HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "I appreciate seeing you guys here, and I appreciate you guys making the change in the schedule to come over earlier than usual. The reason is that Ingrid [Harbaugh] and I have a funeral to go to later today, and it's someone that made a big difference that we've known for a long time in our lives, and someone that made a difference actually in the game this week. Her name is Rachel, and she's been a family friend for a long time. She had been battling cancer for over 10 years, and she's been doing great against it and dominating it and outlived all predictions and had a great life with her family for the past number of years, and just was an inspiration as far as who she was. And we talked to the team about her, and the team sent her some encouraging messages on video and to her family that they can cherish now, and she passed on Friday. Our guys took it to heart, and it was something that was meaningful to them, and I think they carried it with them into the game – the perspective that something like this provides you with. God bless Rachel and her family, and may she rest in the arms of the Lord for all of eternity."
The upcoming game against Tampa, from your perspective, is everything set for going to Tampa? Is that kind of how you're proceeding right now? (Jamison Hensley) "I've got nothing. Maybe Chad [Steele] has some information on that, but as far as we know, Chad says no. [We'll be in Tampa] as scheduled."
Can you just walk us through the emotions of yesterday. Obviously, you were informed when the post-game news conference was going on about Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and what he was dealing with. What were your emotions and what were the conversations with him? (Brian Wacker) "I appreciate that. First of all, I talked to Jim [Harbaugh] this morning. He's doing well, doing great, feeling a lot better. He said he [was] feeling a little off that day and the day before a little bit. He's had that issue in the past; he had a couple of procedures over the years. Even as a player, he had it one time, but he's doing good now, and he's going to get some tests done today. The press conference, you guys were there for that. I appreciate [executive vice president & general manager] Eric [DeCosta] grabbing me on that because it [had] just happened, and I think he wanted me to find out the right way. So, we got on the phone right away with [Chargers general manager] Joe Hortiz who was down there with Jim in the locker room, and he gave us the update [that] they were going through the tests and everything and trying to get his heart rate down and all of that. But we knew it wasn't like immediately in trouble at that point. They had gotten him out of the blue [medical] tent by that point. And then later, it calmed down enough – I don't think the doctors really wanted him to go out there, but they had cleared him somehow. Somehow, he convinced them to clear him to go out there and get back out on the field, and he was fine. He'll have further tests, and of course, I appreciate everybody's prayers and everybody's thoughts. I got a lot of messages on that – that's appreciated from everybody that reached out."
Is that something that you've ever had to deal with? I don't know if it's hereditary or anything like that. (Jerry Coleman) "I've never had that. It's like an electrical issue in your heart – I've never had that before."
Did you scold him for going out to coach at all? Or is that just Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh? (Childs Walker) (laughter) "That's not surprising. Not at all. He's never going to let an opportunity like that be wasted."
I'm just curious about G Ben Cleveland on the field goal block. Why did you put him on that team? (Ryan Mink) "I'm going to take some credit for [special teams coordinator] Chris [Horton]. I've been suggesting that for a while, just to be honest with you." (laughter) "[Ben Cleveland] is a big man. He was on there for two weeks now, and he came to Chris and said, 'I want to do it.' And when a guy wants to do something like that and wants to take the time to do it and double down on what he's doing and help the team, man, you're fired up about that. So, he got a game ball in the locker room yesterday for his first-ever field goal block. It was a three-point difference in the game – that was big in that game. So, you never know what plays are going to make the difference, but that was awesome to see. You have Ben in there, you have 'Urb' [Brent Urban] in there, Travis [Jones] is in there – all of those guys do a great job. So, that was a factor for us."
A lot has been made about the offensive line, and you said you were at least thinking about sticking with the offensive line that you've had the last couple of weeks. How impressed were you with them yesterday, and is that still kind of the case going forward? (Cordell Woodland) "Yes, absolutely. They're doing a really good job, and certainly the five guys that played yesterday played very well – different guys did different things to fight through – that they worked through, which is true of all football players, but I thought they did a great job with that – Ronnie [Stanley] being a good example; he played excellent. But not just those five guys, the other ... The six, seven, eight, nine guys – those guys are all playing well when they play, so we're kind of building some real depth in there. I appreciate the high level they're playing at, but just like we said four weeks ago, they can continue to get better. There's a lot of room for improvement across the whole board with our whole team, and definitely the O-line thinks that way, too."
