HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2023
(On injury updates across the team) “Starting with Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence], it’s a right high ankle
sprain. Everything is stable, everything looks good. We’ll see where he is in a couple of days. Christian
[WR Christian Kirk] has a core muscle injury, he’s going to miss some time, he’ll be out. Walker [OL
Walker Little] has a left hamstring strain, we’ll see where he’s at strength wise and stability in a couple of
days on that. Tre [CB Tre Herndon] will be in the concussion protocol.”
(On if OL Walker Little’s injury came from the play QB Trevor Lawrence got hurt on) “No, it did not. It was
earlier in the game.”
(On QB C.J. Beathard having time to prepare in the event QB Trevor Lawrence cannot play) “It’s good. It’s
good to get C.J. a full week of preparation. Trevor will stay mentally sharp and see where he’s at. To give
C.J. the time this week with the offense and with [OL] Luke Fortner and the center-quarterback stuff,
working with the running backs, it’ll be good for C.J. Otherwise, I thought last night C.J. filled in nicely.”
(On giving WR Parker Washington more opportunities with WR Christian Kirk injured) “Yeah, Parker did a
nice job last night. He made some plays, the touchdown was huge. But yes, he’d be the next guy up and
then he’ll get a full week of work as well.”
(On CB Gregory Junior and S Antonio Johnson filling in for CB Tre Herndon) “Well, Antonio Johnson came
in because Greg Junior was cramping during the game. He was the next guy up there. But yeah, you’d
still like to get Antonio some work whether he’s playing the nickel spot or possibly the safety spot. With
Tre being in protocol right now, this would be a great opportunity for both of those guys to continue to
work.”
(On how S Antonio Johnson performed in last night’s game) “He’s a good player. He does some good
things, he moves well, he’s a good tackler, he’s physical. The more he plays, the more confident he’ll be
in what he’s doing.”
(On possibility of QB Trevor Lawrence playing this week) “I’m not going to put that time table on Trevor,
I’m not going to put him in a box like that. We’ll see how he is in a couple of days.”
(On if any other quarterbacks will be brought in for practices) “We haven’t had those discussions yet.”
(On if WR Parker Washington was not in the right spot on the play QB Trevor Lawrence got hurt) “Yeah,
there was just some miscommunication with Parker and the decision he had with his route. There was a
defender outside of him, defender inside of him and he was kind of caught in between. It’s just a young
player who hasn’t had a lot of time yet or a lot of reps out there. Just an indecisive decision on Parker’s
part in that particular case. It’s something that he’ll learn from and get better. Unfortunately, it ended up
with Trevor being injured.”
(On injury updates on DL Folorunso Fatukasi and S Andre Cisco) “Yeah, Foley’s is more left heel
contusion. He’ll be day-to-day. Cisco just had his shoulder in the game, everything was fine. Put a
harness on him and went back in and played. He’ll be fine this week.”
(On if CB Tyson Campbell reinjured his hamstring) “No, no hamstring. He got a little bit of a right quad
strain in the game in overtime. He’ll be day-to-day.”
(On performance of DT DaVon Hamilton) “Yeah, you’re absolutely right on that point. DaVon played
much better than he had the previous times out there. He continues to improve and for him, it’s about
working the technique, the physicality of being double teamed a lot, single blocks, things like that, using
his arms in extension and continuing to push the pocket. He played better than the previous couple of
times and it was good to see him do that.”
(On trying to find a way to CB Greg Junior and CB Montaric Brown both active in every game) “You do,
but really, it comes down to the special teams and how we use them on special teams. It’s just hard to
have them all up when you go with 48 like we do, but we’ll see this week. I’m sure there will be some
combinations of guys that will probably be up than previous weeks.”
(On what he can attribute the defensive issues in yesterday’s game to) “I thought the way we started the
game, we started extremely well. We were making plays, we were tackling along the perimeter. Then,
things just got away from us. I felt like we were not gap-sound as much as the game went on. We missed
tackles as the game went on, there were some coverage issues, just some basic things that the guys
should know. It’s something that we’ve got to coach this week, we’ve got to show them and continue to
improve. Even looking at it again, we were right there at the end with an opportunity to probably win
the game with that last kick as opposed to getting it to overtime. Again, there was enough issues to go
around in all three phases, but things we can clean up.”
