Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh
On his philosophy on on-field brawls:"I don't like on-field brawls either. We'd rather practice. Guys are competing, tempers flare a little bit. I think we have guys who take care of each other, even in the brawl, guys were taking care of each other, and we can get back and practice. The thing that they understand is that we're not going to slow down practice, and we're not going to miss any reps. So, it takes a lot of energy to fight."
On whether he was surprised to see flared tempers on the second day: "I forgot about that already. Really, we had a good practice. I think our guys are competitive, they like football, it's going to happen. I think as they realize the tempo of the practice is going to stay the same, it will probably happen less and less. They're a feisty bunch."
On being pleased with the intensity level of practice:"The intensity was good; speed was good. They are practicing to our tempo, no question. I think it's their tempo, really."
On the tempo of practice: "We talked about it this morning with our guys; I think it's their tempo. And I meant to say that, because the very first day they came out to practice and were speeding around the practice field. So, I've got to give them credit."
On developing depth at the tight end position:"We're probably in a tryout-type of a mode right now with a lot of these young guys. We have a developmental guy who played basketball in college, a couple of small-school guys who maybe have a chance to develop at some point in time. And we've got to bring Dan [Wilcox] along and bring [Todd] Heap along – they're going to be our two guys – and we've got to get them healthy."
On the bigger receivers he was looking to add:"They're bigger. Did you notice? Yeah, we've got bigger receivers out there. But, also [Derrick] Mason and [Mark] Clayton, those guys are doing a nice job. They're playing big. It's good to see the big bodies out there."
On whether he feels the players understand the changes he has made are to instill a greater sense of team: "I think they understand the concept, they also understand that individuals win football games – individual responsibility. So, it all goes together. It's not just a simple thing, 'hey the team comes first.' These guys know that. But, individuals come first in terms of executing, making a play and winning a football game for us. So, it all goes together."
On the quarterbacks: "They all look good. And they do. They're all doing a nice job."
On developing the offensive line unit: "It's a great opportunity for [offensive line coach] John Matsko and [offensive line assistant] Andy Moeller. John Matsko is one of the most experienced offensive line coaches in the League, has maybe the youngest offensive line in the League, and to him it's like clay. He's got a group of talented young guys who really want to work, and he's molding them into an offensive line. It's fun to watch that."
On whether he has a deadline to have the starting offensive line set: "I don't think we've made that determination. It's a good question. As soon as possible, but not before they determine who the best guys are."
On the players who did not participate in practice: "The guys that weren't out there have little tweaks, little things that didn't allow them to practice. Hopefully, some of them will be out this afternoon."
On the tight end situation: "Florida State tried to convert [tryout player] Xavier [Lee] into a tight end, too. Xavier's got a chance to be a quarterback, but if you look at that body, he could play a lot of things. So, we just want to look at him and see what we've got. Plus, we need help at tight end. It makes sense."
On his concerns about the tight end position: "Well, we're concerned about every position. But, when you've got guys who are hurt right now who can't practice, it becomes a bigger concern. We need to get them healthy."
On his thoughts on players at left tackle: "Yeah, I think [Jared] Gaither did a nice job. He looked good. Oniel Cousins is a competitive guy. You saw that out there."
On the change in dynamics from the last camp with the rookies coming in: "More bodies. Exciting to see the young guys and see what you've got. We're not disappointed at all with anybody. The young guys all lived up to their billing."
LB Tavares Gooden
On his experience at camp: "It's a little different, trying to go out there and learn the plays. But it's fun being with all the veterans and [good] that we came in now. We can play with those guys and learn a little bit more."
On if it's weird to play with athletes he watched on television: "Most of the guys I watched on TV, I played with – Willis [McGahee], Ed [Reed]. I haven't played with Ray [Lewis], but I saw him enough down at the University of Miami. So, most of those guys I've been with. Meeting the other guys, that's a great thing also. Just talking with [Gary] Stills, he's teaching me a lot of things while I'm here."
On if it's more comforting being with a handful of players that he's played with at Miami: "Everybody's been great here. It hasn't really been like a rookie thing. It's been more like, 'we're going to groom this guy, and we're going to make him better.' Everybody has been supportive, and it's been good so far."
On changing his jersey number from No. 52 (the number he wore at Miami): "That's alright. A great guy has it. A legendary player. I'm just trying to follow in his footsteps and play just like he did while he was here."
On if there is any extra pressure, because he was a linebacker at Miami and wore No. 52, like Ray Lewis:"It's not really pressure. It's more of an expectation thing. I want to go out there and do it. I want to be great. I have all these guys, the linebackers here that are in the upper ages. They can help me out with a lot of things that they've learned over the past 10 years, while they've been here."
