QB Joe Flacco
On if issues with his throwing mechanics are a regression, such as on the INT he threw Sunday:"That wasn't a mechanics issue as much as it was just a bad decision. I was hot from the left side, so I had to move away from it. There's nothing you can do about that besides just throw the ball into the ground, really."
On throwing off of his back foot:"I actually thought they were really good this week. I felt like our line did a good job, and I was able to hang in there. For the most part, I had my feet under me doing stuff. You could say that [interception] play, but like I said, I was moving to my right hoping that I had Steve [Smith Sr.]. They dropped a lineman out from underneath him, and then I just made a bad decision from that point on."
On if preparation in a short week is more of a physical or mental challenge: "It's just a balance of doing both of those things. The biggest thing for me is to get the game plan nailed down and get the preparation right. Come Thursday night when the lights turn on and your adrenaline is going … Your body probably doesn't feel quite as good, naturally, leading up to the game, but by the time you get there your adrenaline is rolling. You usually find a way to kick it into gear and feel pretty good."
On the most significant change to his routine in a short week: "Everything just gets in quicker. On Monday, you have to come in and you have the game plan in. On Tuesday, you have your third down, red zone in. Everything kind of comes in quicker. It's Tuesday, and we're basically ending our week. On a normal week, we're just getting a little brush-up on the next opponent. Everything just happens a lot quicker, obviously."
On if he likes Thursday Night Football: "I like it once a year. It would be tough to do it more than that. It's nice once a year, because at the end of the day, if you go out there and do your job, you get another little bye week to give your body a rest. If you were to do it week-in and week-out, it would just be a bad cycle for your body."
On the Ravens' all-purple Color Rush uniforms: "I like them."
On if he would wear them more than once: "Yeah."
On the progress within the offense: "Listen, when you're not usually hitting, you're usually pretty close. But what does 'close' mean? We had a handful of plays in that game – I can think of three plays, easy – that we should score touchdowns on and break the game open. We're not even completing the pass. It's just little things like that when you go back and watch the film. But even on gameday, I remember saying to myself, 'That should have been a touchdown. That should have been a touchdown. That should have been a touchdown.' We're just not clicking on that level, therefore touchdowns are incompletions, and that's a big difference. That's a really, really big difference. I'd like to have, let's say, 10 opportunities where I get to say, 'That should be a touchdown.' Right now, I think it's a combination of both. I think we need to create ourselves some more opportunities where we can say, 'Man, we have a touchdown opportunity here.' Part of that is hitting some of the easy stuff and giving ourselves those opportunities. Even with the few opportunities that we're getting, we're not hitting them. It's a combination of those two things, and that's how close it can be. I think there are probably three plays in that game that fell incomplete that could be touchdowns. I'm sure the same thing goes in the run game."
On if being down against the Browns in the Week 2 prevents the possibility of a letdown this week:"It's tough to say that. I would say 'no,' because once you get out there and once you start playing … Both teams have game-planned, and both teams are ready to go and fighting their tails off to go win a football game. You have to give credit to the other team. Sometimes that stuff happens. You just have to make sure you fight the full 60 minutes. If you're saying it's purely mental, that that's the reason that it happened, then maybe you can correct it. I just think there's such a physical part of it in the fact that they ran good plays, and they made them work and all of those kinds of things."
On why things click with WR Mike Wallace so easily:"Listen, I threw a slant to him. He did a great job." (Jamison Hensley: "I'm talking about throughout the whole year.") "That's kind of my point. Mike does a good job. When he gets one-on-one coverage, he does a good job beating people and making it very clear where to throw the ball. When you do those kinds of things, like I said, it makes it easy for myself."
On if it is dangerous to play a winless team:"Every team in this league is dangerous any given week. I think you can see that. You see a team beat somebody that hasn't lost yet, and then the next week they go and they lose to somebody that you expected them to beat. It's the same way. The fact that they have zero wins … Let's say they had two wins. There's really not much difference in that. The bottom line is, they're an NFL team, and they're very capable of winning games. They just have to find their rhythm, just like a lot of teams out there, us included. I think on your guys' end, when you're a team that's in front of the division, and with how the outside world looks at it, if the Ravens lose this game, it just looks bad. It looks bad because we lost to a team that doesn't have any wins. That's the reality of it; it just doesn't look good. It's really not any better for us if we're playing a 9-0 team and we lose to them. We're still in the same position. We're 4-5, and we're not leading the division probably anymore and things like that. It's not our job to worry about the perception of what's going to happen when we win [or] what's going to happen when we lose. We just have to go out there and win the game and try to win the game the best we can."
