Philadelphia Eagles - Head Coach Andy Reid - Ingles

Septiembre 12. 2011

Opening Comments:
“Injuries – [LB] Akeem Jordan has a slight tear in his shoulder, labrum tear, he’ll struggle this week. We’ll see how he does, try to take it day by day, but he’ll struggle to practice this week I think as we go. [DE] J[uqua] P[arker], he had his foot x-rayed, but he’s fine, it’s negative and he’s doing okay. [DE] Darryl Tapp has a pec[toral] strain. We’ll see how he does, kind of a day-by-day thing here, we’ll see how he does this week. [QB] Vince [Young] is making progress, he was out running today. He’s making progress with his hamstring. Again, we’re in that stage now where it’s a day-by-day thing. Tough to win in the National Football League, particularly on the road, can still come out and tell you that we’ve got a lot of things to work on after the game yesterday. The players, I know you had an opportunity to talk to them after the game, I could tell by the comments that they were humble and they understand the situation that we’ve got to continue to get better and get better against a good football team this week with Atlanta and play down at their place. That’s what we will do as a team as coaches and as players, but again on the other hand, we also understand how tough it is to win games in this league and we respect that part of it too. Some of the positives that went on – in general I think from our return game, to our offense, to our defense, we continue to get better throughout the game. Some of our young players I thought progressed throughout the game and got better. In general that was the situation. Specifically, I thought our young linebackers proved every opportunity that they had to play, I thought it started off we were playing a little cautious, playing cautious football at the linebacker spot and kind of checking things out and then as the game went on they really picked it up. I’d like to tell you, and it was, it was a nice run by [Rams RB] Steven [Jackson] on the first play, but the hole was pretty big. I might’ve been able to fit through that hole. That was a good sized hole. But, as you saw, as the game went on, they tightened things up and the seams, that’s what we’re looking at, the lanes for runners to run through, were tightened up and it progressively got better as the game went on. The O-Line, again, they looked like they worked well together. It was a good test for them right off by playing in a stadium that is domed and is very loud so I was encouraged by the way they handled the noise. We have a young center [Jason Kelce] in there, who actually I thought played well. We’re asking him to do a lot of things, and I thought he handled it for the most part fairly well. The communication between he and [QB] Mike [Vick] got better again as the game went on as far as declaring the protections and that. We had a couple stumbles there early where we were using timeouts to get it straight. It was pretty clean there the second half, the process. I thought [RB] LeSean [McCoy], we’re asking him to do a couple little different runs from the last few years, we used some of those in this game and you could see the opportunity that he had he took advantage of it and was very patient with the pulling linemen and setting things up and bursting off of them. I always look for those first couple steps, when his eyes see it, when he feels it, those first couple steps kind of tell the story and I thought he did a nice job of bursting through there. Third downs, normally this early in the season your third down percentage is a little bit lower than what we had here, so that I think was a positive in the game, on both sides of the ball. [RB] Dion Lewis I thought, again, he had opportunities back there and you saw him take a couple of them out. I think we’ve gotten that straightened out and he did a better job after that on the kickoff returns. It was good to get [WR Jeremy] Maclin and [WR] Steven Smith through the game and get them actual game time and reps. I thought they held up, in particular Jeremy, he had more snaps than what Steven did, so it was good to get him through and both of them come out healthy. I thought our D-Line consistently put pressure on the quarterback. As the game went on I thought they used their hands well and transitioned well to the run game, and that’s very important in this style of defense, is that we’re an up-the-field charge team. But at the same time you have to keep your hands available to use, to shed, and cut back and rally to the football for the run game, and I thought they did a good job and got better as the game went on, in particular with the run part of it. Again, I just want to compliment [Rams Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo] Spags on the job that he’s done with the Rams. They had a few injuries that took place during that game. They were able to put other guys in there and that’s a tribute to his personnel department. The job that he’s done, both his coordinators and his special teams coordinator, I think had a very good plan coming into this game for us. I thought his players played hard and executed, and the players that got hurt, they’ll get healthy and they’ll be back and do good there. My hat’s off to him, he’s got a good football team there.”

On the difference between opening week last year and this year in terms of coming through it healthy:
“Continuity is a big part of this thing. As you go on through the season you want to grow as a team. On the other hand, you’ve got to maintain a certain attitude because it’s a physical game, there are going to be injuries, so the next guy in needs to come in to play. Having the short offseason, coming out of camp with guys relatively healthy I think helps, at least early in the season. The name of this game is there’s going to be injuries that take place so it’s important to have the depth, and [General Manager] Howie [Roseman] has done a good job for us, of giving the coaches an opportunity to have good players. The second team players have worked their tails off for opportunity so if something were to happen we would feel comfortable with them stepping in.”

On why McCoy is so successful in the fourth quarter of games:
“Well listen, over the years I think if you, and obviously you’ve done your homework on this so I’m putting this out here, but I’ll take you back to even the Bill Walsh days of this offense, through Green Bay and Mike in Seattle, and so on. Mike had a little bit different situation with his runner up there, for a year he ran the ball a little bit more than what he normally did. You see the second half, and in particular that fourth quarter being very productive for the runners. That’s the way you want to do it, in particular if you have the lead. You want to be able to keep the clock running, still have productive runs, that’s all part of it.”

On what makes McCoy, in particular, so good in the fourth quarter:
“I think his rookie year, like a lot of rookies, he came in and he didn’t quite understand the demands. Brian Westbrook was a good helper there in teaching him, of the demands it takes to play running back in the National Football League. He came back the next year and he was in much better shape and he’s maintained that. He maintained that with his time off, or the lockout, not time off for him, but the lockout, and he came back to camp in good shape so I think that matters going into the fourth quarter of the game. It’s not like, he’s still carrying the football prior to the fourth quarter, and he’s still running routes and catching the ball and the screen game and also in the pass game part of it. Blocking, you saw he did a nice job with the blocking part of it. But, it really comes down to the condition that he’s in.”

On how to find balance between allowing Vick to scramble and keeping him healthy:
“There were a couple times where he actually went down, which was, or at least we’re getting him, he was about half way down. So that’s a good thing, we’re getting closer. There’s a part of that you don’t want to take away. The protection part and blitz part, you understand that when they’re bringing an extra guy to a side that, and this is a combination of things so when I say everybody has a little piece of the pie this is part of it. When people bring an extra guy the receivers need to be dynamic on those plays where things are happening fast and they’ve got to make sure they clear fast and that Michael gets the ball out fast. Sometimes you’re going to have to hang on to it just a tick longer because the defense does a pretty good job and in those cases you’re going to take a hit and you’ve just got to kind of know how to get rid of it and then still lean out of the hit and protect yourself the best way you possibly can. He’s getting better at that, though.”

On whether he’s given up on trying to get Vick to slide:
“Listen, we’re making progress. This is one of the most competitive guys you’re ever going to meet, I’m just telling you. Yeah, I know he’s quiet and all that, but he is a fierce, fierce competitor. But we’re making progress.”

On whether he was comfortable that he was forced to scramble mostly because there were no other options:
“Then he kept his eyes down the field, I’d just add that to your comment there. I’d say yes to those, it was good that he made some plays where he moved out of the pocket suddenly and still threw the ball. Made a couple big plays doing that. He retreated, you saw max blitz the one that he threw to [WR] DeSean [Jackson] in the end zone crossing the formation there. That was a beautiful thing. That was a plus. It was a play action pass, absolutely had a clear man on the backside, moved a little bit to the left, retreated, and kind of did a fall away jumper and threw the ball to DeSean. That’s progress in the right direction. Are there things that he needs to work on and continue to work on? Absolutely, and I’ll probably tell you that until the day he retires. There’s always something [to improve], quarterbacks, coaches, everybody, that’s the nice part about this game.”

On whether he believes some of the issues from the first game will be resolved by their second game in a dome:
“We’re going to try to work on those things and get that so we don’t have to use the timeouts and get that cleared up. We’ll get that covered.”

On whether it was the noise in particular that caused the issues:
“Listen, it was a combination of things. I’ll leave it at that. We’ll get it taken care of. That’s my responsibility to do that and I’ll get it done.”

On how far away he is from being able to protect Vick the way he wants to:
“Now listen, if teams are going to blitz you, which they did, you’re not going to hit on every one, but when you do hit you want to make them productive. You see the best quarterbacks in the league, and I put Michael into the same category as the top quarterbacks in this league, is that they’re going to get hit. That’s just how it works. And then it’s what they do with the ball. Do they make the defense pay? If you make the defense pay, then they’re not going to blitz as much, so he did that. He made some big plays, just like he did last year, he made some big plays with the blitz. Not everyone is going to be perfect but the great ones find a way to get it done, and that’s what he does.”

