**BALTIMORE RAVENS
Head Coach John Harbaugh
(opening statement) "We're number one in the league in game presentation – the fire coming out of the ravens [in the pre-game introductions] truly was awesome. The players had to be 65 feet away from the flames. Great job. The thing I like about the mindset of the locker room after the game is the fact that our guys were pretty hacked off about the fact that we didn't play as error-free as we should have, and we need to. The fact that we gave up big plays … I give the Browns and [head coach] Hue Jackson credit. He's a game planner. The execution, the quarterback and their receivers, pass protection, really good offensive line, and they hit those seven-routes on us and those seam routes, and that really hurt us. The plus side of that is that our guys really don't blink. They're resilient, tough, and they just keep playing. They're confident that they'll make a play and make a stop, and that's what you want from a really good defense. Offensively, it was a pounding, grinding game, but you had balance. The run game was there. We had a really good scheme, the players did a good job; the coaches did a good job. That defense is really tough to scheme and run the ball against. [Browns defensive coordinator] Gregg Williams did a great job of taking away the things that you want to do. We found a way to get some yards in there, and we executed them very well. But, the passing game is what made the difference for us. We had conversions, chunk plays. Joe [Flacco] moved around, we had scramble plays, we had scheme plays. Those were what really helped our offense. Special teams played a really good, solid game. We had a few things squared away that were a problem for us the week before. It was a team effort in that sense."
(on today's injuries) "I'm going to give two injury announcements here, because they're both long-term injuries. We lost both Marshal [Yanda] and Bam [Bradley] for the season. Unfortunately, it's bad news. We'll have to bounce back from it, and we'll have to handle it. Marshal had a fracture somewhere in his ankle, and then Bam was an ACL [tear]."
(on DT Brandon Williams' injury) "I think Brandon is OK. I haven't heard anything long term with him."
(on if the five turnovers in back-to-back games surprises him) "No, I would just say we're right on schedule. Let's keep it going. That's the track we want to maintain. It's an amazing thing to accomplish, but we want to keep pressure on in every phase, and when you do that and play sound football, you have a chance to force them into mistakes. I think the other thing in the game was that we were able to force our opponents into mistakes, and that made a big difference for us."
(on RB Terrance West not getting as much play in the fourth quarter) "Yes, he had a big workload, and towards the end of the game, we thought it would be better to not get too many reps in the fourth quarter."
(on what led to QB Joe Flacco's mobility) "He had a really good week of practice, and I think it has to do with the fact that he's getting [the feel for] football again. He's getting a feel for the game and how to play it, so it's probably just a natural thing."
(on OLB Tyus Bowser's performance today) "Tyus did a great job. He's a guy that takes it very seriously, and it really matters to him. Sometimes I have to grab him a little bit and tell him, 'It's going to be OK, man.' When he doesn't do things 100 percent right, he really gets down on himself. He went out there today and played hard. He didn't let things get to him at all. And to come up with that [interception], that was a Raven play. That was a play we needed in a critical moment, to flip that situation and to go score a touchdown at the end of the half. That was a dramatic shift of momentum there. He was the reason for it."
(on RB Javorius 'Buck' Allen's performance today) "I'll tell you, and 'Buck' will laugh about this, but this is exactly what I expected from him when we drafted him. He and I have had these conversations a lot, and to see that come to fulfillment from his hard work is great. Now, he has to keep it going, but he's making plays for us. To come up with that run at the end of the half, that's a big-league play."
(on the significance of losing G/T Marshal Yanda) "I don't want to go down that road. I don't want to lament it. We're going to keep faith, we're going to maintain our faith in what we believe in. You know, in God, in each other, in where we're going and what the plan is. We're going to keep our faith in it. When you face adversity and things like that, that's an opportunity to do something with it. You know the old saying: There's no testimony without a test. So, bring on the test. We're OK. There's a reason for these things, and we plan on having a testimony when it's all said and done."
(on what he has seen from G/C Tony Bergstrom) "I think he'll be the guy [to replace Marshal Yanda]. You know, I haven't really seen him play. I was asked that by our owner, Steve Bisciotti, before the game. I haven't really seen him play because he was in practice, and he was practicing well. Now I have seen him play, and I thought he played well. No one can replace Marshal Yanda – no one person. But, I think we traded for him for a reason, and our scouts believed in him. It looks like a good trade. Everyone is going to have to collectively raise their effort level, their execution level, to make up for the loss of a player like Marshal."