(On surgery being a possibility for QB Trevor Lawrence) “I have not had discussions with the doctors
about that. I don’t think that’s a necessary means at this point. I think just because it’s where it is in the
ankle that it’s not necessarily something that surgery would be warranted at this time.”
(On his thoughts towards the offensive line performance) “There’s always room for improvement. I
thought there were some good things in the run game early, then we got stymied as the game went on.
We got to continue to try to push the line of scrimmage, play on their side of the ball. We got stalemated
a couple of times, so those are all things that we’ve got to continue to work on. The sacks came when we
were in those two-minute modes and trying to push the ball down the field, that’s going to happen. I
thought overall, decent, but could definitely improve.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s ability to avoid major injuries) “Look, sometimes it’s just luck of being in the
right place at the right time, picking his feet up at the right time. He’s obviously long, he’s tall, he’s very
flexible as you imagine. The one last night looked worse than it was really was, very fortunate there. He
seems to have a little bit of a knack, but I just think for the most part, just been fortunate to not have a
serious injury than what they are.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence’s injury could make him less mobile) “I think to be honest, I want to make sure
Trevor is one hundred percent before I put him or any player back on the field. It’s just a matter of the
player too and the tolerance they can withstand with any injury. You just don’t want to risk it, if the
player is not in any harm or could risk further damage to the area, then you have to consider it.
Definitely don’t want to risk a further injury.”
(On how the team reacted after QB Trevor Lawrence went down) “I thought last night the guys handled
it fine, there’s a lot of confidence in C.J. [QB C.J. Beathard] obviously, he definitely commands the
huddle. He’s smart, he knows our offense. I think the guys really handled it well because we were in a
close ballgame, opportunity to win the football game. He did a nice job getting us down there for the
tying field goal. Really, he did some good things while he was in there. Still a lot of confidence there and I
didn’t think the guys waivered one bit.”
(On what can be learned about players getting more opportunities due to injuries across the team)
“Yeah, it’s something that I preach quite a bit to the guys here. Especially as you get later in the season,
the guys that are in backup roles or guys that are maybe those core-special teams players that now get
opportunities to play on offense or defense. It’s their time to go, it’s their time to play. I think it’s on the
coaches to make sure these players are prepared and the coordinators making sure that the plays that
are in the gameplan are ones they can handle and they’re familiar with. It’s always been a next-man-up
mentality, regardless of the position. That might be the case this week.”
(On how RB Travis Etienne Jr. is feeling with rib injury) “Yeah, TJ [Travis] is sore today, which is expected.
He came out okay, he came out fine. It was a conscious effort to get [RB] D’Ernest [Johnson] and even
[RB] Tank [Bigsby] in there when possible. I know D’Ernest had some opportunities last night as well.
That’s probably going to be the mindset or rotation as we go these last five weeks of the season. We’ve
got to make sure that all three of our backs are involved each week and it does take a load off of TJ
having D’Ernest and Tank take some more snaps. They’re going to be sore this time of year, they’re going
to be banged up a little bit like everybody is. We still want to get those other two involved.”
(On if WR Christian Kirk needs surgery on the core muscle injury) “I believe so. We’re going to send the
images off and get another look at it, make sure that we have the right diagnosis and the right plan of
attack for Christian moving forward.”
(On any mechanical in K Brandon McManus’ missed field goals going right) “Not really, I think the one
last night that he missed, if you look at that ball, the way the ball flew in the air, it really slid hard right,
outside of that right upright. I felt like he hit it good, just got the mercy of the wind at that time. Yeah,
it’s something that he’ll be disappointed and we’re disappointed. But we’ve still got a lot of confidence in
him and continue to put him out there in those situations.”
HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2023
(On what it takes for the team to rally behind a backup quarterback) “Well, the biggest thing is that
whether Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] goes or if C.J. [QB C.J. Beathard] goes, if C.J. goes, then I think
there’s more of a sense of urgency of it, for everybody to kind of do more on their part to support your
backup that way. There’s not a lot of things you’ve got to do out of ordinary, you still got to do your job
and focus in on what you do. The one thing about C.J. and Trevor both, they both prepare as if they are
both starting. That’s just what the backup does. I know that role having been in it myself and having
coached that role. I don’t think you have to do anything out of the ordinary; I think there could be a little
more sense of urgency. Really, at any position, we talked about Tre [CB Tre Herndon] possibly being out
as he’s in the protocol. The next man up, it’s always the next man up mentality. We’ve got to make sure,
as coaches, we prepare those guys to go play.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence will practice today) “He won’t practice today, it’s too soon after the game.”
