
outstanding feature back. Picking up the blitz, blocking consistently is something that he
does and he's continuing to work on. Very rarely is he going to be facing a guy that he's
substantially bigger than. There might be a stalemate every now and then, but usually he's
going to fight size a little bit. You have a player with that much better leverage, hand
placement, things like that."

(On if it took Harrison's body a couple weeks to recover after the Cincinnati game)-
"I don't remember any difference, in terms of his prep or even feedback from him or the
trainers in terms of where he was physically."
(On if it would give him any satisfaction to end the Steelers playoff hopes)- "What
would give me satisfaction is to go out, play good football and win the game. That's what
I'm looking for. To be able to play Pittsburgh though, at home, I've been looking forward
to this for a while. I think we all have. They're a good football team. I know they've gone
through a stretch here where it hasn't gone the way that they've expected it to go, but just
understanding what it's like coming off of a Super Bowl and the challenges that you face,
difficulty just makes you hardened. It makes you more resolved to get it fixed. I'm sure
that's what they're experiencing right now is, ‘We're going to get this fixed.' I'm sure we'll
get their best."

(On Oakland's drive at the end of the game against Pittsburgh)- "We just got the
Oakland game in a little while ago, so I haven't watched the game yet. They are fifth in
the league in defense. They have generated a ton of sacks. They're pretty good,
defensively. I didn't see the way Oakland did it, but we'll look at that."

Mangini press conf. 12/8

12.08.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-8-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. What we started yesterday is really, I

covered San Diego with the group and then the coordinators went through and started our
work on Pittsburgh. We tried to get a jump on the scouting report, the first and second
down information, the first and second down plan. Today is trying to fuse reviewing that
and introducing the third down, the red zone, two-minute, everything's condensed. We
have to try to push a lot of information through, push a lot of adjustments and game plan
specific things through here today. We'll review it tomorrow. It'll be a little different than
a typical Saturday would be prior to the game, but it's the same for both teams. Obviously
with Pittsburgh there's a lot to get ready for. We had our problems last game. The
problems that they create week in and week whether it's defensively, the different
combinations of rushers that they bring, the effectiveness of the rushers, even when
they're bringing four. They are second in sacks and number one against the rush. They are
able to create of negative plays there. They created some negative plays against us. They
had the two sacks late for strips. There were some negative plays in the running play,
kind of the same thing, generating that through pressure. Being able to identifying where
they're bringing it, picking it up and then being able to move forward from that.

"Offensively, I think they're still very explosive from a running game perspective with
(Rashard) Mendenhall averaging five yards a carry, that causes issues. You have to do
certain things to try to stop the run, which opens up some things in the passing game. The
one thing with Ben (Roethlisberger), whether it's been my time here or New York or New
England, is he is able to generate so many plays that go longer than the standard play
would. He's very strong in the pocket. He's elusive in the pocket and the receivers do an
excellent job reading out and creating some opportunities. It hit us two or three times last
game. That's something that you have to deal with, something that everybody deals with
and he's outstanding at it.

"I think on special teams, they really create some problems in the return game with
Stefan Logan. He's elusive. He can change direction. He can get the wide side of the
field. He's got that type of speed. You just see him progressing as the season goes on.
[There are] some explosive plays there.

(On Troy Polamalu)- "He's outstanding. Just remember him in college and seeing the
things he did, I know he got off to a little bit of a slow start when he first came in, I don't
know how much he played as a rookie, I can't remember. I don't think it was a full-time
type situation. He has great instincts, both run and pass. You saw the play he made on
Josh's (Cribbs) throw where he was able to cut in front of the throw and make the
interception. He's difficult to pick up as a blitzer. He has really good instincts in the
running game. He's a sure tackler. In the passing game, he's made some plays. I think it
was Tennessee, was it the first game of the season, that pick he made in that game. It was
special."

(On why he has been looking forward to this game for a long time)- "I think that one
thing you understand is the consistent rivalry. I know we haven't been on the plus side of
that rivalry, but it doesn't change the emotion that goes into the game. It doesn't change
the feeling that goes into the game. I remember the Pittsburgh games back when I was
here the first time and playing them and that feeling. To be able to do that at Browns
Stadium, it's something you look forward to."

(On the Steelers coming off of four consecutive losses)- "The games they've lost now
have been by a total of 15 points. Two of them have been in overtime. I watched the
Oakland game, that last drive they had a chance to end it with an interception. [There
were] two pretty amazing catches that sustained that drive. They're a very good football
team. They've lost some close games. They know how to win. They're resilient. It may
not have been reflected here recently, but just in experiencing coming off a really
successful season and going into the next, when you're faced with adversity, it hardens
your resolve more so than anything else."

(On how the Steelers defense changes without Polamalu)- "They've done a lot of
things defensively very well for a long time. Those things remain consistent and they still
do them well. Over the course of time a lot of different players have played in that system
and done a great job. They're able to plug the next guy in, he fills a role and he
understands how to fit and the strengths and weaknesses of each of the calls. It's hard to
replace a player like him, but the next guy will step in and I'm sure [he'll] do a great job."

(On how the Wildcat offense has evolved since the first Pittsburgh game)- "I know
we talked about that a little bit in the weeks following. You add some plays. Some plays
may be specific to that week and you don't carry them through to the next week. Some
stay on the call sheet and you just decide when you want to get back to them. It's like any
specific package, it starts with sort of a core group. You add on things that you like. You
try some new things. Some things come off. Some things get added on or stay on. I think
if anything the package has widened a little bit since the first time we met."

(On how the use of the no huddle affects the use of the Wildcat)- "It hasn't really
affected it. At this point, Brady comes up, he calls the play. Everybody hears the play and
goes. It doesn't change who calls the play or any of those things, it's just you do it from
the line of scrimmage and people adjust."

(On Joe Thomas being named to USA Football/NFLPA's All Fundamentals team
and why it's called that)- "I think most really good players have outstanding
fundamentals. I'm sure they're calling it that because the site is for teaching younger
coaches and has different levels. It's actually a great program. One of the things they
emphasize, whether it's the pee wee football or whoever it is, is making sure that the kids
really understand the fundamentals of blocking and tackling. I think that's how it got the
name. I think he's got outstanding fundamentals. I think he plays with a really good base.
I think his hand placement and his punch is excellent and something he consistently
works on. That's a key part of playing offensive line is the width of your base and your
ability to time up the punch so that you're delivering the maximum amount of blow,
especially on a pass rush situation, that you can. That takes the sting out of the rush and
then you're not dealing with the momentum at that point."

(On if he thought there was only time for one more play on the play they used a one-
man rush against San Diego)- "There was only time for one play. We wanted to have a
couple guys on the sideline to deal with that, but you also wanted to have enough depth in
case they went jump ball. Those are the two decisions there. You either play for the field
goal or you throw it deep and try to get the jump ball and take a chance on if you throw it
in bounds, whether or not you can get the next play off."

(On Joshua Cribbs saying if they beat the Steelers that the fans will forgive them for
the rest of the season)- "I'm not really looking at it that way, Tony (Grossi). I'm looking
at it as being able to beat Pittsburgh. The things that we're trying to do moving forward
are important and that's billed on the progress we've made. Obviously this is a special
game because of who it is. I'm looking to keep moving forward."

(On why Cribbs has only thrown one pass since the Pittsburgh game)- "We've had
other ones up. We haven't been open. The deal is, if it's not open, keep it and that's a
pretty good option."

(On if the Wildcat would be harder to defense against if there was more of a passing
threat involved)- "One of your receivers is the quarterback. It's just a function of
whether or not you can get the guys open, whether or not you can protect it, whether or
not it makes sense. Really, I don't think many teams that run the Wildcat throw with any
kind of high percentage. You want to have it enough so it's an option and you have to
honor it."
(On how Alex Mack as progressed this season)- "I think Alex gets better each game. I
think the way that he gets better is his comfort level. At first, I felt like he sped things up
a lot of times. He wanted to get to his assignment quickly and make sure he took care of
his job, which is great, but there's a tempo that you have to do that at. That's pretty
common with the young guys is, ‘I want to take care of this.' You go quickly and you did
your job, but it's not really the exact way that you want them to do it, whether it's the
combination blocks or pulling or whatever it is. His comfort level there has increased
significantly. His ability to communicate with the rest of the group, his ability to identify
fronts, all those things I think have improved. I think his base and his balance and his
drive blocking have improved. I've seen significant gains as we've gone throughout the
season."

(On how Mack played against Casey Hampton earlier this season)- "He did pretty
well. Hampton is one component of it, but there's so many of these zone blitzes and
things like that that you can't zero in just on him. He's a big enough problem, don't get me
wrong, but you also have to deal with the linebackers, you have to deal with the potential
safety blitzers, the secondary pressure. There's a lot of stuff going on and it's effective."

(On how difficult it will be for Quinn to recognize all of the problems Pittsburgh's
defense presents)- "I thought Brady did a really nice job against San Diego last week
and they run quite a bit of zone blitzing. I wouldn't say the percentages are exactly equal,
but it's up there. I thought he did a nice job IDing where the pressure was coming from.
He changed some of the protection calls at the line of scrimmage to get us to a point
where we had the numbers to pick it up and that opened up some things. The one thing
about him is he'll study it. He'll pick up some things from the first game, even though he
wasn't playing. There's also going to be some variations, some things that are unique to
us."

(On what struck him about the Pittsburgh game in his first stint with the Browns)-
"It was a great atmosphere. Not just the atmosphere of the game, but even during the
course of the week, the feeling during the course of the week, you feel it. It may not be
something that is spoken about at that point, but it's just understood. It's different."

(On if Steelers week is more intense)- "I think that would be one way to describe it. I
think that year we might have played them three times, playoffs in '94."

(On why the team is still giving up long plays)- "Last week, the first long play I think, I
don't think, I know was the result of us not communicating the adjustment. We were
supposed to have a player out in the flat. The other thing that we didn't do very well, and
what you want to do in the secondary, is if the player has the ball in space you always
have to hold the sideline. What that means is you can't get sealed inside by a receiver
down the field because all of your help is coming from the inside out. You have to make
sure that that player cuts back in to where the pursuit is coming from. We didn't hold the
sideline on that play, so not only was there not a player in the flat when there was
supposed to be, but then down the field not holding the sideline, there's no chance. You
have no chance."
(On if rivalries have diminished in the age of free agency)- "I wasn't here for the
period before free agency. When I entered was free agency, so it's have I've known. I
think the faces may change, but the spirit stays the same."

(On if there is something about Ben Roethlisberger that makes him unique)-
"There's a lot about him that makes him unique. He's got great arm strength. He's got
tremendous strength. He's got the ability to avoid to his right, to his left and throw really
accurate passes on the move. He can scramble and hurt you that way. We had him last
game where they were going to throw a screen, the screen was covered. He was able to
scramble to his right, our left and pick up 13 yards. We had the play covered. He had the
awareness, found a seam in the pocket and picked up 13 yards. Not every quarterback can
do that. He's got a real good sense of where the rushers are. Even though he's not looking
at the rush, he's got a good feel of where his pressure points are and where he can escape
to."

(On Roethlisberger having good numbers against Oakland despite losing the game)-
"His numbers have been good all year. He has a 100.2 quarterback rating. I've played him
multiple times over a lot of different years and he's created problems regardless of what
team I've been involved in. He's a really good quarterback. I think he's gotten better each
year, not just in the things that he can create from a broken play perspective, but coming
up to the the line of scrimmage, assessing the defense, seeing where the weakness is and
taking advantage of it. Just the mechanics of running the offense, he's got great control of
that and he has the ability when things don't go well to make something happen."

(On Quinn going 126 passing attempts without an interception)- "It's been a point of
emphasis for us offensively, not turning the ball over. I know we had the strip sack. You
look at the give-away, take-away ratios and the affect those have on outcomes, it's huge.
Being able to protect the football for the passer is really twofold. You have the presence
in the pocket and protecting it from that perspective and then also the decision making
down the field and when to take chances, when not to take chances, where you have to
put the ball in order to make sure the defensive back doesn't have a chance to get it. I
think that's been positive for us across the board. I think the other thing that's really
helped is us taking advantage of opportunities that we've had. At earlier points I felt like
we were dropping really catchable balls. Over the last few weeks I feel like we've caught
some difficult balls and that's a big distinction."

(On what Robert Royal's lack of production is a result of)- "Robert's been bumped up
a couple different times throughout the season. He's worked aggressively to get back on
the field. It hasn't gone exactly the way that he's wanted it to go from a health
perspective, but sometimes that happens. The thing that I respect about Robert is he
works really hard to get ready to play. He's a professional in that aspect. He's a
professional in the room. He does a good job with him teammates. Like I said, I think the
one thing that's set him back is he has had a series of different things that he's had to work
through."
(On if going against Pittsburgh's defense will gauge where Quinn is at)- "I think
actually he's faced some pretty good defenses, Baltimore, Cincinnati. San Diego's defense
was good. This is another good defense. [They have] a different style, but it's going to be
a challenge for us offensively, as a group, because he's one component of it. [They are]
number one in rush defense. Being able to run the ball effectively, being able to deal with
their moving pressures in order to run the ball effectively. Being able to pick up the
blitzing linebackers and understanding where they're coming from in order to get the
passing game going. Taking advantage of balls that are thrown and being able to catch it
in tight coverage, because there will be some tight coverage. I think all those things are
going to be challenges this week. It's a good group across the board that can generate a lot
of negative plays."

