CLEVELAND BROWNS
Head Coach Gregg Williams
(opening statement) "As you see, a lot of hard fight in that room. A good, young team fought through a lot of challenges. In the first half, I don't think we tackled well enough on defense. Give them credit though. Until you are on the field, and see how quick Lamar Jackson is, and understand his ability to make plays in space and juke and make some people miss out in space. We had the space populated at times. We just didn't make the plays. They fought, and I thought they did a really good job at halftime making some adjustments that we had to make. And you saw offensively how fast we got back and made some chunk plays. A nice little gimmick play there to start the second half that we have been repping for quite a while. Where Baker [Mayfield] threw a pass to himself and then he threw a shot down the field for a touchdown, we were right back in it. I wish it would have gone different at the end of the half on the defensive touchdown, but that is what it is. We made a really good, nice play down there on the goal line and [Jabrill Peppers] scooped it up and was gone in the other direction, but they blew it dead. At least we got the ball back on the challenge on that. This team is a no-give-up team. You saw all the energy and all the drive and all the continued enjoying and supporting each other. Respect and trust are earned, and there are a few young guys in there today that really did from a few of the old guys earned some respect and trust by their efforts and toughness, and they continued to pound it all in there. Close game, and give Baltimore some credit. As I told you before, at the start of this week, I think John [Harbaugh] and his staff have just done a phenomenal job on what they've done and how they turned around the season. They've done a very good job of coaching to the skill set of the players that they have. And they won the takeaway battle. We need another takeaway and another stop and congrats to them."
(on whether he thought letting Greg Joseph have a try at the long field goal) "We did, but we put it in Baker's [Mayfield] hands. That was my choice. That's who I wanted to see with the last opportunity. . .No, it wasn't within the range. I put it on Baker. We've just got to make that play. They made a nice play."
(on his young players playing in this type of atmosphere) "It's great for those young guys to feel this too. They played, some of them, in big programs. Some very big things at the other level, but not on this level. That is another step for them to take and appreciate what it means to play in front of a big home crowd the way the Ravens are. That's the way we are finishing up in Cleveland. There's no doubt in my mind there will be games like this in Cleveland with this good, young team. Eventually, that's what will happen."
(on what it meant to take this team over in mid-season and see the kids perform) "What I try to do is make sure it's not about me. It's about them. I think I answered those questions all year long, but I wouldn't be honest if I would not say that I'm proud of how they responded. I'm proud of them focusing and doing what I've asked them to do. And that means something to me, too."
(on whether he goes into this week thinking he'll be back) "I'm going into this week taking the next step. This is 30 years, so I've been through a lot of these steps. Again, what I've also said to you all before, 'Don't ever worry about me being afraid to compete.' Competing, it is what it is. So, we will take the next step and see."
(on getting a taste of coaching this team) "I really like this young team. I said this before, I turned down multiple jobs to come to Cleveland. I really wanted the opportunity to come here. I really love living in Cleveland. I love the people in Cleveland. I have tremendous memories of coming up to the old 'mistake by the lake' stadium. Everybody called it that back in the late 80s, early 90s. The crowd and the environment. Again, a lot of people were telling me when I came here two years ago, 'You can't do that.' Well, we can do that. That's what we are hired to do. We are supposed to be able to do this. No matter what other people in the NFL are saying. That is my evaluation. My evaluation was that's a good, young team. Hopefully, the ownership listened to me at the time they interviewed me when you all didn't even know they were interviewing me in a secret place outside of the city and I made a choice to be there. And, we will see what happens now."
(on whether he has earned a head coaching job elsewhere if this doesn't work out) "Yes. There is word on the street that, possibly, yes."
(on whether he made a pretty strong statement on his resume) "I will tell you this, I'm really proud of these young men. Really proud of these young men, and I would like to leave it at that. I'd like to give them the credit for those things right there, and we came up short."
(on what he is seeing in Baker [Mayfield]) "He's just scratched the surface. If you think he's satisfied with that, there's no way, no how. He wants to keep on playing. That's who he is. I'll make sure I say something to him on the plane ride home, because everybody needs a pat on the back. Even when you are as competitive as that young man. And he is competitive."
