HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "It's good to see everybody. I appreciate you being here. Let's go O's [Baltimore Orioles], let's go. I can't wait for that game tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. I have to be honest, I probably won't be watching it." (Laughter) "But I'll be monitoring it very closely. I support those guys, we're excited for them, and we can't wait to see them go get after it in the playoffs.
"I'm excited about our win last night. As you look at it, we did many good things – things that we improved on, we're building. I think we're growing as a football team. We're kind of in that building phase still trying to stack practices and good plays every day and improvement. But yet, we have so many things that we can get better at that we need to get better at. [We have] so many things that'd you like to have back from the game and do better that we'll try our best to learn from – and we will learn from them – just like we have in the past few games before this. That's what we're working on right now, trying to put all that stuff together so we can get our guys in here and have a great week of practice and get ready for the Bengals."
RB Derrick Henry had another massive game. There were a lot of questions with him being 30 years old and the track record with running backs at that age. Why do you think he's still being so productive at this age when a lot of running backs just aren't? (Jamison Hensley) "Yes, that's a good question. I'm sure it's different for every single person, but there's a lot of things about Derrick [Henry] that make him unique – talent is one of them for sure, and work ethic is another one for sure. He's just a very tough human being. Really, the proof is in the results, and you kind of go by what you see. So, when we were evaluating the possibility of bringing him in here, I just think we looked at how he's been playing. And to see that continue on obviously is great, but we did expect him to play this way, and we're excited about it."
You started the season with two losses and two wins. You talk about staying even-keeled, it's a marathon of a season. Players can be a little bit more emotional than coaches, so how do you get them to buy into that philosophy? (Todd Karpovich) "The players are pros, too. At this level, there's a real collaboration between coaches and players, especially nowadays in the NFL. These are grown men. These are guys that are professionals; they take their careers very seriously. It means a lot to them, and they understand how the season works. We'll do [something called] 'Wise Words,' and players talk to the team. We have different captains every week – they talk to the guys. They say brilliant things. They say things that are spot on. We have that kind of leadership and that kind of culture where it's kind of grown from within, nurtured from within. Those are the guys that set the tone. That's what you want."
LG Andrew Vorhees was obviously injured. What went into the decision to give OL Patrick Mekari the start there, and why do you think that went so well with him and also with T Roger Rosengarten at right tackle? (Brian Wacker) "That move made a lot of sense. I think we all agreed on it, not that the other guys couldn't have played in there, they could have. I'll say this, Ben [Cleveland] for instance, he's been practicing very well. When Ben gets his chance, he's going to play very well. But Patrick [Mekari] is such an experienced guy, and he's played all the positions [on the offensive line]. Although, left guard [for Mekari] I read was 10 snaps in the past, so that was a good stat you guys pulled out. He's practiced a lot at all the positions over the years, and he's just a guy – that's his kind of superpower. That's his trait, that he can do so many different things so well. As we go forward, we'll see how Andrew [Vorhees]'s ankle is and all that, but Patrick [Mekari] can continue to do it, and he's only going to get better if he gets more reps there. Obviously, Roger [Rosengarten] is a guy that's been coming on. He's a high draft pick; he's a guy that we have a lot of expectations for, and he didn't do anything in that game to dampen that down at all. I think you just kind of take it as comes every single week, and you try to put the best group out there that you can, and the next best guy that's playing and have everybody ready, so when need arises, you can put a player in there that can help you win."
Talk about that whole back-to-back timeout scenario that occurred in the second half? Now that you've gone back and looked at it, any thoughts on how that went down? Or was that something that was a game operation thing that just went the wrong way? (Jerry Coleman) "That was not good; that was one I want back. There are a lot of reasons stuff happens in a game, and there's a lot of things that happen, but I want that one back. That was bad. I felt bad about it at the time. I still feel bad about it. I'm going to feel bad about it next year, and 10 years from now, I'm going to hate it still. It was just a bad sequence for us, for me especially."
CB Nate Wiggins had some tough moments in the game the week before, but you had him out there for almost every defensive snap right away yesterday. What gave you the faith that he would handle that as well as he did? (Childs Walker) "That's growth – [Nate Wiggins is] just a growth guy [with a] growth mindset. We trust our guys to learn and grow. [We] gave him an opportunity to go out there and do it again. He's been practicing really well. He and I had numerous conversations; he and [assistant head coach/pass game coordinator] Chris [Hewitt] had numerous conversations – it's just [a] natural part of football. He listens, and [he] practiced well last week and went out and played well."