(On if there’s any possibility of moving OL Anton Harrison to left tackle) “Not this late and not right now,
no.”
(On what needs to be seen out of players replacing injured players) “I think as players you just have to
embrace them and help them through showing them how to study, how to prepare mentally more than
anything. A lot of these guys, too, have played. So, they know how to play, it’s just a matter of embracing
them and again, it’s kind of an all-hands-on-deck type of mentality surrounding whoever it might be, the
backup who is playing. The goal is you don’t want to miss a beat, you just keep clipping along. You still
got to go out and execute and play at a high level. We have total confidence in all the guys that go out
there and dress and play.”
(On where decision making of playing injured players falls under difficulties as head coach) “The biggest
thing as you mentioned, player health. That’s the biggest thing. Our job as medical staff, head coach,
we’re not going to put players on the field that aren’t one hundred percent, that aren’t healthy, that
could maybe even further risk more damage to the area that’s injured. It’s our job to protect those
players and make sure it’s not at the cost of winning a football game. Yes, we are in this last sort of
month of the year where we’re making our run, but we also know too, if for instance, Trevor [QB Trevor
Lawrence] can’t play in this game, there’s going to come a time at some point where he is. We’ve all got
to come together to weather this storm a little bit, so that if there’s a time when he does return so to
speak, we make that push with him and we’ve gone through this period of playing some backups.”
(On putting players out without feeling one hundred percent healthy) “Listen, the 100 percent is the risk
to that injury. The players physically are not one hundred percent, they’re all sore and banged up.
Whether it’s a knee, ankle, a shoulder, an elbow, that injury we’re talking about specifically that injured,
if there’s a chance he can risk further damage, we’re not. That’s the 100 percent we’re talking about.
That’s where we’re not going to put that player on the field.”
(On upsetting the rhythm of the team due to multiple injuries) “You hope not. You look at things and
obviously yeah, you were in a bit of rhythm, things were kind of clicking a little bit and you still try to do
things that are still going to keep that same rhythm. But now, if we’re talking about the quarterback
position, you got to play to each one’s strengths, too. If it is C.J. [QB C.J. Beathard], he can’t be Trevor
[QB Trevor Lawrence] and Trevor is not going to be C.J., things like that. You try to tailor things according
to their strengths. The things that they do well, a lot of input from the player in this situation at
quarterback and making sure he’s comfortable with the game plan. Even the guys around him, they have
to do their part, too. They got to be where they need to be in a particular route, protection has to hold
up, all those things to make sure it continues to move forward. We went through this in 2017 and we
didn’t miss too much. It was different, it was a different look, but we didn’t miss a beat. We continued to
improve as a team.”
(On similarities to make between this team and his 2017 Philadelphia team) “Yeah, there’s similarities if
that’s the case. Again, it just goes back to the strength of the player and making sure he’s comfortable
with what we’re doing. It may look different to people how you go about it, but the bottom line is you
still got to go out and compete and execute and try to win that game, focus on that. However that gets
done, it doesn’t really matter. It’s just the main focus. In 2017, I had to focus on what Nick Foles
strengths were as opposed to Carson’s [Wentz] strengths back then. Making sure that the guys around
them did their part. It worked out.”
(On if the value of a good backup quarterback has changed over the years) “For me, I don’t ever overlook
that position and say, ‘Okay, we’ve got our starter.’ You can’t, when you do that, it’s going to bite you at
some point and you’re not going to have a backup and/or a backup that’s ready. Having a veteran like we
do and I would say most teams, that’s pivotal. You see it, this is a tough sport, you see how many
quarterbacks have gone down or at least out for a period of time. Having a guy that’s been around and
played meaningful games in this league helps.”
(On if his opinion of backup quarterbacks changes based on his 2017 season in Philadelphia) “I think it
maybe started a little bit of a trend in that direction, but there’s always been, even the teams I was on in
Green Bay when I was the third [quarterback], we had guys like Jim McMahon and Steve Bono and guys
like that up there. When I was in Miami, Bernie Kosar was the backup and stuff like that. There’s always
been teams that have had veteran guys in those roles.”