On whether he is going to have to think about getting Vick out of games early when the team has a large lead:
“We’ll see, you know, we’ll see how all that goes. You want to make sure you solidify it. If you’re asking could I have gotten him out of there probably a little bit earlier, I probably could have, yeah.”

On whether he feels he needs to calm Vick’s excitement down for his return to Atlanta:
“Well, you know, you’ve got to kind of put that part out of your mind and focus in on the game plan, and he’ll do that. He’s played in some big games before. But you have to go through the process, and this goes with any player, if you eliminate the process and go from Sunday to Sunday and you don’t go through the Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and so on, and in particular for the quarterback, he’s in here today, he’ll probably be in here tomorrow and so on, that you make a mistake there if you don’t exhaust yourself on those days of preparation, and he’s very good about that. He’s the kind of guy that you’ve got to kind of boot out of here. He’s always around and wanting to make sure he has everything down pat. That’s what he’ll focus in on initially and then he goes and plays.”

On why he decided not to play G Danny Watkins:
“I thought he could take a step back to take a step forward, a big step forward, and with that I thought he missed some crucial time, in particular in our install period. There’s a point where you go through camp where you’re just barreling plays at these guys and then there’s a point where you pull back. Well the first week or two are very, very important weeks and days, and each one is crucial that you get that install and you get it down pat and you have an opportunity to practice it. In particular in his situation, when I mentioned the three things about you go from college to pros, that’s a tough jump, you go from left tackle to right guard, that’s a tough jump. So you’re going from the left side to right side, from tackle to guard, those are three things there that are tough to acclimate too. Now you add into that the lockout, the mini camps, and then the missed time by holding out, so he’s been playing a catch-up game since he’s been here. So it’s not fair you stick him in a situation like that. It’s not fair to do that. So I made that decision to give him as many reps as I could get him, and then just pull back a little bit. I know [G Kyle] DeVan knows the offense, so he’s able to step in. He’s a veteran player. Danny’s day will come. I mean, it will come. Danny’s a talented kid it just there’s too much catch up there.”

On how much of a factor the defensive line’s pressure on Rams QB Sam Bradford was:
“Bradford is a great quarterback. I said that before we went into the game and I still feel that same way. Again, our defensive line did a nice job. I thought our defense, when we did pressure, when we had our pressure packages they did a nice job. It starts with the D-Line, if you put pressure on with the four guys that’s a plus. When they were stunting and straight rushing I thought they were able to do that with four men, and then you add in some of the blitz fire zones that Juan did that added to it. Again, to answer your question, I thought the D-Line did do a good job.”

On whether he is happy so far with the improvements to the pass defense:
“We’ve got to keep working, that’s what you do. You try figure out the things that you do best down there, on both sides of the ball, and then you figure out how that fits into your game plan, and then you go with it. We’ll see how it goes, time will tell, we’ll see just how it all works out.”

On the thinking behind kicking the field goal with nine seconds left before the half instead of taking another shot at the end zone:
“Just get the points. We had had the time out before that, and moved back. Each play takes right around between six and nine seconds there. Once I get down around that time I’m normally going to kick it, but there were some added things to that too.”

On Parker’s negative x-ray:
“Well he just woke up with some soreness in his foot so we had it x-rayed. I don’t think it’s a problem.”

On whether Jordan will need his shoulder scoped:
“No, no, he should be fine.”

On whether there is any concern that Tapp’s injury may be long-term:
“Well we’ll see. I don’t think he’ll be long-term, but we’ll see how it goes. I think he tore it pretty good, I mean it’s pretty sore, but we’ll just see how it all works out as he goes.”

Kansas City Chiefs - Head Coach Todd Haley - Ingles

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

OPENING REMARKS:
“OK, had a chance to review the tape. Pretty much as suspected, just did too many things in that game that if you do those types of things will get you beat in the NFL, across the board. Offensively, if you turn the ball over, if you make execution errors, if you don’t convert third downs, you’re generally going to have a hard time succeeding. Defensively, when you allow 160-plus yards rushing, when you don’t create enough turnovers, when you miss tackles, you’re going to have a hard time succeeding. Special teams, same thing, when you don’t kick the ball well, when you turn the ball over, you’re going to have a hard time winning games. We really did all three yesterday. That accountability really falls to me as the head coach. I sincerely mean that, I feel that and I will do a better job here in that area for this week coming up and those ones to follow. But really, all we’re worried about is this week. We’re 0-1 in the first quarter of the season. As I tell the players all the time, 3-1 is our goal. That gets you in the playoffs if you do that every quarter. 13 teams, as I said – I was wrong because there was a night game last night – 13 teams lost yesterday. We were one of them, and thankfully we’ll have an opportunity to learn from this as coaches and players get better and our focus is trying to get back to 1-1 so we have a chance to accomplish our goal in this quarter. The positives to me are I saw throughout this game, even very late in the game when we watched it together as a team, 11 guys going full speed on punt cover when it was pretty clear the game was over. I saw all areas that occurring where you saw everybody giving everything they had. To me, you can’t let a loss like this drag you down. This core group of guys have shown that in the past that they’ve been able to overcome a game like this. You don’t ever want one, but if you have one you can’t let it drag you down. And that’s why I believe in this team and this group of guys because of what I saw on tape throughout the film, and especially, especially late, right down to the last one or two plays, guys giving everything they had. And that’s why I truly believe our team and this group we have right now, we will bounce back from this and this team will do special things this year that a lot of people will be excited [about], starting with the people within this building.”

You say it’s never as bad as it seems the next day. Was it easier to take watching the film today?
“No, it’s never easy to take. But that being said, I think that there wasn’t anything on that tape that didn’t look like it was correctable. If we were sitting, watching the tape and seeing a lack of effort and seeing just guys get beat in one-on-one matchups and saying, ‘Boy, this guy’s got no chance,’ I would feel differently, but everything that occurred in that game that got us beat is correctable. There were a lot of near misses on the tape also that would have really potentially changed the atmosphere and the emotion and momentum a number of different times in the game. No bigger than, the score is 14-0, we have the [Leonard] Pope touchdown or what we thought was a touchdown, comes back, it’s 14-0, we take a sack on the next play which we lost 12, 13 yards on, miss the field goal which then gives them the short field, defense holds them to a field goal and we fumble the next play. Things like that were just momentum killers, but all correctable, all things that I know we will be better in.”

If the effort was there, then that portrays it was mental more than physical?
“That was a big part of it. I would say that was a big part of it, and that’s why, again, I think I’m accountable and should be held accountable for that game. I need to do a better job of putting each and every one of those guys in a better position to succeed, and I think again that that’s doable. That will be done, and we’ve moved on. The players are ready to go. As I said, we just had a real good meeting and we’ve watched it together and we’re moving on. We’ve got to get ready and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

A few players used the term embarrassed. Do you use that term at all or is that up to individual motivation?
“I hadn’t used it at all, it was an individual feeling. But I will, without speaking on behalf of anybody, I did today talk about that we all are. It’s coaches, players, the entire organization – when you have a game like that – is embarrassed. And I think that’s a good thing because that means you care and it means something to you, it’s important to you, then that gives you the impetus to make it better. Because like I told them, it can’t stay the same because if it stays the same the result will. It’s got to change and it will.”

You said yesterday and you said again today that you’re 100 percent at fault. Are you at fault for the training camp and preseason plan or was your fault last week’s preparation?
“I think just in the result. I felt right up until kickoff that we were ready to go. We as coaches always do that deal as you come off that final pregame warm-up and [ask], ‘What’d you think, what’d you think, how do you think they’re going to respond today?’ We do that all the time and we were all feeling pretty good that we had a chance to go out and play a pretty good football game and we’re excited about it. That being said, that’s not the way it went. So immediately I felt that to be wrong in that area, to think you’re ready and you’re not, you’ve got to make an improvement. As far as training camp and all that, we were not ready for yesterday. Our approach and direction that we took to be ready was for September 11 and beyond, all the way into February, hopefully. There’s no way for me to be judging that. I can only judge yesterday and yesterday we weren’t ready to go and I’m taking responsibility for that.”

You said you watched the tape together. Can you describe what that was like? Was there anger? Was there frustration?
“We do that a lot, especially when we have poor games. We’ve done it through the years. I believe that the more guys in there the better and nobody’s going off into their own little area. When things get called out it’s a little different when it’s the whole team. It was open. We always say no room for sensitivity. Let’s figure out what we need to correct and get ready to correct it and move on.”