If you look at a lot of the big RB Derrick Heny runs, or any big offensive plays in the last couple weeks, you usually find a tight end or a fullback or a wide receiver blocking on the perimeter or making a play downfield. What about how selfless some of those guys have been – TE Mark Andrews doesn't have a catch in two weeks; WR Zay Flowers didn't have his normal numbers yesterday, but just how are people buying into that? (Jeff Zrebiec) "Football is a team sport. It's the ultimate team sport, and when you have a bunch of players that are team players – team guys – I believe you have a chance to be a good team – that's what we have. As we've said before, if Derrick [Henry] or the running game doesn't quite get going from a stat-wise [perspective], the questions are always going to be, 'Well, what about the running game?' The running game gets going, and the questions are always going to be, 'What about this player?' 'That player is not getting targeted,' or 'You're not throwing the ball that much,' or 'Passing yards aren't up.' It's part and parcel, so we understand that. The answer is always that the whole is greater than the parts, and the parts make the whole. Those guys get it – they're contributing in a big way. Mark Andrews is going to definitely have big games here catching the ball. Isaiah [Likely]'s going to have big games catching the ball – all those guys are. We're going to have a big passing game coming up here at some point in time soon. It's hard to predict when it's going to be, because games go where they go, and the ball goes where it goes, and it's just a competitive deal. My point is that the reason we ran the ball so well is because everybody was bought into the play that was being run in that moment and executed it so well. Mark had some phenomenal blocks out there – I mean some dominant blocks; so did Isaiah; so did 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman]; so did Zay [Flowers]. Zay's in there crack-blocking – he and Tylan [Wallace] are crack-blocking defensive ends in there. That's what gives you the chance to be successful, and when those guys are running routes and catching the ball, people will be blocking for them as well."
Specifically with TE Mark Andrews, there's a level of production that everyone kind of expects. Going back-to-back games without a catch – is that something that you will talk to the player to make sure everything's OK or how do you kind of handle that? (Jamison Hensley) "I could probably try to talk to Mark [Andrews] to make sure everything's OK, but he would just look at me like, 'What are you talking to me about? Everything's fine; everything's good.' Guys are competitive – everybody wants to be the difference because they know that they're great players. Mark Andrews is a great player. All those guys are special in their own way, but Mark is a star – there's no doubt about it. The fact that we're doing well on offense and as a team, and that part hasn't been expressing itself in the last two weeks gets me kind of excited, because that's another weapon that we have that's going to happen. It's just part of the versatility of the offense, which is really important."
Last year when you signed OLB Kyle Van Noy, you had a lot of good things to say about him. When you watch him now, why do you think he is excelling so well at the age that he is? (Bo Smolka) "Well, [Kyle Van Noy] will tell you that he's young. Every time you talk to him – you guys know – he'll tell you, 'I'm young, I'm young.' He's certainly playing young, but he's also playing crafty. He's playing like a vet – he's smart; he's in the right place. The thing that I'm impressed with – and this is not just him, this is the whole defense – the coaches, led by [defensive coordinator] Zach [Orr], have done a great job of emphasizing this, but he's playing so hard. You see him chasing [Bills quarterback] Josh Allen out to the defensive left side and forcing him to make a decision as quick as possible. All those guys doing ... With him turning around and running down the screen pass – it's pretty impressive."
Last night, DT Nnamdi Madubuike had great things to say about the way that defensive coordinator Zach Orr called the game. A month in, what have you seen from his development in that role? (Giana Han) "That's a great point. I thought both coordinators were really on point – had been on point – but it really showed up in this game, and on the defense, it really showed up. [Defensive coordinator] Zach [Orr] has been ... And the coaches – all the coaches together – have a great collaboration. I think they put together a great gameplan. I think Zach really called the game really well. He kept them off balance. It was a nice mix of coverage [and] of different various kinds of pressures. It was a lot of pressures, but they were various types of pressures. There were four-man blitzes; there were five-man type of pressures; there were different coverages and different coverage rotations behind the blitzes, and he called them at the right time. You don't want to have an offense have a beat on necessarily where you're going next. He did a really good job of that, and I would say the same thing about [offensive coordinator] Todd [Monken] and the offensive coaches. They were moving around different places, and it helps to have some success, when you can kind of get some plays and get some reps and get some first downs. Then, you have a chance to call more stuff. I thought they did a great job of it, both Todd and Zach."
