Baltimore Head Coach John Harbaugh
(Opening Statement) - "I appreciate you coming down here, obviously. Enjoyed the weather, right? (It was) hot. And I'm really proud of the way our guys handled it. From beginning to end, it was challenging, and our guys were up for the challenge and then we played - we just played excellent football. It's a good beginning for us and now our challenge is to get ready for next one and the only way to make a win really count is to win the next game and that's what we need to do."
(The guys sound pretty happy in there.) - "They are excited. They played well. You put a lot of work in all throughout the off-season, preseason, training camp. l's a grind a little bit in football and our guys did that. No drag. No complaining. Everybody just did their part and you hope to be a competent, good football team. We were that today. Now we've got to go to work and make sure we're that next week and going forward."
(How satisfying is it to see OB Lamar Jackson's throwing day, after all the talk about him and the improvements you've seen all off-season, how good is it to see?) - "I'm really happy for him and again, this is his beginning as well. For him to come down here and come home, for Marquise (Brown) to come down here and come home, his first two catches I think were touchdowns. I don't know if it's been done, maybe it has; but that's pretty remarkable and that's something to remember. I'm really happy for those guys. I'll tell you, there was a lot of South Florida Ravens fans down here. I'm sure a lot of our people came down from Baltimore. We heard from them and there's a lot of people from down here now that are Ravens fans because of those guys. It's pretty exciting."
(The fake punt was an interesting call. It was 35-3 and a curious call.) - "Well, it's there. That's what we do. You play football. There's a lot of time left in the game, and if they are going to give us an opportunity to run a play, we just want to make sure it's executed well. So it's no different than throwing a pass or anything else we could do."
(Can you take us through you maybe the emotions of seeing that first kickoff return muffed and then the 49-yarder to get you guys in gear?) - "Yeah. Right. Gosh, you don't want to get off to a start like that and your heart drops a little bit; but we talked to the guys about they are going to make plays; we are going to have mistakes and we need to say, 'so, what?' and go on to the next play. Our guys obviously did that. The offensive line stepped up. Mark (Ingram) stepped up. When you run the ball for 47 yards your first run from scrimmage, it's a statement."
(How different was OB Lamar Jackson today from the last eight games or whatever last year, and did that really set the stage for today?)- "He's definitely better. He's better. He's worked really hard. I think he's only going to continue to improve because he wants to work at it. He was a rookie last year. He didn't practice much throughout the course of the year. So he's had a chance to be with the No. 1 offense on a daily basis and he did a great job with it. Again, this is just a start. This is just one game."
(This was your first chance to see WR Marquise Brown at full speed in a game. I mean, you've seen practice. He was limited in preseason. To see that, is that sort of exactly why he was picked where he was?) - "Yes. That's why he was picked. That's why we have him. The ability to make big plays is huge. It's huge. It's something we needed. Not just him but some other guys - Mark (Andrews). I can't even name all of the guys that made big plays. That's exciting. That's what we want to be able to do."
(Do you know any more about the severity of the injury to CB Jimmy Smith?) - "We do. It's not a season-ending injury as far as we know right now. It does not look like that at all. I'm sure he'll get an MRI tomorrow. We'll just see if it's days or weeks or what. We'll know tomorrow after we get the MRI."
(Is one of the best things on the stat sheet to see OB Lamar Jackson only rushed the ball three times?) - "Is that what it was? Yeah, that's good. He's going to have to get going to set that record. (laughter) I think I bet the over on that. (laughter)"
(How cool is it to see Eric DeCosta, first game as the GM, a lot of players he brought here - TE Mark Andrews, WR Marquise Brown and WR Miles Boykin - all of those guys doing so well, how cool is that for him?) - "Well, it's cool. Any time you get your first win like that - and Eric's first win as a GM, he got a game ball - it's monumental. It's something you cherish. Eric has been a big part of this from the beginning. Eric and Ozzie (Newsome) and all the scouts and everybody, it's a team effort. Dick Cass is a big part of it. I just feel like we've been a team for quite a few years now and I think Eric in his new role is thriving. He's doing a great job and Ozzie in his new role is thriving. The setup is good."
