HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "[It's] good to see everybody. I appreciate you being here. I just met with the guys, and [we were] watching the tape and going through the game. They'll be coming back Monday for practice and for meetings, and we'll be focusing on the [New York] Giants. In the meantime, coaches will be here all week and go through really every aspect. It's a little different with a late bye like this. I don't think it will be so much geared toward midseason reviews and things like that, because I know we have a good idea of where we're at. We're going to be looking for ideas and adjustments and watching our opponents that we're going to be playing in the next three to four weeks and doing everything we can to be ready for those and create as many opportunities for our players, put them in position to make plays as we can. That's what we'll be searching out in the next five days. What questions do you have?"
I know we asked about WR Diontae Johnson after the game. Is there any other clarification that you have with that? (Jamison Hensley) "At this time, I'm going to have to wait just to clarify it. There's some moving parts there that we're going to have to figure out and explore and just see where we're at. I know that's not the answer you want, but that's the best I can do in fairness to everybody right now."
Are you expecting WR Diontae Johnson to continue to be on the team after the bye? (Luke Jones) "Like I said, you just work it out and see where we're at over the next few days this week."
What have you seen in this first part of the season that you are pleased with? And what kind of adjustments do you want to see with just four games left? (Carita Parks) "Yes, that's such a big question and a good question. I think that's all-encompassing of the answer really, because it includes every aspect of our team. There are certain things we want to look at – special teams. There are things on offense and things on defense that we want to look at, in terms of what we can create to be ready for what's in front of us. I'm happy with the first part of the season. It's not perfect, I'd like to have a few more wins, but I'm glad we have the wins that we have. Every goal that we have is in front of us, and we have the team to do it. So, what can we do ... Bill Parcells had a great quote. He said, 'The season starts after Thanksgiving.' Wow. What a truth for the teams that are still in it, and we're one of those teams. So we have an opportunity now; the season starts now. I'm proud of our guys; I feel like they've fought through a lot of things this year. It's been 13 straight weeks. We've had a lot of tough games; we've had a lot of travel. We've gone against teams in situations where they were hot, they were at their best, they were playing good football, they were healthy, and it's a challenge, and I think our guys handled that challenge really well. So that forges you for what's ahead, it's made us the team that we are, and I think recognizing with some rest this week [and] getting our legs back under us, we'll have a chance to really well going forward."
Can you take us through your thought process as you try to figure out how to fix K Justin Tucker's issues? (Cordell Woodland) "Yes, you do. You rack your brain; you think about everything, because that's a big deal. Obviously, we all know it [and] Justin [Tucker] knows it, too. Points were at a premium in the game. They have been in a few of these games, [and] sometimes we haven't made the most of our opportunities to score points, because you're [not] making kicks. And Justin expects to make every kick, no matter how far it is or what the situation is, and those are makeable kicks for him. Yes, we're racking our brains [and] talking to Justin [and] looking at what we're doing. I'm very confident that it's going to get fixed. I believe it will – it has to – and he's the guy to get it fixed. Sometimes you respect the player, and you respect his ability to get it worked out, with help from the coaching and [senior special teams coach] Randy [Brown] and from [special teams coordinator] Chris [Horton], and I feel confident that it will get done."
Do you feel like it's a physical thing or a mental thing or maybe a combination of both? After maybe missing an extra point, maybe that bleeds into the next kick? (Jerry Coleman) "Yes, I think all of those things are part of it. Sure, it's not simple. If it was a one-fix thing, it would be easy. It's definitely not. [Justin Tucker] is kicking really well in practice; he's kicking really well in pre-game. So, you know that the physical ability is there – it's just a matter of doing it. And that's what he said to me this morning, 'I know what I have to do, I just have to do it in those situations.' That's what it really boils down to."
You've continued to send K Justin Tucker out there for longer kicks. Would you say that your decision-making process for when to use Justin hasn't really changed? (Childs Walker) "Well, I wouldn't say it hasn't really changed. I mean, when [Justin Tucker] was hitting, three or four years ago, hitting the bombs, we were going [for] 57, 58 [and] 56 [-yard field goals] pretty regularly. That's tightened up a little bit. Circumstances in games [and] field conditions [play a role], too. But 52 [to] 50 [yards], those are kicks he's very capable of making."
You've mentioned your approach with K Justin Tucker, and you believe it's wise to stick with him. Do you believe there's any merit to bringing in another kicker, at least to have him on the practice squad, or maybe to work out guys? Because you guys haven't had to look at kickers in a long time. (Jeff Zrebiec) "Right, yes. I don't think there'd be anything wrong with that. I wouldn't want it to be a message or anything like that other than the fact that you want to turn over every stone and make sure you've seen all the guys at every position. If there were guys out there that [senior special teams coach] Randy [Brown] looked at and our scouts looked at and said that was something that we should do, we would do it. But I don't think that's the answer, from what I've talked ... I've talked to Randy and the scouts [about] who's out there right now. It's not to say that there aren't guys capable, but there's nobody nearly as good as Justin Tucker out there."