Was there a lot of that between guys when you’re watching film?
“It’s coaches coaching. It’s no different than a practice film. Sometimes we watch the practice together – if we have had an especially good or a poor one. Usually poor practice leads to everybody being in there so that everybody’s clear on what needs to improve and there’s no doubt. It was coaches coaching and correcting and making sure we understood where we needed to get better on both ends – the coaching side of it and the execution side of it.”

NFL.com is reporting S Eric Berry is going to IR. Can you confirm or deny that?
“Yeah. I won’t go into details but I will say it appears he’s going to be out for the season.”

He played every defensive snap last year. You have to plug the next guy in, but what impact does losing him have on your team?
“I think Eric is a special and will continue to be a special individual and player. That’s one of those that really digs you deep, first and foremost, just from a standpoint of I know how hard he’s worked, I know how much it means to him, I know he was really excited, he was named a captain by his peers – voted on to be a captain by his peers – and it’s devastating for him. That’s the biggest heartache for me. On the other end of it, I’ve said it a million times, injuries happen. People are going to go down. I’m sure across the league a number of guys were probably lost for the season yesterday. I don’t know that to be fact, but I’m guessing. The teams that are able to handle that and have guys step in and up, and in the case of Eric’s, I believe it’s not going to be just one person. I think it’s going be every special teams player, every defensive player, every offensive player will have to elevate their game to kind of counterbalance that loss of a pretty neat, great kid that I think is going to be a great player in the league.”

Did you guys think that was an illegal block on that play?
“I just know we lost one of our best players and that hurts.”

What’s the rule on that? Isn’t it supposed to be above the waist?
“I’m more concerned with us and what we’re going to have to do to just make sure that we don’t let yesterday, in any way, shape, or form, drag down our team or our ability to have a successful, exciting season and to accomplish our goals.”

The two guys that took his place were Jon McGraw and Sabby Piscitelli. How did they play?
“I’m going to speak for the whole team. The whole entire team, we know now the areas that we have to make improvements in. We knew it yesterday when we knew it was occurring because it was pretty obvious stuff. It was a team loss that I take full responsibility for. I will say I am very encouraged by how today went that our team and our group of guys will not let this keep them from doing great things.”

Tennessee Titans - QB Matt Hasselbeck - Ingles

September 14, 2011

On the way he evaluates the Ravens’ defense this year:
“The Ravens have been known for a long time for having a great defense. They made a statement with the first game, really, a statement around the League, about what kind of defense they plan on having this year. It was a really, really impressive outing by them. The Steelers are a team that everyone knows. They are traditionally physical, but the Ravens just played an amazing game – seven turnovers, real physical up front. It was impressive. For any team that has to turn on that film looking at that next opponent, they definitely made that statement.”

On the Ravens’ ability to get after the quarterback:
“Yeah, I think definitely [they do]. And the stats will show that. With a new defensive coordinator, you can tell that, from last year’s breakdown and then this year’s preseason and then last week, you can definitely tell that more pressure is being called. It’s a more aggressive style for sure. That’s definite. The numbers are there on that. It worked great for them. I mean, it worked well for them, so we know that’s what we’ve got to prepare for. We’ve got to prepare for those pressures – and I’m sure they’ll mix it up like we will – but it’s out there and they did a great job with it. They’ve got great personnel to go with that, too. So, it’s not always an easy thing for opponents to go up against them, because sometimes they just win the one-on-one. They’ve done a nice job; they’ve done a really good job.”

On how the Ravens’ style of defense may change the way he prepares for the game on Sunday:
“I do what I do. I play my game, and I’ve gone against teams that play this style of defense. You just… There are just things that you know about yourself that you’ve got to do. For me, it’s all about preparation during the week – work a little harder, study a little more. The answer, I think for me, lies in the film room, lies in the film study, so that when you go out on Sunday, you can just play. But, it definitely takes more effort and energy and a lot more of your time preparing for a team like this.”

On whether he thinks that change was a major contributor to the Titans’ loss last week:
“You know, we were pretty flat. We didn’t execute on the third down. We were not on the field. We didn’t have enough plays. There were a lot of things that you could point to that we need to be better at. But, at the end of the day, we had a chance on the last play of the game to get some yards and kick a game-winner. We’ve got a really good field goal kicker. So, really, we were one play away from doing it. But yeah, there’s obviously going to be some growing pains, and we’re working through those things, but we had a chance. We just didn’t make plays at the end when we needed them – or at the beginning for that matter.”

On if he feels that RB Chris Johnson had limited involvement in last week’s game because he missed the preseason and if he expects him to be more of a focal point going forward:
“I think everyone would expect that. I know that we were just easing him into it last week. You know, it is hard when… There are some things working against us there. But, I think my hope, and I think everybody’s hope, is that we can hit the ground running and keep improving – keep working on things. Really, that’s been our challenge for this week, to find a way to get better in every area. Each guy is taking that on themselves and that means different things for different people. Obviously, he’s going to be a big part of our offense this season. The sooner we can do that the better.”

On how big the transition from NFC to AFC has been for him:
“You know, I really have… I’m not that familiar with the personnel in the AFC. I’m kind of an expert in the NFC. The AFC is new to me, but I’m kind of taking it week to week. I’m doing this thing where I’m keeping a notebook on teams I play and coordinators I play, and I’ve been going back to it. I’ve played in the AFC some in my career, but not as much. I’ve got notes that I keep and, I mean, that was only the third time I’ve played Jacksonville. I’m not sure how many times I’ve played Baltimore. That’s something that I try to do. With a lot of these teams you play them twice, maybe three times if you’re fortunate enough to go to the playoffs. So, I just got to do some of that and just learn the personnel. Similar to when I came here, I didn’t know many of the people on this team, so I had to right away learn the personnel both on the offense and the defense going against those guys. It’s a little bit of a change, but it’s not that big of a deal.”

On whether they plan to take advantage of the Ravens’ potential weakness at cornerback:
“I think, as much as you’re able to. Sometimes the defense will do a nice job of understanding where they’re weak and where they’re strong. You know, what happens on a team a lot of times like… Going against the Ravens it might seem like you’re picking on a guy. But, it’s not so much that you’re picking on a guy, but you just have a tremendous amount of respect for a guy on the other side or the guy in the other position. Certainly, I think all teams look at injuries and look at that stuff and take it into consideration. With us, I think we have so much to worry about with just ourselves that that’s where our focus is, just trying to get better ourselves.”

On how comforting it is to have a player like WR Kenny Britt:
“Kenny is explosive for sure. Once the ball is in his hands, he does a real nice job. He’s got good speed and good size and all that stuff. Nate Washington [does] as well – our other starting receiver. He caught a ton of passes last week, and we expect him to be a big part of the offense as well. And, really, with Chris [Johnson] running the ball… If we can get Chris running the ball and if we can get guys to stack the box, I think that’s our hope, that we get guys that can win one-on-one outside. I think that’s just kind of a simple recipe that a lot of people try to go to. I know there’s more that goes into it, but sure, if we can get Kenny going or if we can get Nate going, I think that helps the whole offense go.”

Tennessee Titans - Head Coach Mike Munchak - Ingles

September 14, 2011

On what he noticed about the Ravens’ pass rush:
“To me, we have played them so much that when I turn the film on them, I see how hard they play. I think that is something you see all the time from a Raven team – they play hard, and they play physical. They got a little lead, so they were able to get after it, make Pittsburgh a little one-dimensional, which a lot of defenses try to do, because they got the lead and they were getting the turnovers, which make it very hard for an offense. They got great pressure on the quarterback. [Terrell] Suggs, again, is the guy you always have to watch – three sacks and constantly around the quarterback. They had good push in the pocket, and they change things up. They are going to give it to you a lot of ways – three-man lines, four-man lines, little overloads to one side or the other – so you are going to get a little bit of everything. I thought I saw a similar team, as far as being successful with what they do, being physical, playing hard and got the ball back. That is something they have done well against us over time is getting turnovers. That’s what aggressive defenses do, and they did it again in a big way this past Sunday.”

On if he noticed any increased blitzing from the Ravens’ secondary:
“For us, we didn’t play them last year. Obviously, we studied film from last year, but we haven’t played them in a couple of years, so I am not as familiar with that, but yes. To me, it is hard to evaluate one game, just because they had a lead in this one. I think you are going to approach the game differently than you would if the game was closer. They were very aggressive. They weren’t sitting back when they had the lead and letting things happen. They were trying to make more points, make more plays, and that is exactly what they did. Fans always complain about that you have a lead and you start sitting back in Cover 2 and letting them catch balls underneath, but they didn’t allow that. They stayed aggressive throughout the game, and it paid off because they got the turnovers.”