(On leadership of OLB Dawuane Smoot) “Yeah, since I’ve known him, he’s just a great person. He’s a
great man, just really someone that I’ve leaned on the team from a leadership standpoint. Actually,
made him a captain this week going into this game, too. Just says a lot about who he is as a person, off
the field being a Man of the Year Award nominee. To speak on the fact of the adversity he went through,
from the end of last season, all of offseason, missing camp and several weeks to start the season, to be
in this position now says a lot about him and his character and who he is. He was one of those guys in
the offseason that if he’s healthy, maybe he’s not here. Maybe he’s a free agent, maybe he’s somewhere
else and playing. We’re just fortunate to have him and have him on our team, he’s playing good. He’s
playing better each week and I’m excited to see where this domination goes.”
(On what makes the Browns defense so talented) “It really starts with [Browns Defensive Coordinator]
Coach Schwartz, with Jim honestly. The way he coaches these guys and what he says to them, how he
says it to them. It’s an aggressive style that goes all the way back to his days when he coordinated in
Tennessee back in those days. The type of the defenses that he had, it starts up front. It starts with those
front four. If he feels like he can put pressure on their quarterback with four, now he’s got seven guys
back there with eyes on the quarterback making plays on the ball in the run and pass game. That’s what
you see with this defense and the strength because this d-line, they’re aggressive. Obviously, we know
[DE] Myles Garrett, heck of a player, a lot of respect for him and the way he plays the game. The other
guys are just as talented as well. That’s where it starts, it starts up front, but it really starts with how Jim
messages with these guys.”
(On if it helps that he knows Browns Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz) “Just knowing him and how he
coached, and how he coached our defenses in Philly, you kind of know the structure a little bit. He’s
changed some things schematically over his time, but he’s got a talented defense right now and they’re
playing really good.”
(On if he’s holding out hope that QB Trevor Lawrence can play on a high ankle sprain like Chiefs QB
Patrick Mahomes once did) “I don’t want to compare two injuries, two different people and the
circumstances of playing in a conference championship game versus a regular season game are two
different things. Obviously, the Chiefs felt like he was good and he couldn’t hurt himself further.
Obviously, he played. If that’s the case here, we want to make sure that before we put him on the field,
as this week goes that he’s capable of not reinjuring himself.”
(On balancing an injured players word versus risking the injury further) “I know what you’re getting at.
For me, I got to listen. You listen to the player obviously, but it’s the medical staff. It’s the doctors who
evaluated him and have had years of experience working through these different types of injuries. For
me, you’ve got to ask the right questions. Not so much to the player, but to the doctor. What’s the risk of
reinjury? What’s the risk of injuring another body part because of something else is weak? Things of that
nature and I have to lean on that just a little bit. You’ve got to make a tough decision and say ‘Yes, let’s
go and you’re fine, you’re going to be a little sore and all of that’. Then, on the other side, you got to
make the tough decisions and go, ‘No, I’m going to keep you down this week and give you another week
of rest.’ Not put the player out there to harm him.”
(On comfort level with QB C.J. Beathard) “We got a lot of confidence in C.J. and what he’s done here and
his history. Again, he hasn’t had any snaps with our offense, really. You go out there and that’s part of
being a backup quarterback, you’ve got to be ready to go. The case this week is he would get all the
snaps today and we’ll see how the week goes. I think the preparation, that’s why you prepare like a
starter, so if your number is called, you’re obviously ready to go and you don’t miss a beat.”
QUARTER TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2023
(On balancing what’s best for the team and wanting to play) “Yeah, the team is always the priority. We
had the same conversations before the New Orleans game earlier in the season. I’m never going to put
myself or the team in a position to where we’re at a high risk or not going to play our best because I’m
not able to do my job. Those are all questions you have to answer throughout the course of the week.
For me, it’s just doing everything I can every second of the day to get back as soon as possible, whenever
that is. That’s the whole thought process behind everything.”
(On how his ankle is feeling today) “I feel a lot better. I feel a lot better than I thought I would feel. I’m
very fortunate, I’m thankful that it wasn’t a worse injury than what I thought it was on the field. I’m
thankful for that, just some flexibility. Will, my guy in the weight room that trains me is doing a good job.