Going back to what you were saying about OLB Kyle Van Noy, given his age, is that something you think you'll have to sort of manage as you get deeper in the season, in terms of snap counts and workload and that sort of thing? (Brian Wacker) "I think we'll keep an eye on it, for sure, and probably as much as anything, you look at practice. Kyle [Van Noy] is not going to be a guy that's going to need as many reps in practice as a younger guy might or will, so we'll definitely manage that, and then we'll see in the game. [For] any player, there is kind of an ideal number of reps. You get gassed out there, so you definitely want to keep your guys as fresh as possible, even in game, but yes. We'll definitely be looking at that."
The conventional thought is running backs are usually best on their first contract. RB Justice Hill is now playing really good football on his third contract now. How have you seen him progress as a player? (Ryan Mink) "[Justice Hill] is on his third contract, but you know, he got a couple pretty quick ones. How old is he? What year is he in the league?" (Reporter: "Six.") "Six. It's not like ... He's not 30 years old, but that's still young though, if you ask Kyle [Van Noy], to be clear."
How have you seen RB Justice Hill grow? It seems like he's playing his best football now? How has he improved as a player? (Ryan Mink) "[Justice Hill] has improved as a player. You're exactly right about that. He was a good player coming in. He was kind of a speed back, and you saw him as a third-down back, but he just is a guy – we've said it before about him – nothing gets this guy down. [There is] nothing that can break him. He just keeps coming in, he has a smile on his face, and he works hard. He's a really smart person, understands the game [and] understands the entire offense. You could probably line him up at every position, and he'd know what to do, for sure – every skill position at least. He probably knows the blocking schemes, too. I just think he's that kind of a guy, and then, just to see him – even through special teams ... Here's a guy who, if we put him out there at special teams right now – and we probably will at some point when we need him – he'll play great on special teams, too. Everything you ask him to do, he does well."
Buffalo had just been lights out against man-to-man coverage coming into this game. You guys were really able to be pretty effective. What does that say about your guys' ability to hold up man-to-man coverage maybe at a higher rate – in terms of how often you call that coverage – especially with development guys like CB Nate Wiggins and S Kyle Hamilton moving forward over the season*?* (Jonas Shaffer) "That's a good point. I've always really felt like we were going to be a really good man cover team going into the season, and to see it come to fruition here as we go, especially in this game because they had done really well against man [coverage and] the crossing routes. [The Bills] were really hurting people with the crossing routes. Josh [Allen] is so accurate throwing those things in there. Our guys were on them. There were a couple of contested catches. Everything was contested, really, except the scramble play late. We were contesting everything, and we were close. Even some of the plays they made – some of the back-shoulder throws – they were contested, just really great plays on their part. You have to give them credit for making those plays to [Keon] Coleman over there on the left side. So I thought Brandon [Stephens] was really good. I thought Nate [Wiggins] really made ... The things that needed to do better from one week to the next, he did them. He fixed them. Marlon [Humphrey] was all over people out there. Our safeties covered well. It's good to feel like you can have confidence in playing man coverage."
Related to that, CB Arthur Maulet is eligible to come back this week. Do you anticipate him practicing soon? (Bo Smolka) "I do. I do. [Arthur Maulet] should practice this week, and then we'll see where he's at physically and [where we are] roster-wise and all those kinds of things."