With K Justin Tucker, there's a video of you giving him a hug after he missed his third kick. Did you feel like it was important for him to feel supported in that moment? What was your mindset there? (Carita Parks) "I did see a picture of that. To me, well I just said, 'Hey, you're going to make the game-winner. Get ready to make the game-winner.' That was the conversation, and I was confident that [Justin Tucker] would do that."
QB Lamar Jackson made mention of a conversation he had with his mom – that she was saying there were running lanes available for him, and he was kind of agreeing in retrospect. Have you seen anything from film that shows Lamar is passing up opportunities to run that maybe he should take? (Kyle Goon) "No, I wouldn't generalize it like that. Every play stands on its own. Lamar [Jackson]'s such a creative player. He'll scramble out of there, and he made a couple throws too, didn't he – where he hit Zay [Flowers] once or twice [and] hit some guys; hit Mark [Andrews] for the touchdown instead of running. I really trust Lamar. I trust his mom, too. His mom is a good judge. She's seen more of Lamar ball than anybody, so I'm sure she has a great handle on it. Let Lamar and his mom talk though all of that stuff. I trust Lamar to make good decisions. He's too good, [and] he's too productive moving around the pocket; he's too much of a problem for defenses, and he makes a lot of good decisions doing that."
RB Keaton Mitchell was inactive yesterday. Is he dealing with any unexpected physical challenges as he kind of works his way back in, or where is he right now? (Childs Walker) "Great question. No one expected physical challenges, but there's definitely physical challenges with what [Keaton Mitchell]'s gone through. That was a very serious knee injury, and he came back quick as you possibly could from it. I also wanted to give Rasheen [Ali] a chance. He's been working hard, and you saw it on the kickoff return – saw how explosive he looked on that. It just made sense to kind of give Keaton a little rest [and] give Rasheen a chance. I like those two guys. They'll both be in the mix going forward."
OLB Odafe Oweh's snap count was quite low. Was it a physical thing, or was it a matter of game-planning with the personnel? (Bo Smolka) "Well, it was a run game – a run defense game for sure. 'T-Rob' [Tavius Robinson]'s been doing such a good job in those personnel groups where we're defending against the run, and it came up a lot in the game. That's why we did that. It was more of a run game decision."
S Marcus Wiliams was a healthy scratch yesterday. Is there a way forward for him to find a way on the field for the rest of the season? (Kyle Goon) "There is, there is. Right now, [Marcus Williams is] the third safety in terms of filling in. You have to make a decision in a game based on personnel, and who's up with special teams. We have the young guys who plays special teams – he's not really a special teams guy. Marcus is a starting safety-type guy for sure. Like I've said before, I feel like when Marcus gets back out there – and you have to assume over the course of these games, he's going to get back out there – he'll be ready to play. He and I had a great conversation this week. He's a pro; he worked hard. He's ready for when his opportunity comes back to get out there to play his best football, and that's why he's valuable to our football team in that type of a role."
I'm sure you'll review everything, but is it possible that you may make some changes on the offensive line, or is that one of the areas you're going to look at and maybe get some fresh guys in there to give them an opportunity? (Jeff Zrebiec) "I think we're pretty well set there. I think those guys could come in – the other guys that are working hard can come in – and help us, but I'm not down on anybody on the offensive line. That's a really good [defensive] front we played against. I think we could have played better, especially in pass protection. Those guys would tell you that it could have been better, even in the run blocking sometimes, for sure, but I don't think it merits any drastic changes right now, other than the fact that Josh [Jones] goes in there sometimes [as an] extra O-line [player]. He could have a chance. Ben [Cleveland] goes in there [as] the extra O-line [player]. I think he'd play well if he went in there, but I like the way the offensive line has played over the last number of weeks."
The defense has taken a step forward in the past few weeks. How much of it goes back to that chemistry and players executing, and how much of it is maybe this new coaching staff learning curve starting to turn for them? (Giana Han) "Well, I think we've just locked in on some things, and we're playing our deep coverages better, bottom line. There are all those things that you mentioned [that] probably factor in one way or another, but at the end, you look at it, and you say, 'OK.' You watch the coverage, you watch the guys' spacing, positioning, eyes, the communication, the checks that get made, and you just keep chasing doing the right things. It's not [that we] changed the defense. We're just playing it a lot better."
