*SATURDAY PODIUM TRANSCRIPT: Week 12 vs. Texans
Head Coach John Harbaugh
Opening statement: "We had a really good day today, a really good practice, and something really special with 'Monday Night Lights.' That is when you bring high school football players and coaches over to your practice before the Monday night game. I believe they come to the game, as well. It is going to be really fun to see those kids at the game, but it is even more fun to see them at practice. Baltimore City – every high school – one coach and one player came out here. Like I told our guys, you are looking at the leaders. You are looking at the top guy for every one of these high school football programs. That is the leader in their school. You know they are the leader for their school, for the team and their students. It was pretty powerful. [Josh] Woodrum was throwing passes to the guys, and C.J. [Mosley], Eric Weddle and Mike Wallace spoke to the guys. It is just a pretty powerful thing. It speaks to football and the difference it can make in people's lives. It was great to have those kids out.
We saw ILB C.J. Mosley out there practicing. I know right after the Green Bay game, you said it was not too serious. Do you feel good about how it progressed and feel good about him playing on Monday night? (Luke Jones)"Well, as you know, [vice president and head certified athletic trainer] Mark Smith was right on it from the beginning and felt good about it. Like I said, we had the miracle. We had the miracle healing. (laughter) The power of prayer paid off. He is going to be fine; he will be ready to go."
We noticed that WR Jeremy Maclin wasn't at practice today. Was that because of his shoulder or something different? (Ed Lee)"No, Jeremy was just … We gave him a day – a rest day today. He'll be ready to go Monday night."
Knowing how much of a challenge OLB Jadeveon Clowney can present to any offensive line – how good is it to have T Ronnie Stanley cleared, and not just having him out there, but not having to shuffle up front?* (Luke Jones)*"You're right, because when you lose one player on your offensive line, and you have to make a switch, then you're probably not as strong at two positions as you would have been. James Hurst is such a valuable player for us, because he can play every spot. He even gets reps at center, believe it or not – and that's how good and versatile of a player he is. But, he's certainly not as good at a position he's not been playing all year. So, that's probably the main thing. The guys that came in did a good job, but it's good to have your guys – your starters – out there. They're the starters for a reason. We'll be going in there full-strength Monday Night, and we're excited about that."
How did you think RB Danny Woodhead looked last week? How much are you looking forward to increasing his reps a little bit as he gets more acclimated again? (Luke Jones) "Danny is a special kind of a player. He's always going to be a situational kind of a player for you, but a lot of situations he can excel in. He's a very versatile player. As he gets more acclimated, and I think as … I think he's up to full-strength now, in all honesty. I don't think we have to measure his reps too much. He looks good, and we'll play him as much as we can, or as much as the situations merit."
