INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 10: Joel Bitonio #75 of the Cleveland Browns at SoFi Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)Photo: (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
On how tough it was to lose C Nick Harris to a knee injury:
“Yeah, it is tough. Anytime you lose a player at any point in the season, it is tough, but he worked so hard this offseason, and he had the opportunity to be a starter in the NFL. You go out like that the second play of Preseason Game 1, it is not easy, really tough. I know he is going to bounce back, and that is the character he has. He is going to put his head down and work. He is in pretty good spirits. Obviously disappointed, but he is ready to tackle his next chapter.”
On if it is any more frustrating that Harris sustained the injury in a preseason game:
“That is football so you never know. It could happen in practice. It could happen in a preseason game. It could happen in a playoff game. It happens everywhere. It is one of those things where you never expect it. It is tough. It was not really a regular season game, but anytime it is tough.”
On how much time he has spent working with C Ethan Pocic prior to Friday night’s game:
“We have gotten some reps. In individual and all of that stuff, you get reps all of the time with different centers and different tackles so you get to work on it. He has gotten a few reps with the first team. He is an experienced guy and has a bunch of starts. He sits next to me in meetings so we talk about calls and things like that. He has a lot of experience. He did pretty good when he got in the other day. I think he is ready for the opportunity.”
On if the difference in body type between Harris and Pocic causes the Browns OL to adjust:
“A little bit. You see where he holds the ball, you get your depth off the ball and your splits might be a little bit different. His steps are maybe a bit wider or shorter. You just have to get used to the guy, but (former Browns C) JC (Tretter) was a tall center, too – he was a pretty tall, big center – probably the biggest center I have played with. He is strong, and like I said, he has a lot of experience. We will get used to it. We have got a few weeks before the opener so we have some time to get some reps in.”
On hosting families from A Kid Again Northern Ohio today at training camp, which supports families whose children are facing life-threatening conditions:
“A Kid Again (Northern Ohio), it is something I just started working on this offseason. I got put together with them, and it is kids that are in terminal condition. It is tough conditions, but they do adventures for the whole family. When a kid is going through something like that, the parents, the brothers, the sisters and the cousins go through it, too. It is a tough situation, but they work together to do adventures. They have all types of little events throughout the year. I just thought the Browns, football practice and seeing some of the guys would be pretty cool so a bunch of the families are going to come out here, and hopefully, some of the players will stop by, say hi and take some pictures.”