Head Coach John Harbaugh
Opening statement: "Good to see you guys. [It was a] good practice. We're just getting our day started here on Wednesday and trying to be as focused and have as much energy as we can."
**You've seen your offense be really great, you've seen your defense be really great, and the 180- [degree turnaround] is part of that, too. It's obviously a really small sample size early on. What does that say to you about this team? *(Pete Gilbert) *"It means we have to put it together. It gives me a lot of hope, the fact that we put it all together on both sides, that we can be a very good football team. But that's the thing: You have to put it together on the same day. You have to be clicking on all cylinders. You can't be playing with one arm tied behind your back in a game. It's hard to win when you're playing with one arm tied behind your back. We've spread it out on both sides, and we have to find a way to put it all together."
It might be a cliché to say, "It's good to be home," but do you really need the home crowd now more than ever? (Joe Platania) "I don't know about more than ever. We always need the home crowd. It's a very valuable thing in the National Football League to play at home. I think that's proven by the stats and the numbers, and it's especially valuable in Baltimore, and that's proven by the stats and numbers. But it really boils down to how we play. If we play well, the crowd is going to be into it. As players and coaches, that's our responsibility to get that done."
John, I know for the Oakland game I asked you about trick plays, and you actually ran one in the game with TE Crockett Gillmore that got him open. Has that been in the playbook for a while, or was that something that just, maybe, over the last couple weeks that you thought you might be able to use? (Jamison Hensley) "I don't remember when it went into the playbook originally, but it was a really … I thought it was a really well-organized play. [Offensive quality control coach] Andy Bischoff did a great job of putting that play together, along with [offensive coordinator] Marc Trestman. And conceptually, it's something that we've been talking about for a while. But any way you can move the ball – any way you can find a way to get a guy open – you really strive to do that. It's hard to do, and we were able to do that on that play, so I was proud of those guys."
The Bengals, you probably know that defense as well as a lot of other teams. Do they do anything that stands out? Do they do anything different than other teams? Do they press more than other teams? Anything about their defense that kind of stands out [and] might be different than other teams you face? (Jamison Hensley) "They don't do anything different than anybody else does. They have their own unique style. They have their way of playing. I think they're very aggressive, in terms of their mentality. They're an attacking, 4-3-type defense. No. 97 [Geno Atkins] coming up the field in that three technique is very effective. [Domata] Peko in the middle is a very physical player against the run. He moves well. I think he's an underrated player for sure. [Carlos] Dunlap is playing well. The whole group is just an aggressive group. They play the coverages and the fronts – and really the blitzes that you see – but when they do them, they do them well. I think they play well when they can get you in situations where they make you one-dimensional. That's what they want to do – stop your run and try to get after the quarterback. So, it's not anything that people don't try to do, but they do it well."
John, you added a corner. Can you talk about CB Will Davis as far as what you guys like and how you see him, maybe, fitting into the corner mix? (Cliff Brown)"We traded for Will Davis yesterday, and he's a guy that we've been looking at for a while. We liked him in the draft – a Utah State guy. [He has been] down there [in Miami and] been backed up a little bit with the depth they have down there at corner. [General manager and executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome] was able to get that accomplished with [Dolphins executive vice president, football operations] Mike Tannenbaum down there, so we feel good about that, and we'll just see how he fits in. He's a guy that has really good coverage skills, we feel like. And the type of defense we play, we think he fits us really well, but we'll find out. We'll find out by how he plays and how he conducts himself."
Monday you mentioned some issues with missed tackles. What have you seen with that? Has it been mostly technique with the guys? (Todd Karpovich)"It is twofold, usually, on missed tackles. It is definitely technique, sometimes, in the sense that you're not aggressive enough, you break down too much [and] you give a guy a chance to make you miss. In this season, athletes will make you miss in a heartbeat. If you try to wait for those guys to get to you, they'll get by you. So, it's a little bit of that, probably, at times, and running to the ball. Good tackling is gang-tackling; good tackling is pursuit. That's always been true in football, and we better make sure we do a great job of that."
Back-to-back weeks, the offense had a chance to maybe polish off the game or win it, and it didn't happen. Is that something you can stress this week in practice, or is it just kind of going unsaid – that ability to finish? (Ryan Mink)"The ability to finish is something we talk about all the time. It is not something we just talk about; it is something we drill. We've talked about this before. We try to create as many game-like situations as we can and game-ending situations. Game-winning situations are a regular part of what we practice, and in this league – because everybody is about the same, everybody is good – you've got to find a way to win a game. Sometimes it is one play; it is not always the last play. Sometimes it is a play in the middle of the third quarter that you don't expect to be the play, but that is the play that makes the difference. So, you have to play every play like that is the game-determining play, and we try to do that."