(on Joshua Cribbs talking to him before the fourth down play) "He's not on a headset with me, and, basically, I had already made the decision to go for it. No, and you know what? No one argues with me. You've already learned that. I win all arguments. No, he wasn't, he was just making sure. And that's what they are supposed to do. And I encourage all those guys. But, when they're not on the headsets, they don't know everything that's going on. We were two or three plays ahead of that. The ball had to move in, and we had to get it a little bit tighter."
(on how he was able to keep coaches together with the coaching change) "Belief in me. Belief in what was going on. And the other thing, too, is similar to what you guys have asked me about on how to keep the young players motivated. If I have to worry too much about that, that's the wrong person. The same thing with a coach. This is what we do. This is what you buy in to. This is the life of an NFL coach. You've got to be able to understand that and do the best you can and get on to the next game. Get on to the next place."
(on whether he would come back if he doesn't get the head coaching job) "I love coaching, and I want to coach in the NFL for as long as I can. I know it's time to move on to something else when I walk into a room and they no longer listen to me. When I walk into a room and there's not a presence felt. You all understand those things that you have to have a presence. When people no longer want to listen to you, you've got to move on to something else. I've never had that problem. I've had the opportunity to mentor and coach some of these young men, and, again, I really care a lot about a lot of those guys in that room. We'll be friends for life, mentor for life, regardless of whatever the situation is. That's just how it is. There are several guys and some coaches on that staff that had to make sure we crossed paths before. They had to come over and talk to me about some things, too, because you never know what the next situation is going to be in this league. That's how we learned to cope and be in it for so long. Again, I appreciate all you guys and what you do to help the city of Cleveland. I appreciate what you do to keep people interested in what we do. It's a great game. It's a production business, but it's a great game. I appreciate what you do."
QB Baker Mayfield
(on the last play that ILB C.J. Mosley intercepted) "We knew they would blitz us on every play that is there M.O. They were giving us one-on-one match ups all over the field. The play that hurt was the pass to [Jarvis] Landry."
(on playing in the playoff atmosphere) "Obviously, we would have like to have won. But, there are a lot of positives we can find from this game. Playing on the road, in this kind of atmosphere, we put ourselves in a position to win. When we fell behind, we never gave up. We just kept playing hard."
(on the Browns comeback in the second half) "Things didn't go well for us in the first half. But, we came out in the second half and played much better. To play like we did on the road, against the number one defense, is a great experience for us. They are a great team, they're going to the playoffs, and they are the division champions. Next year, we want to be in their spot."
(on setting the record for touchdown passes for a rookie) "It's pretty special to me, considering some of the other guys that are on that list. But it's not just me, even though I get credit for the record. A lot of guys helped me. On the offensive line, the running backs and receivers, this is their record too."
(on whether or not this is the first game of a rivalry between him and QB Lamar Jackson) "Lamar [Jackson] is a great player. He did so many great things today, running the ball and passing the ball. I think it's going to be me versus him for a while in this division, and I am looking forward to it."
(on the Browns next head coach) "I think the changes we made speak for themselves this season. The management knows all about me, all I want is for someone to put us in a position to win, but that's not my job. I just love those guys in the room."
(on the bad break of DB Jabrill Peppers) "You can't really complain about that in a game like this, there are so many different things that can happen. We got the ball after that fumble, and we weren't able to score, but we can't dwell on it."
(on how he feels about 2019) "I think we have a special group here. These guys make clutch plays that you don't see often in this league. We kept hearing that our receivers weren't good enough. Those guys had a lot to prove this season, and they went out and did it."
(on his style opposed to QB Lamar Jackson) "Everyone sees it differently. Quarterbacks are different. It's all about winning, winning is the most important thing. Lamar [Jackson] is a winner."
(on the team's offensive improvement) "We stuck together all season. I am proud of the way these guys stuck together and came to work every day. We believed in each other. The offensive line really played well this evening, and we came together as a group."
