Head Coach John Harbaugh
(opening statement) "OK, obviously a tough loss, very disappointing. We had the lead twice in the fourth quarter and couldn't hold onto it. It's happened too much lately. So, it's on us. Way too many penalties. A lot of tremendous effort, a lot of individual efforts. And guys made plays. [I] don't question the heart and the competitiveness. [I] do question the execution at times. [I] do question the penalties. [I] do question letting them run down the field two or three times in the fourth quarter."
(on how he processes starting 0-3 and moving forward) "You process it by going on to the next game; that's what you do. We have to play a game Thursday night against a great football team. We have to go out there and be our best. We have to play winning football. We don't really have time to process it. We just have to focus on the next game."
(on if the next game is a must win) "Those are just terms. Clichés. You guys probably use that term, but I think every game is a must win."
(on Bengals WR A.J. Green alluding the defense) "It seems to be a regular occurrence with him. One of these days, we'll figure out how to cover A.J. Green. It'd be nice if we did that one time before he retires. They re-signed him, didn't they? So, he's going to be around for a while. We better figure it out."
(on whether the issues are with execution or scheme) "It's everything. You take responsibility across the board, Mike [Preston]. It's execution, it's finding a better way to play. There are options that you have on that last play down there in the red zone, on the five-yard line, besides man coverage, but we decided to blitz them and get after them … and they beat us. We have an option there, we can check to a zone coverage. We didn't have that on, but there are always options."
(on TE Crockett Gillmore not playing in the second half) "You'll get an injury report later, Peter [Schmuck]."
(on what has made it difficult to finish the games) "I'd attribute it to not getting them stopped in the fourth quarter. You have the lead in the fourth quarter, you have to play the kind of defense that gets them stopped. We did make the one play. We had the sack-fumble, picked it up, ran it in for a touchdown. I think that was in the third quarter, I don't really remember. Fourth quarter. You have to come out and stop them again. You have to come out and stop them if you want to win. They had one more stop than we did, and that's why they won."
(on whether there was enough pressure on Bengals QB Andy Dalton in the fourth quarter) "I don't really remember how much pressure there was. You can judge that. I really can't remember. I'll watch the tape and let you know. I'm sure there was on the plays that we got to him, and there wasn't on the plays that we didn't."
(on using WR Michael Campanaro to stretch the field) "I don't know. We'll look at that. We'll look at everything."
(on whether S Kendrick Lewis was in man-to-man coverage on WR A.J. Green on the 80-yard touchdown) "No, that was a zone coverage. It was a zone pressure; we were blitzing. It was a zone pressure, three-deep zone pressure."
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QB Joe Flacco
(on if he thought the last TD he threw would be the game-winner) "I mean, obviously at the moment we were excited. There's a lot of time left in the game, and we've been in plenty of games with these guys where it's gone back and forth down the stretch, so, no, never were we thinking that. We had to be ready to go out there like we had to and do a better job."
(on getting the ball to Steve Smith Sr.) 'I'm going out there and running the plays, and obviously we put him in situations to make some plays, and he did a great job. That goes without being said but you don't do anything extra to try to get him the ball as a quarterback. How the plays are being called, maybe you do some things but I think he's always put in a position to have a good amount of catches and do some things, and he's just so good with the ball after the catch so getting him the ball underneath was big sometimes today."
(on how the Ravens move on from the three tough losses) "We can't look at 0-3 and say let's look forward to when we could possibly be 4-3. We've got to do it one game at a time, and that's the only way that you're going to keep a positive mindset – if you put the last three games behind you and forget about them. If they're in your head, then you're just going to be constantly trying to crawl out of a hole that you can't get out of right away. It's going to take time. We've had opportunities to win each one of these three games, and we're just not good enough to be good in crunch-time situations, and it's getting us beat."
(on the problems with the running game) "Early on in the game, I mean, really the whole game, these guys played us in a two-high shell and played pretty conservative defense, and what that does is it says, 'OK, let's run the ball and try to get them out of that stuff.' If you can do that and get them out of it, then you can start getting some of your play-action plays on first and second down and getting some chunks. Even if you have to check the ball down, you usually get some yardage. What happened was we allowed them to stay in that defense the whole game. We still tried some stuff like that early on, but we just weren't able to get anybody open downfield where it took so long to develop because they were getting so much depth as backers, that it was very tough to operate, and we kind of just wasted, you know, I want to say, a whole first half trying to run our offense, and we just weren't good enough at doing it. We didn't make them uncomfortable. We didn't do anything to get them off of their heels."
