Head Coach John Harbaugh
(opening statement) "I'll just echo what [Eric Weddle] said. I think what he said is it. It was just a heck of a team victory. It is something that has been in our minds. Our vision is how we played today as a team. It's what we've been working for, and it's nice to see it happen. Now, we have to go to work on next week, [when] we have our toughest challenge of the year – Monday night, up in New England – that's what our focus goes to."
(on how much playoff experience helps teams at this point in the season) "That's a great point. I think we have really great leadership. As you pointed out, those guys have been there. Joe [Flacco] has been there, Terrell [Suggs] has been there, Lardarius [Webb] has been there. Right on down the line. To bring a guy like Eric [Weddle] in, that has the kind of experience that he has … We have phenomenal leadership. Our leaders have taken charge of this team from a preparation standpoint and just a focus standpoint. The result is, I think, the way we played. We talked about the offense a lot in the locker room, and the offense got the game balls. But, the defense was out of sight. To get the turnovers the way they did, the pressure, [they] stopped the run … [Jay Ajayi] is a heck of a back. That's a very good football team. It's a very well-coached football team. It's a football team that was hot, and they're going to win a lot of games yet, and they're going to make a playoff run yet. But, our defense kept them under control, and essentially, except for the sudden-change play, shut them out. It comes back to that leadership and that experience you're talking about."
(on the emphasis on the passing game) "I don't know what the numbers are exactly. I felt we ran the ball well at the end, but the idea was just to score points. That was our thing. We wanted to go after them, attack them and mix the run and the pass. I think once the game gets going, you kind of do what's working and just try to keep the pressure on as much as you can. That was really our idea – to keep the pressure on them – and score as many points as we could. That's what happened."
(on team leaders coming back from injury) "The best leadership is by example, as you're saying. Those guys were injured. They were still leading, and they were fighting, trying to get back. Elvis Dumervil is probably the ultimate example of that. He had been really struggling with his injury and was frustrated by the fact that he was probably 10 weeks late from when we thought he would be back. Now he's playing at such a high level … But, you're exactly right."
(on the persistence of the offense all game) "The thing that was good, and I think you're recognizing, was the fact that we got 7 [points], and then we got 14 [points]. We got another stop, and then we got 21 [points]. And that's what we haven't done. We've been stuck at 10 [points] really, in probably four or five games. To keep the pedal to the metal, as you say, to continue to make plays … I thought Joe [Flacco] played just phenomenally well. Joe and the offensive line got the game balls in the locker room. That's a really good defensive front. We knew going in we'd have to control the front, we [would] have to control the ends. We had to control the front. Our offensive line did that. That's quite a statement against that defense. Joe, he made the plays after that was done. I thought his vision was phenomenal. His accuracy and athleticism in the pocket … He moved around and made plays on the run. Guys made catch-and-run plays. It just looked like you want it to look."
(on TE Dennis Pitta's two touchdowns) "I feel great for Dennis. He won't take as much heat from all of us now. We've been on him pretty hard, pretty much all year. For him to break out like that … It was good to see. He played really well."
(on offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg's game plan for this week) "I think Marty always tries to be aggressive. One thing Marty has never been accused of is being conservative – that's not a label he takes too kindly to, as Joe [Flacco] can probably attest. They had a little back-and-forth in one of the quarterback meetings – that was fun to watch. I heard about it; I didn't actually witness it. But, that's what I think. Iron sharpens iron. We challenge each other, and everybody is able to do it in a way that makes each other better. I thought Marty just had a phenomenal game. Coaches deserve a lot of credit. Marty, [defensive coordinator] Dean [Pees], [special teams coordinator/associate head coach] Jerry [Rosburg], all of the position coaches … I just think the leadership starts in those rooms. We have a bunch of strong leaders, and really smart football coaches. Marty, obviously, had a great day."