(on TE Benjamin Watson's performance today) "It was great to see Benjamin Watson in there. I don't know how many catches he had in there, about nine, maybe. He made some big plays for us. Just to see him break out like that, after what he has been through in the last year, is really good."
(on RB Alex Collins) "Alex stepped up there. He had a little bit of quickness and speed. He was kind of fresh at the end, and I thought it gave us something in the fourth quarter, against a defense that was playing fourth-quarter football. He was fresh, and he has some quickness to him, and he ran really hard. The one thing I would say – and we talked about this on the sideline, so he knows it – sometimes, enough is enough. You don't do too much to jeopardize the football. He has never been a guy who has had an issue with that, and I'm sure he'll do well in the future with that."
RB Javorius Allen
(on his performance today) "First and foremost, I'm just glad the man up above made this possible. As I've said in previous interviews, I just put myself mentally through the toughest offseason. I'm always going to work hard until I have nothing left in the tank. Just getting the opportunity and believing in your preparation allows you to showcase things on the field."
(on not playing last year) "I've been through worse. Me personally, I know what I'm capable of doing. I never got down on myself. I believed in my preparation, I believed in my work ethic, and I never got down on myself. I never questioned, 'Why am I going through this?'"
(on his touchdown celebration) "I've been watching some Deion [Sanders] videos. Even though he's a defensive player, he wore number 37 here, too. I just wanted to dedicate that to Deion [Sanders]. I'm a big Deion [Sanders] fan. He is a great, great, great athlete. Usually, I would do my dance that I did last year, but I figured I'd get in there and why not?"
(on the Ravens' 2-0 start) "It feels great. I think the defense set a record today, five turnovers in back-to-back games. The defense is doing great. The offense is right there rolling. Coaches are doing a great job of drawing up schemes against different defenses. As players, we just have to execute and make it happen."
(on this year's commitment to the run game) "Harbs [coach Harbaugh] and them do a great job of bringing different coaches in. Greg Roman came in. He drew up a run scheme that I personally do great at. Like I said, our job is to execute, and I think we do a great job of that. I never question, 'Why'd he call this run, or that run?' I just have to go out and execute it and make it happen."
(on coach Harbaugh's expectations of him) "They took me fourth round. I knew what I had to work on and he knew what I had to work on. I put in the work and made it happen. I don't expect anything less from myself. I'm my hardest critic. I just want to come in and make plays and grind every day. Coach 'Harbs' [Harbaugh] just tells me to keep working. I see it and I can't question that at all. Even my running backs coach, coach Thomas [Hammock], he believes in me. He's done a great job of learning his players. He's done a great job of putting me out there and I just make it happen.
(on his big run before the half) "It was great, even though I should've gotten in the endzone. Greg Roman has done a great job of drawing up the run plays and making it happen. Our offensive coordinator, Marty [Mornhinwheg] does a great job of calling the plays at the right time. When he calls it, I just have to make it happen and execute."
(on if he's disappointed he didn't get the touchdown) "Yes, but we got the win and we scored on the drive. I'm not a selfish person at all, so live to see tomorrow."
(on Marshal Yanda) "First and foremost, my prayers go out to Marshal. He's a great leader, great guy, and he's been to the Pro Bowl 6 times. Me and him have a little relationship, so it hit me deep to see him go down. We've got a lot of great offensive linemen to step in and I'm confident that they will."
WR Jeremy Maclin
(on going for the touchdown at the end of the half) "As a player, that's something you always want to do. You always want to go for it. The fact they had the confidence in us to go out and get the job done, that's pretty cool."
(on the offensive line) "I think it will continue to come. With the way that our defense has played, causing turnovers and the way that we've been able to control the line of scrimmage, I think that's just the way the games have gone. They're tough division games. A lot of times they come down to defense and controlling the line of scrimmage."
(on going to London) "It's always good. Anytime you have the opportunity to play out there and experience the love that we get from the fans out there, it's always good. The more we can spread football around the world, why not?"