On what he remembers from the classic Ravens-Titans matchups:
“Obviously, Ray Lewis is the common bond, still being part of the team, which is phenomenal that he is still playing at his level in 16 years now. Just the physical part, I think of him and Eddie George – the confrontations they had – they knew we were going to run the ball quite a bit. We did. We knew what the challenge was going to be against them. The games were always close. It seemed like no matter what the records were, the games were hard, physical – probably similar to what Ravens fans are used to seeing with Pittsburgh, that same mentality. When you have a division team, it is different, but since we were once in the same division, I think we are one of the teams that we play outside of our division that really feels like a division opponent. For a while there, we were playing quite often and in big football games. That’s probably what stands out to me – the big collisions between those two. The defenses, to me, are similar in how they play – their style, their scheme, as far as the defensive side of the ball is anyway.”

On if RB Chris Johnson’s limited carries at Jacksonville on Sunday were a result of missing the preseason or if the team was playing from behind:
“Yeah, exactly, the latter point is correct. We are a running team also. We obviously want to run the ball much more than that. They were keeping the ball. We couldn’t get them off the field. Our defense couldn’t get them off the field – they kept converting third-and-ones, third-and-twos, and we were running out of opportunities with the ball, so we had to pick it up and throw it when we got down 13-0. We had to change the philosophy that we normally like to get back in the game, and it worked for us. The bottom line is trying to find a way to win games. If we could design how to do it, he would carry the ball 20 times or more, but that game didn’t go the way we hoped, and we almost found a way to win it, even though we didn’t play well.”

On if Johnson will be more of a focal point this Sunday vs. Baltimore:
“Yeah, he will be every Sunday. He was this game. The plan was, and I’m sure that the Ravens look at it that way, that he is one of the guys on our side of the ball that they have to not allow to make big plays. We will do our best to put him in a position to make them for us. To us, we’d like to see him get to 20 carries or 20 touches, maybe mix the pass game in with the run game. Chris stayed on the field quite a bit, even though he wasn’t getting a lot of carries. He still caught six balls. We’re not as concerned for his conditioning as we are just him getting a feel for the run game again.”

On how QB Matt Hasselbeck has taken over the offense:
“I think the good thing is that even though Kenny [Britt] didn’t play in many preseason games because of some nagging injuries, he did practice quite a bit. They were able to work together in practice even though it wasn’t in a preseason game. Kenny is a special receiver. It’s just a matter of keeping him on the field. He can make a lot of plays, just like he showed glimpses of that a couple of days ago in the Jacksonville game. When you have a guy like him, you get the ball close and he will make a play on it and he will make the run after catch. I think we’re happy with where that started off, and now we just need to get it in the other area with Nate Washington, with Jared Cook, with Chris Johnson being a bigger part of the offense – that kind of stuff on that side of the ball, which we didn’t do this weekend.”

On if the Ravens’ cornerbacks are a position that Tennessee may try to target:
“I think you are going to always see what’s working for you and where the weaknesses may be. With that in mind, you have to be able to have time to get the ball out of your hands, too. You have to give these guys time, and the Ravens have always done a great job of disguising what they are doing, especially when you have Ed Reed out there, that play the quarterback quite a bit. Whoever plays, we know they are going to have good players out there, but you are always looking for areas, as the game develops, where you think you make your plays, just like they will, how they will attack us. We’ll see, for sure. We think we have enough weapons to match up with anybody. We just have to go out and do it this week. Last week, we just started real slow on the offensive side of the ball and never really got anything going. Those are the areas, for sure, we need to make plays to beat these guys. If it is running or passing, we need to find what that is throughout the game.”

On if he was surprised how well the Ravens’ offensive line played:
“Yeah, I did. I am an offensive line guy, so I thought they played well. They are running a system that looks like they feel very familiar with, even though the necessarily haven’t been together as long. That’s what shows to me. If you’re together for four preseason games at least, and doing some things at practice, it’s not as bad as people may think. They did it against a good defense. We all know how hard it is to run against Pittsburgh. I think when you start with that run they had early in the game, the first play of the game, and you pop one off like that, that is a real boost for the rest of the game. I think that they buy into what you’re doing, that we have a good plan for this game. I think they felt very comfortable with that. When you have someone like Ray Rice, who is special also, Ricky [Williams]… You have some guys that get downhill quickly if you give them a crease, and that is the dangerous thing about what they’re doing in the running game. That was very impressive to post numbers like that, because on the offensive side, people want to say, ‘Well, they got seven turnovers.’ But they played well on offense. They did a lot of good things. Yeah, they had a short field every so often, but they came out and that first drive is what really set the tone for the whole game.”

Baltimore Ravens - Head Coach John Harbaugh - Ingles

September 12, 2011

Opening statement:
“First of all, congratulations to our team, again, and our coaches. This will be the last time we look back. We had corrections practice here at 3 o’clock, and we’ll watch the tape, and that will be it. We will move on from there and, hopefully, we can improve from what we saw and build on all the different things that we saw. But one thing I did want to comment on was the officiating crew in this game. Tony Corrente and that crew is an excellent crew. It’s one of the best crews in the National Football League, and that was a tough game to officiate. Those guys did a fantastic job controlling that game. I think the penalties were well done. You can quibble here and there as a coach, and you always will, but keeping that game under control [was difficult]. I know Tony had a finger that was gashed pretty good and was bleeding. It was a tough game to officiate. It was a physical game for the officials. They kept control of the game really well, kept their poise, and I want to compliment them on a job well done. And for the Baltimore fans… It’s good for the fans. The crowd was into it. They were in their seats 20 minutes before the game started. They were into the 9/11 ceremony. They were chanting throughout the game. They didn’t leave. Even for a game like that, they were there pretty much [involved] until the end it seemed like. I’m proud of our fans and happy for the city and for all the Ravens fans around town.”

Did the new rule that allows you to activate 46 players on game day give you an advantage yesterday?
“It gave us an extra lineman yesterday. We’ll decide how we do it from one week to the next, but we felt we had some guys who had some nicks and things like that, and our line situation was a little bit up in the air with new guys and Andre [Gurode] being here. So, we were able to activate one extra guy, which was a good thing for us.”

Is there any update on rookie CB Jimmy Smith’s injury?
“As far as the injuries, Jimmy is the one guy that had an injury that was something that was a little more serious. He’s in a boot. He’s on crutches. He had an MRI. He does have a high-ankle sprain, so that’s going to be a few weeks. And we’ll just have to see how it plays out. Hopefully he’s a quick healer, but that was a tough one. The first kickoff, he runs down there, is fighting like crazy and gets caught up in a pile.”

What impact do you feel WR Lee Evans had on the game yesterday in terms of stretching the field and opening up other receivers?
“It’s a good point. Lee opened up a couple of crossing routes for us. He takes the top off the coverage, and if they don’t run with him, Joe [Flacco] is going to throw it to him. He cleared out some of the deep crossing routes that you saw. Dennis Pitta’s [play] is one that comes to mind right away – going down into the red zone. So, he had that kind of impact. Also, and people don’t think this is a big deal, but we do, he had some big blocks for us down field on some of those runs. He played well. He was a factor, no doubt.”

Although OLB Sergio Kindle was inactive yesterday, do you expect him to be up and ready to go at some point in the near future?
“He will be ready to go, I know that. I expect him to be ready to go. He prepared well last week. You get 46 [players] and you start doing the math, and Sergio Kindle is a very good player... He can help us; there’s no doubt about it. We’d like to have him up, but right now we just don’t have the spot. He’s just got to continue to improve and grow as a player. I’m certain he’ll have an impact before long.”

Do you expect Kindle to make a contribution on special teams as well?
“Yeah, and he’s done a good job on special teams as well. So, that’s a big part of it. You guys know that. He can do a good job on special teams. He is an excellent punt rusher. We saw it in the preseason. He’ll be up there. We want to stay healthy, but we want to keep developing all our players. We need them all.”

What did you think about rookie DE Pernell McPhee’s play yesterday?
“We saw the same thing we saw in the preseason. He’s a factor on pass rush. The play that comes to mind more than anything was the fumble recovery. They got the screen, and the walls broke out and it looked like he was really running. And Ray [Lewis] ran him down and knocked the ball loose and Pernell was just running like crazy – the whole defense was pursuing Pernell – [and] the ball was right at his feet. And you preach that all time. [When] you run to the ball and you play hard and you play with recklessness like that, good things happen. That was a play for him that was big for us.”