(on going for it twice on fourth down) "We went into the game, and we wanted to do what we had to – we had a good fourth-down plan, let's put it that way. It wasn't something where we said we're going to go for it on fourth down. That wasn't the idea. When you feel like you have a play, and have a situation where we can find a play, or find a way to find a play, you want to give it a shot. Really, the important thing is that the guys make the play and execute. That's what Joe [Flacco] and our guys on offense did. It's really not so much about going for it – it's about executing and making a play, and getting it done. I think that's the way tougher thing. It's easy to say, 'Go for it.' It's tougher to make it work. Those guys made it work."
(on the chemistry between LG Marshal Yanda and LT Ronnie Stanley on the left side of the line) "I have to see the tape to see exactly how well they played, but the result is tremendous, for the whole offensive line. It seems like those guys are doing really well. Ronnie is playing really well. That's probably the main thing. You know Marshal is going to play well, even on the left side. I guess he has proven that. Ronnie has – from when he came back, he probably took a step back, technique wise – because he missed four weeks as a rookie. He has worked really hard along with [offensive line coach] Juan Castillo, every single day, putting in overtime. He's a quick learner, he's a good athlete, and he has made his technique really good. That's why he was playing so well against that pass rusher [Andre] Branch on the left side. That's quite a statement."
S Eric Weddle
(on the win) "What a great game, team effort, all three phases. We talk about it, I've been talking about it all season, that it's a process. This team's going to fight, scratch. We believe in each other, and we're going to continue to get better, or try to, as the season goes on. We played our best to date, and we've got to play better next week. Huge, huge confidence builder and playoff football. We've been playing playoff football for the last four weeks, so it's nothing new to us. It's a good team that came in, riding high, and to put the performance on that we did was outstanding and was fun to be a part of."
(on the coaching, specifically of Harbaugh) "You know, he gets pretty high sometimes, a little out of whack, but he was cool, calm and collected today, and when he's like that, we tend to feed off him. He's amazing. He's one of the best. We believe in him. We fight for him, and that's the sign of a great coach."
(on how much turnovers helped) "It's huge. We know the struggles that happened last year. We work on it. We talk about it. We preach it. Turnovers are the equalizer in any game, and to get three, the pressure put on [QB Ryan] Tannehill, the disguising, and when the plays were there to be made, we made them. And that's huge for us. It's something that we strive to be. We're trying to be the best, each play, each game, and we showed some of it today."
(on his getting an INT) "I mean, listen, I'm a play-maker, and anyone that thinks other-wise has fooled themselves (laughter). Hey, you get humbled. You go back to work, and any time you've struggled, any time you don't play well, you make mistakes, I only know one way, and that's to work harder and to continue to believe in yourself, and you've got a group, this organization, my teammates and coaches, that believe in you, it makes it easy to move past those not-so-good plays you have and move forward. Shoot, you've got to applaud the whole defense, this whole team, the way we played today."
(on getting a good look at S Lardarius Webb's INT) "Oh, man, that was amazing. We've got to applaud Webb. I mean, making the transition from corner to safety is hard enough as it is, but we put a lot of pressure on him about four weeks ago – four, five weeks ago – and said, 'Hey, you've got to pick it up. You've got to be a great player for us.' He's responded; he's been playing outstanding football for us. He's the rangy free-safety type that we need in this defense, to make plays, to erase plays in the back end, and he's really coming into his own. Super excited for him to make a play like that. It was huge; it took points off the board and gives him some confidence. He was the low one. Now we've got to get [CB] Jimmy [Smith] to make a play now. They don't throw much his way, but it was outstanding for him."
QB Joe Flacco
(on his discussions with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg about being aggressive) "Hey, we keep getting grilled on this. It was a good conversation. It was all fun. It was a pretty fun conversation. I think it was on Tuesday; we were talking about Cincinnati, just like we always do. We talk about our opponent that we just played and just good fun, trying-to-get-better conversation."
(on what's changed to make this game better) "Oh, nothing. It all came down to the fact that I don't think we were able to finish Cincinnati off last week like I really would have wanted to. It's obviously a lot better to play in a game like this than to have to strip-sack the quarterback on the last drive and put your defense in that spot, and that's really what it came down to, is just the frustration to not be able to really turn it over in last week's second half."