On if the team will be able to get on a roll if the offense starts to click like the defense: "No doubt. That's the whole idea, is getting both sides of the ball playing great and rolling through teams. We haven't played as well as we wanted to yet, but we've positioned ourselves to this point. Our goal over the next month will be to put ourselves in a position to play meaningful games in December. If we can get ourselves to the point where we're playing meaningful games in December, then that usually leads to playoff games where anything can happen. We have a lot of room to get better, and like we talked about, it's not anything major. It's little things that can turn games in certain weeks. We just have to keep at it. We just have to keep staying confident and not lose that belief in ourselves [or] get down on ourselves. We have to realize that we're in a good position. A lot can come from it. I think we have some young guys that are starting to gain a lot of confidence. I think the fact that Chris [Moore] is playing so well on special teams and is in the right spot and is picking up touchdowns, I think that adds … That's huge for a player, and not just in that phase of the game. That will transfer to him playing better on offense and all of those things. I think we just have to continue to stay the course, and things will work out."
On if the short week is different because of the recent change at offensive coordinator:"Not at this point. Not really. I think we're all pretty comfortable about what we're doing. It's just the typical things that every team has to deal with."
OLB Terrell Suggs
On if he is accustomed to Thursday night games:"You can never get used to it, especially when you play your division rival on Sunday and then have to come back and play another game Thursday. You can never really get used to them, but once Thursday comes, it's going to be exciting. We get to wear the nice flashy uniforms."
On his comments that last Sunday's win meant nothing unless they win on Thursday: "We have to continue to take steps. You don't want to take any steps backward, especially in the AFC. You just want to continue to progress, especially with a home game."
On if his injury bothers him more with the short week: "Definitely. I am definitely playing through an injury, but whenever you're playing with an injury, it's going to hurt. It's going to be a process. But if you signed on to do it, you have to do it."
On if he has to cram more rehab in during the short week: "No, nothing special. You just have to get it ready. Whatever you have to do to play and get it ready."
On if he likes Thursday night games: "Yeah, I do. I like when we get [more] football. You get it on Thursday. You get it Monday. You get it Sunday night. I think later in the year, you get some Saturday football games. I like it, but I just don't like playing in it too much, especially when you played on Sunday."
On the purple Color Rush uniforms: "I think they're going to be awesome. I've see little pieces here and there. I haven't seen the whole thing."
On how his biceps feels: "It feels like it played a game. Like I said, I have the best training staff with [vice president & head certified athletic trainer] Mark Smith. We're going to continue to rehab it, continue to work it and get ready to play on Thursday."
S Eric Weddle
On if he has noticed anything different about CB Tavon Young from when he joined the team versus now:**"He seems more confident. He never lacked confidence, but when you get to play and get to play against some good wideouts and just get in the game and make plays, learn from your mistakes and get beat a few times and have that feeling – it makes you work harder; it makes you more hungry. He loves the game, and we love everything he brings to our team – his confidence, his energy and just [that] he has a quiet demeanor that kind of calms everyone when we are out there."
On how helpful the experience has been for CB Tavon Young:**"It is huge. Experience is always the one key factor as you go throughout this league. As you grow and hopefully play a long career, you always draw back on those experiences, whether it is your leverage, whether it is a call, a situation [with] what the quarterback is doing or what the formation was, whether it is good or bad, you always will remember those. You will draw back on it. If you get in that situation again, [you think], 'I think I need my leverage changed on this one,' or, 'What happened a few weeks ago?' He is a good kid that learns who is always asking questions, and he is playing outstanding football."
On his thoughts on Thursday Night Football:**"Yes, I don't mind it. Obviously, you do not feel good. But that is life; you don't make excuses for yourself. You get an extra bye week out of it. [It is] more time with the 'fam,' because I am never home. It is cool; we get the cool jerseys. It is what it is. You get to play under the lights. I always like playing under the lights. It is primetime; it reminds you of Friday Night Lights. You can tell me to play on Tuesday or Monday, whatever day, and I'm going to go play. You are always going to be hurting, so just get through it."
