Here were some of the postgame comments that stood out after the Dolphins' 41-24 loss against the Cleveland Browns, along with some perspective:
"When you're digging yourself that type a hole, it's hard to get out of it and we couldn't string enough plays to really get back into it."
鈥 Head Coach Brian Flores had to like seeing the fight his team showed in closing a 28-0 deficit to 28-17 in the third quarter, but there obviously was disappointment that the Dolphins weren't able to make the necessary plays after that.
"To be standing here at 200 鈥 we lost today and all that, but that's a cool moment for me. It's a neat thing that when I'm done playing, I'm sure I'll enjoy even more."
鈥 Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw his 200th career touchdown pass when he connected with wide receiver Allen Hurns late in the fourth quarter. Fitzpatrick recalled when he got his 100th TD pass, which went to running back Chris Johnson when he was a member of the Tennessee Titans. Fitzpatrick clearly would have taken a victory over the milestone on this day, but he's also wise enough to be able to look at the big picture and understand what it meant.
"It was a challenge, but it was a challenge that we were all up to. It was something we've been practicing all week. We just didn't start the way we wanted to start."
鈥 Safety Steven Parker said the young Dolphins secondary was looking forward to facing the Browns' high-profile wide receivers, but there simply were too many mistakes made in the first half to slow down the Cleveland passing game. The pass defense tightened up a bit in the second half, but the damage was done by then.
"Keep fighting. Nobody is stopping. We'll come back on Monday morning and put the same work in."
鈥 Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux likes the way the Dolphins have gone about their business and their work ethic, and he's adamant that's not going to change over the final weeks of the regular season.
