HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "[It's] good seeing everybody. I appreciate you being here. What questions do you have?"
I know you've been taking it one game at a time, but now that you're toward the end of that three-game, 11-day stretch, has it felt like a blur? Has it felt like it's gone by quicker than usual? (Jamison Hensley) "I do think you do really adapt and adjust. This is the schedule that we're on – the pace – the guys have adapted to it. They sped it up and got right into it yesterday, and today, they were moving around really well. We were moving fast. You just kind of point forward. We're 49 hours away from kickoff. It's coming, so the guys are thinking that way."
What's kind of like an example of that? Do you adjust the schedule? Do you adjust the workload and that sort of stuff? (Brian Wacker) "All of the above. Yes, the schedule obviously has to change. [The] workloads change. I think the mental stuff is packed in more than it would be – everything just gets packed in more. There's not as much physical [contact]; there's not as much fast moving. There's some, but most of it is just condensed."
Right now, I know you're locked in on this one game, but when the schedule came out and you were looking at this stretch, were you concerned at all? The premier teams in the NFL are playing on this day. Are you concerned about the well-being of players leading up to it? (Kyle Goon) "Not really. I am, but I'm not, because it doesn't matter. We have to think about focusing on putting our best effort out there and playing well. That's what our guys will be thinking about, and they'll be ready to go. We'll be ready to play. One thing about our team is we are in really good shape. Our team is in great condition. Our team recovers very quickly, and that's documented by measurable factors – we recover quickly. So, I think they'll be ready to go. I believe fully they'll be ready to go Wednesday night."
Last week, CB Marlon Humphrey and defensive coordinator Zach Orr used the word "stabilize" to describe what S Kyle Hamilton's impact has been since he's been moved. Just how beneficial is it to have a guy like that that can be moved anywhere and have that kind of impact? (Carita Parks) "[It's] so beneficial. It's a great word for it. [Kyle Hamilton] is a premier ... The great players probably can do two things: they can do pretty much everything in football in their area, and they make everybody around them better. I really do think Kyle has grown into one of those kind of players. It's expressed itself the last two years, but really in this year, and in the last month, it's really expressed itself. Because you might think in terms of, 'Well, he's a box guy. He's [a] close to the line of scrimmage type of a player,' which he is, and maybe he was even viewed that way coming out in the draft. But yet, he played deep [safety] well at Notre Dame, and we always thought he could do it, but you say, 'OK, well this is our best player in the back end, maybe, and certainly one of the best players in the league at safety. And our issues are deep, so let's put him back there.' And he goes back there and seamlessly makes a big difference. That's probably a good measuring stick for a great player."
With such a condensed schedule, do you have to simplify the gameplan offensively and defensively or anything of that nature just due to the time restriction you have? (Kyle Phoenix) "You're going to have a few new things because you try to get in front of that and have those things practiced already. We're not practicing anything brand new this week – things that might be new that we haven't done in games before or things that have been practiced before, so you try to do it that way."
With QB Lamar Jackson, you talked about how excellent he's been this season with tight-window throws. How would you describe the subtleties and the strides he's taken yet again this season? (Brian Wacker) "[Lamar Jackson] is really a young player still in the sense that it's [been] seven years. Now, quarterbacks play a long time now, and it's what you would expect from a diligent, talented player who works at it. So, in every area, you hope that player would continue to grow, and I think he kind of grows in every area as we go. The whole tree line is getting higher, across the board, and you see it in all of the things you talk about."
With the potential to play the Texans in the post season, does that come into the calculus of what you want to show against them on film at all? Or is that not a priority? (Kyle Phoenix) "[It's] not a priority. You try to win the game. There's plenty of things that we can come up with for the next game that would be the next iterations of whatever we're doing. Everything we can think of that's good, we're going to try to do it."
Along those same lines, we've reached the point in the year where fans are asking us about all of the playoff scenarios, and there's a lot of chatter about that right now. Do you have to be aware of those at all, or does it really not help you going into these games? (Childs Walker) "You have to be aware of it. I pretty much know the scenarios to a degree – the ones that matter – and I think you need to know it as a head coach going into a game regarding ties. What do you want to play for if it comes to that? How does a tie versus a loss versus a win benefit us if it would ever come to that."
CB Desmond King II, obviously since he's been your punt returner has had some dynamic plays but also ball security issues in the last game. What's the thinking on punt returner going into this game? (Kyle Goon) "[Desmond King II] will be our returner going into the game. We'll also have Tylan [Wallace], though. 'Des' [Desmond King II] has been a secure guy his whole career and had been with us for the first few games. I really anticipate he'll do well, but obviously, it has to be better than that. And he knows that, and he's the first guy ... Shoot, he was talking to me during the game about it. So, he knows that and that's priority one. I learned that back from Andy Reid way back when I was [a] special teams coach. You want to get that game breaker, but he said, 'The first thing is always going to be a punt catcher.' We have to get a catcher first, and you have to catch the ball. So, that's priority one."