With all of the recent personnel changes you’ve made, are you a little surprised at how well everyone meshed together so early in the season?
“Like I said before, we expect to get better. That’s the plan. We’re only going to get better, and we’ve got the kind of guys in the room that are going to do nothing but get better. That’s what we have to do. If I was going to be surprised, then I would have had to have an expectation or said, ‘Hey, this is what I think we’re going to be,’ and I didn’t know. I don’t think you ever know how you’re going to go out and play in the first game, especially with all of the things that you’re talking about. We talked to our guys. We expected to win the game. We felt we had a chance to play really well, but you never know until you go do it. So, that’s what you’re proud of as a coach. When they prepare the way they prepare and then go out and take it to the field on Sunday in that kind of a setting, that’s a very rewarding thing for coaches and for players. But the challenge now is to build on it and improve. And that’s what you have to do, because everybody else is going to improve. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a very good football team, right? We all agree with that. They’re going to be there at the end when it counts. They’re going to get better every week, and we’ve got to make sure we do our part. And that goes for every other team on our schedule, too. We have to continue to get better.”

When you watched the game film, were you more impressed with what you saw as far as blocking and ability to run the ball on a tough Pittsburgh rush defense?
“I think it’s a credit to the offensive line and Ray [Rice]. It’s a credit to the scheme that we put in. We’ve got to keep building on that scheme, [because] people start defending what you do. But, it was well blocked, and you’re talking about a great front – our front that’s going to stop the run all year. So, that’s a credit, but when you look at the tape and you go back and you see it, and you see all those different things that you can do better, all the technique issues, where the run is going. Sometimes we can take it in the other direction and we didn’t do that. Those are things [where] you realize you have a long way to go.”

Was it important to, as some have put it, “Get the monkey off the back,” with regards to beating Pittsburgh:
“Joe [Flacco] said it best: He didn’t feel a monkey. It’s funny… Let’s be honest, we need to beat Pittsburgh. We all know that. We need to beat Cleveland and we need to beat Cincinnati; they’re in our division. So, those ‘monkeys,’ so to speak, are always going to be there. And if you want to do anything, you’ve got to win in your division to win your division. So yeah, it’s important, but it wasn’t like weighing us down. It wasn’t weighing on our mind or anything like that. I don’t believe that. I don’t think you go out and play the way you did… Our guys played loose. They played confident, they played loose, they played focused. That’s not a team that was weighed down by any burdens at all.”

What did S Bernard Pollard add as far as a physical presence to the lineup?
“You’re right, he added a physical presence. No doubt. That’s well said. (laughter) He did. And he’s more than that. He’s a very good football player. He’s very smart, he’s talented in coverage. He was in man coverage a number of times and some of their faster guys did a nice job. He’s a complete football player and he’s a big addition for us.”

How did the in-game injuries to CBs Jimmy Smith and Chris Carr impact the depth that had been built at the position?
“Well, it did. It was during the game, and at one point in time we only had two [corners because] Cary [Williams] cramped up, so we had to run Haruki [Nakamura] in, and he jumped into the nickel there while the other two guys played outside. So, having that kind of versatility… I think that’s really a credit to our players and to our coaches. Most of those guys on the back end can play every position. The younger guys are still learning how to do that, but when you’ve got guys who can play inside and outside, high or low as safeties, that kind of versatility is huge in a game like that when you start losing guys. It seems like you lose guys at the same position at times in games, and for those guys to step up and do what they did, it was pretty important.”

Was the media overrating the fact that the O-line didn’t have much time to work together before the Pittsburgh game and had no game reps?
“Well, you’d rather have the reps. You can’t deny that, but they had the reps in practice, and they are veteran guys, and they have blocked these plays before. So, in that sense, they’re more ready than a young guy would be. You know, the young guys probably need the reps more, but that’s the idea. We’re going to get more and more reps as we go. I think this game – playing together in this game – is more valuable than the reps they got in practice though, so we should learn more from the game as a group than we did from practice.”

What was the explanation the officiating crew gave you on the unsportsmanlike call on DE Cory Redding?
“I think they just interpreted that it was a slamming-down kind of a thing, and they felt like they blew their whistle. Like I said, you can look at those things different ways. That’s how they looked at it – that’s OK. It was no harm. It was 15 yards, but I thought they did a good job.”

Have there been any discussions on shutting CB Chris Carr down for extended time to get the hamstring right?
“How much more can you shut him down, like four weeks? That’s what we did, and it wasn’t a tear. The good news is that it is not a tear. It is grabbing on him at times. One of these times he is going to get through and it is not going to grab on him. The thing that we do want to avoid – and I think your point is well taken – we don’t it to tear. We don’t want a hamstring tear in there. That’s why we have shut him down pretty quick whenever he starts to have an issue with it.”

How hard is it when talking with your general manager to make that leap of faith with a younger player and moving on from a veteran player?
“I think it depends on your philosophy, first of all, and your willingness to take risk. I think we have that as an organization, and it starts at the very top. Also, [it’s about] how well you feel like you are drafting, because as a coach, when you feel like you have got younger players in place that can do the job, you are more willing to go with those guys. If you don’t feel like you have someone in place that can do it, then obviously, you want to hold onto your veteran guys. As a coach, you are always greedy. I want them all. As a coach, you want the older guys and you want the younger guys. You want to build as much depth into the whole thing as you can, and the financial reality is that it just can’t work that way. Then you have to take a step back, become a business man, look at the bottom line, look at the spreadsheet and say, ‘OK, what combination of players and dollars and cents gives you a chance to put the best football team out there.’ I think that is a collaborative effort with [general manager and executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome] and with [owner] Steve [Bisciotti] and with [vice president of football administration] Pat [Moriarty] and with [director of player personnel] Eric [DeCosta] and [director of pro personnel] Vince [Newsome] and everybody that is involved in that.”

How did C Matt Birk play?
“Matt played really well. He did. He held up against one of the best nose guards [Casey Hampton] in football, and we are running the stretch-zone scheme, and Matt is – for the most part – neutralizing Casey. Casey made a couple of really nice plays in there, too. That was a real battle inside. We talk about the yards, and we did gain some yards, but that was a real battle inside. It was really physical. They are very physical up front. We were watching a few clips in here today with the team, and some of the [defensive backs] don’t usually get a chance to watch what goes on inside there. They were just like, ‘Oh my gosh. Is that allowed, what goes on in there?’ It’s trench warfare, so to speak, in football terms, and it’s a tough battle.”

What was your philosophy on going for the two-point conversion and going for it on fourth down in Steelers territory?
“Sometimes you go with your head, sometimes you go with your heart. The second decision was probably going with my heart. I felt like we were going to get it. I felt like we could get it, and I thought we could really put the nail in the coffin. Twenty-five is better than 22. What would it have been then? Twenty-nine is better than 25. Sometimes a little more… How much is enough? Just a little bit more.”

Were you doubting yourself at all when the Steelers were driving and got inside the red zone?
“Yeah, I doubted myself as soon as we didn’t get it. As soon as we didn’t get it, I felt like that was the wrong decision, you know? I also think that there have been a lot of studies in this league, when you look at it in terms of going for it on fourth down, and they basically say that most coaches don’t go for it enough. We do want to be aggressive, and I do have a lot of confidence in our guys. Probably when in doubt, we are probably going to go for it more often than not. But, the math what you are talking about is right. You can definitely make a case for the math, and it would be a good case. As far as going for the extra point, to me that was easy. Their linemen dictated that we do it. When they put eight guys on one side of the formation and they pressure your protection that way… First of all, I have to protect our guys. We are not going to put them in that situation [to get hurt]. They are basically asking you to challenge that, and we did. If they’re going to line up like that, then I think you have to run it, and it’s an extra point.”

Did you see anything in the game different from Joe [Flacco] than in any other previous games?
“Sure. There’s differences in probably every other game, for the good and for the not good. Joe [Flacco] is his own biggest critic, and he and I will come in and watch the tape tomorrow together. All the things he will be talking about are the things he thinks he should do better. If you compare the other Pittsburgh games, I think we can all agree the protection was different. Joe had more time. He could sit in there and he could go through his read progression. When you go through your read progression all the way across from one to five, and you find five, and five makes a little move and runs away, and you hit him for a touchdown pass, that’s a credit to the offensive line. Joe had an opportunity to do that in this game. I thought our two tackles played really well. We did a good job – better than we have ever done – of picking up the cross dogs [blitzes] inside, and Joe did a nice job of getting the protection moved to where the blitzes were coming from. That’s something we need to continue to do. The next time we play Pittsburgh, they are going to have a bunch of new wrinkles in there that are going to challenge us because that is how they do it. They have some great players, some great rushers and they have a great defensive coordinator that comes up with some of the most creative schemes in football. To me, the biggest thing was probably the protection, and then guys made plays for Joe. Guys came up big making plays. That probably gives the quarterback a little confidence, too.”