Is there anything in particular that you need to see from OLB Jason Babin this week to determine if he's ready to make his Ravens debut, or is it just a matter of him kind of continuing to learn the defense? (Garrett Downing)"It is everything. If we can get [Jason Babin] up [on the 46-man roster] – he's a good player – we'll try to do that. It becomes a numbers deal in there, and for every guy that's up, someone else has to come down. You have to decide where you want to be strong and where you're willing to be a little bit undermanned. That's really what it is on a 46-man roster. So, that's what we'll have to determine this week. We like Jason; we'd like to have him up, and hopefully we can get him up."
John, how is T Eugene Monroe doing with the concussion? (Luke Jones)"I really don't have any update on a concussion. It is never something that you ever get an update on. He's in the protocol, and he's working on it right now."
Special birthday reflections? (Joe Platania, asking about coach Harbaugh turning 53)"The days are long, but the years are short. *(laughter) *I'm in favor of birthdays. I would say I think we should all [be in favor]. Birthdays are a good thing. They're a good problem to have. You should never lament a birthday; it is better than the alternative, right?"
John, in the NFL you get 16 games. Each one is just built up all week. It is such a big deal, but going 0-2 for the first time, does that add anything it? Or is it still just, "Hey, it is game week," and it is just the same kind of mentality you have each week? (Pete Gilbert)"It better be the same. You start adding all those things into it … We all understand the situation. We've lost two games before in a row, we've lost three games in a row before, and we've overcome it. But we've never done it at the beginning of the season, so it feels a lot tougher. Until you win your first game, you always have in the back of your mind, 'Can we win a game?' Of course you can, but you have to win one. And every game is a fight. You just have to take it one week at a time, one play at a time and play the best we can and try to find a way to win."
OLB Elvis Dumervil & WR Steve Smith Sr. (joint podium session)
On the offense and defense not playing well in the same game:
(STEVE SMITH SR.) "I've seen a lot in my career. Coach [John] Harbaugh said it best in our meetings: We have to get both sides playing well on the same game."
(ELVIS DUMERVIL) "Like Steve hit on, we just have to do it together – special teams included. But, we are excited about coming home, the home crowd. We're excited."
On who wins in a matchup on the field:
(SMITH SR.) "In what?" (Reporter: "If you ever have to block him or what not.") "I don't really have to block him too much. If I'm blocking Elvis Dumervil …"
(DUMERVIL) "That's bad ball."
(SMITH SR.) "We're in trouble."
(DUMERVIL) "If I'm covering Steve Smith, it's really bad ball." (laughter)
On the adversity that teams deal with during a season:
(DUMERVIL) "There's always something. We don't have all the answers, but we will come out day-in and day-out and just give our best, and hopefully, that'll be [beneficial]."
On whether he felt a difference on the field without OLB Terrell Suggs:
(DUMERVIL) "We have to play like Terrell [Suggs isn't] out. [I] get more attention [from offenses now], so having Terrell Suggs definitely makes my job easier. But, we have guys we have to count on, and we all have to step up – myself included. We're looking forward to doing that this week."
On how tough it is to go two games without a sack and whether he is eager to get one:
(DUMERVIL) "Like I mentioned last year, sacks come in bunches. Once they start coming, they start rolling. But, the first thing we want to get done is we have to get this 'W.' That's more important right now."
On what it was like to be on a Carolina team that started the season 0-2 in 2013 and still made the playoffs:
(SMITH SR.) "CTE, I don't remember. *(laughter) *Obviously, 0-2 … Anytime any team starts 0-2, everything is magnified, all the glaring errors are magnified, and people are examining and telling you the reasons why percentages … At the end of the day, two percentages are used on a football field. It's calling plays. If a guy … If a team has success going for it on fourth down-and-1 and inches … It's really, at the end of the day, it's about which guys make plays and not based on statistics. If the team makes enough plays … Obviously, we want to be us at home in front of our home crowd. If we make enough plays, then those statistics don't mean anything. You just have to keep going. You have to get on the winning track. If you stay on the winning track, it doesn't matter."
On how confident they are the team can get going this week:
(DUMERVIL) "Like I said, we don't want to be 0-2, but it's still early in the season, and our urgency will go up. We just have to keep stacking practices. We just have to go get a win. That's what it's all about. Like Steve said, we all just have to play our 'A' game."