(on playing in London already) "It was cool. It's weird. I know the Jaguars play over there every year, so I know it's a home game for them. When we played over there, we were actually the home team in Kansas City. But the crowd was kind of neutral, and as the game goes on they kind of pick a team to start rooting for. I think it was kind of cool how we had everyone on our side kind of rooting for us. It's just a chance for the fans over there to come see American football."
(on if it's physically a challenge to go to London) "I don't know. We flew from Kansas City and got after Detroit pretty good. I can't say there were any effects of us being jet lagged or anything like that."
(on player introductions today) "It was cool. We kind of got briefed on what was going to happen. When you get in there and see all of that purple, and then you see the fans going crazy, it's pretty cool."
(on scoring touchdowns in his first two games as a Raven) "It's cool to help the team win. I've been in this league a long time, and that's what it is to me. I'm helping the team win by putting points on the board, but it doesn't take just me to go out there and make plays. It takes Joe [Flacco] to throw the ball, it takes a play caller, and it takes the offensive line to hold up protection. That's ultimately what it is."
(on converting turnovers into touchdowns) "That's how you practice it. These are the situations that we practice each and every week. Anytime you get an opportunity to get points at the end of the half, or the end of the game, those are huge."
QB Joe Flacco
(on if he had more "fun" in this game) "It was fun. It was good to get going. I was a little disappointed in myself. I feel like one of the things I can do is stay pretty patient when I go out there and play, and today I definitely felt like it got the best of me a little bit. We had some guys running open. I thought there was a couple of plays I was trying to do a little bit too much, hoping for too much, and I either missed something or threw a pick way down there. Once I got past all that stuff and being kind of mad at myself, the fact that we were winning and having fun as a group, it was definitely fun. You know, it was one of those games against Cleveland. It was a tough game, and we jumped out ahead of them and were able to kind of grind it out in the second half."
(on if he felt better this week) "I think it was part of what we did. We did some boots and some stuff like that, and then I did have a couple of times where I scrambled either right or moved up in the pocket or had to throw the ball away. It was just the way it played out. I felt perfectly fine to do that stuff last week. I think I am progressing week to week and feeling a little bit better, but I didn't feel too much differently on Sunday come game time than I did last week."
(on TE Benjamin Watson) "It was great to get him involved. He's a good player, and like I said, there were some holes out there, when we were able to play-action them, not necessarily the ones that were way downfield, but in the 10-15 yard range, when we were in a play-action and I was able to come up right off of those things and have guys with some room. If you remember the one [where] Ben [Watson], I don't think, had anybody within 15 yards of him. There was a couple times where things like that happened. Ben did a great job just catching the ball. The one I can think of is when I scrambled out to my right. That ball almost sailed on me a little bit, and he was able to go up and get that, and that was a big conversion. I think we had just gotten pushed back a little [on] a penalty, and converting that with his hands there was big."
(on the way the defense is creating turnovers) "The team gets down there and you're like, 'All right, they could still turn the ball over.' You start to think that. It's not going to last forever, I don't think, but those guys, man, just tip your to [our defense] the way they're doing things. They're getting good pressure on the quarterback, and then when they don't have great pressure on the quarterback, they're at least forcing him to hold the ball with the coverage, and eventually somebody kind of gets free and forces him to throw the ball quickly, last-second, because there is pressure late. And any time you can get pressure on the quarterback and create those kind of things [is good]. You get a lead and get pressure on the quarterback, it's a good winning recipe because it's the toughest thing to do in this league is play under a consistent pressure as a quarterback, and to be able to put both guys in that situation the last two weeks, has been huge for us."
(on his situation, being 2-0, and heading for London) "I knew I was going to play, but it feels good. I mean 2-0; there's been so many years where we started off good 1-0, and then we have a letdown Week 2. It doesn't really mean anything long-term, but it is great to get off to a good start, especially in the division. It will be interesting. This week will be a little bit different. We'll try to act like it won't be, but it will be. I've never done it before. The only guys that have done it will be the guys that have come from other teams. It should be interesting. I'm curious how to see the crowd is over there. I'm sure they'll be having a lot of fun, and it should be a lot of fun to go over there and play."