(on how he feels about winning the Rookie of the Year Award) "I am not worried about. I know I have a lot of room for improvement. I am not disappointed about how I played this season, and we had a decent year. But, I know I can do better."
(on what he'll take away from this game) "We showed how resilient we are. We fell behind, but we continued to fight, and put ourselves right back in the ball game. We can build on this."
RB Nick Chubb
(on not giving up at any point during the game despite trailing) "We never stopped. We just kept fighting, kept pushing. We knew we were going to have to come back and make some plays. We ended up getting one [score], but you've got to finish."
(on continuing to push throughout the second half of the season) "That's our motto, and we had every reason to quit a long time ago, but we stayed together and kept going."
(on head coach Gregg Williams) "Our guys came together playing for each other. Coach Williams did a great job keeping us motivated and getting us to play hard. He always got the best out of us."
(on how the team's fan base was affected by the strong second half this season) "It's been a good experience. The fans are insane, very loyal. We appreciate them. They helped us win a lot of games at home, and they traveled pretty well, too. It's been a great first-year experience for me."
DB Jabrill Peppers
(on whether the Browns have caught the AFC North's attention with this strong finish) "Absolutely. Pittsburgh knows they snuck away that first time. They got us that second time. This game could have gone either way. We gave them two quick scores early in the game, then got adjusted to what they were doing, holding them to field goals the rest of the way. You know, defense wins championships, and they made a great play defensively with two minutes left. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes."
(on how much belief the defense has in QB Baker Mayfield) "Definitely a ton of belief, because we see that every day in practice. We practice those type of situations every day. I thought he had a good week this week. He was moving the ball, but their defense just made a great play."
(on the goal-line fumble of QB Lamar Jackson being blown dead after it happened) "I can't believe they blew it dead. Plays like that, usually, they let them finish, and then review it afterwards to determine whether he got in or we scored. But they blew the play dead. That's a big moment in the game, and in my opinion, it was a six-point swing right there. It would have been [20-14]. It is what it is. Things haven't gone our way all year with the officials, so I'm not going to cry about it too much. We still had [opportunities] to win that game otherwise, but it is what it is."
(on whether he's thought about the 2019 season) "It'll be a completely different team next year, because it always is. I know I'm going to watch this film and build on it. I'll enjoy some time off and be better than I was this year."
(on whether this offseason will feel any longer than prior ones) "Definitely, especially knowing we gave away games this year. Just knowing that teams didn't really beat us. We beat ourselves. We gave games away early on in the year. It's been an emotional roller-coaster that we'll have to learn from and build on. I'm thankful that a lot of guys got experience playing in this type of atmosphere."
(on the Ravens' offense with QB Lamar Jackson at quarterback) "It was definitely different. You see the speed on film, but it's another thing to be out there with him. They hit us on two big plays early on, two quick scores, but we adjusted nicely. We made great second-half adjustments. What they're doing with him is definitely effective. They run a lot of misdirection plays, zone reads, which mess with defenders' eyes, so you really have to be disciplined when you play these guys. They got this one. We'll see them next year."
DL Myles Garrett
(on what the Browns showed in today's game) "We showed what we have all year, that we can go toe-to-toe with anybody. If a couple plays went our way, a couple calls went our way, then it's a different game, right? We just have to look at the tape and see what we can do better, offense and defense, and come back next year ready to [go]."
(on looking ahead to 2019) "I think the guys know what we can really do and who we can really be. We know we can compete with anybody. There's no question about that—no doubt about that. We've got to finish it off. They're supposed to be one of the best teams in the league, and if a couple plays went our way, it would be a different story. Going into next year, we'll have the same pieces, we'll have that chemistry already set in stone. We're confident in what we can do and in our chances next year."
(on the defense's confidence in QB Baker Mayfield on the final drive) "We knew if we got the ball in his hands that there was a good chance that [the offense] would make the plays to win the game. It doesn't always work out the way you want it to, but we did our job, and that will probably never happen with Baker again. He's a quality quarterback, game manager and play-maker. He's going to look back and not make the same mistake again."