(on why the offense clicked so well today) "The line obviously did a really good job. We felt like we could get behind their backers a little bit. There were people open. I mean, guys were running into big, pretty big open holes. They were doing a good job when they had to win one-on-one, but when they were playing zone, there were some holes there, and I had the time to sit back there and drill them in it. So, that was big. I think scoring in the red zone, you know, putting the ball in the end zone when we got down there was huge. But I'm a big believer in the fact that this game starts up front with your offensive linemen, and I think they played really well today."
(on calling the TDs to TE Dennis Pitta) "I wish I could take credit for all that, but no. I think we probably saw things the same way on the first one. On the first one, I'm standing behind Jeremy [Zuttah], and you could tell that it was probably going to have a decent chance of being able to hit Dennis in the middle of the field. On the second one, he's anywhere from second, third, anywhere in the progression. I think I had a guy coming off my right side, and he made me go left a little bit, and I just got the ball off to him, and he did a good job getting in the end zone."
(on what Pitta's been through to come back and get his first TD in 3 years) "I don't know what he's been through. He's the only person that really, really knows what he's been through. His wife, his parents, I'm sure they have a certain way they feel about it, but me, I just want him on the field. I don't care what he's been through. I just want him on the field (laughing). It's like when I slide and my brace breaks, he gets a good kick, he laughs at that. He doesn't feel bad for me (laughing). Listen, he's a special football player, so obviously, he's been through a lot, and he's put a lot of work in so, come on, he has almost 60 catches this year. He has 60 catches this year. So it's not like he's not out there producing. So, I guess it was nice to get in the end zone today. I know it feels good as a player. It feels good to throw four touchdown passes and catch two touchdown passes, but at the end of the game, what does it really matter? As long as we win, that's what it comes down to."
(on his spreading the ball around and was it one of the best games of his career) "I don't know. Hey, it's a December game, and it means a lot right now, but we've played a lot of meaningful games around here, truly meaningful games in January and February, so I don't want to look at this game and say something like that. This is a meaningful game right now because of the position that we're in, and we're fighting for a playoff spot, and we're going to have to win a lot down the stretch to do so. So this is just part of it. I think the guys played really well together today. Like I said, it wasn't super hard for me to sit back there and find open guys today."
(on WR Steve Smith Sr. maybe enjoying the way the ball was spread around) "I don't know. Did Steve get in the end zone at all? I don't think he got in the end zone. Mike [Wallace] didn't get in the end zone. I mean, they don't care about touches. I don't think they care. If he only had two touches for 150 yards and two touchdowns, that'd probably be better than eight catches for 60 yards and no touchdowns, but I don't know exactly how they feel. I mean we all feel pretty good about the fact that we won the game. But when there's 38 points put on the board, and there's a bunch of touchdowns out there, guys want to be the ones that score the touchdowns, and that's just natural, and everybody feels that way."
(on if he thought Mornhinweg was going to keep pushing on offense as game went on) "I did. I didn't know the extent of it. In the first two drives, I don't really think we ran the ball. Like I said, I didn't know the extent of it. But, I did know that he would be [aggressive]. We did have a good conversation about it, and I felt that he would kind of do what he did today, and we responded well to it. It played out that way because we were able to take the ball down the field on the first couple of drives and do what we did, and it allowed us to continue to do those things. Our defense playing the way they did, same thing."
(on this game being a kind of break-out game) "I think it gives the guys a lot of confidence to see it and have done it. Now, we have to go up into a hostile place in New England that we really enjoy playing [at]. It's going to be another important game in December up there on a Monday night, and it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it, big time."
(on the December grind and playing big games) "You try to look around you and see who's been through it with you before, and you see a couple guys, really. The biggest thing is just trying to somehow get it through to the young guys how unique of an opportunity we have. Getting to the playoffs is a big-time accomplishment, and to position yourself in December to play these meaningful games is also a big-time accomplishment, and you can't take it for granted. You've got to keep your focus 100 percent of the time. So, I think when we do talk about it, it's just trying to translate that feeling to the young guys. Somebody said it earlier this week. When you're a young player, sometimes you might think, 'Oh, there's always tomorrow,' and in this league, you never know when you're going to get your golden opportunity, so you have to take every little thing as a big opportunity and make the most of it, and I think that's what we're trying to with some of the guys."
