Opening statement: "OK, good to see everybody. I appreciate you all being on with us. Just an opening statement here just to kind of establish the fact that, as announced, we're in the intensive protocol the NFL puts in place with a positive [COVID-19] test. We're going through all the protocols to a 'T.' We've prepared for this. We've had a plan in place and we've already started. We had virtual meetings already today with the guys. So, we're rolling. We plan to have a great week of preparation, and we plan to be ready to play the game on Sunday. What questions do you have?"
First of all, CB Marlon Humphrey announced that he had the positive test. Do you know how he's feeling? Also, when did you learn of the positive test? And under the new protocol, how does this week work as far as preparation? How will it be different? (Jamison Hensley) "I don't know how he's feeling. I learned of it this morning, first thing, at about six o'clock. The way the week will work is we will meet virtually, and we will practice normally."
I actually missed that. I don't know what that sound was. The last thing I heard you say is, "The way the week will work, we will meet virtually." I was just hoping you could finish that off? (Jeff Zrebiec) "We'll meet virtually, and we will have practice as we always do."
Does the league protocol dictate the number of days you have to meet virtually? (Gerry Sandusky) "Yes. It's going to be all week this week. That's where it stands. Just as an extension, they're in the process of doing the contact tracing. Wherever that might lead us, we'll see. We're pretty optimistic about that at this point, but you never know. It's 2020. So, we'll take it as we find it. But I will say that the way we've kind of gone through this, we've done our absolute best to adhere to every protocol, and we try to keep our focus not on that. Our focus [is] on doing the protocols and focusing on the responsibility, which is to get ready to play the game."
Over the past two weeks, your team has been called for 21 penalties for 240-plus yards while your opponents were a combined six penalties for only 50 yards. I know the mantra is, "You can only control what you can control," but does this feel a little bit lopsided? Is this something that you've maybe brought to the attention of the league? (Kyle Barber) "It doesn't just feel lopsided, it is lopsided. We try to look at every penalty individually. We coach our guys and that's really all we can do; the rest of it is out of our hands. I know you said that it's a cliché, but it's also a reality. We're not going to worry about that. If things get called that we don't think should've been called, it really doesn't matter – we just have to overcome it."
I was wondering if you had any more details you could share about T Ronnie Stanley? Is he going to have surgery? What kind of prognosis is it for him long-term? (Luke Jones) "It looks like surgery on his ankle. It looks like a good prognosis long-term. I was even told he'll probably be back in May for OTAs, but that's a long way away. You'll probably quote me on that, but obviously, there's a lot of time between now and then. But that's what I was told yesterday."
We saw last week that CB Marlon Humphrey was absent from practice on Wednesday with an illness. Can you explain kind of the process of him coming back? Was he feeling ill at all the rest of the week? Or why did you guys, I guess, allow him to practice and play? (Aaron Kasinitz) "I don't know if he was feeling ill or what he was feeling, but I know he tested [negative] completely through. So, we followed all the protocols, like I said, to a 'T' with that. He had a negative test every day [last week], so that's why he practiced."
You had said yesterday, "This is where our season begins." That's pretty apt, because you're going into the toughest part of your schedule with teams that you're going to be competing for playoff spots with. Is that still in the message this week, kind of getting back to your idea of stacking wins and starting with the Colts? (Todd Karpovich) "Yes, that's exactly it. Straight-forward, let's go. We're excited to play the Colts this week. It's always a tough place to play there. They're very good at home, always, and they have a very good team. So, it's a big challenge for us, but we're a good team, and we're looking forward to it."
We had the two, sort of, controversial calls near the end of the game yesterday – the hit on WR Willie Snead IV and the question of should they have added more time. Did you get any more information on either of those from the league? And did you have any further thoughts on them after watching the tape? (Childs Walker) "It's there for everybody to see. So, what can I add to it? The conversations I had with them I'd probably prefer to keep to myself for practical reasons. It really doesn't matter what I think; it matters what they think. I do take to heart some of the things that were said by the guys that have done it before, the [former NFL official] Gene Steratore's and the [former NFL official] Terry McAulay's, who talk about those things. I prospect those guys, and listen to what they say, and try to learn from what they say out there. But other than that, I'm just going to let it go and leave it alone. It was very disappointing, obviously. As I said last night – I'll stand on this – Ravens players deserve to be protected just like every other player in this league deserves to be protected by the player's safety rules and by every other rule. So, that's all we expect. We just expect it to be fair – that's all we'll ever ask for."