(I know OB Lamar Jackson has made obvious strides. How much has it been the - also, putting the people around him, how much has that helped him develop as a passer, as well?) - "There's no question. It's a team sport. It's hard to be a one-man show out there. I think having those guys around him that make plays and chemistry - or whatever you want to say - competence - the ability to work together at this level is big. Like I told those guys, I said now people, they are going to mark you now. They are going to look for ways to stop our guys, what they do well and how we do it, and so we have got to keep growing and improving to stay ahead of the challenges because that's the way the NFL works. I mean, nothing stands still. You're either getting better or you're getting worse. We have to keep improving."
(The tight ends were exceptional today and able to get the ball down the field. Talk about that.)
- "They were. I'm proud ofthem. Not just the pass-catching, which obviously was great; but they were blocking well, too. All three of them - put Pat Ricard in that group too, he kind of rotates in those spots. He played really well."
(I know you can give more detail after watching the film but just watching OB Lamar Jackson out there, was there anything that stood out with the way he was throwing the ball?) - "The thing I was really impressed with - pleased with - was his poise under pressure. They brought a number of zero all-out blitzes, and he really held the ball as long as he had to, to give guys the chance to get open, and found the open guy, bought some time moving away. Not just scrambling, but buying time to get the ball in receivers' hands is probably the thing that jumped out at me the most."
Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson
(Thoughts on the game and playing in South Florida?) - "It was hot. Very hot. (laughter) It feels so good it was hot. I feel our offense, defense, special teams came out to play. We have been working so hard - OTAs, camp- and we grind together and shine together, and that's what we did today."
(You said pretty much whole off-season you were going to throw the ball. Do you think you proved to people that you were throwing the ball?)- "Probably not but not bad for a running back. (laughter) But yeah, the offensive line did a great job. I didn't have - I barely had pressure. The receivers did a great job of getting open, catching the ball and scoring touchdowns. That's what it's all about and that's what we did today."
(Anything special playing so close to your hometown?) - "Not really. (We) came out on top, came out with a victory. That's what the goal was and that's what we did today."
(What about those two connections with WR Marquise Brown, considering we saw so little... ) -
"I know you all have seen the speed. You seen it, right?"
(Yeah. Tell me about those and what that means to you and WR Marquise Brown being from down here to do this in Miami?) - "I've been waiting since OTAs. I didn't have him in OTAs. I got him towards the end of camp. We didn't really have chemistry. Coach, (there were) some plays he didn't like because we weren't completing them. But today, I guess he liked the plays. We scored on them. He's fast. He's fast. I just can't wait to see more. We've got to move on to Arizona now."
(What does that do to a defense to have that speed?) - "I don't know. I play offense. I don't know, man. (laughter)"
(What did it do for your offense to have that kind of speed?) - "It gave us a boost. It opened up running lanes for our running back. Mark Ingram did a great job today. Gus Edwards and Justice Hill did great today. It just opened up our run attack and gave chances for all of the receivers to get open."
(Do you feel like you sent a message today about what this offense could be and what you could be) - "Yeah, I guess; but it's over. It's over and done. We've just got to move on now. We can't dwell on that win. It's the first game."
(After all the talk about quarterback and your throwing, how satisfying does it feel for you to have a perfect quarterback rating today?) - "It's pretty cool, I guess. I just like to win. We've got to move on to next week. It's over and done with now. I was happy on the field. I know you guys could have seen that, but now I'm just ready to move on."
(I think we saw out there earlier pregame, maybe earlier than you had been as a starter. .. ) - "You all notice everything. (laughter)"
(Did you change anything in how you prepare for this game?) - "Coach wanted me to come out early. I probably would have stayed in like I usually do, but (I was) just getting a little warmed up knowing, for a long game, hot game, I'd have to feel the weather out. I'm just happy we came out with the victory."
Baltimore WR Marquise Brown
(Did you anticipate your first two catches going for touchdowns like that?) - "No, but (Head) Coach (John Harbaugh) put me in great position. All I had to do was catch the ball and make a play."
(Can you describe what that's like to reach the end zone in your first game twice?) - "Yeah, it felt good. Just everything I've been through this offseason, just to be out there and be able to make plays and help the team win, it felt pretty good."
(Do you think your cousin might have been watching the game today, seeing how you did?)- "He probably was. I'll probably talk to him after this."
(Have you heard from WR Antonio Brown yet?)- "I haven't been checking my phone."