(on the play with WR Mike Wallace) "We had the look we wanted. I kind of thought the safety would come more downhill at him, and we were just planning on getting a big shot there, and I don't really think we had it. He ended up going underneath the guy, and I think if I would have been looking for that, I probably would have hit him. Or if not, just cut your losses, and hey, we didn't hit the big play, but I really wanted to, and I kind of just threw it up, and I just chalked it up to me being a little bit overanxious and trying to get something happening when it really wasn't there."
(on being given the chance to score with five seconds left in the first half instead of kicking a FG) "We felt like we had a play that, it was going to be boom-boom. It was either going to be a completion for a touchdown, or I was going to throw it in the dirt, and [we'd] kick the field goal with one second left. That was the plan, and it's nice to know that they have confidence and trust in us as an offense to do that."
S Eric Weddle
(on his one-handed interception and the defensive's performance) "One-handed pick was awesome. We had a combo. I was able to read the guys and go make a play. It was a huge play. Let me start by saying huge win, division opponent, 2-0, got a chance to be 3-0. That's what we strive for. But we made too many mistakes, too many blown coverages, too many big plays as a defense, so we are not happy about the performance we had. We let those mistakes creep in, and [if] we don't fix them, it's going to hurt us down the road. It may look like a great, great defensive effort, but when you look at it, we made too many mistakes out there. Luckily, we clutched up. It shows our mental toughness. We kept our head down and kept grinding and made the plays in the end. But we've got to fix those – and we will. You can count on that."
(on what forcing 10 turnovers in two games says about the defense) "That we're an opportunistic defense. We're a brotherhood. We believe in each other, and like I said, we gave up some plays that we don't ever do. But we didn't point the fingers. We didn't blame anybody. We looked at each other and said, 'Let's clutch up, let's get off the field.' They did that one red zone touchdown, but other than that, we got turnovers, we held them to a field goal, and we came out with a win. We can take some positives from it, but we can't give up as many big plays as we did."
OLB Tyus Bowser
(on his home debut) "Getting an opportunity to be on the field in front of these fans with these guys on defense, I mean, all the credit goes to them. The defensive line put so much pressure on the quarterback, and that helps put me in position to make plays. Very enjoyable game and all the credit to the defense."
(on the tradition of Ravens defense) "It's an honor to get the opportunity to play with this team, this organization, and for them to have confidence in me to be productive and help them win games. I'm just thankful for the opportunity and [I] am going to make the most of it. The tradition here is strong, and all the young guys on defense want to continue it."
(on the interception) "I saw the back running the cross, and I just took him. I saw pressure on the quarterback and saw him roll out. I was pretty sure he was going to throw it, then he threw it, and I just ran with the opportunity and made the play. Just a great day to be a Raven. What an experience to come out here and play in this stadium. It was huge. Seeing a packed crowd out there brought a lot of energy to me."
(on the sack) "The defensive coordinator [Dean Pees] made a good call. He gave me an opportunity to rush and do what I do to get paid for. I gave him a quick power move. He tried to push me toward the pocket. I made a move to the outside and got there."
TE Benjamin Watson
(on his overall thoughts on the game) "It was great to get a win in front of the home folks. Any time you play in the division, they all count, they all matter. Cleveland's been playing well, especially defensively, and we're definitely satisfied to get this win."
(on clicking with QB Joe Flacco) "We've both had our injuries, and that's what training camp is for. But our whole offense is evolving. Joe was out all of training camp. We're definitely starting to click, but we've got to get better – a lot better. Defense is playing tremendously, getting all those turnovers. But we need to score more than 24 points. We all know that. We still think we have a tremendous way to go. A lot of things still need to happen, hopefully some of them do between Weeks 2 and 3."
(on what they saw in the middle of the field) "We definitely wanted to attack the middle of the field but also outside, run the ball and be balanced. Defensively, we saw they were trying to stop the run a lot. They were leaving a lot of single coverage on the back end. Joe did a good job of reading that and finding me for a couple of big plays."
(on if today was a sign that he was "back") "It's just one game. Every game is different. From week to week, you never know how it's going to turn out. You may not hear a guy's name for a couple of games, but that does not mean he's not doing his job. It just means things change throughout the course of a season. So, it's just one game. Again, I'm happy to be involved in the offense today, happy we got the win. Next week may be something totally different."
