Browns Quarterback Joe Flacco talks with the media postgame following a Browns win 31-27 over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:07 >> You didn't pull anything, Chief, and
00:09 didn't sell down the field, did you?
00:10 >> [LAUGH] Yeah, my gosh, that was exciting.
00:15 It was one of those plays where they're putting pressure and
00:18 you have to kind of buy a little time.
00:19 And you did a great job getting a little soft spot and
00:22 then making it happen from there.
00:23 >> Cuz you see it happening right away, and
00:25 Kevin talked about how you just kind of slid over.
00:27 >> I knew I needed to buy a little bit of time cuz they were coming after us and
00:30 I was gonna probably have some pressure off of that side.
00:32 And he was running a little option route.
00:35 And I think in that situation,
00:36 you can probably anticipate a little bit easier cuz it's fourth down.
00:40 You have to play the ball anyway.
00:42 But like I said, it was really actually him to find that little spot and do it.
00:46 >> So Kevin, they gave you the starter for the rest of the year.
00:49 How does that make you feel?
00:51 And then how do you feel about the way that this offense is starting to play with
00:54 you and quarterbacking?
00:56 >> Well, obviously it feels good when it looks like people have confidence in you.
01:00 I know I've been in a bunch of locker rooms, but
01:06 whenever you walk into a locker room, you still wanna gain the respect of everybody.
01:10 And you don't know if you quite have that until you can go out there and
01:14 get a win and continue to do your thing day in and day out.
01:17 You try to carry yourself the right way and you try to do all the right things,
01:20 but that doesn't guarantee anything in terms of going out and field on Sunday.
01:23 So it feels awesome to go out there and get the win.
01:26 I do feel like we're doing a lot of good things.
01:28 Today was a sloppy game.
01:30 I didn't play my best.
01:31 We turned the ball over a couple times.
01:33 And you gotta give a lot of credit to our defense, the way they played today.
01:37 14 points off of Jacksonville got those balls at least inside the 30 yard line.
01:42 I would say inside the 20 probably, right?
01:45 So tip your hat to our defense.
01:50 Our offense does, I think you guys can see it and feel it a little bit.
01:53 We have the ability to really start to get over the hump.
01:59 We're not quite there yet, but we're gonna work hard and
02:03 we're gonna continue to get better.
02:04 >> So recognizing the zero blitz,
02:06 that's something that rusts with coming to play, right?
02:09 >> [LAUGH] >> I think you're always pretty aware
02:12 when people are coming after you.
02:15 I say that, but then I also got hit from my right side and
02:18 I just fumbled, so it's part of the game.
02:23 You happen to see some of those things.
02:25 Listen, there's all kinds of those plays that don't work out.
02:27 And you hope that you can overcome it and win the game anyway.
02:31 That was just one of the good plays for us today.
02:33 >> Jones, are you put into words just what it's like to come off the couch,
02:37 so to speak, come in here to Cleveland Brown Stadium?
02:41 So much on the line, 38 years old.
02:44 >> Yeah, it's tough.
02:45 I'm not a man of very many words in terms of well spoken words.
02:50 I can sit down at a table and sound like a moron for you, but
02:54 coming up with words about how this feels, I'm not gonna do a good job of that.
02:58 There's so many different things that are running through my head.
03:02 It's unbelievable to be out there.
03:04 It's a really unique experience.
03:06 I can't say it enough to have children that are of the age where they understand
03:11 what's going on, and I'm gonna remember these things forever.
03:15 So like I said, I said it earlier, I'm just trying to stay in the moment and
03:19 be as grateful as possible and keep getting better.
03:23 >> Your 100th win, is that milestone mean anything?
03:30 >> I would normally say no, but I was aware of it.
03:35 Not during the game and things like that, but you are aware of it.
03:38 And I'm definitely proud of it.
03:42 I'm gonna be, when it's all said and done, someday, I will look at that and
03:48 probably it will be something that I'm sure I'll be proud of.
03:51 >> So on all three of the touchdown passes, the receivers were basically wide open.
03:57 Can you just talk about the play design and how the execution to get all three.
