Jake Browning Press Conference – September 17

What have the past few days been like for you? Uh, watched the film from Jacksonville, made some corrections on Monday. Um, started watching Minnesota yesterday and just getting ready for the game. What stands out about their defense, the Vikings? I mean, I think they they do a lot of different stuff. um seems like they they kind of run it like an offense where they’ll come to the line with a couple different calls and you know they I think their big thing is they want getting to the perfect call just like an offense and so uh obviously the defensive coordinator there has been there for a while now and and has some creative stuff. Got some guys that have been in the system for a long time and uh and they’re good. What’s technology from two years ago? I mean, I think they just they they change a lot game to game. Um, you know, I think it’s a a game plan defense where you can watch all the film you want. They’re going to present some different looks um on Sunday. And so, it’s just, you know, how do you react to that and being able to make the adjustments that you need to? What makes that play so tough to play? It’s really loud. Yeah, I was there for a while. Uh obviously my rookie year was a little bit louder than the the co year, but um yeah, it’s loud and uh got to witness that firsthand. So very aware. All those feelings that you had the first time you played him in 23, is that out of your system now or is that still kind of always in the back of your mind a little bit? I think at some point you got to move on and uh I feel as though I have moved on from that. How different do you feel from your first start in 2023? Uh, I mean, I feel like I’m a year and a half better than I was then. Um, you know, I think you don’t really know until you know what it’s going to feel like. And so, in 2023, I had no idea what all that was going to feel like or, you know, I kind of had to make some adjustments on the fly. I think it’s a little bit different getting thrown in in week three versus I think that was like week 11. Um, so I’m a little bit closer to when I was actually last versus, you know, getting thrown in week 11. And I think it’d been like, you know, 3 or 4 months since I’d been in a real football game. Um, so yeah, I think just the experience and, you know, I think I look at last year like I didn’t take a meaningful snap. Like I had a good year as far as, you know, just watching my film and practice and stuff like that. So I feel like I made some improvements that I needed to and so, uh, yeah, excited excited for the opportunity to play. How comfortable are you playing in loud environments like you’re expecting to see on Sunday? Uh, I mean I think I think it’s I won’t say it’s easier, but there when you know it’s going to be loud, like you can prepare for it throughout the week. And I think some I know I guess this would date back to like college. You’ll go somewhere and you think it’s not going to be that loud and all of a sudden you get there like, “Oh, it’s a lot louder than you thought it was going to be.” So, uh, yeah. I mean, there’s no confusion about how loud it’s going to be. You know, it’s loud and uh, got to prepare accordingly. You’ve spent a lot of time helping Joe. What are some of the best ways Joe can help you that you like for him to try to help you? Uh, I mean, I think that’s a Joe question. Um, I think right now he’s probably got some some more important personal stuff he’s probably dealing with. Um, so, you know, h happy to to uh would obviously love to have him around as much as possible, but totally understand that he’s got, you know, some of his own stuff going on, too. So, whatever happens happens. Joe had you, you know, had you who you I mean who you have you really don’t have anybody here I would say very far from the truth uh I got Brett Ripen who I’ve known since we were like 17 years old um I think even 16 actually went to a Boise State camp in like 201 13 together met there and uh he’s he’s been around uh we did draft prep together and then uh so now he’s he’s the backup and um you know has spent spent some time uh in Minnesota last year, been around to about seen a lot of different quarterbacks and uh was super smart. So feel very fortunate to have him um you know as just a calm presence on the side. You I even felt that on on Sunday and so uh you know I don’t think I don’t I think it’s taken for granted quarterbacks that have been around for a long time in a lot of different systems and just seen a lot of different football. Um so I think he provides a lot of value there. Yeah, I didn’t mean anything against him. It’s just he hadn’t but he just hasn’t been here long time in the scheme like Yeah. Yeah. I think he’s uh he’s picking it up and and super sharp and uh like I said, he’s had to go into some a decent amount of new buildings and so you can tell like he just when someone has had to learn multiple offenses, they kind of know like, okay, here’s what I got to focus on first. You can kind of tell that picking up pretty quickly. What do you remember about Brett from back from back in the day? Uh, I just remember we were in the same class. I think when he got here, me, him, and Joe were talking about like some of the guys that were in our class because we’re all same class coming out of high school. Um, I just remember he threw for a bunch of yards in Spokane and um, yeah, it was kind of the main thing. Just remember meeting him. From the players we’ve spoken with, Jake, there’s a lot of confidence in that room that you can help this team win. Do you sense that from the group that what you accomplished in 2023 has a carryover of confidence that this group? Yeah, but I mean I think that comes down to how you execute and uh you know I think execution breeds breeds a lot of confidence and so my main goal is just to execute well, play fast, make make fast decisions and be decisive and try and help us win. And yeah, whatever comes as a result of that or whatever however everybody’s feeling right now, you know, I’m pretty focused on just doing my job. How does your preparation change from QB2 to now QB1? I think I’ve said a few times. I mean, it’s honestly a little bit easier because you’re you’re the one taking the reps in the walk through. You’re the one that, you know, if I got input as the backup, you know, Joe has the final say. So, now that I’m starting, it’s like, hey, I kind of want to do it this way. And then more likely to get that adjustment made. Um, getting the reps in practice. like you know all last week I I was being I was playing Jacksonville’s offense and so then get thrown into your offense and obviously I know it and all that but it is a little bit different and so uh yeah I think the preparation side of things is just a lot it’s a lot easier and it’s really I think last year it was really hard to study really hard for 17 straight games and not play like at all just fighting human nature every week you have to like convince yourself all right I got to be prepared cuz if I get thrown in there like I am what I put on tape I’m not coming into this as like a high high draft pick that’s got