On not telling those players that they're "in the upper ages": "No. They call me 'Young Buck,' already."
On having Ray Lewis as a mentor: "Oh, it's great. Small little things that I mess up on, he always tells me, 'I'm going to teach you that.' That's how he is, and I think that's a great opportunity for me to have – a guy who went to Miami, a guy that I followed through my whole career."
LB Bart Scott
On why tempers flared today: "It's just whenever it's a competitive environment. It happens. When you have guys going hard, sometimes tempers flare. But at the end of the day, we're teammates, we're professionals, and you learn how to practice."
On if he has ever seen a skirmish where the entire team is involved, like today: "I think everyone swooped to the fight to try to ease the situation, to diffuse the situation and pick guys up, things like that. I think it's more that guys went in, in support of each other."
On coach Harbaugh's comment that the team dictates the tempo of the practice: "We always practice fast around here. Cam [Cameron] is a competitive coordinator, and I think he's raising the intensity over there. It's good to see. It's actually a delight to see those guys raising their tempo up. I think we'll work together, and we'll get better together."
On if the tempo is different from last year: "No. We always practiced hard and worked hard around here. I think it's just more [the different style of] Cameron."
On how the young players, like Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakumara, are fitting in: "I think they're practicing well. I think we brought in some quality guys. Great character guys. I think they're practicing very hard. You remind them that the X's and O's will come with repetition, but we don't have to coach those guys on how to be Ravens players. They're working really hard right now, and it's commendable."
DT Trevor Pryce
On the skirmish at today's practice: "Let me tell you something. You want to fight and carry on, that's fine. You want to piss somebody off… You're going to hit somebody in the back of the head during a fight at football practice, ok, yeah alright, whatever. If you really want to make somebody mad in football, just beat them 49-0. That's why everybody hates the Patriots. The Patriots have to fight nobody. They won 18 frigging football games. That's the ultimate. That's the ultimate win. Go ahead, wrestle each other, pull each other's facemasks, yeah, great, wonderful, have fun. Now we gotta go play the Patriots. They won 18 straight football games. The Giants won the frigging Super Bowl. Do we really have to prove we're all men? We're all professional football players. We've all been in fights. We're the best of what the Ravens can find. As far as being men and being tough and all that, we're all tough. We all know that. Now, if we can get all this out of the way now, scrapping and being undisciplined and 80 men jumping in a pile together, it's more 'Camp Lazlo' than anything else. So now we've proved I'm tough, you're tough, hooray, we're all tough. Are we a good football team? What's more important, proving you're tough or proving we're a good football team? That's how I look at it."
On the coaches' reaction to the on-field brawl:"John was trying to break it up. There was a fight yesterday, and he shoved somebody in the face so hard to them get out of the pile it was unreal. I [said] 'You back away from this crazy little man.' He is strong, and he is nuts. I told him that yesterday, too. I said, 'You shoved somebody and took them off the pile.' I said, 'Oh, this guy's got something, let me get out of this.'"
On knowing who started the fight: "I know who it was, but I'm not going to say. I know who it was, it wasn't me, I know I was next. In fact, I backed out of it."
WR Mark Clayton
On his first impressions of Cam Cameron: "I enjoy him. He's a very smart teacher. He brings a lot to the table."
On his first impressions of QB Joe Flacco: "He's good. He looks pretty comfortable with the offense. That's impressive for a young guy. He throws a good ball. All of our guys have strong arms. He's fitting right in. It's going to be a very interesting race."
RB Ray Rice
On if he has found that the tempo here is different from college: "Definitely. Right off the jump. It's so fast. Everything moves so fast. Without pads, you see how fast the defense is moving and how fast the game is that you have to learn. I'm just looking forward to learning quickly and getting into the meeting room and paying attention, and I'll try to do the best that I can."
On how he is adjusting to the plays on offense: "I'm adjusting pretty well. I'm picking it up pretty fast. It's definitely a lot more than college, but I think I'm picking it up pretty well."
On how long he has had the playbook: "They sent it to me right after the draft. But it's nothing like going into a meeting room and actually going over it with the coaches. You look at it, and you can glance and try to study it, but the way they teach it is totally different."
On how he did his homework, before stepping onto the field for mini-camp: "Definitely. Until coming here, and actually going on the field and having to execute it. It's a little different."
On working with RB Willis McGahee: "I just watch him. It's like a dream come true, to have a guy like that in front of you. I'm definitely learning from him and watching the things that he does, from his footwork to how he carries himself. I try to look at him as a role model."
