HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "It's good seeing everybody here. I appreciate you guys being here. We got back last night pretty late. A lot of coaches came in, worked, went to sleep, got up [and] worked again. So, we're getting into the grind now for Buffalo. They play tonight, so we'll probably watch that game on TV like you guys, like everybody else, but do all the work we can up until that point. It'll be a big tough challenge for us, Sunday Night Football, our crowd – [we're] looking forward to that. It'll be a big AFC game, and we're going to have to continue to improve a lot to be ready for that challenge."
With K Justin Tucker, he has now missed a field goal in each of the first three games, which is not like him. They've all been wide left. What do you make from the misses? Also, the TV showed that you talked to Justin Tucker as soon as the game ended. What was part of that conversation? (Jamison Hensley) "From a conversation standpoint, we're pretty close. We've been together for a long time, and [we've] had a lot of conversations, and we know each other. So, that was just two guys talking [about] where we're at. I just love [Justin Tucker], [and] I respect him. He's everything that you want in a player [and] in a friend, so that was really the basis of that. Beyond that, for Justin, it's just a technique issue right now that he's working through. He's got a technique thing going on, and he'll work through it. He knows exactly what it is, and he just needs to smooth it back out, and I'm very confident that he will."
What have you seen on film as far as the biggest challenge as far as getting outscored in the fourth quarter in the last two games? (Todd Karpovich) "Two things go to that; pass rush and pass coverage tie together. We're rushing the passer well, but we can be a little more consistent in terms of our rush lanes, and some of our games and things like that, and then being on point with that. And then, coverage is just getting a little loose in the fourth quarter for whatever reason. That's just something that we just have to ... just understand [that] sometimes a call is going to go against you; it may be right, it may not be right, but you can't let that change the way you play. You still have to play the coverage the way it's [supposed to be] played. If it's an inside leverage, you play inside leverage. If it's supposed to be down on a route, you're supposed to be down on a route – get down on it. Don't be playing not to give up the big play all the time, just play the defense the way it's been played. We have really good players back there, and I'd like to see them play that way from a confidence standpoint, the way we did the rest of the game. We were forcing a lot of tight-window throws in the first half. Play the same way in the third quarter, and then play even more that way in the fourth quarter and make them earn it. I do think sometimes – maybe it's weighing on their brains a little bit about not letting that happen, and then it happens. We're capable of it, we just have to get it done."
Were you given any explanation on the OLB Odafe Oweh roughing the passer penalty? (Kevin Richardson*):* "They said that [Odafe Oweh] lifted [Dak Prescott] up and dumped him into the ground. That's what they said that they saw."
After reviewing the tape, are there a number of calls that you'll send back to the league and gain clarification on? Does anything stand out? (Jerry Coleman) "I'm not allowed to comment on that, but like I always say, the best thing I can say is, 'The things that we can see are wrong, we'll coach our guys on.' The things that we can say that we can't see that are wrong, we'll ask the league about. If they confirm that it wasn't a wrong play by the guy, then we'll let them know. That's all that we can really do. There are some headscratchers, but there's also some ones that are legit, and when you have the number [of penalties] that we have right now, it's too many. That's just something that has to get cleaned up. That ones that maybe shouldn't be called, we can't do anything about those. But the ones that should be called, we have to clean those up. That's on us, it's our responsibility to do it. It's hurting us. It's costing us points in the end. That's a matter of playing football the right way in all of those situations, and I guarantee you, we're going to be on our guys to do it right; they want to do it the right way. It's our responsibility to make sure they do it the right way all the time as much as possible, and we have to get better at that."
It looked like there was a long conversation with referee Ron Torbert on the sideline after the illegal touching penalty and a near safety. Did you get an explanation for why that wasn't intentional grounding in the end zone? (Jeff Zrebiec) "I've never heard of this before, and I don't know if it kind of came up there, or if they have seen this before, I'm not sure, but they said it's not intentional grounding because somebody caught it, even though it's an illegal receiver that caught it, which is a penalty. So, basically, they get rewarded for having a penalty there. That's probably not what they want, by the rules, so we'll see. Maybe it's a loophole in the rule, I'm not sure. It's something they'll probably look at. Because a receiver caught it, you can't call intentional grounding even though it's an illegal receiver, and there's no eligible receiver in the area, which would constitute grounding."
Going back to K Justin Tucker, this feels like maybe the first slump of his career. How have you approached coaching him, working with him on something that seems foreign that is the most accurate in NFL history as of now? (Kyle Phoenix) "Yes. Justin [Tucker] knows that we support him; I've tried to make sure he knows that – that's part of it, just relationship-wise. The talent and the ability, all of that stuff is there. That hasn't gone anywhere – we see it all the time – but [the issue is] a technique thing. Randy Brown does a great job coaching that part of it. Randy is the foremost guy in the business at that. They work on that every single day. For me, I just try to encourage what I see and understand the technique as well. Justin is a pro, and I have great belief that he'll get the job done."