Mangini press conf. 12/11

12.11.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-11-09

(Opening statement)- "Good afternoon everybody. Just watching the tape, it reinforced a
lot of things that I felt coming out of the game. I was really happy with the way the guys
played and happy that they were rewarded for it. I think that throughout the course of the
year they have worked hard and things haven't always gone the way we wanted to go, but
we have made strides. Sometimes those strides are apparent and sometimes they are not
as apparent. You look at a game where a guy like Marcus Bernard contributed two sacks
or Brian Schaefering with his sack and a half and the play time that he had. Kaluka
(Maiava), Evan Moore, Chris Jennings, Mohamed (Massaquoi), right on down the line -
some of the new players, guys playing different positions. They've worked hard to learn
the entire system, trying to build in versatility, things like that that have come into play
and I think like any part of the process this stuff is learned. It is learned over time. I was
happy that they were rewarded for that. I also just wanted to thank the fans that came out
last night. They were pretty amazing, especially during that last drive ho loud it was. It
was cold. It was cold where I was sitting. It had to be cold where they were sitting. They
fight through everything so it's great to have them."

(On how important it is for players elevated from the practice squad to take
advantage of the opportunity)- "I think it's extremely important. It's important for the
guys to know that if they work hard, if they continue to improve that they have a chance.
They have a chance to come up to the 53 and then they have a chance to come up to the
45. That's why, organizationally, we spend so much time, whether it be the post practice
work with those guys or the extra meetings or things like that, to continually develop
them because you don't know when you are going to need to call on them. You want to
make sure that they are progressing the same way the other guys are who may be taking
more of the game plan specific reps. That stuff has huge value. It's good to see those guys
get a chance and take advantage of that chance."
(On having to teach new players on the roster)- "There is some element of that and it
just depends when they get here. How extensive their background is before they get here.
A guy like Matt Roth, he has things to draw on from his NFL experience, defenses that
he can associate. Usually, that learning curve is quicker. Some other guys that you may
get late you have to accelerate everything. There is a sense of community and everybody
takes part in it. It's the coaches, the guys at their position they help out. Guys at other
positions, they help out. We embrace guys that come here and everybody wants to help
them be successful."

(On if Joshua Cribbs looked better on tape today)- "It looked pretty good yesterday,
too. He did a lot of different things and he did them well. Whether it was his returns, him
running the ball, catching the ball, making tackles, it was a pretty impressive
performance. There are so many different elements to it. He is a fun guy to watch."

(On if there is anything new with Cribbs' contract)- "Nothing right now. It's
something that we are looking into and want to, obviously, move forward with."

(On if something will get done with Cribbs' contract)- "Yes, I imagine that something
will get done."

(On the ideal number of plays for the Wildcat in a game)- "It's hard to say. Some of it
depends on the effectiveness. Some of the other stuff depends on balancing that out with
the fact that he is the returner on both kickoff returns and punt returns. What you don't
want to do is eliminate his effectiveness there because it is such a huge field position
change, or the potential for that every time he touches the ball. You are balancing out the
snaps at receiver, the snaps in Wildcat, the snaps on special teams and he does the
coverage units as well. He gets a full game, reps wise, from all those different spots."

(On the win against Pittsburgh goes a long way towards next season)- "For me it's
really just a great opportunity for the team to experience some of the fruits of their labor.
To be able to do that against a team like Pittsburgh, who we haven't beat in a long time. I
think it's outstanding. There's that intensity. There's that rivalry. There's that special
feeling with playing them. These guys have worked hard and I know you're probably
tired hearing the word process, and I've said it 1,000 times, but learning how to win is
part of that. Learning how to deal with adversity is part of that. Learning how to play
complementary football is part of that. I think we did a lot of those things last night. It's
great to be able to now point to that and say, ‘ok when we do these things, we can all see
what happens.' I've never questioned the way these guys have approached things, but it is
nice to now say, ‘When we do this, look what's possible.'"

(On if he got a special message from anyone)- "I got a message from Randy (Lerner). I
talked to Jim (Brown) after the game. A lot of different friends around the league sent
some notes. Andy Reid sent a note. You appreciate things like that just because it's nice
of them to take time to do that."
(On if he talked to Randy Lerner in person)- "We just exchanged texts and I'll talk to
him a little bit later here today. It was pretty late when I finally got out of the locker room
and got going and I think he was heading back to se will catch up."

(On what was said in the text message)- "It was a nice, positive message"

(On if he is worried about his future)- "That really hasn't been my emphasis at all or
focus at all. What I'm concerned about are the guys, the team, coaching team and
continuing to move forward. I believe in what we do. I know it works. I know it is going
to work here. I know we are going to win a lot of games here. I know we are going to
have a team that week in and week out the city is going to be proud of. These guys are
good guys working towards the same goal. That to me is the essence of winning. It's
going to happen."

(On if the players coming closer together)- "I see them getting closer and closer as they
get to know each other more and spend more time together. Everybody interacts with
everybody else; it's not by position group. They have a good time with each other. They
support each other in meetings. It could be me asking a question and they try to help each
other out. They use words like ‘family' when they talk about each other. That's what you
are looking for. You are looking for chemistry. You play harder for guys that you like.
There's a different level of intensity when you care about each other and really
understand that everybody is working for everybody else."

(On if there is any uncertainty about bringing someone in)- "I think anybody that we
can bring in to help is a positive thing. I believe in what we do. I believe it to my core.
I've seen it work. I know it works. I am confident in it. I mean that in a sincere way. I've
seen it. I've experienced it. I believe in it. I believe in good people. I believe in hard work.
I believe in discipline. I believe in a team. Those things are truth. It's truth in sports. You
have those things, you win. I've experienced it."

(On if he has talked to Lerner about next year)- "That's never been talked about. I
wouldn't look to do that. My emphasis, my focus, everything is on this year, is on these
guys, is on moving forward each day."

(On Rob Ryan's defensive scheme)- "A big part of playing good defense is being on the
same page. What we always look for every play, defensively, is communication, disguise
and pursuit. Really, the starting point is communication. When everybody know what we
are playing and it's sound across the board, each person understands their role in the
defense. Usually, you play good defense. There were times during the earlier part of the
season maybe we did too much. There have been times where maybe we could have done
a little bit more. Finding that balance, and you have to get used to this defensive approach
I think. I think it's different than a lot of approaches because it is so game plan specific.
You do a lot of things in training camp, you study core concepts on how to run the
defense, but week in and week out it's different. It's specific to Pittsburgh. There's a lot of
learning that goes on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday so there's a lot of adjustments that
have to take place. Communication is so important. It's a shock to the system I think,
when you first get exposed to it. I remember when we went to the Jets initially with (Bill)
Parcells and (Bill) Belichick and that group. It's just dramatically different when you get
a whole game plan on Wednesday and there's 10-15 new defenses in it or changes in the
way that you are going to do it, if you haven't done that before it's hard to get adjusted to.
Once you do, then the guys start looking forward to Wednesday to see what the plan is,
and that is different."

(On how to judge Brady Quinn's performance with the wind)- "The wind definitely
played a part in it. You are looking for accuracy. I think there were some throws that we
could have been more accurate with. I thought some guys made some pretty nice catches
as well. I am always looking for mechanics, regardless of the weather. I thought Brady
did a nice job with that throughout the course of the night last night. The wind does play
a factor in some of those throws and you have to take that into account but it factors in
for both guys. You can do some different things when you have wind than when you
don't."

(On if the players are coming around to him now and buying into the system more
than when he first got to Cleveland)- "I really have found that anytime that you make a
change, and you are dealing with that change, it is difficult. You have to learn about each
other. Everybody loves progress but not a lot of people love change. Usually they go
hand in hand, most often they do. That's also part of the process, part of the growth, is
understanding what the objectives are, understanding that everybody is working toward
the same thing and understanding that we all depend on each other. Our success and
failures are all going to be based on how work together and how we operate s a group. It
does take time. I never really have looked at it as selling guys on it. I look at is as
teaching and exposing guys to new ideas. Exposing guys to ideas that may be different,
that may be out of their comfort zone but you want them to try it. You want them to
experience it. You want to show them how it works. It's nice when they can see it work
and feel it work and really understand it."

(On if he has the support of the players)- "I haven't felt at any point where there wasn't
support. I think that often times it takes a while to understand that the open door is truly
open. It's not a slogan. It's not what you say so you can refute something someone else
says. It's true. Sometimes it's hard for young guys to come up and talk. Sometimes it's
hard for anybody to come up and talk. It can be a little bit like going to the principal's
office. You have to try to convey as much as possible the importance of doing it and the
value in doing it."

(On if he came into Cleveland more heavy-handed than he would have somewhere
else)- "I know this might be hard to believe, but I actually came in here a lot less heavy-
handed than when I went to New York. I swear. I thought I was making major
concessions. Like I said, it takes time. My high school coach used to say, ‘Discipline isn't
something you do to somebody. It's something you do for somebody.' I've never wanted
to instill discipline for the sake of being in charge. That's not what it's about. It's because
it helps you win games. You have one breakdown in 11 guys, it affects the whole play.
You've got a community. We've got guys from all over the country. We have got a range
of ages. Like any community, there's got to be rules so that everybody can operate
efficiently. That's all they are there for and nothing else. I don't want guy's money. I don't
want to exert power to exert power. I want the group to operate efficiently. That's the
goal. It's it."

(On what he would say to a football ‘czar' about his record)- "I would imagine that
anybody who would merit the title ‘czar' would look a lot deeper than just the record.
Like I've said, I'm transparent. There's been rationale for all of the decisions. There's been
a thought process. Some of it's been good, some of it's been bad, but there's a reason
behind it. Anybody who comes in can take a look at it. They can sit down and talk to the
coaches, sit in on any meeting, watch our practices. They have seen other practices,
watch our practices. See how we operate. Come to our meetings. See how we teach. See
how we function as a staff because it's good and it's right. I'm confident in it. Come take a
look because it's a good product."

(On if he has told Cribbs that they will take care of him)- "He and I have talked about
that and he knows how strongly I feel about him and the contributions he makes and all
of those things. You want to move forward with the next steps. Timetable don't know;
structure don't know. All of those things are to be determined, but he knows how I feel
about them and he's a guy I really appreciate more than just for what he does on the
field."

(On how he would sell himself to a czar)- "I feel good about the approach we have
taken here. I feel good about the things that we have done here. I don't feel good about
what our record is and nobody does. I understand the situation I initially came into. I
understand the things that we have done throughout our time here to continue to move it
forward. Anybody that comes in I am excited to talk to. I feel good about it. I don't feel
like it's going to be a function of selling. It's just going o be a function of showing who
we are, what we believe in, the things we have done, and I think that anybody who comes
in will appreciate those things. At the end of the day whatever happens, happens."

(On if he is more comfortable with his job now)- "I feel going into the offseason, you
are starting at a totally different launching point than where we were last year going into
the offseason. You are talking about hiring a staff, evaluating the players, moving into
free agency, trying to get ready for the draft, moving your families. There are a thousand
things that go into entering into an organization. Going into an offseason where that's not
the case, than you are focusing more on free agency, the draft and your frame of
reference is a lot different because you have sat in the meetings with the players. You
have gotten to know them. You have seen them play. You have seen them play your
schemes. It is radically different. Your starting point is so much more advanced than
where it was. I can get home now. That's real progress."

(On if he will enjoy the fact that they beat Pittsburgh)- "Yes, definitely. Even last
night I probably stayed up later than I probably would have that's because I was here
back in '94 and '95. I don't think we beat them those years and it sucked not beating them.
It's nice to beat them. It's important and it's important to the city. It's important, I get that.
I got a note from the guy who dropped off the paper this morning. I really appreciate it
and I get it."

(On David Bowens' leadership)- "He is outstanding. He was outstanding when he

wasn't calling defenses. He's got an energy that's contagious. It's important to him. It's
important for him to do everything the right way. He works with everybody. He involves
everybody into the defense. To go in and to play a new position, now he's played there
before, but he hasn't been the signal caller before so that's new. To be the captain, all of
those things are new. I think he's handled it great. The guys give him a hard time for
being old and having gray hair and things like that. That wisdom has been a huge benefit.
I can appreciate a little bit with the age with an experience the other day. Julie went to
Jake's school and they were discussing the word cold. She was in the back of the room.
C-O-L-D, they took the C out and just had blank space and they wanted the kids to fill in
a letter. The first kid went and I think he said T or B so then they call on Jake and say,
‘Okay, Jake what do you have?' ‘D-A-D' Julie was thinking, how sweet he misses his
father. The teacher says, ‘Why D-A-D?' ‘D-A-D, dad, old.' Everybody sees things
differently. Everybody when they get a chance operates differently and I appreciate the
age jokes.

(On if someone comes in and cleans house and if he thinks it would be a mistake)- "I
think whoever comes in, whatever happens I am excited to work with that person. Like I
said, I believe in the things that we are doing. That's in the future and really that's not my
focus what so ever."

Mangini press conf. 12/16

12.16.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-16-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? A couple things
just to start off, a few announcements, in terms of the Pittsburgh game and last week Josh
Cribbs is going to be named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, which is
outstanding and well deserved. He also won our offensive player of the game from last
week. David Bowens was the defensive player of the game. Blake Costanzo was special
teams [player of the week] and Titus (Brown) was the practice player of the week. Again,
I can't emphasize enough how important the practice player of the week is. It was a short
week, but Titus has been doing a great job so it was kind of a combination of things.