The Commanders found some success throwing the ball in the middle of the field. What did you see on the film that they were able to get those? (Todd Karpovich) "Yes, [the Commanders] hit the over routes. They hit the four or five over routes. Those were kind of the chunk plays for them, for the most part. Those and the one pass interference late were the plays that gave them the yards. We saw what we need to do – those were mostly zone coverage calls – some have a man-zone match involved with them, [and] we just have to play them better. We played well across the board – probably 90-95% of the time, but there's still four plays [or] five plays that we can play better, and that we can ... Sometimes you can knock out ... You might not knock out all five completions, but you might take two of them away – or three of them away – that'll make the difference. Sometimes they'll make a play anyway. We just have to keep chasing the details on those coverages."
A lot has been made about the secondary so far this year. What do you think about the pass rush – do you feel like the pass rush ... What role, I guess, would you say the pass rush has played in the way the secondary has played? (Cordell Woodland) "I believe the pass rush played its best game in a lot of ways in this last game. Some of it was because of who we're going against. Jayden Daniels is a real threat to get out of the pocket. I think he only really got out twice – he had one run for a first down, and he had another run for a long gain right up the middle toward the end of the game there where he got out. Other than that, we kept him in. He goes to his right so many times and would throw on the run and make plays downfield. He didn't have any of those plays in the game. I thought even when he did get out there, we chased him down. But we kept him in there; we sacked him; we batted balls – I think of Brent Urban's bat. The pass rush had a really good disciplined game; lane-integrity game; kept the quarterback in, which was their best game of doing that. That contributed a lot this week in a positive way."
We saw the game ball video after the game with OLB Yannick Ngakoue, and I think you made it clear he wanted to be here. Have you been able to tell from being around him, given the fact that you did get to know him a couple years back, how meaningful this is and how interested he was in this opportunity? (Jeff Zrebiec) "It's really cool – [Yannick Ngakoue is a] Maryland guy; a Ravens fan his whole life. We got to know him in the draft coming out a little bit and then stayed ... You kind of bump into guys, and when he came last time, [we] really got to know each other. He and I, we hit it off – we stayed in touch all the way through. The biggest thing is he tells me every time I see him – every time I see him, he tells me how excited he is to be here, and how he's got our backs and everything like that. I see it in the way he's practicing and the way he's playing. He played tremendously well, which was not a surprise because we saw him practice that way. [He's been a] big addition; [he's a] big addition to our team; very excited with the way he's rolling."
S Ar'Darius Washington will want the chance at the interception back, but it seemed like maybe he played a little more two-high safety in the second half. What do you see for him maybe in that spot, and maybe getting more opportunities in that role? (Luke Jones) "Yes, I mean it's a good question, because we have a lot of good players back there. We know that we're very talented back there. I told the guys last week – we were the 29th-ranked pass defense by a statistics in the league – 'Are we going to play 29th the rest of the year?' That's an opportunity, because we know we're far better than that – we're much more talented than that and we can play so much better. To me that's part of it. You've got Ar'Darius [Washington], who every time he goes out there, he plays well. You just want to find spots for guys to play. If you have good players, you want to get them out there, and it does take away from other guys, but that's just the nature of it. But we want to give everybody an opportunity to go out there and do what they do well. The more you play well, the more you play, basically."
Along those lines, CB Nate Wiggins played about 75 percent of the snaps on defense. How has he come along getting more ingrained in this defense? (Garrett Downing) "Yes, Nate [Wiggins] steadily gets better and better. You saw him make some really good plays out there – some big plays out there – and then there are other plays that he wants to do better at. He's young. [Our opponents] go after him because he's young, like they would anybody, but he's held his own really well. I think he's only going to continue to improve, because he has the right mindset for it, and I'm excited about the upside in a big way, and you saw him play a lot as a result."
You've had really good rushing attacks in the past for many years. What's the difference now with RB Derrick Henry being here? (Cordell Woodland) "Well, we've had good rushing attacks, and we've had a lot of games where we've rushed for a lot of yards. That's all great, but the difference Derrick Henry has made is pretty clear; you see it, so I think I agree with what you're saying. It's a different kind of rushing attack with him because of the way he runs the ball. He's just one of a kind. He's one of one. Somebody asked me in the [network TV] production meeting this week, 'Who do you compare him to?' I'm like, 'Man, who do you compare him to?' I saw the Eric Dickerson article. OK, I think there is some similarity. I remember Eric Dickerson coming up, but after that, and even that, I don't know, man. He's one of one."