Something that's related to what you were saying about the pass coverage earlier. I think you guys are second in yards given up to tight ends, second in passing yards given up between the hashes. Are you concerned? Especially when you look at that spot in your defense, it has some of your best players. Are you concerned about what's going on in the middle of the field right now? (Kyle Goon) "Absolutely. The easiest place to complete passes is in the middle of the field. You have to get between the quarterback and the football, and we're not doing a good job of that. It has to stop. We have to put a stop to it."
When you got a closer second look at the offensive line, what observations did you come away with,, and did that redouble your confidence in that group going forward? (Childs Walker) "Yes, I mean I believe we took a step; we took a step; [with the] offensive line [and] as a team. The good news is we came a long way, and the good news is we have a long way to go. That's good news, because that gives us an opportunity to get a lot better. I see great upside in our whole team. I also see great upside in our offensive line. By no means were we perfect anywhere – on the offensive line, they played well, [and] we had a lot of rushing yards – but there are plenty of things to get better at."
Along those lines, a couple of the guys really made a point to shoutout G/T Daniel Faalele, having had the scrutiny, and he had questions about coming into a new position for him. In reviewing the tape what did you like about how he played, and if it wasn't improvement and everything, what do you think made the difference compared to maybe the first couple of games? (Luke Jones) "[Daniel Faalale]'s a young player. He's growing. He just had a little more sense of understanding of what it was going to take. He wasn't playing tentative – maybe he played a little tentative maybe early on, if you want to dig into psychology – but he played with more aggressiveness. He came off the ball; he moved people; he knocked people off the ball; he was up on linebackers; he cut people off. He knocked down blocks down across; he knocked tackles across the center sometimes. Some things that made those runs really go – he was a big part of that along with the other guys. That was good, and yet, there were other things that he didn't do as well, and he knows that he can keep getting better at. Again, Daniel came a long way in that game. I believe he's kind of indicative of that whole statement, and the good news is he has a long way to go, and he's capable of so much more."
You guys have used heavy sets for years, and FB Patrick Ricard has been a huge part of that. This week in particular, was there something with some of those bigger sets that you thought worked well against the Cowboys, and do you feel like some of those packages are essential going forward into the coming weeks? (Kyle Goon) "Yes, I mean we live in a lot of worlds football-wise with our versatility. I think it's a strength, [but] sometimes it can be considered not. Some teams come out and they play 11-personnel the whole game and spread you out and don't motion anybody – sometimes they use motion. Different teams have different approaches. One of our approaches is that we have a lot of multiple personnel groups that we use – that's kind of the way we go. So, from one game to the next, you'll probably see different emphases in different places, probably. To be able to run the ball – we call it 'must-run' – when you really want to run the ball and do it out of big groups and protect the edges and all that. That's something that's in our DNA a little bit – [it's] been that way a long time. We definitely want to live in that world if we can."
The tight ends and the versatility they shared as perimeter blockers for you yesterday. Just how important is that, especially as TEs Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are pass-catching guys, to show themselves as blockers, how important is that for the offense? (Ryan Mink) "That's such a great point. The perimeter blocking was OK the first two weeks, [but] it was outstanding in [yesterday's] game. Those guys ... Let me tell you what, Mark Andrews might have had three [or] four pancakes. Isaiah Likely – he was out there reaching guys. The wide receivers had our best blocking game in a long time. I mean those guys were blocking; I can think of Nelson Agholor coming down and getting a free safety right over the ball one time, which you don't see that too often. 'Zay' [Isaiah] Likely cracking down on defensive ends. Those kinds of things are really what make ... To me, that kind of unselfish play, being willing to ... There's one ball carrier, and there are 10 blockers, so to speak. I mean, even Lamar [Jackson]'s a blocker when he carries out a fake, say. You're all helping the ball carrier one way or another, and our guys are really buying into that, and that's something that we have to keep building on."
TE Mark Andrews played many fewer snaps than he would in maybe a typical week. Was that purely a matter of style that you guys ended up playing? (Childs Walker) "Yes, I mean you had a lot of big groups out there, kind of to your point about the personnel groups and stuff like that. Guys will play different amounts [in] different games with our different guys that we have. Didn't I bring this up a week or two ago – it'll go one way, and then someone wouldn't play, then that question will be, 'Why didn't that guy play?' That's probably going to be something that'll be every week. There'll always be somebody that didn't get the ball thrown to them or didn't get many touches or wasn't on the field as much; it's probably going to be a part of the gameplan each week – and a lot of it is how the game goes, too. But Mark [Andrews] did what he was asked to do in the game – it just turned out that way. It wasn't like he wasn't on the pass routes – he could've been thrown the ball; it just didn't come his way. The blocks came his way. He was out there blocking those guys, and he did a great job."