"In terms of Kansas City, I think there are a lot of similarities between where the two
teams are right now. I've known Todd (Haley) for a long time. He was the offensive
assistant in New York when I was the defensive assistant. I know his dad really well,
Dick Haley, who is arguably one of the best personnel men in the NFL. Just getting to
know Todd and working in that same capacity, even though it was on the other side of the
ball, he is really smart, very, I think, innovative. He learned under Dan Henning and
Charlie Weis and I see a lot of that in the offensive play calling. He's tough, in terms of
what his expectations are and guys meeting those expectations. I think that even though
they haven't won as many games as they would have liked, they've been in multiple
games, won in overtime. A couple others they lost by six points or less. I see a lot of
improvement as the season has gone on.

"Offensively, I know Matt (Cassel), [I] was there in New England when he first came in
from USC and watched his development over the years. I thought he played really well
against us last year when he was in New England. Matt has the ability to make big plays
down the field. He has the ability, like a lot of the quarterbacks we've faced, to extend
plays. His 44 rushing attempts I think is fourth behind, (David) Garrard, Aaron Rodgers
and Vince Young, so he can create some plays like that. When he gets going he makes
some really impressive throws. He's a smart guy, a really smart guy. I think the other
thing that they've got going offensively is the running game has emerged. 5.2 yards a
carry for (Jamaal) Charles. With the passing game, picking up Chris Chambers during the
season, he's been a huge asset. The returner, Dwayne Bowe, with 86 catches last year, 33
before he had to sit out the four games. He's a guy that can hurt you all over the field.

"Defensively, it's really the third week in a row now we've faced a 3-4 defense. All these
3-4's we face, even though it's three down linemen, four linebackers, they're all different.
Playing these guys in Arizona, playing this group of coaches in Arizona last year, one of
the trademarks of that defense last year, and I see it here, is how hard the guys play, the
way they pursue to the ball and they make a lot of plays, chase type plays, effort type
plays, which it's coached. It was the same thing in Arizona. It's the same thing here. With
Tamba Hali, I think his transition to the outside linebacker position has been a successful
one. He leads the team in sacks. He creates a lot of pressure. He's going to get better as he
gets more and more comfortable in that role. Mike Vrabel is a guy I've known for a long
time. [He is an] Ohio native. He's right there with the rest of that group, with Rodney
(Harrison) and (Tedy) Bruschi, in terms of his knowledge of the game. [He is] incredibly
competitive. He could remember defenses that we ran two and three years prior and site
them and give the specific play and how it worked. I imagine he'll eventually go into
coaching and he'll be outstanding. I'm sure his leadership has been a good thing for them
defensively.

"On [special] teams, they haven't really given up a lot of big returns at all this season.
They've been excellent with their coverage units. In the return game, again with Charles,
he had the 96-yarder against Pittsburgh. They blocked a punt against Baltimore, blocked
another punt against Washington. [They have] done some creative things in the kicking
game in terms of the fakes, two surprise onside kicks, so there's going to be a lot of areas
we have to prep for there."

(On if Mike Holmgren is here today)- "No, he left, I believe, either this morning or
yesterday night."

(On how his meeting with Holmgren went)- "I've known Mike for a while, not as well
as maybe I know Andy (Reid) or Bill Parcells, but we actually had a good conversation at
the owner's meetings a few years back. We had bought a home in Cape Cod and the
importance of having one place where the kids could go every year and we were just
talking about that and his thoughts on it. We actually revisited that conversation. He had
given me some really good advice back then. We ended up getting the house and have
been really happy with it. We talked a little bit. We visited some last year before the
Seattle game, which was his last home game there. I think he's a good guy. I know him
some through Andy Reid and through Bill Parcells. I thought it was a good conversation.
He is obviously very talented as a coach. It was a good, positive conversation."

(On if he sensed a strong interest on Holmgren's part)- "I think this visit was
something designed for both sides to get to know each other. That's really what it was."

(On if Holmgren could be a sounding board for him if he joined the team)- "I think
anytime you can bring in someone with a wealth of experience as not just a position
coach and coordinator, but as a head coach, it's great. It's great to have those guys. Bill
Callahan was on the staff in New York and he had been a head coach and he was great.
Some things come up where you're like, ‘Hey what do you think about this? How would
you handle it? What was your approach?' To hear another voice, it's positive. I've made
calls, like Dick Vermeil, guys like that that maybe weren't on staff, but have that
experience because they've been through most things. They've seen most things. They've
handled a lot of different decisions. It's good to be able to bounce those ideas off
somebody else."

(On if Holmgren seemed like he would take the offer to sit it on meetings and
observe the team)- "We didn't really talk about that. My stance on that is really the
same."

(On what he talked about with Holmgren)- "We talked about a lot of things. The team,
different aspects of the season, things like that. I'm not going to go into the play-by-play
of it."

(On if it is tough to trade away a veteran player)- "It always is. When you have a guy
like Mike Vrabel, I mean he's a special guy. You can't coach his toughness. You can't
coach his instincts. [He is] a guy that wasn't highly drafted, worked his way up. Really,
we had brought him in initially as a special teams player and he established himself as a
really good defensive player. Even talking to (Jason) Trusnik when he was a young guy
first starting out, I talked to him about emulating a guy like Mike Vrabel whose work
ethic, every day in practice [he] worked. He knew the defense, not just his assignment,
knew the defense, could draw up the defense, could coach the defense. I'm telling you, I
wouldn't be surprised if he's not coaching major college football or pro football at some
point and be really successful. He's a wealth of knowledge."

(On Vrabel's versatility)- "He's got good hands. Mike used to be on the show team and
he'd want to play safety on the show team. He'd disguise stuff. He used to frustrate Tom
(Brady) to no end, because he'd disguise things. They'd go back and forth. It was great
too, because it brought energy to the practice. He's get Tom all fired up. That whole show
team, that whole period changes because now it goes from working on the plays to
working on the plays and also wanting to throw touchdowns on Vrabel. It just increases
the intensity."

(On his relationship with Scott Pioli)- "The first time we weren't together was when I
went to New York as the head coach. Every other year we were together. Scott actually is
responsible for me meeting Julie. On the relocation weekend to Baltimore, he was friends
with Mark (Shapiro) and he was going out and he said, ‘Hey, do you want to come out.' I
said, ‘Yeah, I'll go out,' and he said, ‘We're going to meet my buddy's sister and her
girlfriends and look, you can talk to any of the girls, just don't talk to my buddy's sister.'
Which, of course, I sat next to her, we ended up talking and now we're married. He's
responsible for that and I thank him for that. We lived together in New England when we
first got there, myself and Jules and him and Dallas, so I've known him for a long time. I
think he's another guy that just grinds and grinds and works. He's tough. He is
demanding, all those things that you'd expect from someone who's achieved what he's
achieved. Like I said, he was part of that same group of 20-20's that were here."

(On how his relationship ended up following the controversy in New England)- "I
don't think there's a sense of it ever being a personal issue. It was just business."

(On if the talk of a football czar is unsettling)- "It's not unsettling at all. What I'm
focused on and what I ask the players to be focused on is the task at hand, the opponent at
hand. I'm really happy with the way the guys have been working. I'm happy with the
progress we've made. I mean offensively, the last four games we've been the best team in
the NFL in terms of not turning the ball over. That's real progress from where we've been.
We've improved in almost every offensive category. It's the first time we've held two
teams under 100 [rushing] yards in two years. There's good things going on and that's
from everybody staying focused on the task at hand. Like I said, I'm all for anybody that
can come in and help us organizationally be more successful. I think that's a great thing.
The more smart people, talented people that you can put in the building, that have the
same approach in terms of being focused on winning, that's the best thing you can have.
You can't ask for a better situation, to get a group of people that are all focused on the
same task. That's what you want. That's what you strive for organizationally. That's what
you strive for as a team."

(On if he thinks Holmgren wants the job here)- "You have to talk to Mike about that.
In terms of where things are, I think it was one of those meetings that was everybody
getting to know each other and whatever decision is made, is made."

(On if he feels like Holmgren is an ideal candidate)- "Like I said, he has a wealth of
knowledge, being a head coach as long as he was. You learn so much more about football
than you do as a coordinator, because you have to see the big picture. You have to see
how the fifth receiver fits into the special teams plan, how the third running back versus
the third tight end versus the second fullback, how those things all fit, cutting guys,
claiming guys, contract decisions. Everything is tied into everything else. You only have
so many resources between draft picks, money, claiming position, things like that to
improve the team. Each decision affects the other decision. I think sometimes as a
coordinator or a position coach you get a little bit of tunnel vision, you see how it affects
you. As a head coach, you have to see all of those things. He's got a wealth of experience,
which is outstanding."

(On if he expects other candidates to interview)- "You know, Tony (Grossi), I'm really
not looking to get that involved in the process. What I'm looking to do is coach the guys.
That's what I want the guys to focus on, the coaches to focus on. It's Kansas City for us
and that's the most important thing."

(On if there is any advantage to having a czar here before the end of the season)- "I
haven't been involved in czar searches before, so I don't know what the best path is. I'm
not sure what the best path is. I think the most important thing is to get the right person in
place and to move forward, whether that's today, whether it's three weeks from now.
Whatever point it is, the key thing is to get the right person and move forward
organizationally."

(On if his coaching philosophy could mesh with Holmgren's)- "I think often times
you're labeled with family trees and philosophies and things like that, but the philosophy
that I think we all want is winning. Whether it's West Coast, East Coast, it's winning.
Mike ran really physical, demanding training camps. I don't think there's anything
inconsistent about that philosophy. His goal is to win. That's it. However you get to that
point. Again, going back to Bill Callahan, one of the most attractive things about him was
he brought experience in that system that we were able to incorporate offensively. Bring
in Brian Schottenheimer, he's more the digit system offensively and that family tree and
that was really positive. (Brian) Daboll brought, I don't know if there's any title to that
offensive system, but whatever that is. Taking the best things from each component of
that and building your system, I think, is the best approach."

(On if Holmgren's coaching philosophy would conflict with the type of players he is
looking for)- "No, I think all coaches appreciate smart, tough, hard working guys, guys
that are competitive and selfless and guys that football's important to. I think that's
universal. Again, with drafting, it's the right guy and it's trying to figure out the right guy
for you. Sometimes you have to appreciate a player's value, but know he's not right for
you. Once you determine what's right for you then you determine the players that are
right for you."

(On what was challenging about facing a Holmgren-coached team)- "It's been close
to a year since we played them. I'd say there's a lot of challenging things about facing the
West Coast offense. They're going to create levels, whether it's levels on the outside,
levels on the inside. There's going to be quick hitting plays. There's going to be
misdirection. There's going to be multiple personnel groups. All those things are
components of it that come into play."

(On Jamaal Charles)- "With Jamaal, he's elusive. There are a lot of plays on tape,
whether it's him as a kickoff returner or him as a running back or even him as a receiver.
There's a great play where he catches, it's either a 40 or 60-yarder on (Antonio)
Cromartie, was it Cromartie, it might have been (Quentin) Jammer. He's one-on-one with
the corner, runs a double move, catches a great, I'm not sure if it was 40 or 60 [yards], but
it was a pretty impressive catch that way. You get him into space, whether it's a check-
down or screen, he can make a lot of people miss. What I really like about him is a lot of
times the elusive backs aren't the most physical backs. They can make people miss. He
can also run through some tackles. Each team that faces him is appreciating his ability to
create plays in a couple different ways."

Mangini press conf. 12/17

12.17.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-17-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are you guys doing? Good
morning Alexis (Martin, Browns Kids Club Jr. Reporter for a Day). How are you doing?
Yesterday's practice, I thought that we got a good jump on what we're trying to
accomplish in terms of not just the scheme but also the way that we need to stop the core
players and also our attack, things like that. I do think there are some things that have to
be cleaned up. I'd say especially defensively, continuing along the line that we've had
with the communication, because there has been quite a bit of shifting, more shifting than
motioning from their (Kansas City's) offense, which will change the call from one thing
to the other. It happens pretty quickly, so getting a feel for that is something that we're
going to have to continue to work on here today. Moving to third down, we've made a lot
of progress, I think, offensively in terms of our third down conversion rate. This is a
really good team on third down defensively. That's going to be a challenge for us. I like
the group of pass rushers they have. I know the sack numbers haven't been as high as
probably they have hoped it to be. One thing they do really well though is when they do
get to the quarterback they usually get the ball out. There are quite a few hits on the
quarterback that don't translate into sacks, but they do apply quite a bit of pressure. A lot
of that, some of it comes from designed pressure, some of it comes from games and some
of it comes from just sheer effort and intensity, the way they rush, which is pretty
consistent with the defenses he (Clancy Pendergast) coached in Arizona as well."

(On what the team needs to do in the final games to prove it is making progress)-
"I've seen quite a bit of it. One of the things that I really liked against San Diego was
down the way we were down, coming back, putting ourselves in a position to at least
challenge there at the end of the game with the onside kick. If we had gotten the two
point conversion we wouldn't have been kicking the field goal there. We would have
been going to tie the game. That's a really important lesson against a very good team. I
thought that the way that we played against Pittsburgh, where it was complementary
football, and I know you've heard that word a ton of times here, but it really was. We did
a nice job in the kicking game establishing field position, downing punts inside the 10.
Offensively, being able to move the ball, run the ball, use up the clock, things like that.
Defensively as well, the coordinated pass rush, where we saw sacks from a lot of
different people based on the scheme and that's something that's traditionally part of what
we do defensively. I want to see the complementary football and then the other lessons
that we've learned throughout the season continue to be applied to the next game and the
two games after that."