RB Terrance West
(on the win) "It was a great victory. Everything was just clicking. .… Shout out to Joe [Flacco] for a career high. Our offensive line did a great job."
(on the game plan) "Run the ball, but Joe Flacco started off on fire. We stuck with it. It was a fast tempo, and we just stuck with the game plan."
(on being consistent for four quarters) "It feels amazing. What was the score? [Reporter: 38-6]. We were trying to get to 40. Everything was just clicking, and like I said before, the offensive line did a great job."
(on his touchdown run) "My last touchdown was a walk-in, but also the offensive line blocked, and the wide receivers blocked down-field."
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WR Breshad Perriman
(on his touchdown) "It was a good play call against the defense they were running. It came scot-free open. I just try to take advantage of what was given to me."
(on offense playing consistent for four quarters) "That was big, just the whole game in general, for that reason. We played great today. We played good in all phases… for one of the few times this year. It's a great feeling."
(on today's game plan) "I feel like that was the biggest thing. We had a lot of momentum and confidence at the beginning of the game. Everybody was making plays, all of the receivers. Steve [Smith Sr.] Mike [Wallace], and Kamar [Aiken], even the running backs."
(on building on a 14-0 lead) "The mindset was to keep the foot on the gas and don't let up. That's not enough points in this league… that was our mindset. Keep your foot on the gas and don't let go of the lead."
(on a comfortable fourth quarter lead) "That was a great feeling, man."
(on playing New England next week) "For the most part, it's great confidence and momentum for us. This is a great win. Everybody's playing great in all three phases, so we want to do that again next week in New England."
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OLB Elvis Dumervil
(on the win) "We're headed in the right direction. We've been playing hard in practice and now it's paying off in the game."
(on the defensive game plan) "They stuck to their game plan. They didn't want to just drop back and start throwing it. They limited their offense because of what we had on defense, and it was a great overall win."
(on having a huge halftime lead) "It was great. Our offense played great and our special teams played great. It was a collective, three-phase effort today. It kind of shows what we can do as a unit. The crowd was amazing. Give the crowd credit, and we played Ravens football today."
(on having everyone back from injury) "It was good and we have good players all across the board. At every level, guys are playing hard. We're a tough team to beat when we're all clicking."
(on stopping the Dolphins on third down) It was great. The crowd was great. I don't know how many false start penalties they had, but they had to get the ball off quick. It was a fun game. We were the better team today."
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DT Brandon Williams
(on stopping the Dolphins' run game) "We're the No.1 run defense in the league right now. That's what we do. When running backs come against us, we just do our jobs. We execute, we stay together as a group, and we get the job done. I think that's one of the reasons why, today, we did a great job against a great running back. We were just running to the football and playing for each other."
(on the Ravens gang tackling) "That's how our defense is – all 11 to the football. If someone misses a tackle or doesn't quite get there, the next few guys have it. That's how we practice, and that's how we play. We always want to bring it from practice to the field."
(on how good the Ravens could be with the offense playing as well as the defense) "We're unstoppable. When all three phases are firing on all cylinders, we're unstoppable."
(on the defensive line as a group) "We're family. That's from the top to the bottom. It starts with Steve Bisciotti and goes down. That's just how the Ravens are. We're a family. When guys come in, we bring them under our wing. We nurture them. We tell them what to do, and we bring them into the big family. 'L.G.' [Lawrence Guy], when he came in, he knew the plan. He was just that kind of guy. It starts with our GM Ozzie [Newsome] picking guys and finding guys who fit this system."
(on having a big fourth-quarter lead) "It's amazing. Love that. You get to sit on the sideline. You're kind of just sitting there waiting to see what happens. You can be casual and look a little more loose."
(on playing in New England next week) "We're always excited to play. It doesn't matter where we play. Wherever we are as a team, we're going to get it done."