(on losing RG Marshal Yanda) "It's tough emotionally. Even before I came here, everybody in the league knows about Marshal, how special he is, his excellence on the offensive line, and the way guys gravitate towards him, the leader that he is. So it's definitely going to hurt. Football is a team game; we're going to put 11 on the field, and someone is going to play. The train never stops, but emotionally, when a guy like that goes down, it's definitely going to be tough to move forward. But the reality is, we have games we're going to play."
CB Brandon Carr
(on 10 takeaways in the first two games) "We just tried to go out and be better than our last performance. We have guys on this defense with the mentality to go after and get the ball every single play. We've got a good thing going, and we're going to try and get better every day."
(on his interception) "We harp on tight coverage. We have a front seven that can get after the quarterback and put tremendous pressure on him, so in the back end, we have to hold up our end of the bargain. All we've got to do is cover for four seconds. We want to be aggressive, want to be sticky on the outside and try to win our match-ups every single day. Especially when we're one-on-one."
(on comparing this defense to others he's played with) "I really can't compare it. Just across the board, from the players, to the schematics to the mentality; this by far is one of the better defenses I've ever played on. Our main mission right now is to get better for next week."
(on his two interceptions this season) "I never stop working. In the midst of everything, I know people write about me, saying I don't get a lot of interceptions. I just keep my head down and know who I am as a player and as a person. I have some goals still to accomplish. I'm in a great environment with some great players in a great scheme. I'm just trying to win my battles each and every day."
(on the different scheme the Ravens present) "See the ball. The quarterbacks we face can't hold the ball in the pocket. They don't have a lot of time to sit there and pat the ball. All we're asked is to see the ball."
(on if the Ravens are asking him to do anything different than he's done before) "No. I'm still playing the game the way I've always played it, and I really love playing here. Now, it's on to London and play a big game."
RT Austin Howard
(on the team's commitment to the run) "As offensive linemen, we love running the ball. But to be honest with you, the backs that we have really make our job easier for us. It's a mentality game, going out there and being able to open holes for your backs and being able to keep your quarterback safe. We take a lot of pride in that. Our offensive coordinator [Marty Mornhinweg] and all our coaches are on the same page in getting us ready for game day."
(on the loss of RG Marshal Yanda) "This game is all about adapting to change. It can happen at any moment, and we're used to that. But man, what a guy. He's super tough, and to see him go down was shocking at first. You think he can fight through anything, and we're so saddened to have him go down. We know we're praying for him, his family, his wife, his kids. We know it's a scary thing for them, and we wish him the best."
(on RG Tony Bergstrom) "I played with Tony in Oakland. I know he's capable, and he did a good job for us today stepping up and filling in. He only got here a week-and-a-half or two weeks ago, and that's not a lot of time. He's capable of coming out and getting through the week and focusing in on all the details to get ready for the game."
OLB Terrell Suggs
(on how to explain five turnovers in two consecutive games) "Well, you don't. We want to be a ferocious defense, we want to be a pressure defense. The standard is very high. You can tell by the guys we had here in the pregame introductions [the 2000 Super Bowl champions]. The standard is very high. It was a good day, but we weren't perfect. We still aren't satisfied. We are getting ready for Jacksonville."
(on how remarkable it is to have five turnovers in two straight games) "We aren't worried about it. It is a good thing. We have won two games. We don't have the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. We have not won the division. We have not clinched a playoff berth. We won two games. You can never take a game for granted, but like I said, the standard is very high here, and we did some things that we are kind of kicking ourselves in the butt for. We are going to go back to the drawing board and try to fix them."
(on why him and S Eric Weddle are driving home the point that the defense still has work to do) "'Because we still have not played our best football. We can be better. We did some things that we don't do. We are mad at ourselves. A win is a win, but we expect more out of ourselves. We are going to enjoy it tonight, but we have to get some things corrected."
(on G/T Marshal Yanda being injured) "It hurts. He is a leader. There is not a word in English dictionary that can describe – well I can't find one right now – what Marshal is to us. It hurts. That hurts to lose your bell cow. But, the Ravens, our motto is, 'The next man up.' We are going to miss him. We are going to miss him, but we still have to play Raven football. He would want us to play Raven football, and he would hold us to that standard."