(Was there ever a doubt, any point where maybe your foot hurt or you weren't recovering as quick as you can where you wondered whether you would be on the field in Week 1?}- "I put credit to the people here. I kind of knew what I was getting myself into and kind of knew how I was going to progress during the week. I never- it was frustrating not being out there; but at the same time I knew what I was dealing with, so I've just got to keep improving each week."
(How is the pain now?}- "I just played through it. Each week, it's improving and each week it's going to get better. I've got guys like Jimmy (Smith) who has been through the same injury, so it's easy for me to deal with it."
(The connection with you and OB Lamar Jackson - you grew up around each other. Did you know each other at all growing up? Did you cross paths in a camp or 7-on-7 or anything like that?) - "Yeah, we crossed paths a few time starting with Pop Warner football. Growing up, I knew about him and he know about me. Now that we're on the same team, it's pretty cool."
(Was it huge for you playing down here in South Florida today?) - "Yeah, I ended my (college) career here, and it didn't end well for me. So just to be back here, starting it back off, it was pretty fun."
(You said Wednesday you were so excited for OB Lamar Jackson, with how hard he worked, to show what he's capable of. Is that pretty much what you had in mind, what happened over the last three hours?) - "Yeah. You hear the talk, and I knew just from when I got here, I was like, I don't know what people been talking about. He looks pretty good to me, so I'm glad he got here and you know showed what he could do."
(With this being your first year here with the Ravens with OB Lamar Jackson, did you get a sense at all for how far he's come from last year to now?) - "I mean, I watched him a few times last year,
but I watched him in college and I thought he was pretty good. I was happy when I got drafted here and since I've been here, he has been nothing but good."
Was that the game plan that you would be targeted earlier or did that just happen? What was the game plan?)- "The game plan is whatever play Coach (Harbaugh) calls, we've got to go out there and execute. That slant, I haven't really caught that in practice but Lamar saw it, it opened up, he threw it to me and I made a play."
(They always talk about the speed of the game is the most difficult thing. For you, was it a big adjustment with the speed of the game out there?) - "Yeah, I think my first joint practice, everything was kind of- everybody's moving around pretty fast but after that, everything slowed down."
What was going through your mind as you scored that first touchdown? As you knew, nobody was going to catch you, as you were going into the end zone?) - "I was just like, 'Oh, yeah, first catch.' (laughter) I was pretty hyped. The second one came the next play and I was like, 'Oh, this is pretty cool."'
(Did you have any celebrations in mind that you wanted to do?) - "I just thank God every time I touch the end zone. Without him, I couldn't be doing this."
(Can you take us through that 83-yarder? Did you just run past him? How did you get so open down the field?) - "Yeah, I ran. The defender was standing there flat-footed, so I knew he was going to try to grab me. Lamar (Jackson) did a great job of buying time and he threw a great ball."
(Is that something -- you fought through contact right there - is that something you take pride in that you can, 'hey, I'm big enough to fight through that contact and get open?')- "Yeah, I've been saying that from the jump that I just look like this. I play bigger than what I look. (laughter)"
Baltimore Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey
(For you to get a pick in the first game, does that kind of start you on the right foot to kind of get the ball rolling for you?) -
"Hopefully. I think, early on, it was a deep ball that was completed. Me and 'Ant' (Anthony Averett) were kind of right there on another play in the end zone. But other than maybe kind of a rocky start, I had a pretty good finish, so to start off with a pick is definitely always good."
(How tough was it to see CB Jimmy Smith go down in the first quarter?) -
"It was definitely a little tough to see Jimmy go down but I think, the Ravens, we feel like we have one of the better secondaries in the league and we feel like we have, with me, Brandon Carr and Jimmy, we've got three CB1s. For him to go down, it kind of was the next man up. 'Ant' (Anthony Averett) stepped in. We had a couple of different packages and I think it went well from there."
(Once the lead got where it was, having a guy like OB Ryan Fitzpatrick, you knew he was going to come at you. That is a nice challenge for you guys over that period of time, with live bullets, the ball was going up in the air.) -
"Yes. It was actually - With Fitzpatrick, you're looking, like, 'He's not going to throw the ball,' and then he throws it so it's almost a shock. Going against a guy like that was a really good test. I know the score didn't show that, but they had some passes here and there. Some got called back because of holding, but going against Fitzpatrick, he definitely will test you."