(on almost shutting out the Dolphins) "We were excited, but we can still get better. That's six points. That's still going to burn a hole in our heads. Man, we could've had goose egg, but we didn't. It's something we can get better at. If you're not getting better, you're getting worse."
G/T Marshal Yanda
(on the team's offensive performance) "We just keep building as an offense. And today we made big strides, and let's be honest, let's just put it out there – Joe [Flacco] cut them up today. It was Joe today. Joe just played awesome. He was just on. Hitting guys in stride; hitting guys when they were open, throwing the ball when they were blitzing. He made Miami pay, and Joe just got after it today."
(on the run/pass ratio) "Obviously, we all want to run the ball, but when Joe is hot like that, it's tough to get him out of his rhythm. When he's firing like that, we're going to ride our quarterback, and get behind him no matter what play we call. Run or pass, it doesn't matter to us. When we're scoring points like that, it just doesn't matter. When he's hot like that, let him roll. And he was rolling today."
(on going 4-1 over the last five weeks) "We never get too high, or too low. We weren't down a month ago and we're not too high right now. We just keep building on it, week-by-week. We have a heck of an opponent next week; We understand that. So we just keep going to work, we're going to keep working. Today was a good win in all three phases of the game. We have to keep working, and keep grinding."
(on if he feels more comfortable on the left side now) "Week-to-week, I feel a little better. Getting more comfortable all the time, and it's a good thing. It keeps me playing, and that's what I want."
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CB Jimmy Smith
(on the defense's preparation) "We just played fundamental defense. We really didn't know what kind of game plan they would come in with, because they change their game concepts every week. We just studied the quarterback, their tendencies on what they like to run, and yes, they came out with a new game plan today. But we were in the right place at the right time."
(on the team going 4-1 over the last five weeks) "We're a team right now that's ready to grind out December in whatever way that looks like, and try to make this playoff run."
(on the defensive backfield) "We're just trying to make sure when it's time to go, that we know where we're going and that's to the playoffs. We feel like a number one defense and we know that defense wins championships. So when we go through these next four games, we know it's going to rely on us to carry us through and win these games."
(on the key to stopping QB Ryan Tannehill) "Mixing up the coverages was the key. [Eric] Weddle and Lardarius [Webb] made great calls all day. Their quarterback didn't know if it was cover-one or cover-two. And I think great teams tackle, and we tackled very well today. That's why we won this game."
(on their ability to rattle Tannehill) "It's huge. Any quarterback, when a defensive lineman's coming to hit them, he's going to get rid of that ball. We weren't sure what they were going to come with today. But we figured it out as the game went on, our coaches adjusted well and called some great calls."
(on how his back feels) "My back is great. They gave me enough time to heal up. I may have been able to play last week, but they gave me enough time to heal. But I was playing this week. Definitely, no doubt about it, I was playing this week. This was a sweet win, but we got the Patriots coming up next week, and that's going to be huge."
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OLB Matthew Judon
(on today's win over Miami) "This was a huge win for us. Our offense stepped it up today big time, and our defense played outstanding. But, our offense was unbelievable. Moving the ball at will, and doing anything they wanted to do, kudos to them. Miami was a good team, they were sitting at 7-4 and they are in the hunt for the playoffs. But we did what we had to do today. Every win is a big win now, especially in December."
(on how the team came back from a four-game losing streak) "We were never shaken. We've always known what we had to do and we know now that everything is still in front of us. It's our job to go take it. We were never shaken. We were never broken. And we never got down on each other. The offense never got down on us, and we never got down on the offense. So now, we've got to play all three phases and take them one-by-one. It's that time of year."
(on the team forcing turnovers) "That's the game. We want to be aggressive and get after the passer. And the result of that are errant throws and mistakes. He doesn't see the coverage because we disguise it. We have playmakers in the back; guys that can go get the ball. Our front helps our linebackers, and our linebackers help our secondary."
(on being second on the team in sacks) "Wow. I just want to help out. Every sack feels like my first sack. It's good just to help the team out and make a big play in a big situation."