We noticed that CB Nate Wiggins got cleared to play, and then he was essentially starting. He did get hit with a couple of penalties, but what did you see from him, and where is he at now? (Bo Smolka) "Yes, Nate [Wiggins] competed really hard out there. That was a learning game for Nate, probably. He had some really good plays – he knocked that ball out down there [in the red zone when the Cowboys were] going in [to try and score] – that was a massive play for us. I'm so proud of him for that. Then other times he learned NFL football sometimes. He [was called for] one pass interference penalty where he didn't even touch the guy, but he got another one where he grabbed the guy, so you have to learn from that – and he will. Some of the leverages he'll learn from. Nate's a competitor; he's tough; he wants to be good. I love everything about who he is and where he's going as a player."
You described the late-night film session and the early-morning session today. In that context, what have you seen from defensive coordinator Zach Orr? Obviously, it's a really tough job to come in after what the defense was last year, and the secondary hasn't been what everybody wants. What have you seen as he addresses those issues and really kind of stares what he has to do in the face? (Kyle Goon) "That's the challenge of coaching. You want everything to go great, and we're coaching so many things, but the structure of the defense is the same. There are things that have been added, but none of those things are causing any problems. It's just some basic execution, really in the fourth quarter of games. That's really what the issue has been, and that has to get cleaned up, and that's guys knowing what to do – and they do – and just doing it. I think [defensive coordinator] Zach [Orr] is doing a good job of letting those guys ... He's been very clear about what he expects. He's done a great job of making the corrections, drilling the corrections, getting the corrections practiced, and the guys have to go out there and do it, and they will. Nothing ever comes too easy. Sometimes, it comes easy, and the first three or four games, it's like, 'Man, this is the best of something that there has ever been,' and all of a sudden, it's not so good anymore. There is always this process and evolution, and nothing is ever as good, and nothing is ever as bad sometimes as it seems, and it's that way in football, for sure. When I watch the details of the defense, and we talk through all that stuff, we can see where the issues are, and you just fix them. Then steadily, you play better. It's not so much that we're at this level, and we're not good, or we have to ... It's just [that] we have to play more consistently. The way we played in the first half should be the way we play the whole game – just play that way the whole game. We're capable of doing it, and let's go do it."
With RB Derrick Henry, how impressed were you watching the game back? It's kind of 'vintage Derrick' what we saw yesterday in his first break out game. (Shawn Stepner) "Did you see [Derrick Henry's] suit and hat? Was that impressive? I was impressed with the suit and the hat, but [I] was a lot more impressed with his game. As a football coach, I'll tell you, that was fun. It's like Derrick said, 'It's a team effort.' Football is a team game, but we gave him some space [thanks to] our offensive line [and] our scheme. I thought the gameplan was really good. I thought Lamar [Jackson] created some space for him, as well. Like you guys all said, the perimeter blocking [was good]. All that stuff created the space that he needed to be who he is, and he was who he is. He made a couple of runs, too, with vision, where he'd start inside and bounce outside there, or he'd cut back. He saw some things that not every back sees every time, and once he gets that momentum going, man, he's tough. He's different. So yes, I was excited about that."
Speaking of RB Derrick Henry, he said after the game that he challenged the offensive line to improve and to push them. There was a report that he was working out with them. What can you say about that kind of leadership and how he approached it that resonates with your team? (Kyle Phoenix) "Well, [Derrick Henry] highly respected, and he's a really good person, and he's really supportive of the guys. He's that kind of a guy, so he challenges them in a way that is [like], 'You're capable of so much more. Let's go be that,' and then, like you said, [he'll] dig in there and work with them on it. I think that's what he talked about. So yes, you see it. He's out there in pre-practice. You saw him last week before practice working with the guys in the pass protection stuff, out there before [practice] when the special teams are going and stuff. That's genuine leadership."
With QB Lamar Jackson, his time to throw has significantly decreased over the past three weeks. It's almost half a second less from Week 1. Is that something that's part of the gameplan, especially going up against a guy like Cowboys DE Micah Parsons? (Matt Ryan) "Yes, I think on-time, rhythm passing is important. That's something that we want to be good at, because that takes pressure off of the protection, it takes pressure off the routes, it takes pressure off Lamar [Jackson], and that should be a big part of what we do. Even the boot [route] early to Charlie [Kolar], that's a play-action pass, a misdirection pass – what we call a movement pass – but the ball is out pretty quick there, right? The more you can do those things, keep the defense – hit them quick, keep them moving, get them going one way [and] throw it the other way, or Lamar makes a read, and brings it back over here with a quick throw – those are execution yards that really take a lot of pressure off the rest of the format."