RB Mark Ingram II
(When you look at the scoreboard, what's your reaction when you see it?) - "You see the scoreboard, but you can't let up. Great teams never let up based on the circumstances. You don't look at the clock until the fat lady sings and hopefully you have more points than they do. So just try to keep pressure on them, keep attacking them and not get complacent."
(What impressed you the most about OB Lamar Jackson today and what he did? There were a lot of things, but anything stand out the most?}- "He's been doing everything that we've seen, making stuff happen. He's been sitting back there throwing it all training camp, all OTAs. (He) hit some deep balls. He ran the offense smooth. (He was) very composed out there, great composure in the huddle, running the huddle really well, executing plays, executing assignments. (When the) play breaks down, somehow we were able to throw it for a touchdown or a completion or something. He just did a great job of running the game, managing the game and making big plays when we needed him to."
(Your thoughts on your game and how you played today?) - "I thought I played well. Obviously, there will be things on the film that I think can always improve on. It was just a great job by the offensive line, receivers blocking downfield and the tight ends, fullback."
TE Mark Andrews
(The offense as a whole, do you think this performance could send a message?) - "Yeah. I think it was a good starting point, for sure. I think for the weeks to come, just building upon that. I mean obviously there are things to correct, but guys played really well. So we just need to keep building on that and getting better and better."
(With how well you guys moved the ball on offense, do you think the humidity and the heat might have gotten to the Dolphins defense in terms of just wearing them down?) - "I wouldn't say that. They practice in this heat every day. It is kind of foreign to us, so I think it goes both ways. Obviously they did a great job. A lot of those guys competed the whole time, and that is not easy to do. It was super hot out there, and it was a struggle."
(I know you've been practicing with this offense all offseason but last year, you were more of a grind it out offense. This game, a lot of quick strikes. Is that a new dimension to this offense?) - "Yeah I think we said it before, this is going to be a different offense, and I don't think people really believed us when we said that. We are going to bring a different flavor, and we are able to run the ball when we need to and throw the ball when we need to. So it is going to be a 'pick your poison' for the defense, and I am excited for these next couple weeks."
Baltimore Ravens CB Brandon Carr
(The defense kind of made a statement today too, coming out after all the questions about all the changes and all of that stuff. How good does it make your defense feel?) - "We want to start fast. That was our goal. We can't control what people say about us. We know what we have in this locker room. We've been grinding for a long time now. We've just been anxious to get out here for Week 1
- Game 1 - and show what we're made of, show what we're about. We put together a solid football game across the board - all three phases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams, and that's what you look for. Now the biggest challenge is get better for next week."
(How tough was it to see CB Jimmy Smith go down early in the game?}- "It's always tough to see one of my boys go down. We put so much work into this game and we know it can be taken away at the blink of an eye and that's what happened to him. But of course, the football game is the next-man up mentality and we had another young guy that's been chomping at the bit to get out there and make some plays. He had his work cut out for him today but he made some big plays for us and he had some fun so it was cool to see a young guy go out there and just live it up."
(What did you think of the way CB Anthony Averett played and how he's performed over the summer too?) - "I would say he's a solid player, has tremendous speed. Just a guy that needs an opportunity to go out there and to get those reps and today was a big day for him. Moving forward, we look forward to him to go out there and shutting guys down. I'm a big fan of his from Day 1 and I was looking forward to see him grow too, so it's been pretty fun."
T Ronnie Stanley
(There's this whole thing about OB Lamar Jackson and, "Can he be a throwing quarterback? Can he rely on his arm?" You guys as a team, how much confidence do you have that, that guy is going to be able to do this and be successful in this league doing what he's doing?) - "I have full confidence in his throwing abilities. Like I said, I think he's only going to surprise people when we play them, so it's only going to be to our advantage. He's a great quarterback, running and throwing the ball, so I'm very happy with his play."
(Did you guys see that OB Lamar Jackson, WR Marquise Brown connection coming? Could you see that in practice?) - "We knew it was there. Everybody was kind of, 'Wait until the game to really see that thing happen.' But we knew what both those guys are capable of and the connection they had just being out in the locker room and stuff. It was good to see it translate to the field."