04:02 >> Yeah, it's awesome when you're a quarterback, when you get that picture.
04:06 I mean, listen, I think you gotta credit how well we've done in disregard
04:10 situations and how well these guys have done running the ball all year.
04:14 So the first, even last game against the Rams, we started to see what worked in
04:19 those regard situations, loading up and coming at people.
04:23 And I think that's what happened in that first game.
04:26 They're so loaded up to try to stop our play up middle and
04:29 we get a guy wide open.
04:31 And then the other one wasn't necessarily that situation, but
04:34 it's a similar thing.
04:35 You do a little play option to get guys to kind of get drawn up a little bit.
04:41 And Dave's an awesome guy to have catch those guys, that is his strength.
04:45 Get him the ball while he's moving down the field and he's a tough guy.
04:50 You can see his speed.
04:52 I don't know what he ran or anything, but you can see his speed and
04:54 strength obviously when he gets the ball in those types of situations.
04:57 He's pretty special.
04:58 >> [INAUDIBLE]
05:00 >> They were here today, yeah.
05:02 >> Has it been tough for your son and your wife?
05:07 >> They don't care.
05:08 >> [LAUGH] >> They really don't care.
05:11 But I think initially, every kid reacts differently.
05:15 My second son definitely was a little bit emotional when I left initially.
05:18 But ultimately, they have their friends and
05:20 they have all the things that are keeping them occupied.
05:23 I'm the one that's trying to hang around the facility as long as I can and
05:27 stay around people as long as I can.
05:29 Cuz I'm the one going back to a hotel room by myself.
05:33 I normally wouldn't, so as long as I'm in the situation,
05:35 running around people, I'm good.
05:36 But when you're back in a room by yourself,
05:38 there are things that your mind has time to wander.
05:42 And if they were three years old, I probably wouldn't feel that much either.
05:47 But like I said, they are a really cool age.
05:49 They wanna hang out, they wanna throw the ball around.
05:52 My son brought a ball to the hotel and
05:54 I'm just sitting there in the chair and still have this.
05:57 So yeah, there's definitely things like that that you miss.
06:03 But listen, there's no better profession in the NFL to spend time with your kids and
06:09 have them be a part of it.
06:11 >> [INAUDIBLE] >> I haven't seen her yet.
06:15 I'm sure they'll pick on me for the banter and stuff.
06:18 >> [LAUGH] >> Joe, when you were waiting for
06:21 some team to call, and you saw this situation with the Browns,
06:25 did you think they would be one of the teams that would call on you or you just?
06:30 >> I know, it got to the point in the year where there was probably a couple
06:35 times where I could have gotten called, but I didn't.
06:36 So I was just starting to think that I wasn't.
06:38 And especially even these guys, they didn't call me until later in the week.
06:40 So I kind of had thought the time had gone past.
06:43 But they wanted me to come out and work out, and I was grateful they did.
06:47 >> Joe, off that, when we first met you said, I didn't know this was gonna happen
06:51 for me, I was starting to kind of lose it.
06:54 To go from that to now you've won five quarterbacks in NFL history,
06:58 so five touchdowns with a new team in your first two games.
07:01 And now you guys are right in the thick of the playoff race and
07:04 you have a chance to do something.
07:07 What do you make of all of that, this whirlwind month for you?
07:11 >> I think it's a little scary to not sign somewhere in the offseason and
07:15 not be a training camp somewhere.
07:17 But I was trying to keep a positive light on it and
07:21 look at it in a positive way and see all the benefits of possibly
07:27 getting a call from a team at some point that needs somebody to help them win.
07:33 So listen, I think it comes down to, I didn't have a choice.
07:37 It wasn't like I turned anybody down in the offseason.
07:39 I probably would have had a tough time doing it, even though I was at the point
07:43 mentally where I don't know if I would have wanted to go do it.
07:47 So listen, obviously, life puts you in certain situations and
07:52 you don't know why, you just gotta make the most of it.
07:54 >> So you said you didn't- >> Is this the ideal situation,
07:57 when you're sitting on your couch,
07:58 are you thinking about playoff team and coming in and starting in December?