Saturday after the game, you mentioned how special it is this team of the year. I know that the goal is to still go 1-0, but how special is it for you to be playing a game on Christmas Day? (Xavier Wherry) "Yes, it's just as special as it was last year. Maybe even more so because it's [been] twice." (laughter) "It is meaningful. It's meaningful because if I'm going to talk about it in those kind of terms – and spiritual terms – it's a chance to bring glory on a glorious day, I would say, and an opportunity to kind of shine in that way before men. A lot of people are going to be watching, so we want to put our best foot forward and do it the right way."
Will you guys celebrate Christmas as a team? Like the night before or after the game? Do you have anything planned? (Noah Trister) "We actually had a team dinner last night here, which was really neat. And our chefs were incredible [with] what they put out there, so that was fun. And we are going to have the ability for family members from the Houston area to come over for the team snack after we do a walk-through tomorrow night."
After the bye week, you said you all started to look ahead at these games. During that time off, have you found that to be helpful now that you're in the midst of this condensed schedule? (Carita Parks) "Absolutely, because we were able to come off a game where we were all completely 100 percent focused on Pittsburgh, and then the next morning, we have to have practice schedules and game plays ready, because we were going to practice them that afternoon. So, much of that was already lined up for us in the pre-work that we did during the bye week on the Texans. So, yes, I feel good about that."
There's a pretty big concert at halftime during your game. Is the locker room soundproof? (Jonas Shaffer) "Yes, I don't know. Wasn't there a time when somebody was out peeking outside the locker room door during the Super Bowl or something like that? Was there some story on that? Was it the Bengals kicker [Evan McPherson]? He got in trouble for it? There will be big trouble. I like Beyonce, though. I can't say I'm a huge Beyonce fan, but I think I like her. Is she doing country [music] now? You think some of those country songs will be in there? You'll have to report to me on that."
She played at halftime when you won the Super Bowl in 2012. How could you not like her? (Childs Walker) "Did she? That's good to know." (laughter) "I do remember that now. Focus, focus."
QB LAMAR JACKSON
On his favorite Beyoncé song: "To the left." (laughter)
On if it's disappointing Beyoncé will be performing a halftime show he can't watch: "No, because I'm going to go out there and watch. I'm going to go out there and watch. [It will be my] first time seeing Beyoncé perform, and it's at our game – that's dope. I'm going to go out and watch. Sorry [head coach John] Harbaugh, sorry. Sorry fellas."
On if it depends how big the Ravens' lead is for him to watch the halftime show: "No, I'm not even thinking about the lead. I was just thinking about just seeing Beyoncé for the first time. Not saying it like that; no disrespect or [anything], because I know how people can take things. Next question."
On what the MVP award would mean to him: "If it [does] happen, it happens, [and] that'd be dope. Three times [winning it], but like you said, I'm not really focused on that. That's never been my goal though. Even [with] the first or second one, [winning MVP has] never been my goal. I always want to finish with the championship, but I've been falling short. [I] got that accolade, but I still feel like the MVP is a team thing, though, because my teammates [are] helping me get that award, because I always say that I'm not the one catching the passes [or] blocking to help me get these passes off [and] stuff like that. That's [the] offensive line, tight ends, receivers [and] running backs. It's everybody, all of us included. I'm trying to win the championship. That's my biggest goal. That's been my goal ever since [I was] a little kid, but an MVP in the National Football League – that's dope. That is dope."
On if he hears the conversations surrounding the MVP award: "I [have] no other choice but to hear it. I don't mean to cut you off, but they [are] tagging me in it. You don't [have] to tag me. You can talk about it all you want, but you want to tag me to get like clickbait because you know sometimes I [will] say something back like, 'That was stupid.' It is what it is. I don't care though. I really don't care about the talk [and] the [conversations]. I'm trying to win."
On the biggest strides he's made as a player: "I don't know. I really don't get caught up in it during the season. I probably try to piggyback around the end of the season [and] in offseason to see, like, what I did better than I did the previous years, because I critique myself then the most."
On what he's seen from CB Marlon Humphrey bouncing back from injuries he suffered last season and declining to be on his IG Live earlier in the season: "[Marlon Humphrey is] just being a dog. When I first got into the league, 'Marlo' [Marlon Humphrey] had a different jersey number, I think. He didn't have [No.] 44, he had [No.] 29. Not saying it's a jersey number or anything like that, but going back to 2019, when I had my first season starting, he had the 'Marlo punch' going on. He was just a different type of defensive player, and he was younger then, and now he's a vet. And I'm a vet as well, and I'm just seeing him like ... How we are [and] how we [are] just growing and getting old, and it's like there's no time to play [around]. That's just how I took everything [and] how I was just looking at everything, and for our record to start off 0-2, I was just ticked off. We just ... We [were] 1-2 at the time, and [there] was like so much going on it was like, 'I'm not trying to see no cameras. It's go time. We need to tighten up.' That's what we did, and Marlo's been doing a tremendous job. Not [that] saying it was me. That was just him – him doing what I [have known] he was capable of doing. He [is] just catching the interceptions now, that's all."