I think they talked on the broadcast about how you wanted to draft RB Derrick Henry back in the day. Can you go back to 2016 and what those conversations were like? How much did you want to make that happen? (Ryan Mink) "Well, there wasn't much conversation about drafting [Derrick Henry] here when he came out, because he was going to go too high. Everybody knew how high he was going to go, and it just wasn't in our place at that point in time, but I just saw him on tape. What a perfect fit for the Ravens he would be. That's the kind of back you wanted to have. He just seemed so different. He just seemed like one of a kind, and then, playing against him, [there were] a lot of envious eyes watching him play for the Titans all those years. I just appreciate the way he's fit in here as a teammate, the way he's fit into the offense [and] the way the offense has fit him in. All the way across the board, it's really been great, and I want to keep building on it."
Related to that, there were a lot of questions about what role FB Patrick Ricard was going to have in this offense the last year or so. Once RB Derrick Henry was signed, did you already envision that Patrick Ricard was suddenly going to be back to a real, prominent role, because he's played a lot of snaps in the last month or so. (Bo Smolka) "Yes, that's a great question, and that might be true. I don't really remember it specifically like that. I don't think we ever thought that Pat [Ricard] wasn't going to be a big part of the offense or play a prominent part in our minds. We just knew that he's unique. He's another guy who's one of one, and what he does, he does so well, so it's not something you didn't want to have in your offense. How much is he going to be used game to game or what the gameplans would be – you just never know – but definitely when Derrick came on, it probably made it even a bigger part, maybe. I can see the point on that, but it wasn't how we were thinking so much. We just knew Pat was going to be a part of it."
When you have a great player like ILB Roquan Smith who holds himself to a very high standard, and he has a game where he maybe has a few plays in coverage that he'd like to have back, how do you approach that? Do you talk to him about that, or do you just sort of trust him to take care of it? (Childs Walker) "Both. You have conversations, because we're always talking football, for sure. We talk [about] the plays all the time with all the guys, so [Roquan Smith] wants to talk ball, and he's the kind of guy that's always going to want to talk about the plays he could do better. He's never the type of guy that wants to ... He'll accept a compliment. Everybody likes to be patted on the back, of course, but he doesn't need that. What he needs and wants is, 'OK, this is what I have to look at here. Why was I thinking that? What can I do better?' That's how he approaches it."
I know you said in the past you were going to monitor RB Derrick Henry's carries and all that going forward, but when he's hot the way he is, is it hard to go away from him? (Jerry Coleman) "Oh, yes. I think the point of the whole thing is it's not going to be ...You just don't expect 25 – I said 30, and that was probably an exaggeration – but I think you can say ... We're not planning and expecting and demanding 20 to 25 carries a game out of any back. We have multiple backs that can do different things, and you just don't know if you're going to get that many opportunities, necessarily, to run the ball. When you have the lead, it definitely amps that up, especially in the second half, so the carries go up, but every game, you can't say every game is going to be a high number of carries or touches or throws or anything, which was my point. So, we didn't bring Derrick in to say, 'Oh, we're going to make sure he gets the ball a certain number of times.' We just want to get him the ball enough times to win the game, which [in] some games is a lot. How many did he have yesterday?" (Reporter: "24.") "[He had] 24, and we weren't counting them, but it sure felt comfortable giving him the ball at the end there, so that's kind of how it goes."
You had 4 kickoff returns averaging 26 yards for the first time, really, this season. Are you happy with the way your guys handled that? (Todd Karpovich) "I'm OK-happy about it. [Special teams coordinator] Chris [Horton] is OK-happy about it. It's nice to get some reps finally. It's just the disappointing thing about the play – and we're part of it, too, because we kick a lot of touchbacks – is that the whole idea was to get more kickoff returns, and there really aren't. It's really not happening, and there are reasons for that, but I think we could be better. We can cover better, we can return better, and we just have to keep working. I appreciate the guys, because I feel like we've got five, six or seven guys on our kickoff team at any one time who are rookies. That's a high number, so we're a very young team with our backup group, so those guys are learning, and they've done a great job of punt and punt return, and they have to. They've done well, so we have to keep training those guys, and I think as those guys to keep getting better, our kick and kickoff return will keep getting better."