On if there is any extra excitement with this being his first primetime game with his new team: "Yes, of course – night game. We are going to be in all purple, which is awesome. You have to go out and play great. We are coming off a big win, so I am excited to see how we balance out the success and just a big win and our emotions coming into a division game under the lights. It is going to be electric. We have to control ourselves, control our emotions and go out and play a great game, great team ball, rely on each other and go get a win."
On Browns WR Terrelle Pryor's improvement as a wide receiver:"You have to applaud a guy like that. [I have] a lot of respect and admiration for a guy who just continues to work and didn't want to give up on his dream. To find himself having an outstanding year at a position he has never really played before is just a credit to his work ethic and his athletic ability. He is a playmaker. He is tough. He is physical, runs good routes, catches the ball well, attacks the football, a red zone target, can break tackles. He is obviously having a great year, so we have to play him good. We can't let him get off in anyway, whether it is his YAC [yards after catch] or big plays up the field. We did that the first game, but it is a new challenge, a new week, and we just need to limit big plays, and we will have a good shot at winning."
On the most significant change he makes to his personal routine in these short weeks: "[It is] just so much more rehab and cold tub, icing, trying to work all the soreness out. Because on Wednesday, you are still hurting, but you get through it because you have to – it is padded [practice]. On Thursday, you are feeling a little better. Then by Sunday, you are good. But this week … It is just as much rehab as you can. There is more time you have to spend in the weight room stretching as best as you can so on Thursday night, you are ready to fly."
On if it is more of a physical challenge than a game plan challenge:"Yes, because the game plan is the game plan. Defensively, it is a little bit easier, because we know our calls. We add different things each week depending on who we are playing. But this week, we are going to do what we do; we are going to play fast. It is more physically just trying to feel as best as you can, running-wise. You come out of the week before [and] you get little nick-knack injuries and little strains. You are just trying to get back as healthy as you can so you can get back and perform at a high level."
On if he is concerned about a letdown because they are playing a team who has yet to win a game:"I do not think there is [concern], just because we have not done anything yet. We are 4-4. We sit at the top of the division, but one loss and you are out. This is a division game, a rival. They were up 20-0 on us and easily could have beat us, so we can look at many factors to remind ourselves that we can't take anything for granted. We have to play together; we have to play great football on our side of the ball in all three phases to get a win. That is not just against Cleveland; that is against anybody in this league. Cleveland has shown that they are very capable. They are very capable of scoring points – [gaining] lots of yards, making big plays. They have just been unfortunate on a few plays throughout the game. They get down in the score, and that is why the scores have been lopsided. But they are very capable; they have talented players on both sides of the ball and on special teams. We have to go out and play great. That is what we are going to try to do."
On what he sees from Browns QB Cody Kessler:"He is a young kid, but he makes good throws. He throws the ball well outside, which is somewhat surprising for a young quarterback. He moves around a little bit, doesn't force the ball much. When he gets pressured … Obviously, when anyone gets pressured, he is going to [force the ball]. He tends to force it a little bit [when pressured]. They are sticking with him. We have seen a couple games. We just know, as a defense, regardless of who we are playing, we have to limit and keep everything in front of us. When we do that, we play good football. They run the ball efficiently. I think they are third in the league in yards per carry. They make big plays in the run game and in the passing game. And they have one of the best offensive minds in the game with Hue [Jackson]. [I have] a lot of respect for him, going against him. I love the way he coaches offense and just coaches teams. We have a tough task ahead of us. Regardless of the record, we have to go out and play a great game."
On his thoughts on NFL TV ratings trending downward: "My opinion kind of does not really matter, but I don't really know. We go out, we play our hearts out. I don't really care or worry about what the outside is doing or thinking. Hopefully, we put on a good product and our fans want to watch us, but the ratings and all that stuff – that is out of my realm. We are going to go out, and I am going to try my hardest. I can't give you [much]. All of that 'No Fun [League]' and all that … I have a blast at whatever I am doing. On the field, I am going to wear what I wear. They tell me what to wear, I am not going to gripe about it. I have fun playing the game, not by all the other stuff."