I don't know if you have an update on WR Rashod Bateman? (Cordell Woodland) "[Rashod Bateman's] knee got sore in the game. He had treatment today. It's not a long-term thing, so it's something like all the guys have, these kinds of things, I think. A lot of guys have these kinds of things late in the season. The bye week will really help him; I do believe that."
Do you have an update on S Sanoussi Kane, as well, who left the game? (Kyle Phoenix) "[Sanoussi Kane] has a hamstring [injury]. It's not a major hamstring [injury], so he'll be working through that, and we'll see how he is for the next game."
We've seen over the last couple weeks more use out of LB Chris Board. What goes into that decision, and what have you seen from him? (Bo Smolka) "Chris [Board] is a veteran player. He's been a top special teams player, and he's been a solid linebacker whenever he's played. I think he started in Detroit [with the Lions], so he's played well. He'll have a couple plays he wanted back in the pass game, I think, and one or two of the zone coverage situations, but he's solid for us. He takes a little pressure off Trenton [Simpson]. I think Malik [Harrison] also [can]; you saw it in the Chargers game the same way. We've got to find and just give those guys a chance to play and use all of our guys."
After this bye week, you have a pretty exceptional stretch where you play three games in 11 days and two short weeks following that Giants game. Is the bye week a chance to prep ahead for any of that stuff? Do you need to squeeze more in this time for that stretch? (Kyle Goon) "It is for the coaches, absolutely. We'll definitely be looking at all three of those games in the bye week, and then, you look for plays that apply to all three teams, opportunities to make the reps count for all three games as much as you can. That's definitely something we're thinking about."
We didn't get a chance to ask you about CB Arthur Maulet. I know you can come back twice from IR. Is he a season-ending IR now, or do you still feel like there is hope for him? (Jeff Zrebiec) "It remains to be seen. I think there is hope, [but it] remains to be seen, so that's one of those ones that's up in the air."
While your goals are still in front of you, might it be a different path than previous seasons, where you might not be at home to start the playoffs or something of that nature, or is that too far ahead to look down? (Jerry Coleman) "[It's] too far ahead to look [down]. That'll be determined the next four games, for sure, but we're right there. We can do it. We can win the division, we can make it as a wild card, or we could be out [of the playoffs]. It's up to us to determine that. I feel like, if we win the games, we'll be in really good shape."
Last night, WR Zay Flowers came off the field appearing visibly agitated. He had no catches in the second half. In fact, the wide receivers, collectively, only had one catch in the second half. What do you think broke down there, in terms of getting the ball to receivers? (Bo Smolka) "That's all ... Everything happens. It's a tough game against a really good defense, really good front, in a hard-fought ballgame, so everybody wants to contribute and wants to make the plays. That's what I love about our guys; they compete, nobody ever points the finger, nobody is mad. It's just not easy; things don't just fall in place because they fall in place. You're going against a tough team and competing out there, and we just ... We didn't get the points we needed in the second half. We were capable of it, [but] we didn't get them. We had good plays, and we had plays that didn't work, and we had opportunities that we didn't cash in on. So, that's the National Football League – week to week. [We're] disappointed. Where can we get better, and what do we need to do next game we play and the next four games; that's really what we're looking at."
I think OL Patrick Mekari is now over his career high for snaps played in a season. I know, at times, earlier in his career, you guys had to kind of manage his workload. How do you see him handling this season as an every-game starter? (Jonas Shaffer) "Great question. I feel like [it's a] great accomplishment by [Patrick Mekari]. [For] 13 straight weeks, he's played pretty much every snap. That's an accomplishment, because that had been a challenge for him in the past, so I think he deserves a lot of credit for that. He's played very good football. [It's been a] big plus."
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni essentially said that the Ravens had to match their physicality and intensity. Do you feel that your team has played up to the physicality that you expect in these more challenging games this season? (Kyle Phoenix) "Of course, of course. Every coach says that. That's what coaches say."
You mentioned how impressive the Eagles' pass rush was. They didn't need a lot of blitzers to knock QB Lamar Jackson off his spot. How do you think their ability to get to the pocket impacted what you guys wanted to do in the passing game? (Jonas Shaffer) "Yes, it's going to always ... If you don't have clean protection, [and] you don't have a clean pocket every single snap, it's going to be an issue, for sure. The Eagles are good. They've got a good [defensive] front [with] a bunch of talented guys. They did a good job; that's part of what I was just talking about. That's the challenge of football in this league, when you play the good teams. And just to be clear, that's not the only good team we've played. Remember all the good teams we've played right down the stretch here [and] going back? So, I'm not down on our guys at all. I'm not disappointed; I'm not worried. I'm excited. We've got a bunch of tough, competitive fighters that want to be the best they can be. So, that's how I look at it."