(on the Adam Jones interception) "It was a little play-action. I just thought Kyle Jusczyk was sitting out there. He was the cloud corner. I thought he had sunk back in and was helping out. I didn't see him. He was, like, behind the Ieft tackle. I thought Kyle was sitting out there by himself, so it was just bad vision, I guess, at the end of the day. I didn't see him sitting there until the ball came out, and the line kind of cleared, and I saw him coming, jumping the pass."
(on the play of Steve Smith Sr. and if the Ravens have enough weapons on offense to make plays) "We can [make plays], we've just got to give them the ball and give them the opportunities to do it. Steve had a lot of opportunities to make plays, and he has done that throughout his career. He's proven that he can make those plays. We need to get some other guys some similar amount of opportunities and see what they can do and get their confidence going and make them believe that they can make those plays down the stretch. because they can. It's just a matter of probably giving them the same amount of looks as we can give everybody else. The issue is when we have Steve, you can't not find ways to get him the ball. There has to be a handful of plays in your gameplan where you're going to get him the ball. A lot of the plays in our gameplan, you say 'OK, let's make them for Steve' because he's really good. We have the other guys that can make plays, we just, like I said, have to keep feeding them the ball and let them do their thing."
(on the pass to Smith Sr. that he missed on the last drive) "I was moving left, and I had guys in my face. I was moving left, and I was trying to throw it out there in front of him, and the ball just didn't come out as good as I wanted it to. That was kind of the designed play – we ran everybody on verticals, if somebody pops, I hit them, I'd like to hang in there and hit Steve. He was wide open. I wish I would have been able to do it, and I should have been able to hit him anyway. I should have just hit him. I was trying to lead him out in front, and I didn't get a good ball."
(on the biggest challenge of a quick turnaround for the Ravens for the upcoming Thursday game) "The biggest challenge is, as always, it's a quick game. It's a quick week getting your bodies ready, and they have to deal with that, too. We also have to get our minds in check and make sure that we want to go out there and win a football game. That's what it's all about. It's going out there and playing for the guy beside you, picking him up when needed and going and winning a football game, no matter what the circumstance. So, we've just got to make sure we have the mindset to do that, because our bodies will get ready. Right now, it probably comes down to the fact that we're not believing in ourselves enough, and we're envisioning winning those football games. We've got to turn that around and make sure we can do that."
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WR Steve Smith Sr.
(on how tough it is to have an individually good day but lose) "Ultimately, it's up to wins and losses. That's what we consume ourselves with. That's what you guys report basically, if we win or lose. We lost. We lost as a team. So we know we have to deal with it as a team. We have a quick turnaround so we have to put our tissues away and go out there and get ready to practice. We'll be out there practicing tomorrow."
(on what else he can do to help the Ravens) "I think you can always get better. There were a few plays that I'd like to have back. But you can evaluate the performances the same way you evaluate a bad performance. You have to look at it objectively and look at things you can improve on. That's what I'll do tomorrow with [wide receivers coach] Bobby [Engram]. We'll go over every single play – run play, pass play. I'll write down most [of] what I can improve on and get better and utilize that going forward."
(on if he's playing as well as he ever has) "Yes."
(on if losing is frustrating) "Losing is not frustrating. Losing pisses me off. I don't like losing."
(of if losing is more difficult because it's his last year) "No, I don't care if it's my first year. It doesn't matter. The importance of it being your last game or your first game. People pay to see you play, perform and win, and we didn't do that."
(on if the quick turnaround will help the Ravens) "Help me? We don't have a choice. If we would have won, it would have been a quick turnaround. Let's go down there. We're going to Pittsburgh. That's going to be a physical, bullish kind of game – high-spirited, physical. The first time I ever played [the Steelers as a Raven] on Thursday night here last year, I was sore. It was the sorest I've ever been in a long time. So I'm anticipating that. I expect that and am preparing my body. I'll get an extra lift in, and I'll be ready to go."
(on if he wanted to put the team on his back today) "No, there's a point in the game where I probably said a few words that I don't want my kids to know I said, but I just go out there and make plays and do my best."
(on how tough it is to lose after the offense came back twice in the fourth quarter) "We were moving at a slow, snail's pace in the first half. We finally woke up in the second half, so that improved. Offensively, we didn't do anything to help our defense. We put them in crucial situations. We made key mistakes. So the first half, [the] offense did not play well. In the second half, we woke up but we have to put four quarters of excellent play together."