(On if he is looking to see what Brady Quinn can do in a game without poor weather
conditions)- "I'm not sure what we're going to get in Kansas City. I wasn't really looking
at it in terms of that. The weather's going to be the same for both quarterbacks. What I'm
looking for from Brady is the same type of operation that he's had and when we do get
the opportunities, being able to take advantage of the opportunities. Again, I've liked the
steps forward that we've taken offensively and I want to see more of that."

(On how he accounts for the improvements in the run defense)- "It's pretty consistent,
Tony (Grossi), with what happened in '06 in New York. You install the defense and
there's a way to play it. Even though you're playing it and it looks like it's supposed to
look, it's not really operating like it's supposed to operate. As you build up reps, as you
build up a better understanding of how it all fits together, usually you make some
significant jumps. We improved significantly in New York after the bye, which was at
the same time, midway through the season, because it started to hit for a lot of guys. It
started to clear up for a lot of guys, exactly how you have to fit, how each piece works
together. When you do that, when you can play the scheme with all 11 parts sitting in the
right spots, it gets better."

(On how long it takes for a team to learn what to do against an unknown player like
Marcus Benard)- "That's a good question. I'm not sure what the right amount of tape
would be for him. He played in the preseason. You could look at some of that stuff. He
played a little bit against Detroit. You really have to work off the tape that you have. I'm
not sure what the right volume is. The other thing, whether it was Marcus or Kam
(Kamerion Wimbley) or Matt (Roth), it was all linebackers in there. David Bowens, they
were all working in different spots at different times. Ideally, you'd like to be able to run
the same defense, but just switch whose role is whose, so that you can't count on, ‘Okay,
Marcus is going to be on our offensive right side and he's going to use these few pass
rushing moves.' One time it's Marcus. The next time it's Roth. The next time it's Kam.
They may all be doing the same thing from a concept standpoint, but it's different bodies,
different people doing it."

(On if he was tempted to play Brian Robiskie more against Pittsburgh after his
performance against San Diego)- "He played quite a bit against Pittsburgh, in terms of
his percentage of play time. A lot of that stuff is packaged-based. Chansi (Stuckey) may
be in one package or (Mike) Furrey and Brian may be in a different package. If one
thing's working maybe better than you expected or not working as well as you expected,
one of those groups may get bumped up, may get more reps. Even with Pittsburgh, our
base defense didn't have nearly as many reps as our sub defense, so a guy like (Ahtyba)
Rubin didn't have a significant number of reps in the game, but that was just because of
their approach and the packages that we played against it."
(On how Ahtyba Rubin has played in place of Shaun Rogers)- "He's played really
well. He has a nice base. He has good hand placement. He's improved throughout the
course of the season in reading the core blocks. There's not a wide range of blocks that
you're going to get as a 3-4 nose tackle. You can also use the back to anticipate where the
pressure points are going to come and he has a much better since of that. I remember with
Mike DeVito, his rookie year, [he was] similar to Rubin in the sense that he played with a
good base, was strong, good hands, but he couldn't put together how the back played into
the blocking schemes. He'd get beat on some stuff that he had seen a ton of times and
then the next year he came back, it really broke for him and he was so much better at
playing those things. I see Rubin, as the season's gone on, his feel for what's coming and
anticipating those things has gotten a lot better."

(On if Rubin has surprised him since he does not look like a space-eater type of
player)- "He's pretty thick. I'm not sure what he weighs, but he's pretty thick. Compared
to Shaun, it's hard to make that comparison, there's not a lot of Shaun's. He's really thick.
Him, Kris Jenkins, Ted Washington, those are big, big men."

(On if Rogers was sometimes too quick for his own good in the run scheme)- "I think
that his reactions were so quick that he would sometimes get to the point of attack before
the rest of the defense had gotten there. Even though he was reading the play the correct
way, it was at different tempos, so a crease would open up that wouldn't typically be
there. That happened on occasion. I wouldn't say it was just all the time, but there were
times where he was like that. He just has great instincts and speed for that size."

(On Corey Williams' development)- "I think he's made strides throughout the season.
One of the important things that I was looking for is consistency in the base defense and
really embracing and understanding how you have to play the techniques. The two-gap is
different than what most teams play. Even though Pittsburgh, San Diego and Kansas City
are 3-4 teams, it's much more one-gap than it is two-gap. They're penetrators, where this
is more of a read and react and there's patience. I was looking for that to continue to
improve and I think he has throughout the season. It was nice to see him go in and play as
well as he did. I think that he's played well at different points throughout the course of the
year as well."

(On if the play calling has improved over the last four games)- "I think the execution
has improved. I think that's what it's come down to. When you look at the things that
we've been able to do, not turning the ball over, that's huge. It gives you extra drives. It
gives you field position. Our ability to convert on third down, it gives you more plays. It
gives you more chances. Those were two areas that we've struggled with. As we've
improved in those two areas, we've moved the ball a lot more effectively, we've score
more points, we've held the ball longer. Just look at the jump in those two categories. It's
been the same approach. It's game plan specific. It's trying to maximize our strengths.
There hasn't been a fundamental shift in how we approach our opponent. I think the
biggest thing is we've executed better. The protection has improved."
(On if the no huddle offense has been the key to the offense's improvement)- "I've
always been a fan of the no huddle. I think it does create problems. I think we've run it
well and it's not easy to do. I do think that has helped. I think that even when we weren't
running it if we had caught more of the balls there were catchable, if we had held on to
more balls that we ended up turning over, I think the production there would have been
significantly better as well."

(On if the success of the sub defense against Pittsburgh alters the way he looks at the
run defense)- "No, not necessarily. Usually it means that you're doing a good job in base
if they shift to a different personnel group. I think if we were getting gashed we probably
wouldn't have seen as much 11 personnel, because we were holding up well. It shifted the
other way."

(On Joshua Cribbs saying he is optimistic about getting a new contract before the
season is over)- "I don't have the timeline, but I can tell you I really like Josh. I really do,
not just as a player, as a person, as a part of the organization, his dedication, his sacrifice.
He is selfless. I really like Josh."

(On if he has to wait for the front office to be established before he can negotiate any
deals)- "Throughout the course of the season, you've seen we've brought in quite a few
players, whether we brought them in or claimed them off waivers or signed them from
the practice squad, whatever the case may be. We're operating in that same pattern."

(On if he has to wait until the front office is worked out to negotiate a long term
deal)- "What we're doing is really taking the same approach, is looking at things short
term, looking at things long term. I'm sure the addition of a general manager or whatever
that title becomes, that's going to be an important component of all the things that we do
moving forward. As you go through the season there's a lot of things that still have to get
done, still have to be addressed, still have to be looked at in the same context of how does
it affect now, how does it affect the salary cap, how does it affect the plan, those types of
things."

(On if he was looking at any personnel acquisition for the following year at this time
of year when he was with the Jets)- "I didn't really do that. In terms of exposure to
college players or potential free agents, that wasn't something that I would do towards the
end of the year. It just wasn't, I didn't think, very effective because there's so much
happening from a coaching perspective. I always like to start that after the season."

(On if he does any work on college players now)- "I didn't do it there. I'm not really
doing it here. The scouts are doing a great job. They were in last week. They had their
preliminary meetings. I think we've really made some strides there. That's following the
consistent pattern here, as it did in the Jets. All the different staffs are doing that now.
You get the reports, the first layer reports. It's all follows the same pattern. It's pretty
consistent around the league."
(On if it is tough to evaluate Joe Thomas' season given the team's record)- "I don't
think it's hard to evaluate him. I think he's been outstanding. I think that every week he
faces somebody that's pretty impressive as a pass rusher and very rarely do you hear that
person's name. I think this week he'll have his hands full as well with Tamba Hali. Very
few times you look out and say, ‘Joe Thomas didn't get his block,' or ‘Joe Thomas was
beaten on that play'. With an offensive lineman, the less you're mentioning him, usually
the better it is. I think Joe is really good, especially at this point. He's got a young career.
He's just going to get better and better."

(On how close Eric Wright is to being a Pro Bowl cornerback)- "You'd have to look
at it in the context of a lot of other corners. What I can tell you about Eric is, coaching a
lot of different guys, I think he's very good in pass coverage. I think he's got excellent
feet. I think he's very fluid. I think he's got really good instincts and ball skills. I think the
one area that he can continue to improve is run support and tackling. That's something
that he and I have talked about. As someone from a coverage aspect, I think he does an
excellent job. Eric's a very smart person. One of the things that you always want corners
to do is continue to build their library of receivers so that they have something they can
draw on, when I face a big receiver, when I face a shorter quicker guy, when I've got half
field help. There are certain styles of receivers that you face. There are certain guys that
you face, that he's going to face multiple times. He has the ability to really understand the
scheme, really understand the player that he's playing against and apply those things, as
well as being gifted athletically and physically."

Mangini press conf. 12/18

12.18.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-18-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. Today, we have a few things we need
to clean up from yesterday with the third down approach. They do a couple things just a
little bit different than what we've seen on third down. We just have to be able to
recognize it defensively and make sure that we have the right check for what they are
doing. There's a little bit of communication with that yesterday and I think we'll have that
taken care of here this morning. Offensively, I thought that overall the execution was
better than Wednesday. I think there will be a few things that we'll revisit in the running
game here today and a couple things on third down as well. I like the approach
throughout the course of the week and look to finish the week strong."

(On if he knew how he was going to split reps at running back going into the
Pittsburgh game)- "There's a plan going into the game, and then we evaluate it during
the game to see who's being more effective, which types of runs are being more effective.
If it leans more towards J.C. (Jerome Harrison) then he'll get some more carries. If it
leans more towards Chris (Jennings) then he'll get some more carries. In last week's case
Josh (Cribbs) got some more carries."
(On if he would go into a game saying Player X is going to get most of the carries,
knowing that plan could change)- "It's more, ‘These are the packages that we like.' You
put those out there. You run through the plays that you like and see how it's going. If it's
hitting like you expect to hit then you'll stay with it. If not, you may transition into
something a little further down the list."

(On Robaire Smith)- "I think he's improved. [We will] really have to see today and it
will probably come down to a game-time decision with him."

(On how much Cribbs could carry the ball and still be effective on special teams)- "I
don't know if there is a set number. Most people play, if they play a full game,
somewhere around 65 plays on average. Now, that can vary on how demanding the
position is or the focus of the position. I'd say it depends how many special teams plays
there are, because that number can vary each game. How many returns does he have?
How many kickoff returns? How many punt returns? Those things affect it. How many
snap do you want to use him as a receiver? That would affect it. He is on the coverage
teams as well. It's hard to say, but a full game would be about 65. He's just in a spot that
is very demanding. He is going to take a lot of hits between the kickoff returns and the
punt returns. He is going to be involved in a lot of physical plays on the coverage plays.
You have to take that in account."

(On where he feels like a guy like Cribbs could be most effective, either running the
ball 12 times and catching a few passes or in the return game)- "I think if you are
carrying the ball 12 times a game and catching a few passes, you could still return like he
has been. I thought that he was very effective last week. He really did what you said. He
returned the ball, caught a pass, made a tackle and ran the ball. That's a pretty effective
game. The other nice thing about Josh is, anytime he is in there, if he is in a different spot
than say the Wildcat position, there is always a threat. There's the threat of him on the
reverse. There's the threat of him on the catch-and-run. That dictates some of the
coverage as well. Even if he is not getting the ball, having him there and having him there
in a capacity where he can actually run a standard play is important. You want to be able
to put your normal offense out there and run those plays, so that every time he is in they
can't check the defense. If they do start checking it then the plays that you have designed
based on your normal offense should be very effective against it, because you know what
they are going to be in."

(On what putting Cribbs solely at running back would do to a defensive

coordinator)- "I think, as a defensive coordinator, that wouldn't be a bad thing. To have
him in a standard offensive set as a running back, you can now run your standard
defenses, because those plays are going to be traditional type plays. We've faced a lot of
good running backs throughout the season and you have different things to deal with
those guys. One of the nice things about Josh is, when he is in the Wildcat you gain an
extra blocker. Someone has to cover the quarterback, the quarterback becomes a runner
and you gain extra players, whether it's the fullback and a guy that would be in a tailback
position. That's where the numbers part of it comes in."
(On if he is still trying to settle the secondary)- "I think it's going to stay game-to-game
throughout the rest of the season. The configuration of the secondary will be game-to-
game. One of the nice things is Mike (Adams) has shown the ability to go out and play
there [at corner] and be effective and go back at safety, play there and be effective. We've
had different combinations at safety, worked some different guys in at the slot or the guy
who covers the inside receiver in sub. Ideally, that's what you have throughout the course
of the season is the flexibility to say, ‘Okay, this is where the biggest problem is.'"

