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ROSE BOWL GAME: GEORGIA VS OKLAHOMADecember 29, 2017Orlando BrownPasadena, California Q. Do you remember the number of games you played in your career where the game was over and (indiscernible) are you that same way? ORLANDO BROWN: From a personal standpoint, no. Obviously we lost some games. If I had to pick one personally, it would be Texas 2015. I mean, other than that -- Q. He said Clemson. ORLANDO BROWN: Clemson, yeah. Clemson was good, too. But yeah, I mean, for me it would be Texas 2015, yeah. Q. When something like that happens, it doesn't seem like it's just from beginning to end, like it's kind of a slow burn. Is that kind of how you see it? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, yeah. You know, I mean, we fought hard that year, in that game. Obviously they fought harder, and they were able to win. But really what I remember most, man, is that probably would have been one of my worst games of my college career. I gave up, I think, two sacks in two minutes. Q. That was only your sixth or seventh game -- ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, it would have been my fifth game. That's the only game I can think of. But yeah, it's tough. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: He's worked to get where he's at. Obviously coming from his position, man, he's been through a lot in life that a lot of people may not know, know what I mean, that may be personal. But yeah, man, he's worked to get where he's at, and man, it's been a long journey for him. Q. When did you first know that (indiscernible)? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, it's crazy, man, the 2015 year, Ty Darlington said, Erick Wren if he ever were to take care of his body and get his body right, he'd be a starter here at OU. Erick did that. He took care of business. He's one of the smartest people I've ever played with, and he understands the game, understands coverages, blitzes, our scheme. Man, for him it was really just getting his body right to play on this level. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, man, really, like I say, him understanding coverages, him understanding like certain blitzes, where they're coming from, things like that, and just having him out there on the field with us, man, it's just awesome. Q. What has been your impression of how Rodney (indiscernible) and how important is it that that's all behind him? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, man, I'm glad he was able to be okay and everything is all right. I can't really speak on it much, honestly. I'm just glad that he's able to play in the game. Q. What about that offensive (indiscernible)? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, awesome, man, awesome. Everyone knows what he's able to do for us, you know, just the different type of things that he brings to our offense, and we're glad to have him. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, man, I compare him a lot to Trent Williams. But at this point in time in his career, I think he's a lot better than Trent was from a fundamentals standpoint. Man, he's got great athleticism. He's got a great understanding of timing with his punch and all those different things. Man, he's a baller. He's very physical, and this is his second year in the offense, really his third year but his second year playing in the offense, and I think it's showed up in his physicality. Q. (Indiscernible). Do those guys get enough credit? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, they really don't. Those guys work day in, day out, and they continue to stay focused, even though they may be competing for jobs and stuff like that in the off-season. They continue to work hard, know what I mean, and this really means a lot to them. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Really just letting things go. That was something that he preached. He was a guy that sometimes gave up sacks and stuff like that, so as a youngster he always preached to me, make sure you forget about the next play but learn from it and be able to go over those things in your head and continue to move on from your bad plays, and I think that's really been one of the things that's actually helped me out in my career is really letting go to the bad plays and being able to move on to the next one. Q. What have you learned about (indiscernible) coming in? ORLANDO BROWN: Great player, know what I mean, great person. Obviously him being from -- we come from basically the same state. Yeah, man, he's a hard worker, and Coach Riley and Bo, we love him, and he's going to be definitely a big part of this offense for years to come. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, I probably was -- probably closer to like 390. Yeah, I mean, man, our strength staff, obviously Coach T, our nutritionist, Jammal Brown, I had a lot of support, and I wanted it, and there were times that I didn't, but overall I wanted it, and man, I just continued to work. I'm still working. A ton of credit to all those people. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, absolutely, man. There was times that, man, like everyone wants to eat a cheeseburger, but you can't. That was just kind of what I was dealing with. Man, I just kind of persevered through it. Q. Who are the guys that are pushing to get -- ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, our strength staff, Jammal Brown, Coach T, and really our coaches, Coach Bedenbaugh stayed on me a lot about it, and it's worked out really well. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: It's awesome, man. It's awesome. A lot of people see kind of a darker side of him, I guess, but man, he's a hard-ass. But yeah, man, he's very loving, very caring. I think he cares about all of us as individuals. It's just been a blessing. He understands me. We've got a great relationship, and man, it's a guy that I love to play for. Q. When you guys see the offensive line (indiscernible) do you get mad when you see that? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, obviously as a team, as an offensive line, we set goals, and when you don't achieve them, it sucks, man. We've all set goals and not achieved them, but man, it sucks, but we just kind of added that to our chip on our shoulder. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, man, it's crazy. We actually had laminated Joe Morris signs in our locker all season, and we named our group chat the Joe Morris. Like I said, we set that goal to go win that, and obviously we didn't, and I think Baker saw that, and that's probably why he was so upset. But man, we just added it to the chip on our shoulder. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: It's 2012. I was, what, 15, 16 years old. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: No, I grew up around Terrapin stuff. I'm from -- well, I was born in Johns Hopkins, but I was born and raised in Cockneysville, Maryland. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: January 19. Q. Is that every offensive lineman? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, it's all 16 of us, 17 of us. Q. Last time I interviewed you was in high school. ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, I remember that. Q. I asked you about leaders. ORLANDO BROWN: Oh, man. Tennessee, yeah. I mean, that's -- I lost my scholarship there, and I just ended up making a call here, and it came through, God bless them. Nothing really on me, it's just really on -- Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yep, man, just Tennessee, I guess, is the best way to put it. Yeah, that's basically what happened. My grades weren't well. They had over-signed. They didn't think that I was going to be a guy to be able to contribute, so I was a junior or senior in college, and they made the mistake, I don't know. They wanted me to go to junior college and stay committed to them. I just didn't want to, man. Q. How hard did you have to work in the spring to make sure -- ORLANDO BROWN: So we had a blocked schedule, so I had four classes. I ended up finishing with three A's and one B and I had to take an online course from June to like July 23rd, and then I qualified on the 24th, got an A in that. I think it was psychology. Yeah, I came on campus on July 26th. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Leadership and maturity. I think as a team we're so much more older and mature, understanding -- we're in LA for the Rose Bowl, it's business. It's not as much fun, I feel like, as it was for Miami. The focus is here. For me that's really the big thing. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, man, honestly we prefer the underdog role, but we put a lot of pressure on ourselves as a team. I think that's really the biggest thing for us, man. You know, like we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. No matter what the perspective is, underdog or -- we're supposed to win the natty. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and this is kind of how we approach it. Q. (Indiscernible). Why do you feel like underdogs here? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, man, you know, really we just want to make sure we go out there and handle business. I think if we play our best ball, we understand what we're up against, and I think the biggest part of preparation is respecting your opponent. We understand Georgia is really good. So man, we prefer to be the underdog. We like it that way. It helps us maintain focus. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, they've got a great front seven. They've got a ton of guys that they play with on the defensive line. They've got a lot of talent. I know the safeties play in the box a little bit, also. It's going to be a great match-up. Coach Bedenbaugh has done a great job preparing us, so we'll probably see some new stuff, too. They've had a ton of time to prepare for us, so yeah, man, I'm just excited. Q. Do you think there will be a lot of different things that you'll see? ORLANDO BROWN: You know, whether they stunt, blitz, I'm not sure, honestly. We'll have to see once we get out there. But they've got a great team. Q. Did you know Lorenzo in high school? ORLANDO BROWN: Yes, I did. Q. What do you remember about him? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, man, he's very chippy, very athletic, long guy. Yeah, man, he was a great player then, he's a great player now. Q. Do you think you're chippy? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, I just don't get flagged anymore. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: A lot, man. You know, I understand that my role kind of had to change, me being a captain and a leader. It was something that my teammates kind of look up to me on, and I just want to send a message to these young guys that you can play hard without getting flags and stuff like that and hurting your team. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, absolutely. He spoke to me about it a lot and explained to me my role and kind of what's going to be expected from me. Q. Is he coming down for the game? ORLANDO BROWN: No, he won't be here. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, normally I call him every morning. We talk every day. Everyone knows how influential he's been to me. He's been like a dad, so I talk to him every day. Q. How old were you when (indiscernible)? ORLANDO BROWN: Gosh, man, I was young. I want to say sometime around like third, fourth grade, elementary school, maybe even sixth grade. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, yeah, I've been out, so I went to the outlets in Orange, and I've been to Citadel Outlets. Q. What was your (indiscernible) experience like? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, it was fun, man. I had a blast out there. Obviously getting to be around a bunch of different players and guys that are All-Americans and things like that. I got to talk to some different offensive linemen and Billy and Quenton Nelson. Yeah, man, it was awesome. Obviously I was a little sad I didn't win it, but I think that's natural. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, man, I'm not allowed to speak on it. You'll have to ask Coach Riley. I don't know. Q. (Indiscernible). Does that feel any different? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, I mean, obviously I don't know if he feels absent, but not having him there has been a little weird, and obviously not having him here at this press conference is a little weird. He's kind of our heartbeat, and it's been a little weird with him not being around as much. Q. (Indiscernible). What have been something that he would have really liked? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, I don't know if he would have wanted to do it, but I know they would have definitely wanted him up here. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: No, I just had one prime rib. It was good, though. Q. Medium rare? ORLANDO BROWN: No, medium well. I'm not into that. Q. How important is Erick's role? ORLANDO BROWN: Oh, very well. He's played a huge role in our offensive success. I mean, him identifying different blitzes and coverages, knowing where we need to make our calls. He's been a huge part of it. Q. Like Notre Dame where he made that call -- ORLANDO BROWN: Oh, man, kind of hard to say. Gosh, there was, I think, a (indiscernible) where he split it a certain way. He knew it was coming even though it was something that they had really just a different experience, man, overall. Q. Did you guys have a boat or did you rent a boat or go out with a guide? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, he normally had his crew that he always went with. Sometimes there would be one of them, sometimes two of them. He didn't own a boat or anything like that. We just went with -- I can't remember the company. Q. (Indiscernible)? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, always like Maryland or in the area. Yeah, I've actually never been anywhere else. Q. Do you know how to drive a boat or make sure you're not getting lost? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, I definitely need -- I don't know how to drive it. I know that you look at a certain monitor and see what fish are there based on -- I don't know, something like that. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: No, I brought more than one. I think I've got like 11 now, 12 now. Q. Did you bring them all? ORLANDO BROWN: No, I only brought five. But I haven't really got the opportunity to wear them. It's been pretty hot all day. Q. How much luggage do you have? ORLANDO BROWN: I think I've got three bags. I'm going to have four leaving here. Fortunately I'm flying with the team plane, so they don't tax us. We're good. Q. Did you have the most luggage of anyone? ORLANDO BROWN: I've probably got the most luggage. Yeah. I've got about four 35-40-pound bags. Q. Do you always have the most luggage? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, I'm a big guy, so my shoes probably need a whole bag for themselves, but I switched a couple clothes in there. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Man, I've been doing this so long, I think it's -- no, nothing to complain about. It is what it is. If he needs 10 seconds to make a play, I'm going to give him 10 seconds. If it's six seconds, whatever it may be. I'm glad he's my quarterback. I'm glad he can improvise because I know there's been times where I've gotten beat in my career and he made my guy miss. It doesn't really matter to me. Q. Does it help you or does it help him that even he doesn't know -- ORLANDO BROWN: Absolutely, it helps a lot. I think that it's one of the reasons our offense is able to go the way it goes, man, is because of him and what he's able to do. Q. Is this the best defense you've ever faced? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, yeah, most definitely. I mean, they've been awesome. I mean, they've had a great year, know what I mean, and we're excited for the match-up. Q. What does that mean (indiscernible)? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, it means a lot. Like I said, we're excited for the match-up. We know what they're capable of, they know what we're capable of, and it's a playoff game. We're all in. Q. In your mind whatever style of play this team (indiscernible)? ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, absolutely, man, that's every game, no matter if we're playing one of the worst teams or one of the best teams. We're going to approach it with the mindset that we want to score every time we get the ball. Those are just the goals that we set. Q. Is it necessarily bad that OU and the Big 12 have this label of you're going to have to outscore everybody? You're at the point now when you can outscore everybody and win a National Championship. Is that a bad thing? ORLANDO BROWN: No, not at all. We get the narrative -- we understand what it is. As a team it's hard to hear that because those guys that play defense are my brothers, so man, it's obviously hard hearing that narrative. But man, our defenses continue to work here these past few weeks, and we're hoping, and we know they're going to be able to come out and play their best. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Honestly he could be a head coach. Does he want to be a head coach? Probably not. I can see he'll probably be an offensive coordinator before he's a head coach. Man. He's a great guy. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: I know he definitely wants to be a head OC some day, but a head coach, I don't know, you've got to ask him. I don't know. Q. (Indiscernible). ORLANDO BROWN: Yeah, I got real nervous. That made me real nervous. I actually went in full sprint mode. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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