On how he's adjusted his preparation routine for the recent three games in 10-day stretch: "[I've been] trying to sleep. Just trying to sleep. Anytime I can get some rest, I rest. Just resting my body just so I can go back out there and compete. That's what it comes down to. Just getting your body right, and you should be good."
On if he's noticed he has to be smarter about physical preparation than when he was younger: "Absolutely; absolutely. You start getting a little wear and tear when you [get] older. And [I'm] not saying I'm having that, because I'm doing good, but it starts happening. You start being a little fatigued, or you might be sore in areas like, 'I'm sore here? I'm sore?' After games, especially a quick-turnaround game – that's different."
On ...: "Don't jinx it. Don't; say it. Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it. [If] you don't want to jinx it, don't say it." (laughter) "I don't know what you [are] going [to] say, but you said you didn't want to jinx anything, so don't say it. Ah, go ahead."
On how healthy the Ravens are at this point: "It's like it finally ... I don't want to jinx it either. Like it's finally happening, [and] things [are] starting to connect at the right time for us. Like you said, guys just being injury free at the end of the season – that's great for us entering ... We just clinched the playoffs a couple days ago. That's good, [but] we just [have] to stay healthy and keep doing what we [are] doing."
On if he buys into teams getting hot at the right time at the end of the season: "No, I feel like that went out the window last year, because we got hot last year, and we went on a win streak, and then we lost in the AFC Championship. So, that went out the window after that, for me."
On how the offensive line has adjusted since the Week 1 game when they were struggling: "They're just doing their job. That's how I see it. Those guys are doing their jobs. They took heat at what people were saying, because they're grown men. They're getting paid to play, as well, and people were talking, making a lot of noise, saying whatever they're saying, like, 'These guys are not grown men, and they're competing for their jobs,' and stuff like that. They just dialed in, got locked in, practiced harder, just focused on their assignment and just went [ahead with] moving people off the ball. That's why I feel like [our opponents] haven't had much success."
On why the game has slowed down for him and if there is an area of focus that he specifically looked at to get better in: "I feel like I'm improving because each year, like I said, earlier with on one of those type of questions, I'm critiquing myself. I'm seeing what teams are doing to me, and I'm seeing all the types of defenses they're trying to throw at me. I'm just studying those, and after that, it's like, alright, so when I'm going into games, I'm getting a feel for what they're doing to me, and that's just making my job a lot easier."
On if that just comes with age, time and experience of if that's a new approach: "Yes, that's definitely just age, because early on in my career, I wasn't critiquing myself like that. I'd probably go see what I did, because I just got in the league, like, 'I just did this in the league,' but now, it's just totally different, totally different."
On if it's special to play on Christmas two years in a row: (laughter) "I mean it is. It is. That means we're good. That means we're good, but at the same time, I do want to celebrate at home with some time with my family. I don't want to play on Christmas all the time – not all the time – but no, it's great. All jokes aside, it's great. It's a present for everyone. They get to see us play, and [there will be] a lot of eyes on us, and I believe a lot of people are going to be watching us at the right time."
On when he'll have time to celebrate Christmas with family: "The 26th of December."
On if he knows any of the scenarios for the Ravens to win the AFC North: "No. No, we're trying to win regardless. I really don't care what another team has going on. I don't. I'm trying to win."
T RONNIE STANLEY
On the offensive line's goal heading into the final stretch of the season: "I think it's just discipline and execution and focusing on the details. We're doing a lot of good things, and [there are] good things to build on. There are little details we can fix and become even better."
On what has allowed QB Lamar Jackson to take his game to another level this year: "I think it's just [Lamar Jackson] not thinking too much about everything going on around him and just focusing on where he is in the moment at hand, whether it be in practice, whether it be his recovery day, whether it's gameday. He's great at just keeping his feet where he is and focusing on that."
On how he's handling the physical rehab on a such a short turnaround: "Everything has to be sped up a little bit. The schedule, we still have meetings and stuff, so we really don't get like a true off day, so all the body work and things of that nature have to be fit in, so everything has been put together, meshed together."
On the non-negotiable part of his recovery that he has to squeeze in: "For me, one is sleep. The second one is the sauna [and] ice tub. Those are two things that I definitely need, and I'm definitely going to get body work this week, as well."
On how important it's been to have the offensive line healthy: "It's very important. For any offense, I think you're going to need those guys. We make up half of our offense, so for us to stay healthy and be working together and keep building on chemistry throughout the season, I think it's very important."
On if he was concerned or worried about the tight turnaround for the three games in 11 days when he first saw the schedule: "Yes, I think when you first see it, you really don't know. This is the first time I've had this type of schedule in my career, so you really just don't know what to expect. We're right here in the middle of it, and we're ready."
On if he likes playing on Christmas Day: "Sure." (laughter) "I don't dislike it. I think it's an honor to play on Christmas Day, because first of all, it's an important day; it's Christmas. There are not that many games on. It's a very big stage to play on, so it's definitely an honor."
On what he's seen from T Roger Rosengarten and his development this year: "I'm super proud of Roger [Rosengarten], super happy with his development. I think he's done a great job, and he's proved that he can be a starting tackle in this league."