(on his first TD catch) "We've been down this road before, haven't we? They had a little zone coverage going on. [Safety Reggie] Nelson was pressed up originally, [then] backed off, and I ran my route to the sticks, but I always try to protect the throw, and so I came back to the ball. I knew he was outside. He was running to the outside, so I took the ball, kind of gave him a body indication that I was going to spin out, and I turned inside, and then I got a fantastic block by [wide receiver] Marlon [Brown], No. 14. So the easy part was running. The hard part was trying to maneuver through it. I think Marlon blocked two guys on that play, so that was outstanding for Marlon. That is the kind of guys that we have."
(on whether some players don't believe that they can win) "I just think when you have a mixture of people, meaning old people, including myself and some young guys, some middle-role guys and some flat-out rookies, they don't envision or understand that. You have to prepare your mind to envision doing something. It can't just happen by osmosis. You have to do it repeatedly, over and over again. It's trial by fire, and it's tough. That's kind of how it goes. So yes, you do have some guys because of lack of experience and lack of envisioning themselves making that play that sometimes that doesn't happen. That really has to do with being a young guy. It's not anything that they can do or it's not that they're not doing something. These guys, they work their tails off but we just have to work harder. At the end of the day, that's what it's about. If you feel like you're doing enough, once you do all that you can, you start over and do it all again. That's what these guys have to realize, and that's what we have to do. That's what we have to do collectively, all of us, including myself."
(on receiving an IV on the field and if he had stomach issues) "When you're old like this, that's the first thing that goes is your stomach. As [Justin] Forsett says, I have an old grandpa stomach. On gameday, I get really sensitive, so I have to eat bland food. I kind of stretched myself at breakfast a little bit. I wanted some different kind of carbs, and it didn't work. So I have to do the B.R.A.T. diet before the games. So bananas, applesauce, bland foods, toast, no butter … just stuff like that."
(on if he's ever received an IV during the game) "I try to stay off of them. I try to keep my veins for when I need them later in life. I've gotten an IV if it's a hot game in Miami or something, or obviously if my stomach is upset, or if I'm dehydrated."
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ILB C.J. Mosley
(on how tough it is to start the season 0-3) "It's very tough as a team. It's even tougher when you're on defense, and you have three games to close the game out, and we didn't. We can say that we can practice, or we can do this harder, but at the end of the day, the defense has to finish. We actually got the lead on defense, came back out and gave it right back up. The offense got the lead again, and we gave it right back. It's always tough being on the field last and leaving it up to the offense to make some miracle play. We had three chances in a row [to close out a game], and we haven't gotten it done. We have to find a way to finish."
(on how much it surprises him that the defense can't finish with the talent it has) "I guess it's probably going to be the word, but it's tough. We busted our butts in training camp, OTAs, but we know what kind of players we are. We practice these kinds of situations all the time, so we know what to do. So far, it just hasn't worked that way. We have to figure out something. We have a quick turnaround, so guys just have to get back focused and ready for the next game, because we already know we're going down to Pittsburgh [on Thursday night]."
(on why the defense has struggled) "I wouldn't say it's confidence at all. We know what we can do. We've been down this road before. I wouldn't say we've been down 0-3, but we've been [through it] as players. You have to make a play … especially in the first game. It might be technique. It might be just mental errors. We'll watch that tomorrow, and we just have to try to eliminate that. Big plays make you lose games on defense."
(on if he thought the Ravens would win after his TD) "The momentum definitely slid our way. It's not over until it's over, so we definitely weren't just trying to calm down and say we had it the bag. We've been down this road with the Bengals all the time, even in the last two games last year. Like I said, we have to watch film and figure out what we need to do with schemes or with players, because we have to get our mind right. We dug ourselves a big hole. We have a prime-time game on Thursday, so we just have to let this game go after we leave here and be ready."
(on if the team has to not think of the big picture) "The main thing is we need to do some soul searching. We built a great foundation going into training camp, coming into the preseason, and so far it hasn't worked out our way. We didn't waste all of our time in training camp – sweat, blood and tears – to have any cracks in our foundation, and we know we don't have any cracks. We have all the confidence in the world. Like I said, we have to finish, and a lot of that goes on the defense, because we had a chance to close it out. But as a team, we have to collectively look at ourselves, each player, and figure out what we need to do to win these close games."