He needs a raise or something. He’s doing a good job and I’m just thankful and I appreciate all the
people with the thoughts and prayers. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything serious, but that stuff means a lot
and it worked. I’m feeling good, so I’m thankful for that.”
(On if he thought his ankle was broken when the injury happened) “Yeah, I didn’t know what it was, but I
was kind of concerned. I felt something down in my ankle and was definitely concerned about that.
Trying to get up, had some pain there. I was concerned it was worse and I’m thankful that it wasn’t. I
made it out cleaner than I probably should’ve.”
(On not taking a golf cart to the locker room when he got injured) “Yeah, we have an amazing medical
staff that takes care of us in every way that you could imagine. Anything that we need, they’re always
there. They work pretty much around the clock to take care of us. We got one of, if not, the best in the
league. I’ve heard all the stuff that’s been going on. We talked about getting a cart and I was going to get
a cart, but I’m standing there already on the sideline at that point and the tunnel was right there so, I
just wanted to get off the field and get out of there. I didn’t know what was going on with my ankle but I
felt like I could get off. I was like, ‘Hey, you’re good. Just don’t bring it out, I’m going in.’ Then, once I got
in there, I’m like, ‘This is a pretty long walk.’ I was already in there and they asked again if I wanted a cart
and I’m like, ‘No, we’re going to make it all the way there.’ I didn’t know there was cameras in the tunnel,
they’re everywhere. No, of course we have carts and we have everything we need. I was the one that
didn’t choose to take one. You guys can put that on me, maybe that was dumb, maybe I should’ve taken
one, whatever. It’s nothing to do with us not having a cart available, I don’t think that would happen in
the National Football League, especially here with the crew that we have.”
(On what went wrong on the play he got injured) “Yeah, we had a play on. It was a tough situation with
Christian [WR Christian Kirk] going down in the first play of the game, there’s a lot of intricate things we
do in our offense that center around Christian. He’s a really great player, smart player. Me and him have a
lot of time on task and a lot of chemistry. Parker [WR Parker Washington] is thrown as a rookie into that
role and the guy that’s also kind of been injured this year coming back. Now, getting him back in the
swing of things the last few weeks. With Ag [WR Jamal Agnew] going down and now Christian, from the
second play of the game, he had to play the whole game in Christian’s spot and did a heck of a job. He
made some great plays and we just had a miscommunication on that one of where he was going to sit
down, where he was going to run his route, all that. I thought he was going to do something different, as
a miscommunication, I was stuck behind Walker [OL Walker Little] and I didn’t drop because I was trying
to get it out quick and just improve our field goal position there. It’s just the game we play, freak thing
and if I’m six inches to the right or left, it doesn’t happen. You can’t play that game, it’s football, stuff
happens. It’s unfortunate, that’s stuff we talk through and Parker is going to keep getting better every
week. He’s a really good player, you see him flash in the game and made some unbelievable plays that
we really needed. The touchdown catch, the scramble catch, a couple of other plays that he made. He’s
doing a great job and he’s going to be a great player. I’m excited for that opportunity for him and I’m
definitely going to need him to step up with Christian down for awhile, Parker is going to have to step up
and he will. He’s prepared and he’s done a great job.”
(On how much WR Christian Kirk means to this offense) “He means a lot. Like you said, it’s not just his
ability on the field and the plays he can make, but I think just the voice he is in that room, on the team,
he’s a great leader and he does things the right way. He’s a super hard worker, he’s battled through a lot
of stuff to play this year as long as he has, of course this time of year, everyone is dealing with
something. That’s a guy that I just have a lot of respect for him, for what he sacrifices for the team. It
sucks seeing him go down, it’s hard when a player like that who means so much to the team, to rally
after a guy goes down first play. Especially after a big play like that, but I thought the guys did a good job
of staying focused and trying to fill in the gap and just take control of the game. I thought we did a good
job of that. He means a lot to this team and guys are going to have to step up. We’re going to have to
find ways to just keep moving forward offensively and to play well, there’s no excuse for a guy going
down. No one really cares in the NFL if you’ve got a guy hurt, there’s no excuses to not perform and to
not produce. We understand that and guys are going to step up, we’ve got great players and that’s why
you have depth. In this sport, you can’t take anything for granted and you’re never going to have a guy
for the whole season guaranteed. Anything can happen at any moment and that’s why guys have to be
prepared. You see guys having to step up, that will and that have in the past.”