You talked about QB Lamar Jackson's play-faking earlier, and his ball handling yesterday looked exceptional. Sometimes, on TV, I couldn't tell who had the ball. How important is that to take the offense to another level, and how impressed were you when you watched it yesterday? (Keith Mills) "Yes, I was impressed. I was looking the wrong way a couple times." (laughter) "That's what you want – is to tell Lamar [Jackson], 'If you fool me, man, you're definitely fooling the defense.' But that's been a big part of our offense for quite a few years now, and I think the fact that we've been able to maintain that through this transition – style wise – a little bit, has been really important, because it's just one of the things that makes Lamar unique. He's got an amazing ability with hands, and to do some of that stuff that he does just so naturally is pretty rare, so we've got to take advantage of it. I mean, you have to use that. If someone has a gift like that, you have to use it, and seeing it pay off ... It's something the defenses ... I hear every week about who [on our opponent] is playing Lamar at quarterback [in practice] and how they're working on all that stuff – that's kind of what they're talking about. That has to be respected, [and] they have to spend time on that."
I know that every game is a must-win situation, but just based on NFL history, did 0-3 seem almost like a death sentence if you got there? (Jerry Coleman) "Well, no one wanted that. That's not something that we wanted, so that's what made the fourth quarter so interesting. I mean, it was tough. It was a challenging fourth quarter. I was proud of the guys in the sense that they finished. I would have liked to have seen the job done a little sooner, but we finished, and at the end of the day, you have to find a way to finish and get the job done, and they did. So, with that, we've just got to get better with all the little things that we do and get stops in the fourth quarter, get first downs in the fourth quarter, put points on the board when we have a chance to do it – all those things the guys know about."
Everyone has talked about what WR Rashod Bateman is capable of when he gets opportunities. What are your thoughts on what he was able to contribute yesterday? (Carita Parks) "Yes, I was really happy for Rashod [Bateman]. I just feel like ... I feel like he's open a lot, because he runs such good routes, and Lamar [Jackson] finds him, and it's starting to just really grow. We've got the two young wide receivers out there, and I talk to those guys all the time about, 'They're the future and the present,' and we've got the tight ends, and we've got the veteran, 'Nelly' [Nelson Agholor], doing his thing in there, and you see Tylan [Wallace] will go out there, and he makes his plays, and sometimes he does the dirty work, and he does it so well. [And] Justice Hill ... All these guys are just critical elements of what we're trying to do. But 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman] ... Bate's upside is phenomenal."
On the onside kick that Dallas recovered, was there any detail to coach beyond just picking the ball up? What do you take from that? (Childs Walker) "Yes, there is kind of a technique to that, and I think sometimes you get a little overanxious – sometimes – maybe. But that kick, it's not a new kick; it's been around for about four years – that little slide roller that bows back. It's on turf, [and] we don't play on turf a lot, so maybe that was a little bit different for us. But I think it's something that we just have to ... It's like everything else; you have to chase every detail, and you try to be in front of everything as much as you can. But I promise you that we're going to spend some time this week – for all those guys picking up all those kicks – on turf and on grass; we'll do that. And then sometimes, you've just got to go, 'Oh, OK, boy.' It has to get your attention, and you can't overlook something like that when it comes up, because that would have sealed the game. The game was over. I was happy ... When [Dallas] went [with an] onside kick, I was happy. I was like, 'All right, we'll get this onside kick, we'll go down there, we'll get points, more time will be off the clock, [and] the game is going to be ours.' And we cracked the door open. We opened the door a little bit there, and that's where you have to learn, as a team ... And our guys know that, and you've just got to go do it, and once you start doing that – you start closing the door on people, you start kind of choking the life out of the game a little bit – that's when you become a really good closing football team, and we're going to get there."
I believe the Cowboys weren't able to attempt a third onside kick because of the new kickoff rule. What is your opinion on that? (Kyle Phoenix) "I'm going to have to claim ignorance on that one. I've got to be honest with you ... I mean, I'm just being honest here: I didn't know that rule. So, yes, is that right?" (Reporter: "Yes, what's your opinion on that?") "I don't know why that rule ... I wouldn't know why they have that rule, to be honest with you, so I don't have an opinion on it. I guess I'm grateful for it. I don't know. Should I be?" (laughter) "I'd rather have that not come up again – if that's OK." (laughter)
