Head Coach John Harbaugh
Opening Statement: "Great night. I just told the team, "There is no better environment to practice in than this environment.' Because all the things that you have to do to play winning football, you have to do in an environment like this. You have to do it with fans, under the lights, in a real football setting. A lot of the things that came up last time we were here, we cleaned up, and we had new things come up. That is probably the way football usually works. I thought it was a good night. Obviously, we have to get a lot better at a lot of different things, but certain guys were making plays, and it was really positive in that sense. The fans were great. Big crowd, a lot of kids, fireworks … It was just a really great night for Baltimore."
T Ronnie Stanley left practice at one point. What is his status? (Clifton Brown)"We had two guys leave practice: Ronnie Stanley and [wide receiver] Chris Matthews. Both [had] soft tissue issues. I don't think they are too serious; we will know more tomorrow. Just soft tissue-type issues."
RB Kenneth Dixon looked pretty good. He looked like he was ready to finally get out there. (Don Markus)"He did look good. He looked quick and sharp; he made good cuts. I feel like he did a pretty good job of pass protection. We will have to see. That last third down run was really a special run. It was good to see him out there. He has been chomping at the bit. Trainers have been holding him back maybe just a little bit more than he wanted them to, but it is good to see him back."
WR Keenan Reynolds looked a lot more comfortable today, both fielding punts and at wide receiver. Have you seen the development you want to see from him? (Matt Szimanski) "He did look better. The last time we were here, I don't know if it was the environment or what, but he's been in so many big games you wouldn't think that would be the case. But he is playing new positions. He seemed a lot more at ease today and did a good job."
G/T Alex Lewis got some time at left tackle. What are your impressions of him so far? (Clifton Brown)"He did OK; he had the one holding [penalty]. The nice thing about Alex is he doesn't get phased. It isn't too big for him. He has played in a lot of big football games. I said something to him about it [the holding penalty] and he said, 'I'm not worried about it, we will get the next play.' He stepped in there and had a ton of practice out there and did an OK job."
This question is a little change of pace. As a Christian, I'm asking you this: Has the presence of faith as a culture on this team grown since you have gotten here? (Chris Brown)"I definitely believe that faith has a presence on our team, and in the National Football League it has definitely grown. You see all the guys on the field circling up. You see the statements that guys are making and our team – we have had it for a number of years. We've had Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Anquan Boldin. Those guys were very outspoken about their faith. Now, we have guys like [running back] Justin Forsett and [tight end] Benjamin Watson. When I read some of the things that these guys say, relative to their faith and relative to the things that are going on in our culture and society, I learn something. I feel like I am better for it. I feel like I have a better grasp on my own opinions. It is great to have guys like that in our own league. I hope and pray that people get a chance more and more to see the type of people that we have in our league and what they stand for."
Because you have been giving back a lot in this offseason … How does it feel to give back and help the community? You have been out there really striving to do that. (Pete O'Neal) "I appreciate you saying that. Not nearly enough. We have a great community; I mean Baltimore is incredible. You just see these fans out here; the people dancing … It was a great night. Our PR people, the people in the stadium … It was a lot of fun, wasn't it? The beard contest, the dance contest – I couldn't help but stare at the scoreboard sometimes."
Do you feel like Baltimore is a good place? (Pete O'Neal)"Baltimore is a great place with great people. Every corner, every street. It is just a bunch of great people. When we have been down there, people come out of their houses and we have a lot of fun. There is no better place than Baltimore."
Does the tenor change at all after the off day because this is a game week? (Jeff Zrebeic)"We will have a training camp practice again on Monday. Tuesday, we will have a little more of somewhat of a Carolina [Panthers] practice. We don't game plan this game at all. Wednesday, we will look at some of their fronts and some of their blitzes as a walkthrough. We call it a 'camp game.' It is not a 'game plan game', and that is how we approach it."