this long runway or anything like that. Like I got to be prepared. And so now it’s like you take out the guesswork and you just know like you’re playing on Sunday. So it’s uh the incentive is to prepare and all that is a little bit easier. Does being inserted into this position now feel any different than it felt two years ago? Uh I don’t know. Yeah. I I don’t know. I think last year or last time I got thrown in was like I said it’d been a while since I had played. It was my first real football game in like four and a half years. And so I had to adjust to playing real football. And you can play as many preseason games as you want. It’s not the same. Um and so it was a little bit more of let’s figure this out as we go. Um, and I think now like, you know, I I know kind of things that I like and and how I want to prepare and have that experience to draw back from. And, uh, I think the big thing is just when I got thrown in there, you know, I progressively got better and I’m I’m hoping to do the same thing by just, you know, having my routine that throughout the week and, you know, focusing on the right things to make improvements that I need to. Y’all are confidence. Go ahead, Ben. Y’all were two and0, but a lot of people are wondering about whether y’all can be a playoff team still. Is that something that you take exception to as you kind of step in and be the starter? No. I mean, I think we show business. I mean, it’s like a start list all that, you’re going to ride a roller coaster. So, I’m pretty focused on just getting ready for Minnesota, you know, the scheme and and trying to focus on that more than however everybody feels about us at the moment. Is that something that, you know, being being a backup quarterback and kind of always not not having the reps, like how much do you have to always have a good belief in yourself, you know, knowing that, you know, you may not have the ability to show it, how much you constantly have to have maybe inner belief in what you can do in your abilities more so than maybe guys who get to play every week. Yeah. I mean, I I think it’s it’s unique. like you’re um my my welcome to the NFL was undrafted in four years on Peace Squad and there’s not really anybody in the building that’s like this is my guy. I need to make this work because I stamped this guy. It’s like yeah, if this guy doesn’t work out, I’ll just grab another one. And so, you know, I think like you look around the league, there’s not a lot of guys that are just undrafted that kind of the same path. So, um, you know, I think it’s unique, but the end of the day, it’s what have you done for me lately? Need to go play well and pretty focused on that. A similar kind of question to Ben is, you know, I asked about the confidence in the room. What about within yourself knowing that you had success in 2023? Is is there a little bit of, okay, I know I can do this at this level with this team that you can apply and be confident going out playing Sunday? Yeah, I mean I I felt I convinced myself to be extremely confident in 2023 when I got thrown in because I don’t think there’s been too many quarterbacks that go into a game not feeling good about, you know, their own decision- making or ability or whatever and going having that go well. Um, so if I didn’t have some delusional confidence in myself, then, you know, I probably would have been toast a long time ago. You talk about like the volatility of being a backup quarterback and not having not always having that runway that some other guys have. the fact that the Bengals have stuck with you over the years here and have now expressed that confidence in you not just two years ago but now have no problem sticking you in. What does that mean to you? Yeah, I mean I think it’s a balance of obviously like I I earned that. Um it wasn’t like ah there’s nobody else we’ll just put Jake in. like I’m, you know, I spent two years on Peace Squad here, um, working really hard and and showing a lot of strides and improvement. And then obviously them having the confidence to to stick with me, giving me that opportunity. Um, you know, I think there’s a lot of people that um, you maybe had my first couple years in the NFL that didn’t make it because, you know, there wasn’t somebody willing to give the chance to that cuz they were worried that it wouldn’t go well or who knows what. Um, and so yeah, I think it’s a b it’s a combination of the two of getting that opportunity, but then also, you know, I I earned that opportunity and earned this opportunity and so, you know, don’t want to discredit myself on some of that stuff, too. How different? You talked about some of the things that you like maybe and would recommend in a game plan now that might be different. How much of that is there? Is there a lot of that or is it just a very minimal amount of things that you like to see differently for you than what they were you was going with Joe? I think it’s play to play by play like just little things here and there like hey I kind of I kind of would like to do this this way. All of our base stuff is our base stuff but you know each week you got different things that are getting put in and so you want that especially here like they they want that feedback from us. Um and so whenever you know I’ll have I’ll I’ll still voice my opinion as the two but at the end of the day it’s you know rightfully so it’s going to be what what Joe wants. And so now it’s you know it’s how do you feel about this? How do you want to do this? and you know my my input is I guess taken into account a little bit more but I don’t I mean if you’re not in the meeting room I don’t think you would notice like a huge difference. How different is this offense from two years ago? Like the state of guys like, you know, we’re with Yeah, I guess the the obviously Mike and Noah are probably the newer people, but a lot of the other parts on offense. I mean, we got a lot of guys have been in the system for a long time, including myself. So, feel pretty good about that and feel fortunate to be taking over an offense that does have a lot of weapons. Did you have a favorite throw out from Sunday? Looking back at the tape? No, not really. Not off the top of my head. That feels like two years ago. Yeah. You talk about all the mental reps that you take as the backup to make sure that you’re prepared. What about physically? Like does anything physically change for you to make sure that you are ready to go for this Sunday and take, you know, the abuse that a quarterback does in an NFL game? Yeah, I think it’s just like obviously I played a game on Sunday. So, you know, usually if I’m a backup, I’m coming in Monday, Tuesday trying to like get my heart rate up a little bit just to stay in shape and and I stood there all Sunday. But I think when you’re the starter, you got to, you know, recover from the last game, get ready for the next game, and the physical toll is obviously a lot different. So, that kind of changes your routine a little bit. And so kind of spent

Jake Browning speaks to the media going into Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings.

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