On having the chance to finish games late and how much it sticks with the team:
(DUMERVIL) "It's huge. We could be sitting 2-0 if we had finished the games, but we can't take it back. The only thing you can do is learn from it and go out and practice, prepare and really put yourself in those situations mentally again, so next time it comes around, [we] make sure we're better prepared."
(SMITH SR.) "Honestly, you have to look at a game – 0-2 – as if you're 2-0. You can't really dwell on it and make it where you're focusing on it. When I run this route, I have to run this route, because this can happen the next time. You just have to, really, go out there and play. You have to have a short-term memory, whether you make plays or not – whether you don't make plays – because like I said, when you lose, everything is magnified. But when you win, you guys talk about it for a little bit and then you move on to the next opponent. We have to use that same understanding, that same thought process. Win, lose or draw, we have to move on to the next opponent. Our next opponent is at home, finally. [We are] in our own beds, in our own surroundings, and we just have to make more plays than them and play well and finish."
On how much it will help the team to be at home:
(SMITH SR.) "If we get our ass kicked, it doesn't help at all. (laughter) But if we play well, then it'll up."
On the team enjoying each other's company despite starting the season at 0-2:
(DUMERVIL) "We'll always be a family."
On not being able to get pressure on the quarterback in Week 2:
(DUMERVIL) "We just didn't do it. It's really that simple. And when we do [pressure the quarterback], it'll be that simple as well. We just have to continue to practice hard and get after the guys in practice, so it can carry over to game day."
On his previous matchups with CB Adam Jones:
(SMITH SR.) "My matchups have been probably the extent of me and you interacting, so it has been very short. My opponent is a guy who … In my personal opinion, I think as [Adam Jones] has gotten older, he has gotten a little bit more mature in the aspect of playing football. He's more patient. He has become a very sound tackler. [He has] route recognition, so that tells me he watches a lot of film versus relying on his athleticism. As far as, 'Pacman' and anybody else, at the end of the day, that corner's job is to cover me, and how he decides to cover me and how he decides to play [is on him]. Really, for me, I go in there, and I go with my game plan [based] on what I've watched on film – and how I decide to play against him – and then we see how that plays out during the game. To come in there and say the questions of, 'He's emotional. He does this. He does that,' at the end of the day, football is an emotional game. You can hear it on the broadcast – or if you watch it as a fan – they say, 'The momentum has shifted.' How does momentum shift? By players making plays and getting emotional. So, we have to be able to shift the momentum onto the Baltimore Ravens' side. That's really the part that counts. All that other nonsense … If it doesn't improve us or make it better or make us make plays, then it's just noise."
On whether he has any memories of playing the Bengals last season:
(SMITH SR.) "Yes, we lost." (Reporter: "The one at the end of that …") "We lost that one, too. At the end of the day, that's what it's about. You can make plays … I can make 1 million plays, but the ones that stick in my mind are the ones that help us win; it's not the ones that help us lose or [when] we don't finish. That's the thing. That's what gets me up in the morning. When I come to work, it's, 'Can I continue to make plays?'"
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On whether he will continue to take special teams reps with his offensive workload:
(SMITH SR.) "That'll be, probably, something we'll discuss with the special teams coach and the head coach and myself. We will leave the strategy up to the people that be."
QB Joe Flacco
On the changes that were made from Week 1 to Week 2:"For whatever reason in this league, one week is not a good predictor of how the next week is going to go, whether it is matchups, whether it is how you've played. I think we've got a confident group. I think we were able to respond well to the first week. It was just a different type of game. I think we got ourselves going early on, and we fed off of that a little bit. I think the way that we all reacted to Kamar [Aiken's] play early, the next series, going out there and playing really well, I think helped us in that whole thing. So, I don't know that there's a way to pinpoint it, but overall, I just felt like we played very aggressively and went for it. There's a lot there to build off of."
On the offense's opportunities to win late in games, and how the team improves on its ability to finish:"[We'll] just keep going out there and practicing like it is those types of situations and continue to put ourselves in those situations, at the least, and if we get enough of them, we're going to make them. As far as the ones that we've had, it is just kind of simple execution. It is nothing complicated. It is just simple stuff and making the most of that play." *(Reporter: "When you have a track record like yours, where you've won a lot of those, scored a lot of touchdowns in those situations, do those kind of hang with you? Do they bother you more, given that?") *"I don't know if they bother you any more. Every loss hurts pretty much the same, and it was tough to go out there and get a loss, no matter what. So yes, I wish we would have finished it off in that situation, but at the end of the day, I thought we did a great job fighting back from some deficits. But yes, it is all about the little things and doing the little details right, and we weren't able to be quite good enough. So, it is definitely disappointing, but I wouldn't say it is any more disappointing than any other loss."