(on the Ravens' pride in their defense) "No doubt, the fans know, the community knows, and anybody that comes here knows, especially the players that have been here. We know what this defense is capable of. We know what the past defenses have been capable of, and we want to keep that momentum going. It always starts against the run game. So far, we've held up pretty well against the run game, but that's not the only way you can stop offenses from winning. Once we go and watch film, maybe we'll have to change some things up, maybe some guys will just have to do some soul searching and figure out what we need to do to win these games, whether it's at the end of game or blow teams out and not let them get in the end zone. Either way it goes, we're always going to put it on the defense, always put it on us."
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RB Justin Forsett
(on the fourth quarter) "There's always a chance when you're playing this game. You've got to just keep fighting until there's zeroes on the clock. Unfortunately, we didn't come out on top this week."
(on why the Ravens aren't successful) "It's all about finishing. We've got to be able to finish games and finish drives on offense. We just have to look at ourselves in the mirror. We just have to find those things that we're weak in right now and just get stronger and get better."
(on whether they have a confidence issue) "No, it's an execution thing. You have to go down and make plays at the end of the game and at the end of drives to put our team in the best position to win. We didn't do that today, but I feel confident that this team will get it together. I'm not worried about this team. I'm confident and I think we can get things on the right track."
(on why he's not worried) "Because I know the character [of this team]. I've been on some bad teams in this league and we've been close these last couple games. We have a lot of fight and resiliency. We've got a lot of leaders on this team, so I'm not worried a bit."
(on going to Pittsburgh on Thursday night) "Any time you lose, you want to get back out there and try to fight and win another game. We have to get some guys healed up and hopefully this week we'll get that 'W'."
(on the halftime adjustments) "We executed on third down and converted on offense. Guys were making plays, catching the ball and Joe [Flacco] was doing a great job. We just got a rhythm going."
(on the possibility of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger being out) "I don't know if that's a good thing. They have some good players over there. You never want to see a guy go down. It's about us now. It's not about any other team. We have to go out there and make plays for ourselves, no matter who is playing."
(on coach Harbaugh's message after the game) "We have to turn it around. We have to put it all together. Everything has to click. In the first half, we didn't show up on offense and that's the first thing we have to look at. We have to start faster. Hopefully, we'll get that done next week."
(on the difference between this year's running game and last year's running game) "I think it's little details. We're also playing some great defenses. We just have to do better. We have to look at the film and just figure out what that is."
(on whether 0-3 is a big deal) "No, you have to take it a day at a time. I've faced a lot of adversity in my life. This, right here, I think we can overcome. We have the guys to do it."
(on if he has ever been 0-3 before) "I can't remember. Like I said, I've been on some teams before that haven't had a good record. But, like I said, I'm confident in the guys we have on this squad. If anybody can do it, these guys can do it."
(on the effect of penalties) "We have to play smarter, no doubt. We have to make smarter decisions on the field and be physical and be tough. But, we have to play within the rules and that's something we have to clean up."
(on how you keep from pressing while 0-3) "You have to take it one play at a time. You don't try to think that we need this win. Win that play or win that drive, then all the other stuff will come along with it."
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(on why the running game is struggling) "It's on everybody. It's on myself, I have to do a better job on reading and making cuts. That's what I look at first. It's a team thing, we have to look at the film and see what we can do better, but we have the guys to do it for sure."
(on starting slow) "You definitely want to start fast. We've got a great team and a great offense and you would think we would be able to do more explosive stuff in the run game. Sometimes it happens like that. All it takes is a few plays to get going, and maybe we can do that here in this next game."
TE Maxx Williams
(on the fourth quarter) "We just have to come out and play like a team for four quarters. We had some good, and we had some bad, but at the end of the day, we just have to get it done."
(on the last offensive play of the game) "I was just trying to come up with it and make a play, but I just wasn't able to do it. The pass was a bit short, but I have to make that play."
(on being 0-3) "Well, you just go back to work tomorrow. We have a game on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. We have to go up there and get a 'W.'"
(on the number of snaps he got in the second half) "I'm really not sure why. When they call your number, you have to go out there and do what they ask."
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G Marshal Yanda
(on an unfamiliar 0-3 start) "It's a really tough situation for us. We have to grind our way, fight our way out of this. We have a quick turnaround against Pittsburgh. We need to forget about this and get a win."
