Transcript from introductory news conference of Browns' top picks Danny Shelton, Cameron Erving
By NATE ULRICH Published: May 1, 2015
Nose tackle Danny Shelton and offensive lineman Cameron Erving met with the media Friday for an introductory news conference after being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Browns on Thursday night. Below is a transcript from the news conference provided by the team.
On Shelton’s hug with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and whether Goodell said anything to Shelton:
Shelton:“He was just excited, just like I was. He was shocked at the same time, but he was happy for me.”
On if Shelton and Erving know about the Browns’ history and the deep rivalries in the division:
Erving:“I don’t really know about the deep rivalries, but I am looking forward to engulfing myself in the culture and just getting to know where I am going to be. That is something that I definitely want to look into.”
Shelton:“I definitely know that the Dawg Pound was a team to be feared, but I am honestly just open to hear more about the history and learn a little bit more about the Dawg Pound and get ready to play for the Dawg Pound.”
On Cleveland being a long way from home for Shelton:
Shelton:“It is going to be great. I am ready to enter a new world and start my new journey.”
On if Shelton and Erving knew each other before the first round of the draft on Thursday or before arriving in Cleveland today:
Shelton:“Tuesday, actually.”
On if Shelton and Erving followed each other’s careers in college:
Erving: “I’m sure he has seen me play because I know I have seen him play. You know great players, and I definitely noticed him throughout the season, especially when people start talking about him more and more. There isn’t much to watch about an offensive lineman (laughter), but it has definitely been fun to watch all you different guys play.”
On what the past 24 hours has been like before the draft and the celebration afterwards:
Shelton: “It has been great. Just to know that I could bring my family out there and experience it with me was the only thing that was important, besides the fact that I was going to be drafted by Cleveland. It was just exciting the whole time to know that I will be calling another place home.”
Erving: “It has been crazy, a whirlwind of emotions. It has just been an amazing experience. This whole process, I have enjoyed every minute of it. Getting drafted by Cleveland was definitely something that I am never going to forget. It was a lot of nerves, but it was good nerves, more anxious, ready to see where I was going and ready to see where I was going to start my career, just excitement. Me and my family had a great time in the green room. It was a tough place to be at. The air was different. It was a good experience, though.”
On Erving’s philosophy for adapting to situations and making changes, especially at Florida St. where he moved from defense to offense and then to the middle:
Erving: “I have always been the type of person to do what was best for the team. When I moved to offensive line from defense line when I was at Florida State, I was a little hesitant because I didn’t trust a lot of people. I didn’t know if it was something that they were going to do and forget about me or if it was something that was really going to help me or help the team. I got older and matured and realized that it was for the betterment of the team and myself.”
On the people who helped Erving as he transitioned at Florida St.:
Erving: “I had conversations with my coaches at Florida St., of course – (Head) Coach (Jimbo) Fisher and (offensive line) Coach (Rick) Trickett. I told my parents about it and we prayed on it, and it was one of those things where the opportunity presented itself that many times for no reason. I went about it and I just tried to make the best out of the situation.”
On the position that Erving would ultimately like to play in the future:
Erving:“I am an offensive lineman. A lot of people say that is the politically correct answer, but that is just my honest answer. I couldn’t give you any other answer. I will do anything the team needs me to do.”
On if Erving enjoys playing one position more than another:
Erving:“I love playing ball.”
On if today brings pure joy or mixed emotions for Shelton on the anniversary of his brother’s death:
Shelton:“Honestly, it is a great time. It is a time to celebrate. I am just glad that my mom and my uncle are here to celebrate it with me because it is a hard time for my family. I definitely know that my brother is smiling down on us and I just can’t wait to go back and see my family and be with them.”
On if it is fitting for Shelton that today is the four-year anniversary of his brother’s death:
Shelton:“Yeah, it is just crazy to think, because four years ago, I would have never seen myself here. It is definitely a blessing. I just have to thank God for everything that he has done for me and my family. I am just praying to see how the next couple years go.”
On what Shelton studied at Washington and how he thinks being smart will help him be a better football player:
Shelton:“I took on anthropology. Basically, I saw it as a gateway for me to connect with my culture so I spent the four years reconnecting with my culture and taking advantage of all the opportunities. That correlates to the field with being able to understand where other players are coming from, understand different perspectives and being open to everybody, and at the same time, being coachable and being able to learn new positions and just better my knowledge of the game.”