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TE Dennis Pitta
(on if he proved himself to a lot of people who had written him off today) "Yes, I had a couple touchdowns today, but I feel like I have been producing all year. I don't think after a game like this, I say, 'Oh, I'm back.' I feel like I have been back since Week 1. It feels good though. I think that somebody mentioned my last touchdown was 2013, and that was a long time ago. It feels good to get back in the end zone and obviously, to have the kind of win, and team win, and offensive production that we had today was huge."
(on what the difference was in the offense today) "It just kind of came together. I think Joe [Flacco] mentioned it – our offensive line played really well against a really good front four and front seven. It starts up front, and when he has time, he is a dangerous quarterback, and we know that. We have a lot of weapons offensively, and we always talked about the potential we have, but we weren't quite there. Today, we recognized that potential and put it together."
(on if this can be the impetus to an offensive surge, comparable to NYG game in 2012 season) "Yes, let's hope so. I remember that game well. We came off a couple game skid – I think it was a three-game losing streak – and our offensive coordinator was just fired. It was tough, but that was a big win to clinch our division, and we came out and we played really well. We rode that momentum throughout the playoffs. Hopefully this will have a similar effect, and hopefully offensively, we can continue to put it together like we did today and come out with wins. We are getting healthy at the right time, and we feel good, and we feel like we have the momentum going at the right time."
(on how badly he wanted to get in the end zone prior to the game) "Well, you always want to get into the end zone. You go into every game thinking, 'I want to be able to score a touchdown and help our team win.' It is about scoring touchdowns, and the last couple of weeks we have made our kicker look way too good [by] not getting red zone opportunities. Finally we got down there, and we took advantage of being in the red zone and a couple of them came my way."
(on how his body is holding up after a couple of big hits) "It is holding up really well. I took a shot on that first touchdown. I got the wind knocked out of me. And right when you get the wind knocked out of you, it hurts more than any other injury. You have to get your wind back. But, I was fine. I came out of the game well and healthy."
(on how much eagerness he saw from Joe Flacco to be aggressive) "Yes, I think that was an emphasis this week. We wanted to stay aggressive. Last week was a big division win for us against Cincinnati, but we feel like we didn't quite keep the pedal to the metal and let off late in that game and let them get back into it. We didn't do that today certainly and kept being aggressive. As a receiver, I love that. To keep throwing the ball and taking your shots when you get them, it helps your run game as we saw, too. We kept throwing the ball, and it helped open up holes for the run game as well, so it works hand-in-hand."
ILB Zachary Orr
(on the back-and-forth he had with Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi) "It was just two competitive people going at it. He was probably frustrated, the game wasn't going the way he expected it to, and that is what happens. But every player on this team isn't going to take any mess from anybody. That is just how we are raised up here in Baltimore. We are not going to get any flags, but we are not going to take any mess from anybody, especially in our house."
(on him not being the type of player who typically talks trash) "Exactly. I just go out there and try to play football and help my team win the game. If somebody wants to start talking to me, I am not going to back down from anybody. I am going to be smart, but I am not backing down at all."
(on if he was surprised that Ajayi was talking trash to him) "It was probably just frustration. You could tell they were getting frustrated. Their whole team was getting frustrated out there. Everybody has those moments. But like I said, you are not going to come in here and try to talk trash to us and get away with it."
(on how he feels they did as a run defense against Ajayi) "He had a couple of big runs, he is a good back. He runs hard and he gets downhill. For the most part, the couple big runs were early and after that, we were able to shut him down and do what we do – control the line of scrimmage with our defensive lineman. It is great to see that knowing that they had a good rushing attack coming in here."
(on what a performance like this says about the defense) "It just says what we have known all along. We are one of the top defenses in the league and there is a standard around here that we want to be No. 1, and we continue to strive for that. We did some good things today, but we can get a lot better. That is the thing that makes you excited to go to work. When you play good as a unit and know that you have room for improvement, that is what gets you up for work in the morning."
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DB Lardarius Webb
(on S Eric Weddle helping him transition to safety) "Everyday I'm just learning from [Eric] Weddle. He's teaching me different types of stuff every week. You're never too old to learn. I just keep pushing, I just keep doing my job. It's not about me, it's about the team, so I'm always doing my job. But the front seven makes it so much easier for us."