I just wanted to ask if you had any update on G Tyre Phillips, as well as if you expect RB Mark Ingram II to return to practice this week? (Daniel Oyefusi) "I'll start with Mark [Ingram II]: I do expect him to practice, but I don't want to put my name … I don't want to sign that just yet, because I don't know for sure. It's turned into a little more of a slight high-ankle [sprain] toward last week, as far as the symptoms. So, we'll just have to see about that. Tyre [Phillips] has a high-ankle [sprain]. So, I'll know more after an MRI to see how severe it is. Sometimes, guys can go with those if they're not severe. So, we'll see how that plays out and probably will have more information as the week goes on."
With QB Lamar Jackson, obviously no one will question his effort, but on some of the turnovers, do you think it might be a case of him, maybe, trying to do too much sometimes? Whether it's holding the ball a little longer or making a throw that might not be there? Do you ever, when you're watching the film, think he might be just trying to do too much to help the team? (Jamison Hensley) "Yes, I guess that'd be kind of an all-encompassing kind of a statement [and] probably a little oversimplistic. When I watch the tape, I think a lot of things based on what the play-call is and the coverage, and what I think the quarterback, or any other player, might see. I try to make note of that, and we try to talk through it with our guys. So, the bottom line is that turnovers are the thing. There's nothing that tilts the scales toward success or failure in football more than turnovers – getting them and not committing them. We have not done a good enough job with that of late. That's something that we had done a really good job of up until recently and throughout last year. We just have to get a handle on that. We have to be a lot better with protecting the football – that is a No. 1 priority for us going forward. It always is, but it needs to be a lot better than it's been."
I know you're not an epidemiologist, but with the incubation period for COVID-19 and CB Marlon Humphrey having spent so much time around the guys who weren't wearing masks in the locker room or on the field yesterday, how much … How unexpected or how kind of complicated could these next couple days get for you guys? (Jonas Shaffer) "I'm going to go back to the qualifier in your question. I'm not a … What?" (Reporter: "Epidemiologist.") "Yes, that. (laughter) I think I could've said that – I like to think I could've. So, I really don't know. The protocols are in place. The league, that's all defined in terms of how many days, in terms of what they consider to be close contacts and those kinds of things. It's a five-day window for close contacts that test positive twice. We don't know who the close contacts are at this point; they're going through that right now. We have a lot of technology to determine that, certainly. So, we'll know more on that throughout the course of the day. Marlon [Humphrey], I believe, is on a 10-day window. So, he'll be out for this game – that's clear. We'll just have to deal with that just like it was an injury. But the rest of it, to your point, is a really good question; I think we're all waiting for the answer on that. We're just going to approach it like we're business as usual in a different kind of way, and we'll go to work."
With CB Marlon Humphrey being out on Sunday, I wanted to get your thoughts on how CB Terrell Bonds did? Clearly, your secondary depth is being tested right now. (Luke Jones) "Right. We do have good depth back there, and it is being tested. Losing Tavon [Young] kind of brought us back a little bit. Now, with Marlon [Humphrey]. I thought 'TB' [Terrell Bonds] did a good job. He played well. He made some tackles and flew around, and did a good, solid job out there. So, that's good to see, and Khalil Dorsey is another young guy who can play. I really feel confident with those guys. As a defense, we have a good whole out there, and I do believe the young guys are going to step up and play well."
With the offensive line, is this now an opportunity for G Ben Bredeson to get some reps, work his way into there and get some playing time? (Todd Karpovich) "Sure. Absolutely. He'll be active – probably regardless – it looks like. With Tyre's [Phillips] situation, we haven't put that together exactly yet, but he's been in the mix before. Ben Powers, I'm sure will be a big part of it. Pat Mekari played well in the game. So, we'll just roll with the guys we have. We like those guys. We really do. I feel like those young guys played well. Most of the game was without two starters in there, so I really feel like those guys did a good job yesterday."
With tackle depth now, most of those guys you were talking about are primarily interior guys – not that they couldn't play tackle. But do you feel like you need to get that swing tackle piece – whether it's G Will Holden or somebody else – on the 53-man roster in time for Sunday? (Jeff Zrebiec) "Yes, we'll consider that throughout the week. We won't have to do anything until Saturday, but we'll consider our options there. Those are the obvious options that we have right now, definitely. So, I don't know which way we'll go on that yet. We'll just have to figure it out as the week goes on."