On Erving received tips the Browns might draft him:
Erving: “We try not to pay attention to any of the mock drafts. A lot of people knew that Cleveland had their eyes on Danny. The first time I met him, said, ‘Man, Cleveland they’re going to get you. I think they like me a lot. I think that we might be teammates (laughter).’ It’s crazy. From my end, I had a little bit of an inkling that Cleveland was going to pick me. I didn’t know exactly where or when, but we had really good meetings in the pre-draft process.”
On how Erving’s grandmother affected his life:
Erving: “I definitely thought about it. Through this process, all I could think about was if she could be here with me. I know she’s happy. She’s looking down on me and the rest of my family. I got drafted and I had a little realization moment. I saw my grandfather was there, and that was the first time he had ever flown in a plane. It was amazing. I know she’s happy and I know that I’m making her proud.”
On the passing of Shelton’s brother being overwhelming:
Shelton: “I often think about it. I often think about how my family pulled through. With me being in college, I have all these resources around me. That’s what shaped me today. I was able to mature, but I am just thankful my family pulled through. All they had was themselves. I tried coming back and supporting them as best I could, but it would just be too hard to go back home the first two years. I am just glad we are here now, experiencing everything, and we’re a part of the Dawg Pound.”
On Shelton’s 40-yard dash time and ESPN analyst Mel Kiper’s comments:
Shelton: “I think it is super important if you are a track star (laughter). If you would have watched my high school tapes, I definitely did the 50-yard sprint and the big man relay. I was a track star back then. I’m mature now, and it’s all business. That’s part of business. You have to take criticism.”
On how Washington Head Coach Chris Peterson helped Shelton get on the right track:
Shelton: “I owe it all to (former Washington Head) Coach Sarks (Steve Sarkisian) and his staff. They had me at the worst parts. They had me when I was young and immature. It took me awhile to open up to them and grow with them. To have (Washington Head) Coach (Chris) Peterson come and finish what they did, it was just awesome. It was the icing on the cake.”
On when everything started to calm down for Shelton:
Shelton: “I would say 19 going on 20. It was right when I was getting ready for junior year. I started feeling a different change. I ended up hurting my shoulder and it kind of set me back, but Coach Sark and his staff were there to help me out through the season.”
On if Shelton has heard from Sarkisian:
Shelton: “I haven’t talked to him, but I heard about the interviews that he had and a lot of the great things he had to say about me. It’s just awesome to think that he is still thinking of me.”
On when Erving committed to football and how he got to that position:
Erving: “Well, first of all, I’ve always loved playing ball. Second of all, it was 2008, I was a sophomore in high school. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know that I had a career in football. I knew that I loved football, but being where I’m from, I’m one of the only people really to ever be drafted into the NFL. It was kind of hard to believe what he was telling me was true. I didn’t know I would be in this position right now. It’s crazy. I love playing ball. What changed it, it was just the fact that I realized I could actually play on the next level and realized that I could play at the collegiate level, at a high level. It made me become more serious with what I was doing.”
On being motivated after coming out of high school as a two-star recruit:
Erving:“No, words from a wise man, ‘It ain’t where you start; it’s where you finish”
On what Shelton learned most by connecting with his culture while studying anthropology at Washington:
Shelton:“Just how important family and community is. Honestly, I feel comfortable, I feel safe being here in Cleveland. I’m just so happy to be here with my family and for them to be here to experience everything with me.”
On if he knew any Polynesian athletes that preceded him:
Shelton:“Guys I looked up to growing up, Troy Polamalu – I always wanted to be a safety but was too big so I took the next best thing and that was D-tackle. I looked up to Haloti Ngata. Those were just guys who represented our culture really well. I just want to follow their footsteps.”
On if Erving would have been a first-round pick if he didn’t switch to center at Florida State:
Erving: “Nobody in this room knows that.”
On if Erving heard draft speculation prior to his final season:
Erving: “I don’t know. I have no idea. I really didn’t pay attention to all that stuff, but that’s one of those things that you never know because you never know how a draft can go. If five tackles get taken in the top 10, you never know who else is going to need an offensive lineman.”