(On how his injury will play out this week in playing against Cleveland) “Yeah, it’s still early in the week.
In New Orleans, I didn’t know until right before the game. This is a short week, but that was a really
short week. We’ll have a couple of more days than we did then, which is nice, but we still lost a day
playing on Monday night. I guess that’s just the way it’s been going this year with some of that stuff. I’m
really just taking it one day at a time. I’m trying to do as much as I can each day without aggravating it or
making anything worse but trying to progress towards hopefully playing. That’s the goal every week and
every day, is to try to get as healthy as possible. The past 48 hours have been some big steps and I’m
really happy with how it’s healing up. We’ll see, I can’t get any answers right now, I’m just going to take
my time and do everything right. With the medical people downstairs and the trainers and in the weight
room, just check every box that I can to try to be able to play on Sunday.”
(On if he’s going to follow whatever the medical doctors say) “Yeah, I’m always going to consult with
those guys. They know a lot more about injuries and stuff with the body than I do. It’s always a
collaborative process, you don’t want to take any further risks, especially with where we’re at in the
season. You want to be able to play through the rest of the year and into the playoffs. That’s something
on your mind as well, but if I can be out there and I can be myself for the most part, then I’m going to be
out there. I don’t have the answer right now, but that’s just how I think and how I view things. Of course,
I’m going to talk with them and we’re going to make the best decision for the team for one, and for
myself in the long haul. I want to be able to bounce back from this and be one hundred percent as the
season goes on. Those are all things you’ve got to answer.”
(On what makes QB C.J. Beathard a good backup quarterback) “That’s a hard job. It’s a job where you
don’t get a ton of reps, especially with the guys you’re throwing to when you do have to play with the
starters. During the week, I’m getting the reps because obviously I’m playing. Then, a guy has to come in,
one has to know the system, inside and out, has to prepare like a starter which he does. Then, you’ve got
to be able to go in and make plays in a crunch. He had to go in, I don’t know how much time was left, I
think it was five minutes when he came into the game. It’s a tied game and we were down by three on
the last drive. He has to go in and make plays and run the offense. It’s never a one-man show, no matter
who is in the game. We’ve got great players around us, but the quarterback position is important and for
him to be able to put together a drive to get us in field goal range, kick the game-tying field goal and
send it to overtime, that’s huge. To have that faith and confidence in your second guy that he can go do
that, no matter the situation. We have a ton of confidence in him, he’s prepared for it. He’s played a lot
of football too, he’s been a starter in this league. There’s no concern there and we have a ton of
confidence in not only the staff and myself, but also our guys up front, our skill guys, everyone has a lot
of confidence in C.J. He’s the perfect guy for the job and he’s going to do great if he does need to play, so
we’ll just go from there.”
(On if the team will respond well with pressure coming behind in the AFC South) “We can’t worry about
what’s behind us, it doesn’t matter what’s behind us. We’ve just got to focus on the team we’re playing
this week. The same thing goes back to last week, it’s one week at a time and you’ve got to take care of
business. You’ve got to play your best each week and just find a way to win. We weren’t able to last
week, so that obviously makes things closer in our division but I think we’ve got to focus more on what’s
in front of us and who we’re playing this week. Just find a way to win this week, and next week will
come, we’ll address that and find a way to win that game. We can’t worry about Houston or Indy or
whoever is behind us, if we take care of business, we’re going to be fine. It’s a little bit of that, you have
to have that, I don’t want to say arrogance, but that confidence of it doesn’t matter what these other
teams do, we’re good enough to beat anybody on any day and we’ve got to do that. We didn’t do that
last week and we get another opportunity to this week. We still control our own destiny, but we can’t
worry about teams from behind us. That adds pressure, that adds anxiety, you just worry about playing
one week at a time. We’ve already played Houston twice, we’ve already played Indy twice we’ve got
Tennessee later in the year, and we’re not going to get another opportunity to play those guys. We can’t
focus on what they’re doing or how close they are to us, we’ve got to take care of business on the field
each week and that’s our responsibility.”
(On if he worries he will misstep and reinjure his ankle) “I don’t have a good answer for you, just walk
normally and slowly, carefully. Try to keep people away from my legs, try to keep my dogs from jumping
all over me at the house and stuff like that. It’s a great question, I don’t know.”