LB C.J. Mosley
(on how the defense is able to force so many turnovers) "It starts with our front and the run game. We try to make them one-dimensional, so if we stop the run, they have to throw it and then they are in backed-up situations on third down. The front does a great job of keeping them contained and pressuring them. We did a great job disguising and showing one thing and playing another. It's amazing these past two games what we have been able to do. Even though, we try to do it in practice, too, but just to see how it transfers over to the games is great. It is a lot of fun playing defense with these guys."
(on S Eric Weddle and OLB Terrell Suggs' comments that the defense still needs to play better) "If you want to be great, you can't have complacency. That is all that is. It is only the second game. We have a long way to go. The first game we got five turnovers, but we gave up a few big plays in the pass and the run game. This week, it was the same. It was mainly a lot of big plays in the pass and them moving the ball through the air. To be a great defense, we have to avoid big plays and not let them score."
(on if the cause for some of the big plays was miscommunication) "Some of them. Other plays, they made great plays. [Duke] Johnson had that great one-handed catch. When he caught it, I was like, 'Oh, man.' Because, I was trying to chase him down. We just have to communicate. A few of them were communication."
(on why the defense has had so much success creating turnovers) "That is what we preached about in the offseason. We also got guys like [Brandon] Carr and Tony [Jefferson], because we knew what kind of players they were as far as getting turnovers and being an impact player. It is with those two coming in and learning the system and all of us gelling together and believing in our defensive plan every week. I feel like we have had some great stuff every week, even in our base packages. As long as we communicate and play Raven football, we feel we can play along with the offense."
(on if he is excited to go to London or if he is not looking forward to the flight) "Probably the flight coming back. Hopefully, I can sleep the whole way through. It will be a fun experience. It is always a business trip, and we know why we are there. We know the Jacksonville Jaguars pretty well. The last few years we have had some pretty close games. We have to go in mentally prepared for a physical fight, even though we have to enjoy our time together with our family and our teammates."
TE Maxx Williams
(on the offense's performance) "It was one of those where we are happy we won, but we wish we could have put up more points. We will take the win, watch the film and try to get better next week."
(on being used in the screen game) "I just want to help my team. Whatever the game plan is, I try to do it to the best of my ability. It worked well today."
(on the preparation for the Jaguars) "It is another game week. It is another business trip. We have to prepare for Jacksonville, and get ready to execute our game plan."
G/C Ryan Jensen
(on the mentality of pushing forward after losing G/T Marshal Yanda to injury) "Definitely. You have to keep pushing. You have to keep going. You can't dwell on that situation."
(on the amount of injuries that the offensive line has suffered) "Like I said, you can't dwell on that kind of stuff. It is unfortunate, but injuries are part of the game. We have to rebound and it is the next man up."
(on if he is ready to step up more as a leader) "Definitely. Being the center, I am the quarterback of the offensive line and all of that. I have been leading and getting the line meshed and everything like that. It is a big job. It is hard losing Marshal, but you have to keep pushing."
RB Alex Collins
(on providing a spark to the offense) "I'm just going out there and using my abilities the best I can. I've just been working on my speed, working hard and finishing stronger. That's just what I wanted to display out there today."
(on if he was disappointed with his fumble today) "Oh, most definitely. I'm just out there trying to give it my all and fight for extra yards, and I've just got to work on going down instead of straining and fighting hard for those extra yards."
(on being put right back into the game after the fumble to redeem himself) "That's just what I want to let [coach Harbaugh] know; I'm not going to dwell on the past. I'm just going to move forward and keep running hard and trying to make a play."
S Tony Jefferson
(on how special the last two weeks have been for the defense) "Huge, man. Huge. We talked about turnover differential and stuff like that – we're trying to win that battle. That's our goal. Guys are out there making plays – I need to join the party, I haven't gotten one yet. It's one of those things where we're out there at practice, and we're doing it in practice, and it's coming out in the games."
(on if he has ever been part of a defense like this) "No, I haven't. The thing is, we've got so much more that we can grow off of, and we can get so much better. That's the scary part about it."