Can you talk about the aggressive nature of the team?
You had seven turnovers and you put points on the board right after those turnovers. Cam [Cameron] really jumped on their throats. “He did. He came back – even on the one we had the penalty toward the end with Anquan [Boldin]. I like Cam’s personality on that one, too – going right for the score right there, too. That’s what you need to be able to do. You want to make it pay off for you. We call those hidden points. Hidden points come off turnovers, they come off big plays in special teams, things like that. That’s how you stack points in a football game.”

After watching the tape, how dominant was DT Haloti Ngata and does it make a coach go to Ozzie Newsome and say, “Hey, give this guy a contract?”
“No, I stay out of that. Hey, I’m on record, I’ve already done as much as I can do. The pressure is on. I said we wanted Haloti way back when. I happen to be good friends with Haloti’s agent and, of course, very good friends with Ozzie and Steve. So, I’m pulling for both sides.” (laughter)

Have you decided, with WR/RS David Reed returning, if OLB Michael McAdoo will be put on the practice squad to clear a roster spot?
“Well yeah, we’ll make a roster move, and I think it will involve Michael. That will be the plan. We’ll have to see; there are some issues going on that I’m not at liberty to divulge. But, there will be some sort of a move. (Reporter interjects: ‘Not at liberty…’) Not at liberty to divulge as this time. Gets you kind of interested. My guess is it will be a little anticlimactic when you hear about it.” (laughter)

Did you get to watch any of your brother’s (49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh) game?
“Yeah, I did. The Red Zone… We didn’t have it here, so I had to watch The Red Zone. I was mad when they switched to another game. But, I did see the two kick returns; very proud of the kick returns. I bet ‘T’ [Tavares] Gooden was out there blocking on those, too. So, that was a great win for Jim. And to be 2-0 as a family is pretty cool. And our nephew, Riley Crean, won his first game as a quarterback; he’s in Bloomington, Indiana. So, I guess we’re 3-0.”

Did you sneak a peek at the Jets last night?
“Yes, yes I did. Heck of a football game. Congrats to the Jets. One thing that team does is they find a way to win games. They do a great job of that.”

Does WR/RS David Reed come back today or is that Tuesday or Wednesday?
“He comes back today. He was in preparation today.”

In three years, I’ve never seen you get your hands up and try to get the crowd in it. It was almost like a college atmosphere. What motivated you to do that?
“Well, Kevin [Byrne, senior vice president of public/community relations] can tell you, I’ve got lots of ideas along these lines. We’ve had the conversations. We did the whole thing with the fans, and the song and the vote. That was their song. It’s been done in soccer games, and I happened to see it in the Michigan game [on Saturday] with the 114,000 [fans], so of course I want those shakers out next time – you know, purple or black or white or something. That’s my next suggestions. But to me, it’s a fun stadium, you know? I guess, you want the fans to continue to grow that way. We’re here to have a great time, man. So, if we get some good music and we get some good football and the fans get into it, [then] the players and coaches love that. So whatever they can do to have a good time and get the crowd going… We’re trying that with these new songs, and we’ve got a great band. They’re fun, too. Let’s do that. Let’s decide to make this far and away the best stadium in the National Football League. That’s, to me… I’m inviting the fans to do that, so that’s what it was all about. They were pretty willing; we have great fans. It was awesome.”

Did FB Vonta Leach’s blocking stand out to you the way you envisioned it would when you brought him here?
“Back to business, back to football. Vonta’s blocking did stand out. He did what he does. We threw him a couple balls in there. The one he batted down on purpose, just for the record. He and I agreed that would be our story. (laughter) He did make a nice catch on the goal line; he just came up a little short. But yeah, he’s an all-around player.”

Were you surprised that Pittsburgh deferred at the opening coin toss?
“No, not at all. With that defense… Not at all. That’s strategy. Sometimes you put your defense out there at the beginning of the game, and the thinking is, you put your offense out there at the beginning of the half, on the road, when the crowd might not be quite as loud as they would be at the beginning of the game. With all the emotion of the 9/11 thing and being in our stadium and a home opener… I mean, that’s something we’re going to have to deal with next week at Tennessee. Nashville is a really tough place to play – one of the toughest in the League. It’s going to be their home opener. They’ve got a young football team. That crowd is going to be really crazy, and we’re going to have to deal with the same thing Pittsburgh did in that way.”

Baltimore Ravens - OLB Terrell Suggs - Ingles

September 14, 2011

On what identity the team established with its dominant performance against the Steelers:
“I don’t know. I just hope people aren’t jumping the gun too fast. It’s a long season. We won our first game, so did half the other teams that played. It’s a long season, and it was a good win. It was a great win, a good way to get started, but we’ve still got a long way to go. [There are] 15 games left, and we’re really not trying to get too much involved with what everybody else’s perception of us is. We just know where we’re trying to go and what we’re trying to build.”

On his perception of his growth as a player and a person over the past few years:
“I don’t know, what do you see? I still try to have as much fun as I can – as much fun as possible. But if you’re losing, you’re not having that much fun. So, I want to make sure I have as much fun as the year keeps coming on, but I think I’ve grown up a little bit – a teeny little bit. But, my kids will probably tell you different. We just want to continue to have fun. I like my role on the team. We’re just going to continue to win.”

On any specific ways he’s improved as a football player:
“I’ve taken my film study up to a new level. I can see things before they happen now. So, that’s one area. A lot of things [have helped] – just the little things, the stamina, the strength and all of that.”

On the team having to guard against an emotional letdown following the season opener against Pittsburgh:
“You’ve just got to go and play football. You’ve got to go and play football. As I said, you’re not going to have that much fun if you’re not winning. So, we want to try to compile as many wins as possible. We’ve got a big task this week, probably the fastest man in the NFL [in Chris Johnson], and there’s going to be flying. It’s going to be interesting.”

On any fundamental changes that have been made in the emphasis of the defense this season:
“No, I think we put more of an emphasis on it now. We run and blitz. We’ve got to execute, otherwise we hang out our secondary and we don’t want to do that. So, it’s more attention to detail to get there. So, we’re just coming. We’re just putting a little bit more on it.”

On the game plan last Sunday being the recipe for the defense each week this season:
“I don’t [know]. We just like to win. I don’t want to say that’s the recipe, because now people are going to start pass protection. So, we can’t say that. It’s always good when you get turnovers and the offense doesn’t turn over the ball. A lot of things went into to what you all saw on Sunday.”

On being the Ravens’ all-time sack leader:
“It’s very flattering, because that’s one of the few things you see as soon as you walk in the building is the guys that are all-time leaders of the organization [with game balls in the players’ entrance]. I’m honored that my name can go up there. It’s very flattering, and I’m glad to have it. But, I’ve got a bigger goal in mind, so I hope I can add this to that list.”

On whether he plans to cut back on his dancing this season:
“We’ve got to start blowing people out big, then I’ll start dancing. But until then, it’s business as usual. Like my man, LeBron James. I’m giving a shout out to King James.”

On what he remembers about Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck:
“I remember one time in my rookie year he came down here and lit us up. I think we ended up winning 43-41; Ed Reed blocked a punt to have us come back in that game. And then, we went up there [to Seattle] in 2007, and he kind of lit us up again. They ran the ball. So, he’s had some success against us. I think we definitely have got to take look at that and try to correct some things before we face them on Sunday.”

On his plans to sack Hasselbeck this week:
“It’s a little bit more personal with the last than it is with this one, but it’s always business as usual. I think first things first is definitely Chris Johnson and then Hasselbeck.”

Baltimore Ravens - RB Ray Rice - Ingles

September 14, 2011

On whether he expects more from the team as the season progresses:
“You know, I like to say our training camp alone helped us out for this game. No disregard for our fans, but being here, in Owings Mills, and being at our facility really focused us because of the shorter offseason. From the three-hour practices and then going into a grueling preseason, it kind of got us ready for what Week 1 was going to be about. We couldn’t… You can’t take away the live reps that we’ve had. We’re one of the few teams that go live during camp. Those reps – they call them game reps – it might have looked like we were feeling our way, but we actually went out there and really executed. That’s one of the things I preached going into that week. We knew it was going to be physical – the score didn’t show how physical the game was – but, we went out there and we out-executed them. [We are] just looking forward to an opportunity this week to execute, you know, not even better than we did last week, [but] every week we’re trying to get better.”