(On if he is trying to matchup the secondary to the players the opponent has)- "What
you'd like to do, Jeff (Schudel), is through the course of the season always have the
ability to dictate the coverage, push the coverage wherever you want to push it to. Then,
be able to take people and say, ‘He's the best to cover him. He's the best to cover him.'
Defensively, you always want to [have that] and really offensively too. If Kam
(Kamerion Wimbley) is best on a certain guy, then you would move Kamerion over there
to that spot. It could be the right, it could be the left, it could be a walk around type
person. In order to do that, Kamerion has to have the ability to move to those three spots.
That's why I never liked, during training camp, saying, ‘Okay you are the right corner,'
and then they get all their reps as the right corner. You get a game or two into the season
and you want to cover a certain receiver and now he has to play over on the left and he's
got no reps. Our approach has always been, ‘Alright, today you are on the right.' From a
safety, it's not strong and free, it's right and left, so you have to know both spots. That
helps because you don't know how you are going to move them around. Same thing with
the d-line, you saw Robaire, when Kenyon (Coleman) got hurt, go over to the left hand
side. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but the types of blocks that you get on the left
are different. The volume of runs you get on the left are different. He's worked there
throughout the course of the year, so you can do that. Corey (Williams) playing some at
the nose. He has to have those reps, otherwise you get 10-12 games into the season and
say, ‘Go play nose.' It's like you get 10 that week and that's hard."

(On his relationship with Todd Haley and if they are facing similar situations with
their teams this year)- "Todd, we've known each other starting in '97 when we worked
in New York. He was the offensive assistant, I was the defensive assistant. Really, it was
the flip of the relationship that I had with Schwartzy (Jim Schwartz), where I was the
offensive assistant and he was the defensive assistant. You end up spending a lot of time
with him. You have to handle 8,000 different things. Are the schedules right? Are they
posted? Does everybody have a copy of it? Do we have to change the films? Are the cut-
ups done? There are so many things operationally that you're always dealing with each
other to make sure the practice flows fluidly. It's sort of like a team within a team. He's a
funny guy. He really has a good sense of humor. He's bright. He's tough and demanding.
He was making the transition into football at that point, there was no intimidation. It
wasn't too big for him. His dad is an outstanding evaluator. He has been for a long time.
He had that experience growing up around football and with Dick Haley. It was nice,
even when we were evaluating talent as young guys to be able to draw on some of his
background from his dad and things like that. It is a similar situation. He's looking to
make progress each week. This is his first time around, but he understands his problems
may be a little different than the problems that I'm facing, maybe a little different than
what Schwartzy's or any of the first year head coaches. We've talked a few times during
the season about different issues or questions. He has a big family. He's a good dude."

(On if Kenyon Coleman will be able to play this weekend)- "Yes, I think he should be
fine. Kenyon really hasn't missed too many games over his career. This is a little bit of
new ground for him. I think he'll be ready to go and he'll be effective."

(On if there was anything that drove him nuts about Haley)- "What did he say on the
conference call? Did he draw first blood? (joking) I loved everything about him. It's like
any other relationship. I spent more time with him than probably anybody else. I'm sure
there were things that he couldn't wait to have a break from at the end of the season and
the same with me. You just learn to appreciate each other. When you share an experience
like that, it's a bond you have for a long time."

(On why he is one of the only head coaches in their first year with a team said to be
on the hot seat by the media)- "I don't know why that is. Why is that guys? Why are
you talking about it? (joking) I don't know. I read somewhere the other day, ‘Rome
wasn't built in a day.' I thought that was a great quote. Someone threw it on my desk and I
thought, ‘Wow, how appropriate. How rational and insightful.' That's the way it is. You
can't fix all the different things that need to be fixed right away, but you're encouraged by
the things you do make improvement with. It's not always easy. You kind of want to put
it in the microwave, have it hot and have it ready. It's not like that."

(On if he has started to put together a wish list of offseason needs)- "I don't like to do
that until the end of the season because you want to be able to take a little bit of time and
move away from things and then come back and evaluate it. At the end of the season,
depending on how you finish, you could be harsher than you should be or you could be
not as objective as you should be. I've experienced both those and learned from both
those things and realized you need to take some time to step away and go back and look
at it objectively, look at it critically and really assess where you are. You don't want to
make emotional decisions or quick decisions. I really have been part of both those
situations and it's not the right way. It's not really fair to getting the right answer."

(On if he has prepared a selling kit to present to whoever becomes the general
manager)- "No, not at all. I won't spend any time putting together a selling kit. I think I
could sit down with anybody at any point and go through step-by-step decisions that were
made, things that were done both with a short term vision and a long term vision. Any
aspect of the organization, draft, free agency, player acquisition, salary cap, medical, PR,
operations, department by department. I feel pretty good about us doing it without over
pointing it."

(On if he wants the new general manager to step back and evaluate his work as a
whole before making any decisions)- "I really do believe that anybody with a wealth of
experience, especially if they've had coaching experience, understands the different
components that go into it. There have been a lot of really talented coaches that haven't
had good seasons. That sometimes happens and you have to look at it in a lot of different
ways. Going through that in different places as an assistant, whether it be DBs or a
coordinator, whatever it is, you get different perspectives on it. I know as a head coach,
when I first got the job there were times where I'd sit in that seat going, ‘God, I
understand exactly why Bill (Parcells) and Bill (Belichick) did this. That never made
sense to me, but now I get it.' I call those guys up sometimes and be like, ‘I get it. I'm
sorry. I complained about this. I completely understand why you did what you did.'
Sometimes when you look at the world through your lens, that's the only evaluation that
you make, but when the lens softens and you look at the other situations involved, it's
different. It's kind of like become a parent. I say some things that my dad says or my
mom used to say and it's like, ‘Oh my God, I can't believe I just said that.' It just changes,
because you learn and you experience things. It's a good part of the process. They always
chuckle when you call them, too. Bill Parcells, he'd go, ‘Oh, it's not all it's cracked up to
be is it Eric?' ‘Yeah Bill.'"

(On if a general manager with head coaching experience would be able to step back
and evaluate the team as opposed to a career personnel guy)- "I really think it
depends on the person and the experiences that they've had. If you've built different
teams, if you've been a part of different teams, you've experienced a lot of things as well.
I imagine they'd look at things as a big picture type philosophy."

(On why national writers are saying he would no longer be with the team if Mike
Holmgren was hired)- "I don't really look at that, what the speculation is. There are
stories that come out that often times have no merit, facts, backing, at all. Some do. I'm
not kind of doing the score card of different opinions. With Mike, he and I have talked at
different points, whether it's at the owner's meetings or prior to us playing them last year.
He's a good guy. The conversation wasn't any different than those other times. I wouldn't
characterize it as different."

(On if he wants Holmgren to take the job)- "I don't want to get into that component of
it. What I will say is, I want someone to come here that can help us improve, that can be
part of giving the city of Cleveland what they deserve, which is a consistent winner year
in and year out and a team that they can be proud of on the field and off the field. That's
what I believe in. Being in Cleveland as a younger coach and being here now, the passion
hasn't changed and what they deserve hasn't changed. They want a team that works, cares
and is passionate and fights and is smart. I mean it's so obvious and it's so deserved. My
job is to give that to them and not just one year, but every year. That's what they
deserve."

(On if he thinks his fate is tied to these last three games)- "I'm not really look at it that
way, Jeff (Schudel). I've been a head coach for four years now [at] different places,
different experiences, different players. I feel good about the things that I've done in that
role and there's a body of work there. Each situation is different. Anybody that comes in
can evaluate that. I feel really good about the things that I've done in this role. Has it
always produced the results that you wanted? No, because the goal is to win every game.
You make decisions as you go and you continue to improve and progress."
(On if there is any urgency to get Corey Williams more reps)- "With the d-line, it's a
lot of the same approach. Last game we had a different package with all linebackers and
defensive backs. That wasn't a function of a lack of faith in the defensive line, it's just
what we thought would be effective. We'll take the same approach this week. Whether it's
the nickel, the dime or the base or the other variations we have, there are all those
packages. [There are] some where he may be the first guy, some where he may be the
second guy. Last week, the amount of sub personnel that they played with really dictated
what we played with and the numbers got changed a little bit. It'll also be based on what
we're getting and what's being effective for us."

(On if he is disappointed with the timing of the meeting with Holmgren)- "You face
different things that could potentially be distractions and we've faced a bunch throughout
the course of the year. It doesn't change the guys in the room. It doesn't change the
coaching staff. It's hard to talk about the importance of focus and concentration and
working at the task at hand and then allow yourself to be distracted by something like
that. It's not fair to the coaches. It's not fair to the players. It's not fair for anybody in that
group to do it because there have been so many positive things. That'll continue to
happen as long as we take the lessons that we've learned and apply them to the next week.
Once you take a step back, you could move backwards."

Mangini press conf. 12/22

12.22.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-22-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are you doing? A couple things,
just announcements from the game, players of the game this week, probably hard to
figure out who the offensive player of the game was. Jerome (Harrison) got that honor
and also gave game balls to really the whole offensive group, coming a yard away from
the team record. Just watching the tape again showing it to them this morning, there's
some great blocks. Lawrence Vickers was outstanding. I thought that Joe Thomas and
(Eric) Steinbach and some of their double teams and Rex (Hadnot), I mean those guys
were really impressive. The receivers down the field, the same thing. It was a really
group effort. They all got game balls for that. (Joshua) Cribbs was the special teams
player of the week. I did the same thing with the return team, gave them all game balls as
well. Defensive player of the week was (Ahtyba) Rubin. What I liked most about what he
did during the game is he played the blocks really well, the core blocks, but some of the
hustle plays that he made down the line of scrimmage, especially for a guy his size and he
did it throughout the game, I thought was excellent. Our practice player of the week was
Coye Francies.

"The other news that we have is we had to put Brady Quinn on injured reserve this
morning. He sustained an injury on the quarterback keep there late in the game and just
won't be able to play again this season. D.A. (Derek Anderson) will start this week, with
Brett (Ratliff) as the two and Cribbs will be the three, so we'll get him a few reps working
at quarterback. We signed Scott Kooistra, offensive lineman.

"In terms of Oakland, looking at this team I've seen them do a lot of good things as the
season's gone on. They've won three out of the last five against three pretty good teams.
The way they won them, I think, is the most impressive thing, coming back late in the
game, making plays. [In their game against] Pittsburgh, there's some really outstanding
catches late to sustain that drive. Cincinnati was kind of the same thing and then getting a
turnover late on special teams, Denver scoring with 39 seconds left, they built
Philadelphia earlier in the year, so they've played some good football. I think they've
gotten better as the year's gone on. Offensively, what we'll have to deal with is a
penetrating defense. These guys are a big, physical, penetrating group. I think it's over 10
percent of their plays, the rushing plays that they face, go for negative yards. They've
been generating a lot of pressure on the quarterback. They're 15th in sacks. They're 10th
or 11th in red zone defense, which has helped them quite a bit, especially in these close
games. On third down, they've been outstanding. We have our work cut out for us there.
It's a lot of man-to-man tight coverage where they really challenge you and they're
bringing the rush hard up the field.

"Defensively, they have a little bit style of running game than what we've faced here
recently. They have three good backs, whether it's (Michael) Bush, (Justin) Fargas,
(Darren) McFadden, they all can hurt you. Like I said, there are some things that we have
to adjust to in terms of the style with which they run the football. They've generated some
big plays. The young kid (Louis) Murphy has a couple really big plays. He had a great
catch against Pittsburgh on the sideline to get a first down. Dealing with this tight end
(Zach Miller), and he hurt us last year when we played them, he has excellent hands,
good run after the catch. He's a true tight end. He can block, he can catch and he's
dangerous in the passing game. As I said, I think that they've had a lot of uncertainty at
quarterback. They've had a lot of changes, a lot of injuries there, but the things that
they're doing from a scheme perspective have been sound. To be able to put different
people in there and still move the ball against some good defenses, I think says it all.

"On special teams, you have really, arguably the best tandem in terms of punter and
kicker. They don't give you many chances to get much done in the return game. I think
the longest punt return against them is 23 yards. (Sebastian) Janikowski can hit from
forever. The thing just flies off his foot. I don't know where field goal range is with him,
but it's back there."

(On what Quinn's injury is)- "A foot."

(On what happened on the play Quinn got injured)- "He just got injured on that run
that he had, the quarterback keep late in the game on the sideline. Looking at it, he
wouldn't be able to play this week, wouldn't be able to play next week. Really, it's going
to take a little while."

(On if Quinn will need surgery)- "Don't know that yet."

(On if someone stepped on Quinn or if he turned wrong)- "It's hard to tell on the film.
The angle that you have, it's hard to see exactly what it is. He and I were talking about it
last night and even he wasn't sure exactly how it happened."

(On Quinn being able to finish the game at Kansas City)- "It was only one more play I
think. One or two more plays."

(On if he was injured on the quarterback sneak for 13 yards)- "No, the bootleg, late
[in the game]."

(On which foot Quinn injured)- "I think it's the right."

(On Derek Anderson's state of mind)- "I think it's positive. He's been positive
throughout the process, just like Brady was. We've had a few moving parts throughout
the season, offensively, defensively, guys stepping in and they've responded well. I
expect the same thing from D.A."

(On how he would assess Quinn's season)- "That's something really I go back and look
at after the season. I think he had done a really nice job. We made a pretty radical
transition going to all no huddle. I thought that operated very effectively and got better as
we went and it helped us quite a bit. Last game, I didn't know if you guys remember, we
call it a bubble screen, where (Chansi) Stuckey kind of bowed out. That was one of those
plays that wasn't called. They had a lot of people in the box. Brady saw it, got it out to
him, we got the first down. Those types of things are the types of things that you're
looking for, because you have the play called and sometimes it's not going to be very
good and they have their forces massed at a place where it's not going to be successful.
To understand where you can then attack them is important. I thought that he improved
with that throughout the course of the season. Even the ball handling on the one that he
kept, (Mike) Brown was right there on the edge. I remember looking and thinking, ‘Oh
man, this isn't going to be very good,' but the way that he sold the run it sucked Brown
like a hard edge down the line and there was nobody there. It doesn't seem like that's a
big deal, but that was the difference between the play working or it getting blown up."

