HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "It's good to see everybody. I really appreciate you being here. [We] had a good week of practice. [We] had the outside [practice] work [and] the inside [practice] work – we're ready to go. One announcement on the injury front – Zay Flowers is not going to be able to make it to the game this week, so he'll get started again next week, and we'll move forward with the guys we have. And we're excited about the guys we have, which is everybody else."
In that regard with WR Zay Flowers being down, do you think it's going to be more of a collective group effort to absorb the targets, the catches, things like that? (Jamison Hensley) "Absolutely. It's going to be an opportunity. We'll move guys around. Guys will play spots based on the gameplan, and the ball will kind of go where it will go based on the way it unfolds, in terms of how they play us and kind of take what the defense gives you kind of opportunity. So, we have a lot of weapons, and Lamar [Jackson] will distribute that thing the way he sees fit, play to play."
WR Zay Flowers is part of so much with what you do, even the pre-snap stuff. Does his absence take away anything that's in your gameplan? (Childs Walker) "No, we still have all of our plays. Guys will be doing them that we feel are best suited to do the different jobs in this game against the opponent we're playing."
How much does it help having RB Justice Hill and with RB Keaton Mitchell still coming back slowly? (Brian Wacker) "I think it helps a lot. Justice [Hill] is an experienced player. He's been in these games before. He's really versatile in terms of what he can do skillset-wise. He can take some of those jobs you talked about that Zay [Flowers] does. He's in the backfield, he's out of the backfield; you can put two [running] backs back there. It just gives you a lot of options with Justice."
Obviously, this is a big time of year and a big game. What is WR Zay Flowers' mentality right now knowing that he will miss this game? (Cordell Woodland) "[Zay Flowers] is locked in on his rehab; he's locked in. Every time I walk in there, he's in there working on it, and we'll see how it looks next week."
We've asked you about the offensive line even going back to the offseason, but you've been able to start the same five since Week 4. Last week with OL Patrick Mekari, I think that's about the only time that anyone had missed because of health? How valuable has it been to build that continuity, to build that cohesiveness now entering that second season? (Luke Jones) "Very valuable. It's important in every position. It's important in football. It's an 11-player sport. There are a lot of moving parts there, and it's always about being cohesive and being on the same page and timing and ... I mean, those line blocks in there, [the] combination blocks [and] the communication part of it – that's something that really builds up over time. And we work the other guys in, too, in case, but those guys having a chance to work together all season, and it was a new group, as you know. So, I think that's been a really big part of the success there."
How are you feeling about the weather and the atmosphere come Saturday night? (Jerry Coleman) "I'm more excited about the atmosphere than the weather, personally." (laughter) "The weather may drive the atmosphere a little bit, too. It's just going to be a great environment. I expect our fans to be how they are – they'll be into it; they'll be fired up. It's going to be a night game; it's going to be cold; it's going to be dark, and our team is going to try to play lights out. We're going to try to play the football that I think we're capable of playing, but I think our fans will be there to help us and support us and be loud when they're supposed to be loud, I'm quite sure."
You've been doing this a long time. You've been to the playoffs plenty of times. Do your emotions change going into the playoffs understanding it's win or go home time? How do you take the new season? (Cordell Woodland) "I have done this for a long time – a lot of playoff games here, a lot playoff games as an assistant coach ... Twenty-seven years now, and we've been to the playoffs most all of those years, and it is exciting. I'm so fired up. It's the most exciting thing in the world to be a part of the NFL playoffs. It's the most exciting thing in the world to take that field with an NFL team, with a bunch of guys that you love. You love how committed they are; you love how much they work, how determined and dedicated they are, that are going to just lay it all out there. Whatever happens, happens, and it's tough to win. You're playing the best teams [in] a one-game deal. It's not a seven-game series. You don't have a chance to come back. It might be a seven-series game – that's what it might be. You have to find a way to make the most of every series in that game and try to find a way to win the game and figure it out as you go within the game. It's great. It's awesome."
The players have seemed business-like and loose when we've been around them. Do you like what you're feeling from them? (Childs Walker) "I do. I see the same thing. I see exactly that. They're ready to go. They've worked hard. We don't look at it like a new season; we look at it like an extension of the season. We are who we are based on what we've done and how hard we've worked, and we want to keep building on that and play our best football right now."
What was the focus on today's practice? I think we were maybe expecting to go outside and see you guys practicing out there. (Jonas Shaffer) "Well, we were outside the first two days. We got all of our fast work out there, all of our timing. You do get used to throwing and catching in the cold, the wind blowing the ball around – those kinds of things [and] bumping into each other as much as we can in practice and in the cold, but today was an execution day. Today was a 'mental sweat,' we like to call it sometimes. We were chasing perfect technique, perfect communication and perfect execution today."