What are the teaching points – if any – on the scramble play that QB Josh Allen completed? Obviously, it was a tremendous, athletic play that he made on the sideline. But what would you teach coming out of that? (Childs Walker) "We had that very discussion this morning, and the things about scramble plays are ... We have what we call 'Plaster Rules' that we teach, and I think we're great at them, to be honest with you. And if you look at us over the last 10, 12 years, it's been something that we've really kind of gotten good at, because we've had to. [When] you look back to Ben Roethlisberger, that's where it started for us. If you didn't try to keep ... If you couldn't keep Ben in the pocket, and you tried to, then you'd better plaster those guys, because that's how [the Steelers] won games. We developed our 'Plaster Rules' then, so I think we have a good handle on it, but they're not hard [and] fast, because no two scrambles are the same. I think [with] the Bills, 20% of their plays were scramble plays, so that's their most-called play – their most-run play. It's not their most-called play; it's their most-run play, right? 20% – that's one out of five plays are plays that that comes up in, so you have to be on point, and every one of them is different, because you can't predict [what] a receiver is going to do. They have their rules, [and] we know what their rules are, because we study them on tape and break them down, and one of their rules is to go deep. So, the situation is, is the person going deep plastered, or is he a guy that's going to be taken up by the deepest [defensive] player? So, the rules are, if you're a deep player, you stay as deep as the deepest receiver. If you're a zone player, and you have somebody in your zone, you turn it into man, and you plaster them, and then you stick tight and have your eyes on your 'luggage.' So, that kind of fell between the cracks there, I think, in terms of just the way the play played out. So, we'll look at it on tape, we'll talk to the guys, and I'm confident that we'll do a good job going forward. But it's hard to say for all the scramble plays you're going to have over the course of the next season, you're going to be perfect on all of them. I also think you've got to give them credit. I mean, Josh Allen is going full speed to his right; somehow, off his back foot, [he] puts a foot in the ground and throws the ball 50 yards across his body downfield. It's just a really amazing play by a great player, too. So, we want to be on that player, we want to be defending that play, for sure, we'll coach it, and our guys will ... This is all our guys are thinking about right now after the game. I promise you, that's the one play they're thinking about. But I've got to give Josh Allen a lot of credit on that play, too."
What can you say about T Ronnie Stanley being an anchor at left tackle and helping lead a younger group of offensive linemen? What can you say about his play, both in pass protection and in his effectiveness blocking when you're running off that left side? (Kyle Phoenix) "Yes, Ronnie Stanley deserves so much credit. I mean, he's really having a good year, and he's got a lot of football left in him. I expect him to keep improving. I think he's going to keep on the rise. His level of play has just been going like this (motioning upward incline), and it's fun to see, both [in] run and pass. A lot of times, he was singled up out there in pass protection and just did a really good job. And like you said, in the run game, [he made nice] reach blocks, down blocks, had some good cutoff blocks, screen blocks; he had a couple really good screen blocks that sprung some screens. So, yes, it was good."
Obviously, the momentum after a win like Sunday night's is pretty high, but going into an AFC North game, with two teams that know each other as well as you do, just what is the message coming into the start of divisional play? (Jonas Shaffer) "Yes, it's pretty much that message. I mean, the message is, 'This is a division game. This is a rivalry game.' These are two teams that know each other really well. When you go prepare for this kind of a game, you start pretty far down the road, and there are a lot of shared experiences. And we've gone [to Cincinnati]... It's a tough environment to play in. It's a very different environment, and [the Bengals] are just a very competitive team, and they've got a lot of great players. Anything can happen. I mean, I think back to Steve Smith catching that pass when we were trying to come back and going for a touchdown [and] that thing getting called back by an offensive pass interference, which ... The official who called it is one of the best in the league; he knows who he is. But I still haven't forgotten the call." (laughter) "These crazy, crazy things that happen in these division games are pretty incredible, and I think we're just going to have to be at our best. That's what we'll talk to our guys about."
We saw NT Michael Pierce practice in full on Friday, then you guys announced that he was downgraded to doubtful. Is that something else that popped up? Going forward, could that become a long-term concern? (Jeff Zrebiec) "No, I just think it's part ... It's just kind of the way it works. You never can predict anything; that's why I just hate to predict what a guy is going to do or not going to do, because you just never know. It wasn't something we necessarily anticipated, but it's what happened."
Is it kind of pointless to look at the record and see 2-2, and think that easily could or should be 4-0? (Jerry Coleman) "Yes, it's pointless." (laughter)
Last year, your screen game was kind of hit or miss. This year, so far, it seems like it's been really effective. I know there are a lot of factors that go into that, but is there anything that you can specify that has helped that kind of come along? (Jonas Shaffer) "Well, yes. I think we're just ... We're executing it better. We have a better understanding of it, [and] timing has been better. Just across the board, we're just executing the play at a much higher level than we ever have before. I'm excited about it. There are different types of screens in there, so [there are] some nuances here and there that guys are doing a really good job with. I'm proud of the guys. I think the coaches have done a really good job of coaching it, and it's nice to see, because it's a valuable thing. It's really helping us."