08:01 >> Listen, we still have our next game, we only have four games left,
08:06 but our next game, so listen, we still gotta go take care of business and
08:11 get better and better and better, and that's really my main focus.
08:13 I don't wanna look at what the situation I was coming in is, and
08:17 listen, we still have to go out there and make the most of what we have.
08:21 >> Joe, you said you didn't play your best.
08:23 >> [INAUDIBLE]
08:30 >> I think it helps when you've been
08:33 around a long time and people, these guys have watched you play growing up.
08:40 There's something about having an older guy in the locker room that guys like to
08:43 come up and at least wonder why the hell I'm doing it.
08:45 >> [LAUGH] >> There's always some kind of
08:47 talking point and things like that.
08:49 So I think you get comfortable with people.
08:51 I'm confident in the way I throw the ball and stuff like that, so
08:55 I think when you go out and have good practices, that's the starting point.
08:58 And then you gotta go out and play a long game.
08:59 I think we've done a decent job of kind of doing that so
09:03 far so that you can have these guys build a little bit of that confidence.
09:06 >> Joe, how were you able to maintain that belief that you could go out and
09:11 still play at a really high level, considering when you look at the even
09:15 the record over your previous 17 starts, wouldn't have necessarily stated that.
09:21 But why did you believe in yourself so much, and
09:24 what did you think you were still gonna be capable of if you got another chance?
09:28 >> I think when you've played so many football games,
09:36 There's a reality that says that you're gonna go through tough times, and
09:39 it's your job to persevere and have belief in yourself.
09:43 And I'm not saying that it's always 100%, yeah, I'm the best in the world.
09:47 I got this.
09:48 There's a ton of times where you're probably questioning it.
09:53 And you gotta just continue to go and go and go and push and push and push and
09:57 just try to get better and focus on the thing that you're doing.
10:00 And that allows you to not think about all that and just go out and
10:04 do what you love.
10:05 >> Joe, when you first met with us,
10:07 you basically said you think you still had something left in the tank.
10:10 And when you stand here after an exciting win and say, hey,
10:12 I didn't play my best today.
10:13 How are you still evaluating what you have left?
10:17 Is it just turnovers?
10:18 Is it situational?
10:19 How do you say, hey, that was really high level execution for
10:22 what I'm capable of?
10:24 >> Yeah, I think it's just when you go back and
10:25 walk the tape, are your eyes in the right spot?
10:27 Are your feet in the right spot?
10:28 Are you on time?
10:29 It's all that kind of stuff.
10:33 So there was a couple times that I felt like my feet weren't tied in with my eyes.
10:36 And maybe my eyes were in a bad spot.
10:37 And then all of a sudden I was making a bad throw that I don't usually feel like
10:41 I'm doing.
10:42 Like a couple balls just came out bad today.
10:45 And like I said, I think it starts with maybe where my eyes and feet were.
10:49 And then it kind of just a chain reaction from there, so.
10:52 >> Was there any confusion coming into this thing?
10:56 I gotta go to the visitor's locker room?
10:57 >> No, it's definitely a little different.
11:00 It's different perspective from the brown sideline that I'm used to.
11:04 But there's something nice about having played a bunch of games in here and
11:08 be able to come back and now call home.
11:10 >> What does it say about, I know you've only been here a few weeks, but for
11:13 this team, this coach said to win games with four quarterbacks in one season,
11:17 which has only been done like a few times.
11:19 >> Yeah, you need to know, listen,
11:21 you can't say enough about what this team's done all year.
11:24 Just losing guys and continuing to succeed, whether it's the run game or
11:29 the offensive line, whatever it may be.
11:32 I think you've gotta give the coaching staff and all the guys in there a ton of
11:35 credit for how they've been able to maintain their focus and still have the belief.
11:39 >> How much is that?
11:40 >> Last one. >> How much is that, Kevin?
11:42 >> Yeah, listen, I've only been around Kevin a few weeks, but
11:45 he's got a very good demeanor.
11:46 He's definitely a head coach, and I think he's the first guy you're gonna have to
11:51 look at when you talk about that kind of stuff.
11:53 >> Take care.