(on Weddle telling him the pressure was on him to step up down the stretch of this season) "I respond. I try to practice that way; I study that way. Like I said, I listen. I listen and steady learning from him. He's teaching me different disguises, and just teaching me how to play safety. You can tell that I'm learning, and picking up on more and more stuff each week."
(on his interception not looking like an easy one) "No, it wasn't. [Ryan Tannehill] kind of stared him down a little bit, and I just felt like I had to get there to help out the corner. So, I just took off as fast as I could possibly get there, like, 'I've got to get there to help him out.' And the ball stuck to my hands when I got there."
(on if he said anything to Weddle about it) "He came up to me and said, 'Awesome play. Big time play.' So, it is something that we've been working on all year, since training camp [and] OTAs. We've been preaching about turnovers, turnovers, let's get multiple turnovers, and let's try to score. Today we came up big on turnovers, but we didn't score, so we've still got some stuff to improve on."
(on if this was the team's most complete game this season) "Yes, that's what I think. The way the offensive line stepped up and played against that great defensive line that Miami has, and the way Joe [Flacco] responded was even better. Special teams just kept bringing the fire, bringing the fire. Defense is playing awesome. [It was] a great team victory. A complete team victory."
WR Steve Smith Sr.
(on how it feels to have an offensive performance like today's) "It feels good. Defense was riding us a little bit because we messed up their 'goose egg.'"
(on if he had a sense coming into the game that the offense would be really aggressive today) "I mean, every week we have that [mindset]. We think that all the time, but at the same time, the teams do different things. This is a team, Miami, that they had some zone coverage, but first couple of plays they went straight into zone, dropped into man, dropped into zone, they had eight deep, dropped eight guys. So, they relied on their front, even with sometimes three guys blitzing – three guys and dropping the linebackers deep. They did a good job changing things up, and I think we did a better job of making our adjustments on the fly, running a no huddle. We kind of put them in positions to really say and show what kind of defense they were playing immediately versus sometimes disguising, which they've done a good job in the past with other teams of disguising it. So, we knew that."
(on if there is anything he can put his finger on as to why it worked so well today) "The guy who was throwing the ball, he was playing lights out. We go as he goes, and so when he does a great job, we all look better. We have to do things better offensively as wide receivers – I only speak for the wide receivers, because I'm a horrible offensive lineman – but when we're out there making plays and running precise routes and making it defined for him, it's an easy read for him, and that's what he did. So, for me, it really falls on the wide receiver group. We kind of put ourselves in that position of leadership and said, 'You know what? We're going to make the play.' And that's the way we go."
(on there being talk about offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and QB Joe Flacco getting into it a little bit about the play calling and how aggressive the team should be) "I didn't see that go on this week. I didn't see that they got into it. *(Reporter: "It was in a quarterbacks meeting.") *Were you in that meeting? *(Reporter: "No, but Joe was talking about it.") *"Oh, OK, so it happened? *(Reporter: "Well, Marty was talking about it, too.) *Those two guys said it happened? *(Reporter: "Yeah.") *Oh, OK. Yeah, it did. *(laughter) *When you have the quarterback saying this is what he likes, he's putting it on his back, so that's what you want. You don't want a guy saying, 'Oh, no. I don't want that. I don't like that.' So a guy is sitting there and saying, 'Hey, let me make the calls. Let me do that.' And that's what you want. So, like I said, as he goes, we go."
(on if this performance can be a launching point for the offense) "We'll see next week if it's a launching point. We only say, yes, but again, I think sometimes you guys discredit the other team. Those guys study film, they make adjustments just like we attempt to make adjustments on offense. Defensively, they react, offensively we go on the game plan and we're hoping and thinking and running the analytics to say, 'This is what they're going to play.' But, we don't know until they actually go, and then teams make adjustments. Miami was a team that has been down 17-0, down 17 points in the second half and has won games. So, we understood that and we knew that, so we were never really comfortable with the lead, because we knew what they were capable of."