There has been talk of moving the touchback up to the 35-yard line or even the 40-yard line. Would you be supportive of that? (Jamison Hensley) "I would, I would. Am I going to get in trouble for that? Do I care?" (laughter)
The run defense was really good against the Commanders has been outstanding all year. Would are you seeing when you watch the tape? Why are you guys playing such good run defense? (Ryan Mink) "Two things; our front – I'm talking about our defensive line, linebackers [and] our defensive ends – [is] playing really good technique, 80% of the time, and then 10% of the time, it's OK, then 10% of the time, it needs to be better, and they'll tell you that. But it's really good and physical and tough and disciplined. The other part of it is our DBs [defensive backs] are showing up. Our DBs are showing up in the box and on the edge when they're supposed to – crack, replace. [They're] showing up on screens, which we consider part of the run defense. For the vast most part, our DBs also are also doing a really good job, so, to me, it's hand in hand."
Speaking of defensive backs, we saw CB Arthur Maulet come back to practice and then have a setback with the hamstring. Do you expect him make it back this week, and how much could that help? (Brian Wacker) "[I'm] very hopeful that [Arthur Maulet] will be back this week. I think there is a good chance he will be. We'll see on Thursday [and] Friday, but I think there's a really good chance he'll be practicing this week, and then, we'll have to see, from practice, if he can play [in the Monday night game] or not."
Do you have to make a decision about CB Arthur Maulet this week, or do you still have another week? (Jeff Zrebiec) "I think we have another week, do we? Do you know?" (Reporter: "It's 21 days.") "It's 21 days. I have to do ..." (Reporter: "Didn't he return to practice on October 2nd?") "I promise you, we'll make a decision by the time 21 days is up." (laughter)
Do you feel that RB Keaton Mitchell is still progressing the way you guys had hoped? (Cordell Woodland) "Right. [There is] no change in status [with Keaton Mitchell]. I'm still very optimistic and positive."
In terms of the pass defense, it seems like there have been some big plays against DB Brandon Stephens, but he's really stuck with the guy in coverage well, and it's been the 50-50 balls that opponents have converted. What can you guys teach him to make sure he's on the positive end of the 50-50 balls? (Giana Han) "Well, that's the thing about playing corner; it's the island. So, you have to understand the nature of the position when you play single-high [coverage] in man, which we play a decent amount – probably more than most teams. We don't just protect our corners at all costs. And Brandon [Stephens], they've put great receivers on him, and they've thrown fades against press-man [coverage], and I think he's held up really well. There have been plays, obviously, that have been made, [and] he's had plays he'd want to have back, but there are really not too many that I would look at and say, 'Hey, that's poor technique' – really none. They've made some plays on him, [and there are] some things [where] you'd coach the details, in terms of where he's leveraged on the receiver, and he's all ears, and he's really detailed, in that sense. So, I feel good about the way Brandon has been playing. I think it's a positive and a plus for us – I mean, a major positive and plus for us."
Obviously, you're going to be busy next Monday night, but Peyton and Eli Manning will be doing the ManningCast for your game. Have you ever been invited to be on the ManningCast? Do you even pay attention to it? (Jerry Coleman) "Isn't that during games?" (Reporter: "Yes, it's on during the football game. I'm talking about when you're not playing on Monday Night Football.") "No, I don't think ... Do any active coaches do that? Have they been asked to do the ManningCast while the season is going on? The short answer is no, I have never been asked to be on that."
Can you just talk about the success you've had with tosses to RB Derrick Henry and getting him out in space on the outside? (Jonas Shaffer) "Yes, to your point, the toss plays have been really good in critical situations, and I just think it's part of the fact that the diversity of the offense has helped. So, the idea that you have to defend the run game from the 'A gap' all the way to the sideline on both sides, and then you have to defend the play-action and the quick-passing game off the hard play-actions in the middle of the field all the way out to the sideline. We pretty much [have] been able to attack the width of the field and the depth of the field with the run game and the run play-actions, so that just makes it tough; you spread them a little thin. They've stopped us, too. They've stopped inside runs, and they've stopped outside runs, but we've also hit [on] our fair share, because I just think it's hard to be everywhere on defense. And that's probably the calculus for why we've hit some of those big runs, maybe, when you would think that people would be looking for them. They're also thinking [that] there's a possibility that we're running inside, plus, Lamar [Jackson] can show a play-action and throw behind them, too, and you've kind of got to respect that, too."