(On if they will be able to run the no huddle with Anderson)- "Yes, he's been working
on it. He worked on it during training camp. I'm comfortable that he'll be able to go out
and do it effectively."

(On if Quinn has shown enough to be considered as the quarterback of the future)-
"I think he's done a lot of good things, I really do. I think that a lot of things that I was
hoping for at the beginning of the season we really started to see in the later part of the
season. I think the no huddle helped him quite a bit. His ability to do that as well as he
did helped us. We've improved in quite a few categories. I'm not saying that's the only
reason. I think that over the course of time we've gotten better as a group, but I think
that's been positive for us. We'll just see where we are."
(On how much of a concern Quinn's passing numbers are)- "I think that's something
that we definitely have to improve on. We're not going to have the running game
production that we had last week very often. I mean, I think that's a pretty unique
performance by any stretch. The other thing that I know he'd like to have back from last
game, and so would I, were the turnovers. We've done a good job of protecting the
football and that's critical. It's critical. When we've stopped turning over the ball, the
games have changed. The games have changed for us. Our give-away, take-away ratio,
we obviously need to generate a lot more defensively than we have. We gave one away
last game, the one that hit our young linebacker in the chest could have been an easy one.
It's a combination of those two, protecting the ball, being able to run it over. There have
been some good things. I thought Chansi, last game, had another solid game with five
catches. I really like the catch he had on the sideline. The play right after the catch on the
sideline I think is another example to point at, at Brady's progress and the offense's
progress. Not sure whether it [the catch] was in or not, him being able to go up, get the
snap off quickly, not give Kansas City the chance to challenge. We've called that a couple
times throughout the course of the season. You guys probably remember the one early
against Baltimore and that looked a lot different. It was a lot less effective. It was positive
that we were able to do that."

(On if he feels comfortable with the receiving corps right now)- "I think we'll look at
that, like we'll look at any other position. Going into this season, we didn't really have a
lot of depth at receiver and that was something that we had to address in the draft, taking
two young guys as early as we did. That was a real need position. They've come on.
They've shown different things at different times. I think they'll both continue to develop.
I think adding Chansi helped. I think Evan Moore has been a really pleasant surprise and
good pickup for us. There are some positives. We need to see how that growth continues
and always need to look for opportunities to improve."

(On if Quinn can be fairly judged based on the parts around him)- "I think that you
have to look at what the situation is and put it in a context, like you would do any other
position. I think the positive is we have a guy that really understands quarterbacks
coming in to help out, so I think he'll be able to shed some like on this as well."

(On if 13 starts in three years is a fair number to judge a quarterback by)-

"Everybody has a different opinion on that. I've heard, what is it, 1,000 snaps. I don't
know. I don't know what the exact number is for that. You see some guys that bounce
around, don't get an opportunity, suddenly get an opportunity and play really well. A guy
like Kurt Warner, he was in the arena league for a while and suddenly gets a chance and
lights it up. (Doug) Flutie was up in Canada. I don't know at what point it really hits. I
think the thing that you see is hits different for different guys. (Matt) Cassel hadn't
thrown a ball, or maybe he had a little bit of burn late one year against Miami, one of
those games that we had in New England."

(On his reaction to Mike Holmgren joining the Browns as club President)- "It's the
same as we've talked about before. To be able to bring somebody in of his stature, really
has a wealthy of knowledge. The experiences that he's had, in terms of winning on a
consistent basis, I think that's outstanding. Plus, the strong offensive background that he
has, I think that's great as well. I know he'll be in here next week. What I'm going to
continue to focus on is coaching the group and that's what the players are focusing on, is
getting ready for Oakland, the coaches as well. Like I said, anytime you can add someone
that's really smart and has a wealth of knowledge, it's a pretty good situation."

(On if he had any contact with Holmgren over the past week)- "Nothing really had
moved forward during that point. Last night was when it moved forward and we were
pretty deep into game planning and it was pretty late when we found out. We'll see how
that goes."

(On how switching offensive systems can affect a quarterback's development)-

"Again, it's tough to say. Different guys have switched systems at different points. I think
Kurt Warner switched systems out in Arizona when the new staff came in and he was
pretty effective. I'm trying to think of the system they run in New Orleans and how
similar that was to San Diego. I think that was kind of a switch [for Drew Brees]."

(On if it would be easier to switch systems when you have been playing as long as
Warner)- "Yes, I'm just trying to draw parallels between quarterbacks. With Cassel, he's
switching systems. There have been some good things and some things that haven't been
as good. I think anytime you make an adjustment like that, it takes time as well. To be
able to pinpoint and say there's one formula for evaluating any position, there are always
the variables, the receiving corps, the protection, the opportunities, the system. All those
things are variables that you look at. What you're trying to look for are what are the
constants, what factors are there regardless of all the variables. You feel those constants
are strong enough that as you change the variables and improve the variables, that's going
to improve as well. I don't think it's an exact science by any stretch."

(On if Randy Lerner has given him any assurance that he will be given every
opportunity to move forward with the team)- "We didn't talk about that. I talked to
Randy last night just about Mike and him coming to terms. The timeline and things like
that, that wasn't the focus of our conversation."

(On if it is good to hear Holmgren say that he likes to give everyone a chance to
prove themselves)- "Yes, I think if you've coached and you've been a head coach you
understand the different things that go into any season. Mike, his last year in Seattle had a
tough season, they were 4-12. You go through those things. We were 5-11 in New
England with Bill (Belichick). Jeff Fisher was taking a lot of heat early on. He did a nice
job turning that around. I think it hits at different points. There are always variables to
every equation. The key thing is to look at what the situation was, asses it and see how
you want to move forward."

(On if he knows when he will get clarity on the long term with Holmgren)- "I haven't
talked about that. I haven't focused on that. I won't focus on that. I won't focus on it this
week, won't focus on it next week. That's really a discussion for after the season.
Whatever the decision is, the decision is. I'm very comfortable with the things that we've
done and I know the things that we're building here. It's not going to be a focal point."

(On if he thinks winning the last two games is important to his job security)- "I can't
say this enough, it's not keeping a score card as to what's important for job security. It's
not putting together a power point presentation or a resume or any of that stuff. That's not
what I'm focused on. I'm not trying to be flippant or anything like that, it's just I believe
in the things that we've done. I believe in the progress we've made. I know what kind of
staff we have. I know the different situations that we've faced. I feel comfortable with
where we're headed and the progress we've made."

(On how happy he is that the team is coming together)- "I'm happy for these guys.
These guys have worked like crazy here. Just ask them, they'll tell you. They've worked
hard. They've worked tougher. They've supported each other. We've brought in new
players and they've embraced those new players. I'm proud of the way they're playing.
Whether it was against San Diego, the last two games, the different things that we've
been able to do. It's good stuff and it's good stuff for them. They deserve those things.
They've earned it. I want them to take advantage of the opportunities they have here this
week and then the opportunity they have next week."

(On what he sees in Charlie Frye on tape)- "There wasn't a ton of tape so you're going
to have to go back and research it some more. I think there's still some uncertainty as to
how that's going to unfold this week as well. We're going to have to look at the scheme.
We're going to have to look at what the consistencies have been in the scheme regardless
of who the quarterback is and then be able to plug in the strengths and weaknesses of the
quarterback based on the things we can anticipate are going to happen regardless of who's
in there. There are some serious variable as to who's going to play."

(On if he doesn't know what quarterback they will face this weekend)- "I don't think
it's a certainty right now."

(On if he has looked at Frye's Browns tape to see his strengths)- "There's some of
that. You could look at some of that as well. You do that at times when it's a guy that you
don't have a lot of familiarity with. The only thing that's tough about that is, again, you
don't know what they were being asked to do here versus what they're being asked to do
there. You do try to, like I said before, find something that is part of him regardless of
what system he's in."

Mangini press conf. 12/24

12.24.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-24-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? Today we will
finish off our week of preparation and the guys will be off tomorrow for Christmas. I've
used this schedule quite a bit over the years. I don't think we've missed anything in terms
of our preparation. We just moved it up a day. We will have a normal Saturday on
Saturday. It's nice to allow the guys a chance to spend some time with their kids, wake up
with them as they're opening their presents or family that's in town, however they choose
to celebrate it. Today, we'll follow a normal Friday schedule so it will be the red zone,
goal line, review of first, second and third down. I think that Oakland's done a really nice
job defensively in the red zone. That's another area of strength. That's another reason that
they've won the games they won. They have been able to hold teams to field goals instead
of touchdowns. We have quite a bit to do there. They have been able to score in the red
zone at critical times, late in the game. That's an area of improvement. Their third down,
their red zone are both areas that I've seen get better as the season has gone on."

(On if his holiday shopping is done)- "I did. Julie and I are not supposed to be
exchanging gifts, but I got her some anyways because I know she will. She pulls the same
trick every year, ‘We are not going to do anything.' She got me the first time and that's
not good. I'll put the boys' names on it and it will be from them. She's not getting me with
that trick again."

(On how serious Joshua Cribbs was considered to be used on defense and if it's still
something to think about)- "I would think about. I've always taken this mindset with
players, often time in high school they play everything, in college there are some guys
that carry over and when you get to pro football it is so specialized that very rarely do
you see guys play other spots. There are some guys that if they are in a role offensively or
defensively and they are getting 20-25 plays a game there and they can contribute on the
other side of the ball and they have those skill sets, why not use that? It takes a special
guy to be able to do that because there is a volume of information. It is a different way of
looking at things. I think there's real value in it. We've done it with a lot of different guys.
Even in New York I worked Jerricho Cotchery a little bit at corner at one point, Wallace
Wright, Brad Smith some at safety, Shaun Ellis at tight end. I think at the end of the day
they are football players and if they have that skill set and can handle the load, you try
them. If it works great, if it doesn't work I don't think you are any worse off. The other
nice thing is it builds flexibility. If you can get reps from a guy on both sides, it's great."

(On if Cribbs has a defensive player's mindset)- "Yes. He is a physical tackler. He is

very aggressive. He has good ball skills in terms of his ability to locate the ball, pluck the
ball. He'd be great with interceptions. He'd be a dangerous returner if he got a pick. I
don't think it's going to happen short term, it could be something that evolves."

(On Nnamdi Asomugha)- "I talked to Rob (Ryan) a lot about him. What Rob liked so
much about him is, he said he is really, really smart and committed to being the best
player at his position. He is always working. He is always, not just studying receivers, but
he is studying other guys that play the position. When you combine that kind of athletic
ability, that kind of talent with what Rob explained to be his work ethic, it's hard to stop
the improvement. It's hard not to see the improvement and sometimes dominance that he
has."

(On if quarterbacks don't throw on Asomugha)- "I think you look over there. A lot of
times when you look over there and the guy is not open then you look the other place.
Maybe you don't there as long sometimes as would. He is impressive."

(On if Rob Ryan helped out the offense this week)- "I know he and Brian (Daboll) met
about different things. Brian ran some ideas by him. There are some things defensively
that carry over from when he was there and there are a few things that are different.
Wherever he could help, he did."

(On if anything changes for rookie receivers going against Asomugha)- "You better
run precise routes. There's not a lot of margin for error. If you don't run your route
correctly of if you telegraph your break points, guys like that make you pay with an
interception. They don't make you pay with just a big hit or broken up pass. It usually
translates into a turnover. Not that we're not looking for him to be crisp on everything,
but you get with players like that and a little mistake could become a big mistake."

(On if John St. Clair can play this week)- "Not sure. He's made some progress. Corey
(Williams) has made progress as well. There are a couple guys battling colds here today
so we'll see where they are at in terms of practice. I'm not sure with a few of them, we
may be down a couple guys."

(On coaching Richard Seymour)- "He was great. He came in his first year and we used
him a little bit at nose tackle. He hadn't played nose, I thought he did a really good job
playing that position when we asked him to. He's a really good person. In terms of talent,
he's strong. He can throw people around. He's got excellent first step quickness for a man
that size. Like Baby (Shaun Rogers) does, the way that he can penetrate, Seymour can do
that as well. Just watching him from his rookie year to where he is now and how he
developed and his commitment. It was important for him to get better. He wanted to
spend time with the older guys. He wanted to figure out what they were doing and that
from day one. That's probably why he's become the player that he has become."

(On how the wide receivers have improved)- "I think they've all got a better sense of
just how things work. The early part of the season, everything is new ground. You go
through training camp, you go into preseason games then the tempo changed dramatically
when you go into the regular season. You think you've kind of gotten it figured out
coming out of the preseason games, but that's not even close to what happens once you
get to the regular season games. That's a little bit of a shock. Just routine, they develop a
routine. What's best in terms of the way they study the information, take care of their
body, everything is a feeling out process early on. I think these guys have gotten much
more comfortable with the offense, much more comfortable with the things they are
being asked to do and there's less thinking, there's more playing. That's important. Brian
Robiskie's had a really good week of practice so far this week. He's made some
outstanding catches and I hope that translates into the game."
(On if there have been less dropped passes at practice)- "Yes, I think that we've
improved there. I don't want to black cat it, thanks for asking (joking). I definitely think
there's been improvement across the board. They are practicing at the tempo that they
play at and making some catches that at times are difficult catches. Those have been
translating into the game. Sometimes the most important catches at practice are the
routine catches because they are easy to kind of lose your concentration. That's easy to
happen in the game as well."

