RAVENS HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
On OLB Terrell Suggs' injury
"Suggs tore his Achilles [tendon]. He's going to be out for the year. I'll say this about Terrell Suggs: you try to define why things happen. Here's a tough, tough break for a guy who's done nothing but work above and beyond to a degree—at least as hard as he's worked his whole career, but I'd say more—and prepare himself and be the kind of leader that you just admire so much. This guy has been such a leader for us. Why does that happen to a guy on a play like that? I don't even know what happened out there; all of a sudden I look back and he was on the ground. But these are the things in life that happen. Adversity is how you respond to it. It's about how you react to it. It's about how you come back and play the next game, how our young guys step up and how our older guys wrap their wings around those young guys and they play the way they need to play. That's what a team is all about."
Opening Statement
"Obviously a very good football game against a good team, great stadium. They got it done at the end. Congratulations to [Broncos FS] Darian Stewart, a great player and guy we know well and have a lot of respect for. He made the play that made the difference in the game."
On mistakes that decided the game
"Every game is like that in the National Football League. You're going to play all these plays, and it's going to come down to seven, eight, nine plays that are going to be the deciding plays of the game. That's just the way it works. That's what makes the league so great."
On what he learned about his team in the opener
"I think we'll figure a lot of that out when we watch the tape. I didn't learn anything new in terms of our heart, effort, competitiveness and will to fight and win football games; that's the thing we'll carry forward with us. We need to continue to keep getting better. We'll look at the tape and figure out where the specifics of that are."
On how the return of healthy players has improved defensive secondary
"I probably already knew that; it wasn't a surprise. I felt like we all knew they were all going to play really well back there and they did. Defense played really well, and the offense at the end had the drive and almost found a way to win it. Within all that, both sides of the ball—you win as a team, you lose as a team. We all know we can play better to whatever degree it takes to win a football game. That's what you strive to do, and that's what we'll keep fighting to do."
On why the offense struggled
"It's not rocket science. We weren't able to run the ball with consistency, get out of third-and-longs, and then (Denver's) pass rush cranks up a little bit. I thought they covered very well. They got into man coverage and covered well for most of the day. They played really well. At the end, we were able to get the thing moving a little bit. We've got to do better in all phases: offense, defense, special teams. We all have to do better. That's what you do. You take it from where you're at and you find a way to improve."
RAVENS Quarterback JOE FLACCO
On the final play of the game
"I had plenty of air on it. It was just one of those plays where you know you got caught down the middle and it's going to be some kind of contested catch. I'll rerun it with him. I maybe could have put back on the edge of him, but kind of just wanted to give him a chance to go up and get it with his size. Didn't think it would get picked off like that, so that was a pretty good play. That is all that we can ask for in that situation, to play as bad as we really did on offense and then have a shot like that at the end."
On what the offense did wrong
"I'm not going to get into them now, but we just – we really didn't do anything the whole game. We have to go back and look and see kind of what it was."
On Broncos CB Aqib Talib's pick-six
"They were man-to-man and looking inside. They might have went one-on-one outside of [WR] Steve [Smith Sr.], he was just running a little out of route. So just taking a leap of faith there and really [LCB] Aqib [Talib] did a just – he did a good job of cutting off the inside. I didn't have anything under the route, so I wasn't too worried about throwing that ball. I liked Steve's one-on-one match-up, just one of those ones that didn't work out."
On the play by the quarterbacks
"Well, we did have two touchdown passes to the other team, but other than that yeah, it was an ugly one, and it wasn't too fun to be a part of."
On what the team said at halftime
"I don't think we had much in the second half either. Listen, the biggest thing was maybe get a little more tempo going, try to wear them out a little bit with that. We weren't really keeping with the field so long, so trying to find a way to do some of that. It worked a little bit, but at the end of the day not too much."
On improving for the next game
"We've got a lot to work on obviously. We're a lot better than that. A pretty poor showing, but you got to keep your head up and you got to move on quick because in this league the next one comes up on top of you like that, so we've just got to make sure we stay confident and bounce back as soon as possible."
On the Broncos' pass rush
"It was just on the edges. I had, even late down the stretch there, I probably had another shot at Steve if I don't get batted or hit my shoulder or something happens like that, so I think those guys did a good job of getting around the edge. I think as the game went on we got better, but you know, they still did enough to I guess disrupt me a little bit."
On stretching the field as an offense
"What you saw was what we had, and we didn't run a ton of plays, I don't think. We didn't run the ball very well to start. We were only completing a couple of yards at a time. It's tough to say. Yeah, we're going to have to stretch the field more, but we've got to create the time and we've got to run the ball really well."
On having the right players to succeed offensively
"Yeah, of course. There were a couple of plays in the game where you can see that, but we've just got to be able to spread them out a little more and just not let them pin their ears back and come after us a little bit. I don't think we ever got those guys out of rhythm. They were able to play downhill in the run game, they were able to get after the quarterback without really any repercussions, so it just made it difficult for us."
