HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening statement:"OK, good to see you guys; it's been a long time. (laughter)What questions do you have?"
QB Lamar Jackson has talked about wanting K Justin Tucker to kick more extra points than field goals in the red zone. What do you think needs to be changed to increase your red zone efficiency? _(Jamison Hensley) _"Obviously, it gets tougher in the red zone; the field is smaller, the passing lanes are tighter, you've got to execute – we talk about it on both sides of the ball – things happen faster on offense, and they happen faster on defense. So, it's just a matter of getting in there and getting the job done, whether it's connecting on a pass, or hitting a run. Everyone wants to run the ball in the red zone; that's the best way to do it. Then you talk to our defense, we don't want to allow that either. So, it comes down to execution at the end of the day in terms of scoring touchdowns. We have playmakers. I really believe Lamar Jackson is one of the very best red zone quarterbacks in his career so far. He's been able to extend plays, make plays, find ways to make plays in different ways. So, we have that going for us; I'm confident we'll get that going."
Will OLB Tyus Bowser be available for Thursday? _(Gerry Sandusky) _"I don't know."
We always hear about guys wanting to move on from a loss or a win. Does playing on Thursday after a short week help you turn the page to the next game quicker? (Cordell Woodland) _"From a loss? _(Reporter: "Even to move on from a win.")To get you going? Yes, sure. You certainly don't have as much time to dwell on a win or a loss. It's kind of … I guess it's a hyped-up version of the way it works in the league anyway. Players and coaches can't really afford to think too much about the last game. You try to learn from it, take your lessons to the next game, and you're rolling. It's a long season, and these games keep coming like waves; they don't stop coming, so you have to get your footing, or you're going to get knocked down by the next wave. So, that's our job; we have to get ready to go. Guys have been good; I really appreciate [that]. They've been locked in, they've been focused, they've had a great attitude. We had a heck of a practice today. So, it's just a matter of transferring that to Thursday night."
C Tyler Linderbaum has a pretty tough challenge this week with NT Vita Vea in the middle. It seems like Tyler has been getting better every week. Can you talk about what you've seen from him? _(Ryan Mink) _"I'd agree with that. He told me after Week 4, we were talking about a couple things, he said, 'Hey, it's only my fourth game. I'm going to keep getting better.' And I believed him, and it's been true. He's just that kind of guy; he's all business, he's all ball, he loves it, he works really hard at it. He's been playing well. He's already playing really well, so to say that he's going to keep getting better is quite a statement, and that's a good thing."
This is your first game on Amazon Prime. Will your parents and the more technically-challenged people in your life know how to watch the game? (Jonas Shaffer) _(laughter)_"I'm not sure my parents are going to be seeing the game for the first time in 15 years. Hopefully, they will. They've gotten instructions. They've got good internet, so hopefully they'll see it."