(On Matt Roth)- "Matt's been great. I think he's done an excellent job in terms of fitting
in with the group. The guys seem to really enjoy having him here. He's tough. That would
be the first word I would use to describe him. When he sets the edge, that's what an edge
is supposed to look like. It just stops. There were a couple plays against Kansas City last
week, the tackle is coming out and he just jolts him. Boom, the edge is set. It's good to
watch. I had to watch it for all those years in New York when he was setting he edge on
us."

(On David Veikune)- "He is doing what I'm asking him to do and that's to remain
consistent. As we identify different areas we want him to improve in, to really work at it.
One of the areas was his ability to press the guards. I think that's gotten better. The block
recognition, which I think is the toughest things that a person goes through from having
their hand in the dirt to going back, is recognizing all the different things that can happen.
The other thing that he's improved on is his communication. Being an interior guy, you
don't just have to get lined up yourself, you have to get everybody else lined up as well.
It's coming up, it's getting the call from the coach, giving it to the group, making the
adjustment, recognizing the blocks. It's a dramatic shift in responsibility from having
your hand in the dirt and being in an even front or an over front and your two jobs are
spill the outside run and contain on pass."

(On how Derek Anderson has looked running the no huddle)- "He's looked good. He
ran it in the early part of the season even though we weren't running it as much in the
games. We were still practicing it at different periods. In the Pittsburgh game, in the
second half, most of that was no huddle. I thought he did well there. He's done well this
week too. There really haven't been times where the clock is running down or we don't
have guys lined up correctly or any of those things. I think it's been pretty seamless."

(On why the Dolphins put Roth on waivers)- "I didn't get into that with Bill (Parcells)
at all. Sometimes it's just best to part ways. There may be multiple reasons. There may be
understandable reasons. You just make a decision and you move forward. I'm sure their
criteria is the same as ours, they thought it was the best thing at the time. It just happens."

(On a possible blackout)- "Our fans have been great throughout the course of the
season. It's been loud. They've endured quite a bit of cold there when we played
Pittsburgh. I am excited to have them there and look forward to seeing them there."

Mangini press conf. 12/30

12.30.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-30-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. A couple announcements from last

game, our Players of the Game this week offensively were Alex Mack, defensively was
Matt Roth, on special teams it was Nick Sorensen. As you guys know Joe (Thomas) and
Josh (Cribbs) made the Pro Bowl yesterday, so it was a really positive day all the way
around from that perspective. The other position I didn't mention was the practice player
of the week and that was Thomas Brown. I like to think that's the most important award
that we give out, in terms of Players of the Week, because the show, the look that we get
is critical for the preparation in the game.

"In terms of Jacksonville, as I looked at this team, there are a lot of new players. They're
7-8. They really lost three games by four or less points. They are very disciplined,
number one in the NFL in penalties, which is a real testament to them. Defensively, they
don't give up a lot of big plays. They don't give up a lot of big plays in the passing game.
They don't give up a lot of big plays in the running game. They force you to go the long,
hard way. There's going to be some game plan specific pressures. It's not necessarily the
Pittsburgh-type situation where it's 50 percent pressure and you're dealing with it every
down, but there are things that are going to unique that we haven't seen. That shows up
every game. If you don't handle it, the amount that you have to deal with increases
substantially as well. You look at the fumbles they've recovered, they have 10 fumbles
recovered. It's a little deceptive because they've forced 21. You see that on the tape,
where down the field they're getting the ball out. It always hasn't quite bounced their way,
but they're working at it. Those things change pretty dramatically and they can change
quickly.

"Offensively, it really starts with the running game. When you look at this running back,
he is small in the sense, small isn't really fair, not very tall, but he is well built, excellent
center of gravity, really good balance, really good burst, vision. He's carried the ball 296
times. He's caught another 50 balls. The amount of production he's had is pretty
impressive. He can blow the game open at any point. With (David) Garrard, similar to
Ben (Roethlisberger) in the sense that he can extend plays with his feet. He's the second
leading rusher. There's a ton of plays where guys have a chance to sack him and they fall
of him or he makes them miss. He's deceptive like that. Then he creates something down
the field that wasn't open prior to him moving. That's a challenge and we've had that
challenge throughout the course of the season from different teams. I think with (Mike)
Sims-Walker, he's a good example of a guy, this is his third year. The first two years he
had 16 catches. This year he has 61 catches and seven touchdowns. He has developed
nicely this season, has become a big play threat for them. He is complemented by Torry
Holt, who I remember watching coming out of college. You see the crispness of his
routes. He's very deceptive. He runs excellent patterns.

"On special teams, I'd say the most impressive thing they do is punt coverage. They give
up four yards per return. The most amount of yards they've given up in a game,
cumulatively now, is 26 yards in one game punt return wise. That's hard to do. We'll have
our work cut out for us there."

(On why Mack won Offensive Player of the Game)- "I thought he made a lot of
outstanding blocks. Often times the offensive line goes overlooked. A guy can have a
really impressive day, but they don't put up any stats. There's nothing tangible to look at
and say, ‘Okay, well he got this many carries or this many receptions.' When we watched
him collectively as a staff, I thought he did a really nice job getting things communicated,
getting to his blocks. [He had] some extra effort blocks that sprung some big runs, where
he got his guy initially and then came off on another guy to change it from a four or five
yard run to a 10 to 12 yard run, so all those things combined."

(On if the way Mack handled the confrontations with Richard Seymour factored
into him winning the award)- "It's so easy and natural to respond, especially in the heat
of the moment and if you're getting baited. It's hard to have that poise to just take a step
back and realize that, ‘If I can draw a penalty here it's going to be really good for us.' I
thought he showed excellent poise there."

(On if he anticipated Seymour trying to bait Mack during the game)- "Not
necessarily. I don't think it was something that we pointed out where he has a track record
of doing that. I talked to Richard after the game, talked to him a little bit before the game.
Rich, he's a great guy. I don't know if he got caught up in the moment or what happened
there, but he's a really good person and really good player."

(On what the players get for earning Player of the Week)- "They get their picture up.
Kind of like employee of the month, you get your picture up. They get a little bit better
parking, a game ball. You can't give them anything outside of that. It has to be salary cap
compliant."

(On if more extracurricular stuff goes on than people realize)- "I think it depends on
the team and it depends on the player and it depends on what kind of player you are. If
you've shown the tendency to react, then you're going to get a lot more of it. There's
nothing better than to know somebody's a hot head and then to be able to get them to hit
you or get them to be worried about what you're saying instead of playing the coverage. I
had a player in New York who was like that. We were playing St. Louis at St. Louis and
they did it to him. He got a 15-yard penalty and it's like, ‘Look, you can't see what's
going on here? You can't see what they're doing to you?' He got a lot better as the year
went on. Sometimes it's just that awareness that you are a target. Once you know that,
that can help too."

(On the most impressive thing about Mack's season)- "It reminds me a lot of Nick's
(Mangold) first season. If I could cut the lap running, the early snaps from New York that
first year with Nick and with Alex, it'd be like watching a mirror image of the two guys.
They're both really conscientious. [They have] excellent balance, strength, character,
intelligence. It's a hard position to play. It's a really hard position to play and as a young
guy, to go in and start 16 games like he has, it's impressive. You're counted on to get the
communication to both sides of the ball, to hear the change of the snap count, if you
make a mistake the ball's on the ground. There's a lot of responsibility. For him to come
in and start 16 games like he has, I think he's played really well. I think he'll continue to
get better. He's a lot more comfortable in his skin, in his role. He's playing, more playing
than thinking."

(On if he sees Mack getting to where Mangold is now)- "I think he has the potential to
do that. I think he has the work ethic to do that. Nick was really diligent and Nick
committed every offseason to getting stronger and bigger and more knowledgeable. He
found good mentors. I can see the potential for Alex to do a lot of the same things. I'll
probably hook them up in the offseason and have them talk to each other, because I think
there are probably a lot of things that Nick could help him with, even if it's like the
difference between your first year and your second year, or how he approached the
offseason. Nick's that type of guy that he would help without feeling like he was giving
up some sort of competitive edge."

(On if Mack and Mangold are similar players)- "Yes, I think there are a lot of
similarities, but there are some subtle differences between the two. I don't really want to
highlight the differences between either guy, but they are both really similar in the type of
player that they are in terms of long term potential and growth and teammates and stuff
like that."

(On if the team aimed to get Mack during the draft)- "You identify a range of guys,
because where we were picking you're not sure who's going to be there. There are 8,000
mock drafts and you don't know how exactly it's going to come and whether or not there
will be any trades, which could change dramatically who you take, whether or not you'll
have the ability to trade. What I would say, Tony (Grossi), is there was a range of people
and when we got to where we were I was pretty happy with getting him."

(On if Oakland was Mack's best game)- "It was probably his most complete game. I
think he's played really well in some other games. I thought Kansas City, he had an
excellent game as well."

(On if he thinks wins at the end of a season can carry over to the next season)- "I
think it's something that you can draw on if you experience it, if you were a part of the
group that did it. I think it's a good thing to be able to point back to and talk about. When
you have a group of guys that share that experience, it resonates when you talk about,
‘Remember when this happened.' There are a lot of different lessons from this season that
you'd be able to point back to and talk about and draw on."

(On if there was a turning point that led to the current win streak)- "No. I don't know
if you remember me talking just about where we were in New England. We were playing
San Diego and we stopped them on like fourth-and-one, or a big third-and-one, or
something like that. They had to punt to us. We ended up scoring, winning the game
there and then we went on that run of how many consecutive games leading up to the
Super Bowl. That was probably when the transition took place, but it was a function of a
lot of stuff leading up to that point. I think most people point to that game, but that game
to me was just when you finally sort of got over the hump."

(On if there has been anything this season like the point in New England to help the
team turn the corner)- "In terms of a defining moment, I don't know. There's been a lot
of things that I thought were good, whether it was one good thing on special teams or it
was one really good thing offensively or one really good thing defensively, but they
weren't coming from all three phases or the defense was having a bad day, the offense
wasn't able to compensate for that, you get in a hole, being able to dig out of the hole.
Sometimes it's even individual players. You drop a pass early, being able to put that out
of your mind and come back and make the next play. There are all of those different
things that you saw, but it was a spot here, a spot here, a spot here. It was the same thing
in the building. You see some guys where the light comes on, in terms of how they have
to study. I think Kamerion Wimbley made a ton of progress from the beginning of the
season with how he was approaching the game plans to where he is now. It's dramatic. It
was a very different exposure for him, because we change on Wednesday, we change on
Thursday, we change on Friday. It's not the same as it was last week. Sometimes you get
so caught up in exactly what the paper says instead of trying to learn the concepts that
when the paper changes it screws up the way you've learned. It's more rope memory than
it is conceptual memory. He and I were talking at the Halloween party and he just was
explaining to me how he's changed the way he studied. The amount of errors that he's
made from a mental error perspective is dramatically different. It's great to see. It's kind
of the same thing with Bryan Thomas. He struggled with it early and then got it and was
really outstanding later on."

(On his reaction to Lawrence Vickers not making the Pro Bowl)- "I didn't really have
a set reaction to who made it or who didn't make it. I was really happy for Joe and Josh.
These questions always come each year, ‘This guy made it. This guy didn't make it.' You
can't control the voting. You can't control any of that stuff. I'm really proud of the way
Lawrence has grown this season. His consistency in blocking has been really good. The
huge thing that we worked on with him was his hand placement. He'll tell you, I was on
him every day, every meeting. I'm sure he was sick of hearing it. I haven't had to say it in
weeks. He used to come with this really wide reach, sometimes it was holding. He
couldn't generate the power. Now, when he goes and blocks it's consistently power angles
and he worked at it. I'm sure it was to shut me up, but he worked at it and worked at it. I
think it's really paid off for him and I'm happy to see the way that his blocking has
evolved."

(On if he would be comfortable with Mike Holmgren's planned hierarchy with a

general manager)- "Like I've said before, anybody that we can bring in that can help us,
I'm all for. You get smart people looking to do the same thing, committed to the same
thing, it's great. Fill the building with as many as you can, players, coaches, front office.
Everybody working towards the same goal, it's a really good thing. It's a good thing to be
a part of. I've been a part of it before. It's fun to go to work."
(On if he will have questions about how the team will operate in his meeting with
Holmgren)- "I haven't really thought about the structure of the meeting or anything like
that. I think it's just more of a conversation between two people. That's what I'm looking
forward to. I talked to him the other day and we'll sit down either Monday or Tuesday."

(On if he is anxious to meet with Holmgren)- "No, I know this may seem hard to
believe, I'm anxious for this week. I'm anxious for the guys to have a good week of
practice. I'm anxious for us to go win the game. These guys have worked hard and
they've made a lot of progress. They've been great in terms of not focusing on external
things and really focusing on what's important. It's not fair for me to be focused on
something that's external. I need to focus on what's important, which is Jacksonville and
making sure that I do the best job coaching these guys this week to get them ready to
play."

(On if it has been hard to not think about Holmgren)- "No, I don't think so. I don't
know if it's fortunate or unfortunate, but you've been in different situations throughout
your career where there's a ton of stuff happening externally. You can't control that, but
you can control the things in front of you. That's always the most important thing,
because the future, if you worry about it, what value does that have? It comes soon
enough."