WR Jarvis Landry
(on the close game) "I had the opportunity before halftime to put six points on the board. I just didn't make the play."
(on next season) "I think we're going to be really good. Obviously, we still have to put pieces together. We still have to go out there on Sunday and make plays, but I think we can be pretty good."
(on the play of QB Baker Mayfield) "He did pretty good tonight. He made plays, he showed toughness, he did everything we needed him to do to have successful plays."
(on RB Nick Chubb) "It was kind of tough for us on the ground tonight. He did everything he could to get us positive yardage. We were in a situation where we had to put the ball in the air a little bit more than we would have liked to. He did his job when he was called upon."
(on scoring on the first play of the second half) "We focused, we regrouped, we knew we could make plays. We got the opportunity, and we made it."
(on the loss) "I'm a competitor. I feel like I had an opportunity to put us in position to win this game. And regardless of how it plays out, if I catch that ball and score a touchdown, we would win by four or five."
(on the Browns' play in the AFC North) "We play everybody tough, especially in the AFC North Division. These types of games, you have to find ways to finish. If I make that play before the half, we'd be celebrating."
WR Breshad Perriman
(on his touchdown catch) "It's something we drew up in practice. It's something we'd seen on film that they have a hard time covering the seams, and we took advantage of it."
(on his catch near the end of the game near the sideline) "Basically, it was just a scramble drill. I saw Baker [Mayfield] rolling out, and I just stopped, and he put it on the money."
(on the play of Baker Mayfield) "Baker's a force. He's a beast. He goes out there with a killer mentality, and everybody just follows behind him. He makes great throws, [and] does a good job leading this team."
(on returning to play in Baltimore) "It was great. I wish it would've ended a little better. It was OK."
(on the fans' reaction to him) "You know how they cheered me. I expected it."
LB Joe Schobert
(on the Browns' defense) "We started out in the first half not up to standard. Then we kind of reverted back to our base defense of fundamentals and rules and emphasizing tackling, and I think we were able to limit them for the rest of the game from probably halfway through the second quarter on to the end. But obviously, you can't come out with a start like that and expect to win. We really needed to step up, and it just didn't work out."
(on the play of QB Lamar Jackson) "He's very slippery. He's a very athletic dude. I think he made a lot of good decisions. They didn't try to throw it too much, but when they did, he made some pretty good throws. [The Ravens] are going to be a pretty good team in the playoffs."
(on the Browns' run defense) "We knew we were going to have to come in and stop the run. They got almost 300 yards running with a lot of carries, but I think we were able to hold them out when we got close to the end zone, but I think they moved the ball a little too well in the middle of the field, especially in the first quarter. We had a lot of missed tackles on our part."
(on the Browns' season) "I think we gave Cleveland a glimpse of what we're capable of, and hopefully everyone can go off to wherever they're going off to in the offseason and work out hard, come back ready to roll, and we can really build off on the second half of this season. We've proved to ourselves and this city [of Cleveland] that we're a team to contend with and will be in playoff contention."
DT Larry Ogunjobi
(on the defense) "We could have been better."
(on the play of QB Lamar Jackson) "I played against him in college. He's one of those kinds of guys. While the ball is in his hands, he likes to make plays with his feet. The option is hard, because you think one guy has the ball, but he really doesn't, so you just have to have better eyes."
(on the Browns' next season) "We're excited. This was a learning experience. Now we know what it feels like and tastes like to win, and we're going to be really hungry."
G Joel Bitonio
(on the game) "It was a battle. It's a testament to [the Ravens]. We went out there and tried to go toe to toe and came up a little short. Every time I go out there, I feel like we're going to score. On the last drive, I felt like we had a good chance. We had been moving the ball well. We were one play away from getting into field goal range. It was a tough way to end, but I had confidence in our ability to go down there and get points."
(on playing in the AFC North) "It's a battle every year. I think it's one of the toughest divisions in all of football. We beat each other up, and they've got to understand when they play the Browns, it's going to be a battle, just like every other team in the division."