On whether he thinks the offense was more aggressive than in previous seasons:
“As much as it was aggressive, it was a pretty vanilla game plan. I’m not saying that to downplay our opponent, but we didn’t do a lot of trick stuff. It was stuff that we practiced in camp. But one thing we did was with tempo. The tempo of our offense was a fast tempo – moving guys in and out – because we figured, you know, we had to tempo them being it was the first game of the year. They like to play base defense, and the tempo was really high. I caught myself coming in and out at times. So, everything else worked out really well.”

On whether he likes the faster tempo of the offense:
“I like it. I like the way our offense is moving. I like that Joe [Flacco] has the go ahead to do many things. And I think the combination of me and Ricky [Williams] is going really well. I just couldn’t have asked for a better start. But obviously, it goes week by week, and every team is different. I’m looking forward to executing at a high level this week.”

On whether he was surprised with how well the offensive line played together:
“As much as I want to say surprised, I was actually confident that they would play well. Our offensive line… It wasn’t like we threw an inexperienced rookie group out there. When you’ve got a guy like Bryant McKinnie who’s played with Matt Birk, and a guy like [Marshal] Yanda who’s played guard, and Mike [Oher] played the right tackle, and Ben Grubbs has been where he’s at… They didn’t need to play together to go out there and execute the way they did. They’re a veteran group. The way they play is… I like to say they’re only going to get better. We all know… I mean, the sky is the limit for that offensive line. It’s been something that Ozzie [Newsome] and everyone else around here felt like we needed to patch up and do a few things with. We definitely got it done.”

Whether he sensed that he was going to make a touchdown catch when he lined up for that specific play:
“Well, yeah. Once the linebacker comes out on me, it’s typically man-to-man coverage; it might be a two-shell, cover five, whatever it was. Once I saw Joe scrambling out of the pocket, I figured that was my sign to scramble. It may have looked like a designed route, but it was actually me and Joe’s ‘me-to-you’ combination. I could have took it inside, I could have took it outside, but I knew the route behind me. I saw that no one was there; I took that quick peak. But once you see Joe scramble outside the pocket, we all know that it’s our job to get open. He made a hell of a throw. He got it where no one else could get it, and he actually gave me enough room to get turned and get to the pylon. It was great execution on both of our ends.”

On whether he and QB Joe Flacco have an unspoken understanding after playing together for three years:
“Yeah, I don’t know what I would do without Joe, I’m telling you. A lot of the catches I catch from Joe are like long handoffs; that’s what they’ve become. I told you, I like to have my yards in all-purpose. I don’t want to be a guy that’s just plunging inside and out. The reception yards get underscored at times. But, I think that me and Joe have a great chemistry going on, and it’s something we look to carry out through the rest of the year.”

On whether he played with Titans WR Kenny Britt in college:
“Me and Kenny Britt did play in college together. Tennessee also has a starting cornerback, we played college ball together, too, in Jason McCourty. They’re both great players, and it’s going to be funny seeing those guys. I’m not going to bother them for tickets this week. I don’t want any distractions.” (laughter)

On his thoughts on the physicality of Tennessee:
“I think every team is physical in the NFL. But, their scheme is different than Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is 3-4 and they’re a 4-3 team, and you have to attack them different. When you look at them… On defense you look at everyone’s first week, and there’s always guys feeling it out. I’m sure they’re going to put an emphasis on stopping the run. They’re going to do a great job out there. And it’s their home opener. Who wouldn’t want to be fired up for their home opener? Regardless of what happened last week, we know we’re going into hostile territory, and we know we have to be prepared to play.”

On the importance of having a fast start against Tennessee:
“Absolutely, we’ve got to start fast every game. We’ve hit adversity in the preseason when we had to play from behind a little bit. But, no one wants to play from behind. They did it last week and almost came back and won the game. Their talent… They’ve got one of the most talented teams in the League. Look at what they’ve just signed with Chris Johnson. I’m talking from an offensive standpoint, but you have to know where he is at all times. You have to know where Kenny Britt is. They can take a play and, next thing you know, it’s six points. We have to be on our best. I know defense will do their part and offense will continue to put points on the board for our defense. And, if our defense gets us turnovers… You know, it’s better to have threes than... It’s better to have seven than to score three points.”

On what it’s like facing a team with a new schemes and personnel as opposed to facing a team that is more familiar:
“The thing is, the adjustments aren’t really on the fly. We take our same principles and just apply it to the defense. Pittsburgh just happened to be a team that we were very familiar with. In the NFL, guys are in a copycat system. So, some of the things that we may see in the sub pressures with Tennessee are the same thing that Pittsburgh might run. It’s just their base fronts are different. Every play that we have designed in our offense is for a 4-3 team and a 3-4 team. So, the adjustments that we’re talking about are adjustments that we went over in training camp because you got to face both looks. You know, our defense runs multiple schemes. Having to face that kind of defense that we see every day prepares us for these adjustments to face teams like Tennessee that run a 4-3 and many other teams.”

Baltimore Ravens - LB Ray Lewis - Ingles

September 14, 2011

On whether anything has changed with regards to the defense’ pass rushing between this year and last year:
“Has anything changed? No. I don’t think anything has changed. ‘Sizzle’ [Terrell Suggs] is still ‘Sizzle’, and our D-line… I think [defensive coordinator] Chuck [Pagano] is a little different in his approach in getting to the quarterback. That’s kind of an emphasis for our defense. Outside of that, nothing has changed.”

On what he chalks up Sunday’s defensive performance to:
“I think it’s everything. You know, it’s executing and kind of playing with the lead and different things like that. Anytime you’re playing from behind, things change as far as getting to the quarterback, because they’re throwing way more than they’re running.”

On whether there are many players in the NFL more explosive than Titans’ RB Chris Johnson:
“No, no. He is what they call their home run hitter. He is their offense, he’s their heartbeat. And if you look at what they did last weekend, I think he just had nine carries, so you’ve got to know that he’s definitely going to touch the football a lot this week. And we’re prepared for it, we’re prepared for it. It should be a great test for us. But when you talk about just skill and talent, he is a special, special talent.”

On whether the “24-hour rule” gets extended a little bit after the win against Pittsburgh last Sunday:
“No, it’s already over. The guys, most of them, were in here yesterday. A lot of guys come in on Tuesday and really get it out of the way and really get on the other film before the next game. And I think Monday evening a lot of us were already on to Tennessee. And we have enough of a mix of guys who can get you past that if a guy was still hanging onto it, but it’s too long of a season to hang on one win.”

On whether he’s seen any differences in the Titans with long-time head coach Jeff Fisher no longer with the team:
“I don’t really know how to compare them from that side of things. I just think you kind of see what their base is… You can’t really get a read on them. Plus, Chris [Johnson] wasn’t in camp, and a lot of things like that, so you kind of have to go back and forth. [QB Matt] Hasselbeck is kind of new, but Kenny Britt is a great player over there, a young receiver that’s really big and really physical and can really make some plays for them. And they have a long tight end that can run, too. And their offensive line is really trying to get up on people to the second level. So, they do propose some challenges.”

On how to tell younger players not to feed into the media hype, like being put on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s upcoming issue:
“It’s simple. It’s just how much press clippings you want to read, because the same press clip is going to be written about you once we lose a game. So, you’ve just got to be careful with it. And for us, man, it’s about a 24-hour rule – coming back to work the next day. Win, lose or draw, when it’s over, it’s over, and move on. And I think for our team, we’ve already made a decision to move on.”

On how NT Terrence Cody has filled in for departed NT Kelly Gregg:
“I think Cody, his spirit is the reason why he’s in that role right now, because he wants to be the best. He wants to be somebody that comes in and contributes to our defense and be a part of everything that goes on. I just think his knowledge and humility of listening, and really trying to learn, is kind of what excites me about playing behind a Terrence Cody.”

On having CBs from relatively small schools in a starting role, and what it says about them to go out and make big plays in the NFL:
“I think what it truly says is you just never know where you’re going to find that diamond in the rough at. A lot of times, you always look for them at the big schools and things like that, but when you find that one or two diamonds in the rough at these smaller schools, they’re built a certain way. They’re those people who just love the game for what the game is all about. And the guys that we have, when you talk about [Lardarius] Webb, and you talk about 29 [Cary Williams], I love both of those guys, because I love their spirit and just the way they actually play the game.”

On whether LP Field is still a special place for him to play because of his history playing in Tennessee:
“Adelphia [Coliseum?] It’s called something else now? (laughter) I kind of like playing there. It’s a grass stadium, and they have a great fan base that gets very rowdy there. And me going back there so many years back, I don’t think anything is going to change. It’s their home opener, and I just think it’s going to be real, real loud. But I do remember that stadium, yeah.”