On how the Bengals have been able to present challenges to the Ravens' offense:"They're a good football team, and they play aggressively, they have good corners, they have a good front, and they get after the passer. They have a group that has played together for a pretty long time now. They feel confident with each other; they know what they're doing. But it still comes down to the core things. They get after the passer, and they can stop the run. When you can do those things, it makes it difficult."
On if there is added urgency returning home with a 0-2 record:"I think it definitely adds a little bit of urgency. Whether it should or shouldn't, it probably does a little bit, just because it doesn't feel good to be in a hole, 0-2. The fact of the matter is we've lost two games in a row before; it just hasn't been at the beginning of the season. So, it is a long year. We still believe we've got a good team. We've just got to go out there and prove it on Sunday."
On using the added urgency as a benefit, and not allowing it to create pressure:"You've just got to have belief in yourself that we're all good. At the end of the day, that's what it is all about, is actually being good enough to do it. Right now, we think we're good enough to do it. I believe we are, and that's what I'm saying – we've just got to go prove that over the course of the season. If we can't prove that, then it obviously just meant that we weren't good enough to do it. [It would mean] we didn't do fundamental things [and] we weren't disciplined enough. A lot of things go into that, but it is about being good. And that's kind of simple and put in easy terms, but we believe we are [good enough]. Usually, when you are [good enough] over the course of a season, you go out there and prove it more times than you don't."
On TE Crockett Gillmore becoming a "safety blanket" and a big target in the middle of the field:"Yes, well, he made a big improvement from Week 1 to Week 2, just going out there and running fast routes, and you can see what happens when you get the ball in his hands. He's a tough guy to bring down, and he's going to be good – a big guy for us moving the chains – because you get him the ball underneath, and those guys are going to have a tough time tackling him with the first guy. We've just got to keep him going, keep his head in it and keep him growing from week to week. We can't ever let him just get complacent where he is. [We have to] just keep him growing, and I think he's that type of player."
On if he views Week 3 as a "crossroads" game:"That's what we're talking about with that: 'Is there any more urgency with this game because we are 0-2?' And like I said, I don't know if it should be that type of game or if it shouldn't be, but it probably feels a little more like it is than it doesn't, just because it doesn't feel good in the NFL when you lose a football game until you go out there and win another one and another one. I know we don't want to be in a situation where I'm sitting up here next week talking about the same stuff."
On if he was satisfied with the number of down-the-field passing attempts that were taken vs. the Raiders:"Yes, I thought we had some chunk plays. When we [are] given the opportunity, we're going to need to make a couple more of those, but the important thing is that we're taking those chances. We're putting ourselves in position to take those plays downfield, and I think we converted a good amount of them. Whether they were bombs, maybe not, but they were pretty big chunk plays. And I think the more we do that stuff, the better we'll get at it, the more comfortable we'll be, the more confident we'll be in doing it, and they'll start to hit. I don't think we're there yet with that stuff, but I like the direction we're going."
On if any changes are made to the game plan because the Ravens and Bengals are familiar with each other:"You don't think about that too much. You put your game plan together with what you do and what you think you can attack them with, and you don't really worry too much about how well they know us. I don't know if they know us well or not. I don't know if they have a good idea of how Marc [Trestman] is going to go out there and call a game. So, I don't think you can look too [much] into that. Yes, look at tendencies and things like that – we do that. I'm sure they do that, but at the end of the day, you still can't be afraid to do what you do well. Just because we know that they bring this pressure in this situation, it doesn't mean they're not going to bring it. That's something they do well, and we've got to be ready for it. And we've got to be ready [so] that we can beat it in order for them to not do it. Same thing for us; we've just got to do what we do well, and they have to prove that they're going to stop it before we do something else."
On the positive effect of playing at home:"Of course. We're going to need [the fans] there for us. It is exciting to get back in front of our guys. It is the best place to play in the league, for me, and we're going to need them on Sunday."
TE Crockett Gillmore
On receiving more attention from the public after scoring two touchdowns last week: "I don't really like it. (laughter) I'm doing my job and go to work."
On being more involved in the passing game this season: "It's really [me] doing whatever I'm asked."
On making big plays: "Like I said, I'm just doing my job – whatever they want me to do. Any play I can make, I'm going to try to make."
