BEREA, Ohio -- Rob Chudzinski said that Brandon Weeden learned from going from starter to the bench and back to being a starter again with the season-ending injury to Brian Hoyer.
"I think it's been a learning experience for him," Chudzinski said. "I think he's grown from that experience. You look at being the starter, getting injured and having to sit and watch and then getting thrown into the game, early in the game, where he didn't have a lot of practice time."
Some have referred to Weeden by using a golfing term--a mulligan--which means a 'do over'.
"I don't think of it as a mulligan," Weeden said. "Things just happen and it's unfortunate for Brian. You never know how it's going to work out. Like I said (before), I prepare like I'm the starter, just in case something happens that did happen. That's the role of being a quarterback. You never know when your number is going to be called. I was able to do enough to help us win the game."
Chudzinski mentioned Weeden even learning and dealing with getting booed after his first incomplete pass.
"(Dealing with) getting booed," he said. "The game (going) back and forth and him, ultimately, making some big plays that helped us win that game. I think that's growth and he has a sense of confidence about what he's been able to do. We'll get him out there for another week of practice and I think that will help him to get better and get ready to play even more so.
"It was impressive the way he dealt with (the booing)," he said. "He didn't listen to it and it didn't affect him whatsoever during the game.
Weeden agreed with Chudzinski's assessment.
"You dig deep and do a lot of soul-searching," he said. "That's a part of dealing with adversity and facing adversity. It makes you a stronger person and that's part of life. You just need to find a way to take the positives and build off of it. I would agree with Chud, absolutely."
Weeden was asked if the boos shook him.
"Obviously, I heard them," he said. "But I personally think we have the best fans in the National Football League. This is some of the best people, smart football fans in the league and I get it. They get it.
"Obviously, you don't want to hear it but if you can make a couple of throws, put a couple of drives together, hopefully, you can turn those into cheers and as a player, that's what you want.," he said. "hat's why I love playing in Cleveland. The people here, the fans here have been nothing short of extraordinary and again that's why I love playing here."
In relief, Weeden was 13-of-24 for 197 yards with a touchdown and a 95.3 rating.
"I was (a little rusty)," he said. "I hadn't taken any reps in two weeks and hadn't thrown until Tuesday (before the Thursday game). Again, not making any excuses. That's my job. I was the number two guy in case something happened, whether I threw one ball or a million balls. It didn't matter, I still needed to go out and execute."
One of the most noticeable differences between Hoyer and Weeden is getting rid of the ball. Weeden was sacked five times by the Bills and has been sacked 16 times in the three games he has played.
"That's one of things that Brandon is going to work on and has been working on," Chudzinski said. "I think, again, a week of practice under his belt going the whole week and even the other day he got a chance to work on some things.
"It's just a point of emphasis and something that he'll work on and I think he'll get better at it."
Chudzinski was asked if having a 'pocket presence' can be coached.
"I think it's a combination of something that guys have and it develops over time with experience in comfort of knowing where everybody is going to be and having and executing running those plays so many times you can see those plays in your sleep."
Weeden admitted he needs to make quicker decisions and reads.
"There are times I can get the ball out quicker," Weeden said. "Take the pressure off of the guys up front. I think just learning the system (more), studying, things like that. We're playing well. We have great guys on this offense. We just have to be in sync and trust the guys and get rolling."
He said there are a variety of different methods to get rid of the ball quicker.
"There are a million different ways, whether it's the design of the play or getting off your first progression faster, pre-snap reads as far as maybe eliminating half the field or seeing pressure and finding your back," he said. "There are a lot of ways to go about it, it just depends on the play. There are times when you might have to sit back there and hold it because there's a double move or you might have a deeper progression route. That comes from the confidence I have in the guys up front."
Chudzinski said that the plays being called aren't different for Weeden versus Hoyer.
"It's our base offense and whether Brian or Brandon had been in, we're running a lot of the same things and guys will be familiar with the same things we're running," he said. "I don't think there is anything noticeably that (Norv Turner) would call differently.
"The things that we're doing, we'll do to give Brandon and our whole offense the best possible chance to be successful and that's always the way we'll approach things."
Weeden thinks the offense is progressing and will continue to get better as the season goes along.
"We're getting that continuity," Weeden said. "We're growing, we're getting a feel for each other within the system. This is a great system and Norv said back in training camp that we were going to be better in November than what we were in September. That is because of the confidence we have in each other and you get better as the season goes along because we're learning a new system. Guys are playing better and you expect that as the season goes along."
This will be Weeden's first start with Josh Gordon, who missed the first two games under suspension.
"A good example was on the touchdown," he said. "He had pretty good coverage. My confidence is in my guys that they'll go make a play and that's what he was telling me.You want to hear them say let it rip and just throw it up. I have a lot of confidence in those guys."
He looks forward to taking advantage of the play makers that have developed in Gordon and Jordan Cameron.
"They definitely make the quarterbacks life easier," he said. "They are guys who create a lot of mismatches."
Weeden knows this will be a tough week with the Lions defensive front led by Ndamukong Suh.
"(The Lions) try to get after the passer and it goes back to getting the ball out at times (quicker)," he said "You have to slow them down."
"Obviously, (Suh's) a special player, a dominate player who can change a game, but Shawn Lauvao and those guys up there will do a great job."
Weeden is excited about the second opportunity this season with the Browns on a three game winning streak.
"There's a lot of excitement," he said. "That's our main focus is to keep doing what we're doing and keep it rolling. This week it's Detroit and then (the Packers). We're just keeping it week to week and that goes back to Chud. He's done an unbelievable job of keeping us really dialed in and focused on each week's game and what's in front of us."
Weeden said he's been out around Cleveland after the win over the Bills with his family and he has noticed the excitement about the Browns.
"People were excited," he said. "This town is lit up and excited and rightfully so. We've won a few games in a row here and it's fun going out and getting the perspective of the fans and the excitement of not only what we feel, but what they feel. There are great people in this town and the last few days have been fun."