RAVENS Cornerback JIMMY SMITH
On Baltimore's confidence on defense"I think we came into this game with a lot of confidence, but going out there and performing well against [QB] Peyton Manning keeps it there."
On his interception"It was a simple outbreak, outbreak and route. He kind of floated it up, so I thought I could probably jump over and see if I could get it. That's kind of what I did and tipped it to myself."
On communication on defense"Yeah, Coach has been overemphasizing communication all year long and talking to each other when we're on the field, and it worked perfectly. We could hear each other, and thank God we're away this time, but we heard everything we needed to hear, we got in the right checks every time."
On his individual performance after missing last season
"It was a long off-season for me, obviously. I'm just happy to be back. The team is happy. We're all happy, I think. As a unit, we went out and performed very well today."
On getting turnovers this season"As long as we can see the ball, play fast, run simple coverages, I think we'll get a lot of turnovers. We create it with our front seven getting back to rush the pass. I don't know how many sacks we had today, but I know we had Peyton Manning backing around when he was throwing the ball."
On making it tough for Denver to reach the end zone in the third quarter"I really didn't think too much about it, just played until the last whistle blown. So the momentum was a little bit shifting at the time, but they came back and had a drive. I don't know how many plays it was – it was long – and got three points out of it, so really got to keep working on that."
RAVENS CB Kyle arrington
On the game as a whole"I thought we had a great game plan coming into the game; Coach Pees put us in great positions to be successful so we just tried to show them different looks the whole game and we tried to show pressure when we weren't pressuring and tried to show pressure when we actually were pressuring so we made a few plays on that; credit goes all to Jimmy he made a heck of a play and capped it off in the end zone."
On Terrell Suggs' injury
"It's huge. It's hard to replace 55, he's like the heart and soul of this defense and almost this football team. That's when guys have to step and up and we have to step up and rally around and behind them at this point."
RAVENS LINEBACKER ELVIS DUMERVIL
On his return to Denver"It's always special to play in the NFL. I came out and the atmosphere was great. We made one play less than they made. So, give them credit. I had a great seven years in Denver. I have no problem with Denver at all. It's always a great place to play. Obviously, being in the National Football League is always special. So, I always take each game the same way."
On linebacker Terrell Suggs' ACL injury
"It's huge. You can never replace a Terrell Suggs. He's a big emotional leader for our team. It hurts everybody whenever you hear news like that. We just hope he has a speedy recovery and that he gets through it. I can't imagine how tough that is.
On whether he knew right away that Suggs had torn his ACL
"No, I didn't know. I thought he was cramping up. I didn't realize it until after the game. It's definitely tough."
On whether Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning looked any different compared to when the two were teammates in Denver
"Peyton's always been a great player. We made some plays, he made some plays. I mean, this is the National Football League and guys are going to make plays. They made one more play than we did. Give them credit, they got the win."
On going against their former offensive coordinator in Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak
"Gary Kubiak is a great coach. He knows how to call plays. We feel like we did some good things on defense as well. The game came down to the end and they made one more play than we did."
On whether the defense takes any pride in holding Peyton Manning without a touchdown pass
"We don't take moral victories. He came out and his presence alone is always important. So, give them credit. Those guys came out and got the win. We've got to move on to next week versus Oakland. We're excited for that."
RAVENS RUNNING BACK JUSTIN FORSETT
On the team's lack of success running the ball"It's tough we've got to go back and watch tape and figure it out. We knew that defense was going to be tough. At the end of the day, they just made more plays than we did."
On what they saw from the Broncos defensively
"Like I said, we've got to go back to the tape and figure it out. They did a good job getting up field on us. Like I said, they just made more plays than we did. We just have to find out what we need to do better."
On whether the excitement that surrounded the offense following the preseason is curbed a little bit after a disappointing performance
"We've got to be professionals and just go out and play. It's going to be a long season and we've got to go out and try to win next week in Oakland. It's going to be another tough battle. They have an athletic defense. We just have to go back to the drawing board."
On whether the defense may have felt demoralized by playing so well and not getting much help from the offense
"They did a great job today. We just have to go back to the table and figure out what (the offense) needs to do to get better and help out the defense a little more."
On losing Terrell Suggs for the rest of the season
"Yeah, you lose a guy like that and it's going to take everybody to step up and fill those shoes because he was a great player for us. We've just got to work that much harder."
On whether he felt like former Ravens offensive coordinator turned Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak knew what was coming from his former team's offense beforehand
"Maybe. It's hard to tell. I think we've got to watch the tape. There were definitely things we could have done better as an offense to help the situation but, they're a good defense. We knew it was going to be tough but, we've just got to make more plays."