With the turnover margin of great importance in the playoffs and in games in general. How do you go about teaching to pursue those without gambling or keeping it technique sound? (Kyle Phoenix) "Well, I think what you said, the last part of it right there was probably the key thing – technique sound. [We're] just focused on technique sound. Keep it simple. I've heard it stated by a former Pittsburgh Steelers coach [Chuck Noll], that, 'Greatness is doing the ordinary things better than everybody else.' And doing the ordinary things is the techniques in football. Doing the football stuff – the self-evident truths, whether it's ball handling, or throwing and catching and exchanging, defensively tackling, punching balls out, things like that that relate to ball security or takeaways. It's important in every game, and it's critically important in the playoffs for sure. And I'm sure they'll be locked in for it, and we'll be locked in for it, too. And whatever team does a better job with that is going to have a better chance to win the game."
What's the meaning behind your "GOOD" T-shirt? (Brian Wacker) "Good? Good. If you look it up, [former Navy Seal Jocko Willink] is the author of it, but the idea basically is, if you have a tough situation, 'Good.' [It's an] opportunity to become tougher. [If] you have a disappointment or a setback, 'Good,' [it's] an opportunity to get better and improve yourself. Every situation you face is an opportunity. If you can say good, that's good, because you're still breathing. You may still be bleeding, but you're still breathing, and that's good. So, that's kind of what we've had. That, along with '1-0' is two things that we've been focusing on throughout."
Do you guys have any players or staff affected by the fires over in L.A.? (Jonas Shaffer) "I'm not sure. My brother [Jim Harbaugh] and his family are about 10 miles south of it right now. I know our family does. We have a lot of friends over there, obviously, with the Chargers. So, hopefully that thing gets contained. Hopefully they find some water to contain it with. What I read, they didn't have water – what a shame. So, our prayers will be with them for sure that they get that contained. A lot of people have lost a lot, unfortunately, but thanks for bringing that up."
WR RASHOD BATEMAN
On WR Zay Flowers' loss this weekend will impact the offense: "I don't think it changes anything. The No. 1 goal is to go out and make plays, and that's what we're looking forward to doing, and I think that's what we'll do."
On his excitement going into the upcoming playoff game: "I'm definitely excited. A lot of work has gone into getting us to this point. I definitely hate that Zay is not going out be out there with us, but I trust that our guys will get the job done, and that's what I'm looking forward to doing."
On what he needs to do to be successful in the playoffs: "Just be myself. Don't go out there and do anything that I haven't done or try to be anything extra. Just be myself and make plays."
On if a part of him relishes the opportunity to step up and make plays in WR Zay Flowers' absence: "The situation that we have on our hands doesn't change anything about me and my role and what I [have] to do. My job is to go out and make plays no matter who's on the field. It might look a little different as far as where I'm at and different things, but overall, we [have] a football game to play, and I [have] to go play ball."
RB JUSTICE HILL
On building upon past playoff experiences heading into this year's postseason: "I think for me, it's just another game. I'll just go out there like it's a practice in training camp and just be in the moment, for real. Just make plays and do what you always do. Don't make the moment bigger than what it really is, so I think that's the thing for all of us, especially now that we've been to playoff games, and we've seen both sides of it. I think we just go in there levelheaded and go play."
On what he expects of the atmosphere for Saturday's game: "Lit. Hopefully the weather [doesn't] scare too many people off, but I think it's going to be lit regardless. Baltimore fans, especially with this game being who it is against, they're going to be out [and] showing out."
On if he has to do anything differently or extra to prepare since he hasn't played the last two games: "It was only a week. We played two games, but it was a short week, but it's football. It's like riding a bike. I can go all year without playing and can come back and play, so I don't think being out is going to affect me that much at all. I'm just grateful to be out there and playing."
OLB ODAFE OWEH
On what he sees from Pittsburgh's offense: "Any offense is an NFL offense, so they can make anything happen. They try to make a lot of big chunk plays; we just have to stop those. I like our defensive line against what they do, so we're just going to go out there and compete."
On his confidence level going into the playoffs: "I'm very confident. I try to take that into every game. [I] just try to make a play out there. I feel like you make your name out in playoff games, and what better team to make it [than] against the Steelers. I'm very excited."
On if there's an impact to potentially facing both Steelers quarterbacks: "Just a little bit. I feel like both of them [are] kind of the same, but a little different. Justin [Fields] is going to run a little bit more, so we have to be more disciplined in how we play with play action [and] run-type downs. 'Russ' [Russell Wilson], he's more the vet, so he's going to take more of the chances, I feel like, so we have to play those honest, too, but I feel like both of them we can get after, so it'll be the same game."