On whether he would agree with DE Cory Redding’s statement that no matter how much the defense prepares, its will will just get things done:
“Yeah, and you know what? I think we take it upon ourselves in the defensive meeting room. Coaches sometimes, I’ll tell you, in our defensive meeting room, they’ll blow your mind with how much they actually move out of the way and let us coach each other. Because if Cory isn’t seeing something the way I see it, and I jump behind him and tell him, ‘Stay right there,’ you know, coach isn’t going to say, ‘No, don’t do that.’ He’s just going to let us play it, and that’s what our defense is all about. Everybody is pissed off. Everybody is pissed off, and it’s a good mentality to have on defense, because there’s only one football. Wherever the football is at, all 11 people are trying to get there.”

On what some of the old, classic battles were like between the Ravens and Titans:
“For so many years I played against the Titans. There was nothing like that rivalry. We used to have kind of like the same rivalry that we have with Pittsburgh now. And to have Eddie George and, rest in peace, Steve McNair, and all those guys back then, it was just two heck of a teams going at it. And we always knew that one of us was going to be there at the end of the day. You know, 1999, they went to the Super Bowl. [In] 2000, we came back and went to the Super Bowl, but it was always a dog fight between us two. And honestly, we said the same thing and then look for the same thing coming up this week.”

Baltimores Ravens - QB Joe Flacco - Ingles

September 14, 2011

On being on the cover of Sports Illustrated:
“I don’t know if it goes in New Jersey. I don’t think it does, to tell you the truth, because my mom called me up. I didn’t know about it. She told us to pick up a couple of copies.”

On if there is pride on being on the cover of Sports Illustrated:
“Yeah, I’m sure there is. It’s kind of cool, but it’s crazy. It really is crazy how week-to-week this league is, how hot and cold everybody is. You just have to sit back and laugh about it.”

On if his mother asked why Jets QB Mark Sanchez was on the cover instead of him:
“No, she was just happy that me and Ray [Rice] were on the one, whatever it is.”

On the ever-changing nature of the NFL:
“Each game is so tight. I don’t know if I like the fact that everybody makes it out to be either you are great or you are terrible. It is true that, in NFL football, it is really one play. People don’t realize, even in the game on Sunday, one play here or one play there, that is a completely different game. We were fortunate to come out and get a turnover in the beginning of the second half and score right away. If it doesn’t go that way, you don’t know how that game is going to turn out. It’s like that every week – one play can decide the outcome.”

On the offense’s chemistry and knowing where everyone is:
“I hope I know where everybody is at all times. It’s my job as a quarterback. The biggest thing is just us being on the same page and kind of having that timing and knowing when he has a good matchup and when he is going to win.”

On facing an unfamiliar team:
“You have to trust what you see on film. It may not be a lot, but you have to go with it. If you get out there and things change or they run some new things, you have to adjust on the fly. I think for us, it’s really just trusting what we saw and going out there and being confident.”

On what problems the Titans’ secondary poses:
“They’ll come up and they’ll bring their free safety off one of the corners a couple of times. They rotate around a little bit, but I have confidence in our guys that they will be able to get open. If we create that time, like we did last week, I have all the confidence in the world.”

On if he feels there could be a letdown after last week’s win vs. Pittsburgh: “No. I feel like we have a great locker room – we always have. We move on pretty quickly from losses and wins. That’s our job, and that’s what we’ll be ready to do this week.”

On the development of TE Ed Dickson and TE Dennis Pitta:
“You could just see how much confidence they had out there on Sunday. They have a lot of confidence out there, and it obviously translates into the way they play. They play fast, they are sure of what they are doing, and it obviously allows everything to declare itself for me, and I can see them. They are going to be a big part of why we win football games this year. They both get up on the defense fast and catch the football.”

On if he has the same confidence in Dickson and Pitta as he did with departed TE Todd Heap:
“Yeah, obviously when you hear that Todd is not going to be here, you get a little bit disappointed, but as training camp went on, and we started practicing and everything… I have all the confidence in the world in these guys, and you have to when you go out there and play quarterback and you step out there on Sunday. If you don’t have all the confidence in your guys, than you are not going to operate the way you want to.”

On what makes RB Ray Rice so hard to play against:
“Ray is a running back, and obviously, they have to put their best cover guys on our wide receivers and even tight ends. With Ray’s ability to work in that space and understand some of our route concepts, it gives us a chance to get him on guys that aren’t used to covering. He has that quickness. He has that explosiveness that he can run those routes and separate from guys at the point of break, and that can really help us out.”

Baltimore Ravens - C Matt Birk - Ingles

September 14, 2011

On if he is stunned at how well the offensive line played Sunday vs. Pittsburgh:
“Not stunned, no. We prepared hard. We are a veteran group. Guys have played a lot of football. You know what you have to do week-in and week-out to prepare for your opponent. Like we said, it wasn’t an ideal situation going in, but maybe we just – I don’t want to say prepared a little harder – made sure we spent a lot of time in the meeting room together, because we weren’t able to be out on the field together, just talking through things. It wasn’t just the offensive line, obviously. It was the whole offense just stayed in a good rhythm and was really in sync.”

On how the offensive line meetings have changed since T Bryant McKinnie and C Andre Gurode signed:
“[It’s] just different from their personalities a little bit. You kind of throw together those personalities and you never know what you’re going to get. As you guys know, offensive linemen – other than being the best-looking group on the team – tend to be pretty good guys and pretty easy-going. We just have fun. Obviously, I know Bryant from before. I played with him for a long time, so we like to have a lot of laughs.”

On what McKinnie brings to the table:
“Obviously, he is a physical presence – a physical force. He has been a very good left tackle for a long time in this league. There are not a lot of those. I think when you are talking about someone of his physical stature, certainly that poses some matchup problems for guys, because he just happens to be a very big guy who can move very well.”

On if the offense was simplified for the game on Sunday vs. Pittsburgh:
“No. The whole offense was in and it is kind of up to the new guys to pick it up. That’s why we spent a little extra time in the meetings making sure everybody had the calls, and everybody was able to communicate out there in the heat of the battle.”

On the satisfaction of having the whole offensive line together:
“I don’t know. We just want to play well, and obviously, we just want to win. It was a big division game at home. Those are the games you have to win if you are going to have a chance down the road. I guess this is the part where I am supposed to say we don’t read the papers. (laughter) It was just a great team win. We don’t look at it as it’s just us or our unit. People like to break it down into the offensive line, running backs and wide receivers. We’re the whole offense. Everybody works together and everybody was just in sync on Sunday.”

On if he expects the same physicality at Tennessee:
“Every game is physical. Every Monday morning when I wake up, I am pretty sore. Tennessee, they have been playing a physical, tough, hard-nosed, defensive brand of football for a long time. Even though it’s a new coach, the film that I have seen, it doesn’t look like that has changed a whole lot. Every week is a new challenge and this week is certainly a challenge. [It’s] very different from the Pittsburgh team we just played. Pittsburgh is mainly a 3-4 front. Tennessee is a four-man front. [They’re] a lot of different technique things that we will be working on this week.”

On how it felt to play 60 minutes of football:
“I was out there, so I felt good. I was talking with our trainer, Mark Smith, right before kickoff. He said, ‘Well, we made it this far.’ I didn’t know if I would ever make it that far. Certainly, I think the older you get, you don’t take it for granted anymore. You don’t take your health and your ability to be out there, being able to compete and be with your teammates and contribute. Being able to play the whole game and feeling pretty good… I am going to go out there and practicing again today. I guess I can’t complain.”

On how the communication improved throughout the game on Sunday vs. Pittsburgh:
“I thought it was pretty good. [There were] definitely some things that we are going to clean up. That’s every week. Just because you win doesn’t mean you overlook your mistakes or things you can work on. Us being a veteran group, I think we understand that. The Pittsburgh game, in a way, is ancient history to us right now, because Wednesday is the start of a new week, and we’ll be working on the Titans.”

On the chemistry of the offensive line:
“We are only one game in, but it feels good after the game. I certainly think this is the most veteran that the offensive line has been since I have been here. Certainly with Bryant and also with guys like [Mark] LeVoir and Gurode, even guys that aren’t necessarily starters. Just kind of having a little bit more veteran presence in the meeting room, you kind of talk about things. More and more guys can give their input because they have more experience. Again, it’s just one game – veterans, rookies, whatever. Every week you have to work at it and you have to prepare your butt off. That’s really the only thing that gives you the best chance for success. It’s not a secret formula.”

On what he is reading:
“Right now I am reading the ‘The World is Curved’ by… The guy’s last name is Smick or Swick. It’s an economics book. We’re all screwed. (laughter) It’s bad times.”