On how Erving’s grandfather handled the flight, having never flown:
Erving: “Well my parents, my sisters, they said he did well. They said he was just chilling”
On the age of Erving’s grandfather:
Erving: “76”
On: Where Cameron’s grandfather flew from
Erving:“Moultrie, Georgia”
On watching OL Joe Thomas on film during his collegiate career:
Erving:“He’s a consistent player. He’s one of those guys who’s going to take the same pass set, nobody’s going to beat him on the edge. You’re not going to beat him inside. You’re going to beat him trying to go for the outside shoulder, and when you go to the outside shoulder, the ball is gone. He’s just one of those guys who you look at his sets and you just watch and try to see what he does and how he comes out of his stance and his steps he’s taking, and his hands. I got really technical with it later as an offensive lineman. I’ve only played the position for three years, but when I first started playing I watched him, Rodney Hudson, guys like that. People that I played with at Florida State, I looked up to guys like Brian Stewart. It was a great example to look at Joe Thomas. He’s going to a Hall of Famer one day.”
On what changed about Florida State’s offense when Erving moved to center:
Erving:“We had problems being consistent with moving the ball with the run. We could always pass the ball, but we wanted to be a team that two-dimensional. We didn’t have consistent play on the interior just because it was a young guy in there playing center. He’s going to be a good player one day, but he just had a lot of problems. We wanted to firm up the middle of the offensive line, and Coach Trickett asked me to move to center so that’s what it was.”
On the difference between moving from defense to offense than tackle to center and if the latter was easier for him:
Erving: “I am blessed to have a lot of ability, God-given ability so that was a large part to it. I attribute a lot of that success to my position coach, Coach Trickett. He educated us and taught us a lot about football, not just one positon. He wanted us to be offensive linemen. That’s why I tell you what I tell you today. When he coached other guys, I always tried to listen to little key coaching points that he would give to guards and to centers and to right tackles, even though I was playing left tackle at the time. I feel like that’s what really helped me make the move to center.”
On playing with QB Jameis Winston and the strongest memory from playing with him:
Erving:“When we were in the National Championship standing on the sideline before that last drive Jameis walks up to us. The offensive linemen were standing there getting ready to go onto the field. There was about to be a kickoff after they had just scored. He said, ‘Hey, if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it big.’ Then he said, ‘Everybody go out there and just do your job.’ That was our motto the whole season – ‘Everybody just do your job.’ Don’t try to go out there and do too much. As fierce of a competitor as he is, he doesn’t lose his cool. I feel like a lot of people say they compare him to (Falcons QB) Matt Ryan. Everybody calls him ‘Matty Ice’ because he’s got ice in his veins. Jameis is one of those types of players, as well. That was one of the finest moments in his career at Florida State.”
On the Washington defense recording several sacks last season and how Shelton would describe himself as a player:
Shelton:“I made a promise to the team in the offseason that I’d be the guy who brought positive energy. Honestly, just keeping with that, it brought production. I was having fun. I was having a good time. I was feeling good, looking good and playing good. I owe it all to my defensive players. We compete. We get after it. I always competed against (LB Hau’oli Kikaha) with sacks. I always competed with (LB) Shaq (Thompson) with fumble recoveries, (LB John) Timu with tackles. It was all just a big game to us, and we just wanted to have fun.”
On Shelton confidence that his game will translate to the professional level:
Shelton:“Honestly, I don’t see a need to go backwards. It’s always been my motto to just keep moving forward. With everything I’ve been through, it’s all been learning opportunities. I’ve been improving each year, and I’m just excited to continue that progress.”
On playing if Shelton can play all three downs in the NFL:
Shelton:“I’ll play two downs, three downs, four downs. Even if there was a five down I’d play five downs. Honestly, it doesn’t matter about my weight or whatever. I’m going to be that guy who’s going to outwork people. I’m going to be that guy who breaks stereotypes, breaks negativity/ I’m going to bring the positive energy. I’m just excited to get in and work with these guys and be a part of the Dawg Pound.”
On if Shelton is dedicating his career to his brother:
Shelton:“This is it. This is exactly what we’ve all looked up to. We’ve all dreamt of this day. We didn’t know if it was going to be Cleveland, but honestly, it’s something that we all planned on doing. I’m just happy to be the first one to do it.”
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