RAVENS Tight End CROCKETT gILLMORE
On the last play of the Ravens drive"Made a move, got past the linebacker and they made a nice play on the ball. I have to come down with that, I was given the opportunity and I just have to come up with the play."
On if it felt like he was being face-guarded or if he was being double teamed
"Not really. I have to win the one-on-one part of it and then the ball's in the air and it's got to be mine there is no other option. They made a play."
On what made it difficult for the offense to get things going"I don't think we were clicking early. Definitely us problems, it was nothing they were doing was really affecting us, we just have to get together and clean it up and I think we started to do that toward the end of the game."
On if Peyton Manning and the Broncos' offense played the way they did if they would win the game"That's not really a valid question, that's what happened and you can see the outcome, it's not really relevant. We have done this throughout camp, you. We've done this throughout camp, you have your days and you have your moments and we've done a great job of coming together so it's very uncharacteristic of us to not go out and play that way. We're going to go back to work tomorrow and get ready for Oakland."
RAVENS LINEBACKER C.J. MoSLEY
On the Broncos' success during their final offensive drive
"They ran the ball successfully. They were getting a good four or five yards a run, and when you get four or five yards a run you can control the clock. They put us in a tough position on second and third down. That's what they did. We did our job by holding them to three points on that drive. Besides that (drive), we were stopping the run for the most part, but we've got to stop them the whole game."
On if the defense wore down in the fourth quarter
"I don't think so. They might have called the right plays and guys might have been in the right position, but at the end of the day, we've just got to stop the run. They got to line up on us and get positive plays on early downs. In that position, we've got our backs against the wall and they can do whatever they want. That's what they did on that drive."
On if they felt Denver was trying to run down the clock and wear them down on its final offensive drive
"We definitely saw it. As the clock started to go down, we knew we couldn't give up a touchdown. That was the biggest thing. We did our job when we had to and we got off the field."
On losing linebacker Terrell Suggs for the remainder of the season due to an ACL injury
"It's a big loss but there's another day. That's no excuse for our defense to slump down at all. The young guys have to step up and we've got to get more guys to make more plays where he would have been. We wish him the best and a speedy recovery. It's just a freak thing. Things happen and young guys have to step up."
On how he would grade Baltimore's pass rush
"Well, [Broncos QB Peyton] Manning, he loves to get the ball off fast and stay in the pocket. I think for the most part we did a good job of rushing him and keeping our plays disguised. He got a few plays when he did his cadence, but that's Peyton Manning right there. He loves to draw guys offside. I think for the most part we did our job. We tried to tighten our defense and make tackles when he completed the ball."
RAVENS WIDE RECEIVER STEVE SMITH SR.
On the last drive when they came up short"Ultimately I just have to make that play so hats off to 'Kubs' he had those guys ready to play. Coach 'Harbs' had us ready to play but we have to execute, particularly me on that last play in the corner; I just have to make that play and that really falls on me. Number one receiver you have to make number one plays and I didn't. "
On if it was tough sledding
"Those guys are pretty stout up front it gives their secondary a lot of opportunities to take chances, those guys know what they have, they know what they're doing and it was a tough hard-fought game."
RAVENS LINEBACKER COURTNEY UPSHAW
On Terrell Suggs' injury"With Terrell going down, me and the other outside linebackers have to step up and try to replace that."
On if his role in the defense might change with the loss of Suggs
"[Defensive Coordinator Dean] Coach Pees and the coaching staff have been trying to look at things that will put me on the field. Now with Terrell going down, I've just got to step up my game all around. It's not going to be easy to try and replace what Terrell brings to the team, but we've got to step up."
On how losing Suggs might affect the defense going forward"We really were just like, 'Ok, this is serious.' He's a smart player and he can call out plays before they actually run it like he did in the preseason. You're losing a big part of the defense."
On if he knew immediately that Suggs had torn his Achilles"I didn't even know that it was an Achilles. I thought it was maybe a tweaked knee or something, but towards the end of the game, I was told that he was going to be out for the season."
RAVENS Cornerback Lardarius webb
On Terrell Suggs' Injury"This is my first time hearing it. That's big. Next man has to step up. Sizzle was a very, very important piece to this team. His leadership, his character, the way he acts, in the locker room -- he's a big part of this team. To lose him first game, that's big. Like the Ravens do, we always got somebody that can come in and step up. Not saying it can be Terrell Suggs, but we got somebody that can come in and play and play good."
On the Broncos' 10-minute drive late that put them up six points"I don't even know at the moment. Just have to go back and watch film and see exactly what happened. I know we have to get off the field on that third down where he ran that double move. I didn't think it was a pass interference, but they gave it to him. I can't even let it be that close. We just have to keep on fighting. I thought the defensive back crew did a nice job holding [Broncos QB] Peyton [Manning] to 150 [yards]. We just have to get that W under our belt and we're just going to keep working."