On if there is added urgency to pick up wins after an 0-2 start: "We always have a sense of urgency around here. That's why we've been successful. That's the mentality of the Ravens. That's John Harbaugh's way. That's what we do here. We're just really keeping the same mindset, the same go-to-work mentality. We're just going to go to work."
On whether he is looking forward to the first home game: "It's always nice to be back in M&T Bank [Stadium], the Ravens' stadium – being around some Ravens [fans]."
On starting the season with an 0-2 record: "It's only two games. You play one game at a time. You can easily dig yourself in or out [of a hole]. Like I said, we're just going to work. We're going to do whatever we need to do to get a win on Sunday."
On the offense and defense not playing well in the same game:"That's really the NFL way. You see it every week. You see a team blow somebody out and then get blown out. It's [about] who can be the most consistent team week-in and week-out. We're an NFL team, so we just have to put it together, and we'll be pretty dangerous if we do."
ILB C.J. Mosley
On if he is becoming a leader on the defense in his second year:"Yes, I would say so. The vocal part – that will come when it comes. If I have to step up and say something, I'll do that. But for the most part, I've always been a leader by example. As long as you keep doing the right thing, the young guys on the defense, they all look up to you and kind of see what I need to be doing or what they need to be doing or follow those footsteps so they can be on the field making plays and helping out the defense."
On if his leadership role changed when OLB Terrell Suggs went down with injury:"I think the only thing that changes is who is going to say the speech before we break the huddle in the locker room, but beside that, no. I don't think my position changed too much."
On what he has seen on film from QB Andy Dalton in the first two games:"With the ball, they always start out fast. Last year, we faced the same thing. He did a really great job throwing the ball on us. And like I said for this week – a lot of things that the Raiders did – they kind of have in their playbook, too. We've got to be ready for those same kinds of plays. It comes down to us making plays in the open field. You want to try to get their best players matched up with ours. They've got great running backs, so they're going to try to match up [with] our linebackers. We've got to do a great job making plays and trying to make one-on-one tackles."
DT Brandon Williams
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On how important is to stop the Bengals' run game:"It's very important to me. That's the No. 1 thing we talk about coming in to work is stop the run game, make them one-dimensional. That's what we hang our hat on. That's what we pride ourselves on, so that's definitely at the forefront starting today, starting with the practice we had today. That's what we're ready to do."
On whether the defense was attacked differently without OLB Terrell Suggs last week: "Losing a player like [Terrell] Suggs is hard, and that's one less player someone else has to worry about. But at the same time, someone else needs to step up, whether it be me or anyone else on the line, [someone needs] to step up and just make plays. [We need to] be our best selves, and we just weren't that. We have to definitely come in and get back to the drawing board and get back to fundamentals and execute and play Raven football."
On whether there is a different feel to preparing for a division opponent: "Yes, just because it's a divisional game, but every game means a lot. You want to come out winners every game. We want to come out on top. For it being a divisional game, getting that divisional lead would be great, and to start off with a win this Sunday would be great."
On how important it is for the defense to be on the field late in the game and whether they take it personally:"Yes, because you need a play, and you want to be the guy to make the play. You get chances, and we had a bunch of chances on Sunday, and they just didn't get tipped our way. We just feel like we need to come back to the drawing board and practice harder, practice better and just get after it this Sunday."
On whether playing at home is an advantage for the defense:"I feel like it is. I feel not only does the defense get a lot out of it, but also the offense, because you just feel the crowd. You feel the heartbeat. You feel like you're at home. It's a home game, so you're out there playing for the fans, playing for your family. Everybody feels the energy from the fans and just wants to play better."
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On entering Week 3 with an 0-2 record: "It weighs on us. The only way we're going to get that weight off of us is with a 'W.'"
CINCINNATI BENGALS CONFERENCE CALL
Head Coach Marvin Lewis
On preparing for the Ravens given Baltimore's contrasting performances in Weeks 1 and 2: "We've got to – they're a good football team, we know that – so, we've got to prepare, and we'll prepare for their offense, defense and special teams. And it is their body of work and what they do and how they play, and we've got to win matchups."
On how much change he has noticed in the Ravens' pass rush without OLB Terrell Suggs:"You said it yourself – it is one game. One game does not make the season, and they've got good coaches and good players. And they'll get it going."
On the Bengals' position being 2-0 with the opportunity to improve to 3-0 in a division game:"We're fortunate to be where we are. This is a big football game ahead of us, and it is only two football games. So, we've got a lot of work ahead of us. We've got to play way better than we've played in the last two weeks come Sunday."