Have you had a chance to talk to OLB Matthew Judon about yesterday? Do you have any more thoughts on how that situation played out? And do you have any thoughts on how OLB Jaylon Ferguson played? (Jeff Zrebiec) "OK, I'll start with Jaylon [Ferguson]: I thought Jaylon played another really good game. He set the edge really well, and his rushes were really effective against Ben [Roethlisberger]. I thought he pushed the pocket very well. Matt [Judon]; I talked to Matt briefly. I asked him about it. He said it wasn't intentional; he was trying to break free. I think any time you're in a situation where your arms are being held back, it's a pretty natural response to try to break free maybe to protect yourself. That's what he expressed to me. He certainly wasn't swinging at anybody. And I did watch the video just now; [senior vice president of communications] Chad [Steele] showed it to me. I couldn't see it on the coach's tape, but he showed it to me before we started the press conference, and that's exactly what he [Matthew Judon] told me happened is what I saw on the video. So, I take him at his word, but I also saw it. There was no intentionality there at all, and that's what I saw."
Do you feel like QB Lamar Jackson is close to being back to where he was last year? Obviously, he feels like he knows where he needs to improve upon, but after a four-turnover game against Pittsburgh, he's facing a lot of criticism. Do you feel he's close to being back to where he was last year? (Jamison Hensley) "Sure. That's almost an impossible question to answer; it's just too vague. I appreciate it, but it's a question that [puts] you in a corner. What does it even mean to be close to back to where you were last year? It's just a real-general question.
"I was telling the team recently about my grandpa, Bill Harbaugh. I guess I'll bore you with it; since you asked a vague question, I'm going to give you the meandering answer. How's that? (laughter) And the meandering answer is this: my grandpa, Bill, was a terrible driver. When we were kids, we used to go visit him in Crestline, Ohio all the time. Grandpa Bill and Grandma Marie Harbaugh – and they had a two-bedroom apartment. It was like four bedrooms across. Next door to them was the Gottfried's – which was Marie's sister, 'Curley'. And in the back, they had this garage – this old wooden … It had four spots for four cars in this old, broken down, white building. It had a dirt floor and basketball hoops on either end. And I noticed in Grandpa Bill's spot, it was all beat up – wood was broken; paint was scraped off; the whole thing was kind of crooked. And I asked my dad, as a kid, 'What's the deal?' He said, 'Grandpa's not a very good driver.' OK, I got it; he hits the … He can't get in and out of the garage without hitting the sides. Then shortly thereafter, my dad noticed that Grandpa's car didn't have a rearview mirror on it. And he asked him [about it], he said, 'Dad, how come you don't have a rearview mirror?' Grandpa was kind of a gruff guy, [so] he said, 'What the hell do I need a rearview mirror for? I don't need to know where I'm coming from; I need to know where I'm going.'
"So, that's my answer to your question, OK? (laughter) We need to know where we're going, and that's what we're going to work on going forward."
In this unusual year for everybody, when the guys are there, you obviously are able to monitor what they're doing and how they're interacting. When they're away, there has to be trust. Have you gotten any indication that there would be reason not to trust any of your players to take care of themselves given what's at stake? (Mark Viviano) "That's a very good question, and I'll tell you, the straightforward answer is no. Our guys, to my understanding, have basically gone home, gone to bed, gotten up and come to work. They've done a great job of that; I really believe that, and we've talked a lot about it. They talk to each other about it all the time – no one more than Marlon [Humphrey]. Marlon, he's all football, all the time. He gets on the social media; he likes that part of it, and the fans love that part of it with him, but that's about what he does. So, the thing we understand is that really this can happen to any of us. Any of us can be in a situation where … You can just be in a circumstance where you can be exposed to it. Even the doctors tell us – you can have a husband or a wife, a father, a sibling, a child, whatever – someone that you live with can have it and then the other person not get it or get it. It has to do with immune system and all those other different things. So, there's just a lot of factors involved, and I don't think we want to be accusatory in any way. If we had some guys acting irresponsibly, we'd be all over them – absolutely. We haven't found that at all with our guys. Our guys have been really focused on trying to really be the best football team they can be, and I'm proud of those guys for that."
WR Marquise Brown tweeted after the game, "What's the point of having souljas when you never use them?" What was your reaction to that, and have you talked to him since? (Jamison Hensley) "I haven't talked to him about it yet. It's been a tight turnaround, obviously, with all the work we're doing. But I did text him about it, and he took it down. And we'll just leave it at that for now and see where it goes. But I'll tell you this, he did play the game like a soldier. He was fighting very hard out there – blocking and running routes and had, obviously, a big touchdown catch [and] almost another one right before that. So, I like the way he was fighting. I don't disagree with the fact that if he's saying he's a soldier. But I promise you, we're trying to use all of our guys; he knows that. [He's] probably a little frustrated, but he's not a selfish guy. I don't believe he is for one second. If he was, he wouldn't play as hard as he did or be the good guy that he is around the building every single day. So, I have a lot of trust in him, and the fact that he took it down, I appreciated that."