(On his thoughts if he were asked to go in a different direction with his

coordinators)- "Again, all that stuff is in the future. I think that offensively, just look at
the progress we've made there. We've doubled our point total since the bye. Every major
category is up. It takes time and that's just how it works. Same thing defensively, there's
been some really good plans. There's been some plans that I wish we had back. Rob's
(Ryan) an excellent coach. Brad's (Seely) an excellent coach. I wouldn't have hired them
if I didn't feel that way."

(On if he wishes Holmgren had been here to see how the team is run)- "I think
everybody has a different approach to the way they do things. One's not necessarily better
than the other. Everybody has a different way to do things."

Mangini press conf. 12/31

12.31.2009

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 12-31-09

(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are we doing? Just one
announcement, Mike Furrey was named our Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee,
which I think is well deserved. Some of the things that he's done off the field, I think, are
special. Both him and his wife do a lot of work in the community. I was really impressed
with the toy drive that he put together and filling up a tractor trailer full of toys and
getting all the guys involved and being able to distribute them in a lot of different areas
around Cleveland. For such a short amount of time to put something like that together
and to make it such a nice event is a good indication of who he is and what he believes in.
It's year around for him, so hopefully that'll be something that he wins because I think it's
great. I think it's well deserved.

"Today we'll move into third down. Really offensively, they've (Jacksonville) done an
excellent job throughout the season on third down. They have a lot of different ways they
can convert. One of the biggest ways is with the quarterback either extending the play or
running with the football and he's done that quite a bit. We're going to have some
challenges there. I think that one of the areas that we've improved significantly in is third
down defense. It's going to be an important day for us in that area. In terms of yesterday's
practice, I thought overall it was good. I feel like there are a few things that we need to
just get ironed out on both sides of the ball. On special teams today, we'll work on punt
and punt return. I told you guys yesterday that they are probably the best punt cover team
that we've face throughout the year. Anytime the most amount of yards that you've given
up on returns in 26, that's pretty hard to do over 15 games. We'll have a lot to prepare for
there."

(On Brian Robiskie's status for the game)- "I'd say it's not looking good, Tony
(Grossi). I'm hoping, but not that optimistic. Jake (Allen) will probably get another
opportunity here. He's a guy that I think has consistently improved since he's gotten here.
There were a few hiccups here and there with really understanding the system, but I've
liked the way that he's worked. He has good speed. He has a good feel for running routes
and I'm excited to see him get a chance to play."

(On how he would characterize Robiskie's rookie year)- "I think that what I really
liked, and you saw it last game, is he got a much better sense as the season went on for
how to run routes. He understood what the route was, where to go, things like that, but I
felt like he got a better feel for it. I'd say the best example of that was the third down
conversion that he made where he caught it underneath. Instead of extending it and trying
to run lateral, he turned it up right away and was able to get the first down. I thought he
had a really excellent week of practice last week, as well and that's been more and more
the pattern for him and the season has gone on. I think that each guy develops differently
in terms of production. You just look at Sims (Mike Sims-Walker), the guy is in the
league two years and has 16 catches and this year has 61 catches and seven touchdowns.
It hits a different times for different guys. I was trying to think of the receiver that Brian
and I were talking about the other day that we drafted in New England from Notre Dame.
A seventh round draft pick, [David] Givens. One year, I think it was his first year, he had
seven catches and nine drops. He was another guy that as he got going it really took off
for him and he ended up having a nice career. It hits at different times for different guys,
but I've liked the progress he's made. The other thing I was really excited about for him,
there's two tackles on special teams, the key block against Kansas City really saved the
touchdown on Josh's (Cribbs) second kickoff return. That's huge progress and important.
I think he'll continue to develop as a receiver and continue to develop in other areas as
well."
(On how he would compare Jerome Harrison to Maurice Jones-Drew)- "I'm not a
huge fan of comparing. I think your point is really important, he has done it for longer.
I'm really pleased with the way that Jerome has developed this season as well. An area
that's gone underappreciated with him, because of how much production he's had in the
running game, is the things that's he's done in the passing game. On that touchdown pass
to Mohamed (Massaquoi) he really saves the play with his awareness and coming back in
and getting the block that he gets. There were multiple times, I think, especially over the
last four or five weeks where he's been impressive in that area. It gets lost a little bit, but
it's key, because it allows us to do things that maybe we weren't being as effective doing
prior. I'm happy with that. You have to really see over time how he continues to
develop."

(On why Harrison has gotten better in blitz pickup)- "I think he's improved his
technique, which was important. He's improved the way that he's taken on the blocks,
because as they're coming in if you sit and are stationary, you're going to absorb the blow
and with him, most of the time the guy he's blocking is bigger than he is. I think he's done
a nicer job of aggressively going up and fitting it with his hands and a good base, which
now stalemates it or puts him in a lot better position to compensate for the usual size
differential."

(On how much he pays attention to size if a player is not prototypical for his
position)- "It's hard. What you do is you have the ideal, the ideal height and weight and
speed and all those things, but then you also have to look at production. You have to look
at playing speed versus timed speed. There are so many exceptions to the rules. You look
at a guy like Wes Welker, his production is through the roof and he's an undersized guy.
Leon (Washington) was an undersized guy. Deion Branch was an undersized guy. You'd
like them all to be a certain height and weight, but they don't always fit into that mold.
[There are] some small corners. I had Ray Mickens. I had Aaron Glenn. Both those guys
have played really well. Asante Samuel, height is probably what you want, weight, he's a
little bit slighter than most corners. It's hard to say. I've seen some big guys play small
and a lot of small guys play big."

(On if he would like Matt Roth at just one spot in the future)- "I think he'll stay
outside and play that type of role. I think with a training camp under his belt, with a
training camp under (Jason) Trusnik's belt, you have two guys there that are both stout.
Jason's had, I'd say, a real advantage by playing both inside and outside. He can play
outside linebacker and now he's played inside linebacker. That gives you a lot of depth,
because he can make the roster in either spot, however you want to slot him. If you had
another outside linebacker you wanted to keep you move Trus to inside and play him
there. If there's another inside guy you wanted to keep you could do the same thing.
Really, that's where [David] Bowens has value too. He's played both spots. Now when
you get those guys that are 6'3", 250 [pounds] and thumpers and you can bring them
inside or outside, you can get big on somebody in a hurry if you want to. We had a
package in New York, I think it was called Texas because everything's big in Texas,
where you move Shaun Ellis out to outside linebacker at 290 and then take all the biggest
guys you have and you put them in. It's like a goal line package, but yet you can run all
the things that you want to run. There were very few times where we lined up and didn't
have a size advantage in that grouping."

(On what makes Roth such a good pass rusher)- "He's like a tank. You better block
him with somebody big because he's going to run over anything small in his way. Even
the big guys are going to have a problem. He was a wrestler in college and I think that
helps. I always like wrestlers because they have good base, good leverage, know how to
use their hands, know how to throw people. He's just tough. You have to kill him to stop
him and good luck with that."

(On how much time he has spent thinking about free agency and the upcoming
CBA)- "You look at it and without any clarity it's hard to know who is going to be
available and it's hard to know who on your team is either going to be here or not going
to be here. You have your parallel plans, if they're here, if they're not here, if this group is
available, if they're not available. I'm sure everybody's going through the same thing. You
don't know what the landscape is, so you have to plan for all of it."

(On when a decision on the CBA is supposed to be finalized)- "I'm not sure to tell you
the truth."

(On if there has been anyone in particular that has made vast improvements in the
secondary)- "I think as a group we're tackling better. I think one of the biggest things that
we've done better is communicate and get to the right spots. A lot of the production early
it wasn't a function of them just beating us based on the throw or the catch, it was we
weren't in the right spot, or we ran a pressure and we had two guys in the same gap. At
that point you're not running a pressure anymore, you're just potentially giving up big
plays. That's gotten better overall. I think the disguise has helped too. As guys have really
understood what we're going, now it doesn't look like what we're doing anymore. They're
moving around. They're walking around and that's what you want. You don't want to give
the offense any pre-snap information where they can say, ‘Okay, this is what they're in.
This is where the soft spot is,' and let the quarterback go back, the receiver, start his route
with certainty. You want that uncertainty there. Ideally what you want to get to is, you
have 11 guys and you can just keep moving them around. You run the same thing, but
this time Bowens is the down lineman and Roth is the cover guy or Abe (Elam) is the
underneath zone player and Brandon (McDonald) is back at safety. You just keep
flipping who does what they're supposed to do and it doesn't make any sense. It makes
sense to you, but you look at it on tape and you're like, ‘Well who's the big? Who's the
small? Who's coming?' You break tendencies without ever really having to break
tendencies."

(On how hard the defensive assignments are for players to learn)- "It's like the typical
progression of how it's gone everywhere I've been. The first time you give them four or
five pages of new defense [they're] overwhelmed and they can't believe how much stuff
is going in and the communication is difficult. Today we probably gave out 14 pages of
third down defense and nobody blinked. It's like, ‘Oh, okay. This is what we're doing,'
because you're just used to it because that's what we do. Everybody talked through it.
You're not worried about it. It's just what we do. There's that comfort level of, okay, we'll
get it right between walk throughs, practice, quizzes. Nobody bats an eye anymore. Same
thing offensively, shifts and motions and new plays and game plan specific things. When
you first deal with that it's like, ‘Oh my God,' but now it's just what we do."

(On if he thinks the offense and defense being ranked 32 are an accurate portrayal
of the team right now)- "I think it's accurate in the sense that that's what it is over 15
games. If you look at the first eight versus the last seven, it's so dramatically different in
almost every statistical category. I think we scored 78 points in the first eight games and
149 in the last seven. Defensively, the amount of points given up is down significantly.
Turnovers, you look at interceptions and fumbles, the volume is down. The amount of
sacks given up, that's down. The amount of sacks we have is up from, I don't even know
what it is, 12 to 16 or 12 to 19, something like that. I'm not sure exactly what that is.
Time of possession is up, all those things, red zone. Red zone's been good, I think,
throughout. Third down defensively the last three games has been about 25 percent. You
look at it as a progression and it looks a lot differently than if you look at it as a group of
numbers. That happened in New York as well, where the first eight games, [there were]
too many 30's. The last eight games, we were top ten in most things."

(On if this is an important game for Derek Anderson or just another game)- "I think
it's an important game to all of us because it's out last opportunity to play this season.
When you look at the quarterback position or any of these positions, you're not going to
evaluate it off of one game. You're going to look at the games that they played this year,
probably last year. You can look at training camp. You can look at OTAs. You don't like
to make a decision without looking at all of the different things that go into it. It's an
important game because it's our last one. I know we're all committed to keep moving
forward. That's where the importance comes."

(On how he balances the stress of being overworked)- "I thought you were going to
say overweight. I was thinking, ‘Accurate, probably the whole staff' (joking)."

(On how he balances the stress of being overworked and his health, family and the
future)- "I think unfortunately you leave all that stuff to the offseason, in terms of your
health. You try to go the extreme the other way and make sure you get enough sleep,
you're eating well, you're exercising. For me, the best stress relievers are the boys.
Nothing changes my perspective as much as they do, because they're not worried about
any of that stuff. It's just so much fun to go spend time with them. Jake smoked me three
times in Wii Boxing the other night. Now, he didn't tell me how to punch the first fight.
Stuff like that, where you get to experience Christmas again as a little kid, because of all
the things that they're experiencing. Even New Year's, any of that stuff, it just puts things
back into perspective."

(On if he can relate to what Urban Myers is dealing with)- "Yes, you definitely can.
You work a ton of hours. You invest so heavily during the week for that game on Sunday
and when you lose it's miserable and when you win you're happy for a little while, but it's
not where near as much as when you lose. Everybody's vested. Everybody's trying to find
that edge to help the team be successful. There are definitely all those issues involved."

(On how Anderson fits in the West Coast Offense)- "I don't know if there definitely
has to be one formula for running an offense. I don't know what exact characteristics
would have to be part of that formula. I think the key thing is can you run the offense
well? Can you understand where the reads are? I think there are consistent things for
quarterbacks and different quarterbacks would be good in different systems regardless. I
think Tom Brady will probably be good in any system he runs or Peyton Manning, he'd
be good in any system he runs. You probably wouldn't want to put a stationary guy in
like a move the pocket, bootleg-type offense, otherwise, I think it's traits."

(On if Brady Quinn was able to avoid surgery)- "I think that's still something that
we're going to investigate. There hasn't been a conclusion there."

(On what happened to Quinn's foot)- "Like I said, on that play it's hard to really tell
what the thing was."

(On what is physically wrong with Quinn's foot)- "I don't want to end the old year on a
bad note here, Jeff (Schudel), but I don't want to get into that."

(On if he needs to see a guy like Harrison stay healthy over an extended period of
time getting the number of carries he has gotten the past couple of weeks)- "Yes, you
want all those guys to stay healthy. It's a constant debate, what's the right number of
touches for a running back. Is it a smaller back 15? Is it 25? I've heard that whole thing,
‘He can only have 15 touches a game and that's his limit.' I'm thinking, ‘Well, why? Why
is that the magic number? Why is 15 what he gets?' I don't know. You want any back to
be able to go through 16 games and handle the things he's being asked to do. I don't know
if there's always a magic number where if you give him just this amount of plays then
you have the best chance of him lasting."

(On if he has any New Year's resolutions)- "No, what do we have, quite a few hours
left to hash that out. None jump out right way, but I'm sure when I get home tonight I'll
probably squeeze a couple in. [Jeff Schudel: "Give us a call."] Give you a call? ‘Dear
guys, No bus rides to Hartford.'"