On how much pride he takes in his accomplishments with the Ravens earlier in his coaching career:"It will always be a part of my life – an important part of my life – and my coaching [career] and so forth. It is a special place for me, and it always means a lot."
On the key to slowing down QB Joe Flacco and forcing mistakes:"Joe [Flacco] is a very, very good quarterback, and we've been fortunate. And we just have to keep playing within ourselves and kind of stay to our technique and schemes and so forth."
On QB Andy Dalton's performance this season, if Dalton has improved at ignoring outside "noise" and if that has always been one of his strengths:"I think that has been one of Andy [Dalton's] strengths throughout his life, and as a professional quarterback, obviously, the noise gets louder and louder and louder. So, the big thing for him is just to continue to play within himself, continue to be the leader of the football team, and I think he's really done a nice job of [being] willing to embrace that through his career here now."
On the Bengals' continuity with second-year coordinators Paul Guenther (defense) and Hue Jackson (offense) and many starters returning from last season:"We've been fortunate to be able to continue to do that, and it is important. I think it has been a blessing we've had. We've been able to continue to grow our guys from the ground up, and that's an important part [of] the program here. We've been fortunate. [We've] been fortunate to have the coaches and so forth in place, but the main thing is – hopefully, through this whole thing – you've got to keep getting better as a football team. Continuity is not very good if you're not good enough."
On innovative college offenses lacking staying power in the NFL:"Because in the NFL, we've got 46 players come Sunday. You only have 53 on your squad, and the innovation of offenses generally comes with that ball in the quarterback's hand. In the NFL, that quarterback is getting hit, and he's not very innovative anymore. And I think that's the big difference. They have more than [one quarterback]. They can go in, and they feel like they have more than one [quarterback]; some play two or three."
On the Bengals' key to blocking out the noise during their victories at M&T Bank Stadium:"I think you said it. I think when you go play on the road, it is important to have a great focus, a great poise and do things the correct way, and No. 1 is taking care of the football."
TE Tyler Eifert
On his role in the offense following his return from an injury suffered in Baltimore last season:"It has been a lot of fun just being able to be out there. It puts things in perspective when you get hurt in the first quarter of a game, and you can't play the rest of the year. I missed a lot, and I'm happy to be back and contributing, helping us – our offense – score points and our team win."
On if he views the Ravens differently knowing the team is 0-2:"No, not at all. It's the Ravens. It's the Ravens and Bengals, and that's always going to be a tough game, especially there [in Baltimore]. So, no, we don't look at it any differently."
On tight ends making a "leap" in their third years, and what he has seen out of himself that makes his performance in Weeks 1 and 2 possible:"I think our offense has just been playing good football, and [I'm] kind of developing a trust factor with Andy [Dalton] and being on the same page. He knows that he can trust me to put the ball up and make a play, or coaches are moving a lot of guys around. So, it is a lot for defenses to have to worry about, and so far, it has been good. And we've got to keep it going."
On presenting challenges to linebackers by coming out of the backfield with HB Giovani Bernard, and the coverage he has seen by ILBs C.J. Mosley and Daryl Smith in Weeks 1 and 2:"We just started looking at them yesterday, so I haven't watch a whole lot of film, but [C.J.] Mosley is a really good linebacker. And he's had to step up in that defense with [Terrell] Suggs getting hurt; his role has increased. [He's] definitely a guy we need to know where he's at and make sure we get blocked."
On if this game is an opportunity to put the Ravens at a disadvantage in the division race that would be hard to overcome:"Yes. It's not often there is an opportunity to go up – after three games – to be up by three games on a team in your division. We've definitely noticed that, and we want to go in there and play well and get a win."
On the continuity of Bengals second-year coordinators Paul Guenther (defense) and Hue Jackson (offense) helping the Bengals this season:"Yes, I think so, but at the same time, we didn't change a whole lot from three years ago to last year, now this year. Not a whole lot has changed, but there have been some differences. Guys are healthy this year; we've got full strength, and we've got a lot of different weapons to utilize. So, we're going to keep doing that."
On head coach John Harbaugh saying the Bengals have the most talented team in the NFL:"We've known that we have some talented guys. It is just whether we go out there and perform and get it done on Sundays. Last year, obviously, didn't end how we wanted it to, and I feel like it has always been talking about how many explosive weapons we have instead of actually talking about what we've done. So, we want to keep this thing going and keep playing well."
