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The Cleveland Browns play the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night on NFL Network. If the Browns win, they will temporarily be in first in the AFC North. Is this game a pivot in the team's season? Akron Beacon Journal and Ohio.com Browns beat writer Nate Ulrich talks about that and more.
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Out: Tight end Jordan Cameron (concussion) and safety Johnson Bademosi (concussion). Questionable: Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins (thigh/knee), defensive lineman Phil Taylor (arthroscopic knee surgery Oct. 8) and defensive end Billy Winn (toe). Probable: Defensive end Desmond Bryant (wrist), wide receivers Taylor Gabriel (shoulder) and Rodney Smith (hamstring), quarterback Brian Hoyer (glute) and outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo (shoulder).
Bengals
Out: Linebacker Vontaze Burfict (knee) and cornerback Leon Hall (concussion). Doubtful: Running back Giovani Bernard (hip/clavicle), linebacker Rey Maualuga (hamstring) and offensive tackle Andre Smith (ankle). Questionable: Defensive end Robert Geathers (shoulder). Probable: Cornerback Darqueze Dennard (hamstring), tight end Jermaine Gresham (knee), cornerback Terence Newman (chest) and guard Kevin Zeitler (calf).
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Browns coach Mike Pettine met with reporters Tuesday. Below is a transcript from the news conference provided by the team.
On how yesterday went preparing for this short week: “It was good. It was a good start for us. This is much more of a mental week than a physical week. We got to implement a good portion of the game plan and get a real good start on the scouting report information and start to dive into the film. We put our film behind us earlier in the day. Then we came back at night and got to work on Cincinnati.”
On if he does anything different or says anything different when he has a roster of guys who maybe haven't played on a stage like this: “I don't think you can. I think, for guys that haven't gone through it, you're curious to see how they respond to it, and you're hopeful that the veterans in the locker room that have gone through it can help them out. We're, as a staff, big believers in just being...we want to get them in the game as mentally fresh and focused as we can be and more importantly, physically. We'll do less, but it's on them as professionals that...they're not getting the actual practice rep. (It's) more of a walk through, jog through type deal. That's something that here in this league you're going to have to deal with and work through and be able to perform at a high level.”
On what he remembers from Cincinnati last year and what he takes from it that he can use now: “We looked at it because (Bengals offensive coordinator) Hue Jackson was there as the quarterbacks coach. He wasn't the coordinator, but offensively they are very similar to what they were a year ago. You can tell they didn't change their system just because they changed coordinators. It was good tape to watch just to look at the different situations - the third downs, the short yardage, the red zone, all those. We like to go back and look any time we've gone against...whether it was our game against them in Buffalo and even back to the New York days just to take a peak at similar systems throughout the league. You look at how coordinators attack.”
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Browns General Manager Ray Farmer met with reporters Tuesday. Below is a transcript from the news conference provided by the team.
Opening statement: “I guess I’ll be simple and brief, but again I appreciate everybody’s attendance. I don’t know why everybody’s here to see me. This is pretty simple – still football season. I, for one, believe this is the time for the head coach and the team to do what they do, and I should be behind closed doors. Any questions you ask I will answer.”
On if QB Brian Hoyer has exceeded what he thought he could do this season: “No, I don’t think he’s exceeded anything. I think that, again I’m a firm believer that guys given opportunities perform to the level that they’re asked. Either they make it or they don’t. I think that’s for a lot of the players on this team. Sometimes it’s good when you don’t have all the namesake and fanfare. You just go out and you just accomplish your job.”
On Hoyer’s contract status: “I won’t refer to contracts about any player current, future, past.”
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