(on Cincinnati giving them trouble) "They're a really good football team. They showed up to play today, and they made more plays than us when it counted. They're a really good football team. There's just nothing more to be said."
(on the lack of running lanes for Justin Forsett) "We just need to run the ball better. I feel like we haven't gotten it going yet, and we need to just figure it out and get better. And it needs to start right now."
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S Kendrick Lewis
(on the defense closing out games) "As a secondary and a defense, we need to know how to put the fire out, how to stop people when the game's on the line, especially here at home. Unless the game says four quarters and zeroes, it's never over, and you're never in the clear. We know that, and we need to get better."
(on coverage for A.J. Green's 80-yard touchdown) "We were in the fire zone. There was miscommunication back there, and you saw what happened. We need to come up with stops when we need them. We did a poor job of that. We need to give our team a chance to win in the fourth quarter."
(on what it takes to close games) "You have to take it upon yourself. Every man has to look at themselves, and then collectively come together. We have to get this ironed out real fast. We have a Thursday night game at Pittsburgh. We have to go down there and get a 'W.'"
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OLB Elvis Dumervil
(on if there were missed opportunities to win the game in the fourth quarter) "Yes, the energy and effort was there. We made some plays, and we've just got to make more plays."
(on what the Bengals were doing that the defense couldn't stop them at the end) "We've got to watch the film, we can't really point out what happened [right now]. But at the end of the day, it's collectively, as a group, we've got more pride than that on defense. We just didn't get the job done, so we have to. Myself included, and the other guys, we have to step up."
(on being 0-3) "We've got to get going. We have a short turn around against a good team [on the road]. We've got to have a short memory and get going."
(on if it will be a boost if Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger can't play on Thursday) "He's a great quarterback, but it's a well-coached team with a lot of talent. I've got to start studying tonight, but we've got to get our urgency going and finish games, more importantly. I thought we came out, the crowd was great, we made plays and as a defense we want to be great. We're just doing good things and we've got to be doing great things."
(on the approach if Steelers QB Michael Vick does start Thursday) "We've got to go [look] at the scheme and see how [defensive coordinator] coach [Dean] Pees wants to do it. So, I don't know the game plan yet, but they've got a lot of weapons, so we've got to account for everyone. And we've got to play Ravens football for four quarters – that's our challenge."
(on if he feels confident this team is capable of turning things around) "Oh, absolutely. We've had three losses within a possession every time we lose, but that doesn't get the job done."
(on head coach John Harbaugh's message to the team tonight) "We're going to come out and play like Ravens. We won't quit and you can guarantee that Pittsburgh, they'll get our best shot."
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G Kelechi Osemele
(on the Bengals defensive front getting a lot of pressure) "I'm going to look at the film and look at ways I can do better moving guys off the ball. We kind of just need to do it that way. We've got to look at, internally, what can I do better? And that's all I'm going to do. I'm just going to go back to work. I feel like we have a good team and we have tough men that are man enough to admit when they can do better, and be better, and I think we're going to do that."
(on if the Bengals have one of the best defensive lines they've faced) "They are a very talented group. Obviously, hats off to those guys. Geno Atkins is probably one of the best defenders I've ever played against. It's the NFL. That's why you play the game. You play the game to play against guys like that, and he was the better man and I just feel like they have a really good defensive line, but we also have a really good offensive line. We're just going to see what we can do to be better."
(on if he thinks everyone in the locker room is looking internally and self-evaluating at this point) "Yes, that's the type of guys we have. We just have tough men that hold themselves to a high standard, and when you have a group of men like that, obviously, if things don't go your way you look at yourself. You look at the man in the mirror and you're honest and you're critical, and you just go to work. That's all you can really do is just go to work, and try to get better as a player, and that's going to help the team get better."
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CB Lardarius Webb
(on how tough this loss is) "It's tough, man. It's tough. It's very tough."
(on if there is anything to point to with regards to WR A.J. Green being so successful today) "I really don't know – we'll have to go to the film. A.J. is a really good receiver and he made big plays. Today he came up with a little bit too many. We've just got to go back to the film and see what happened. We'll see then."
(on there being four lead changes in the fourth quarter and if it felt close to a win) "It was close, but once we had the lead in the fourth quarter – and like you said, twice – we're supposed to keep it. With this defense, we're supposed to get off the field. We haven't been getting off the field this whole year, and that's what you get when you don't get off the field on third down."
(on if the right pieces are on this team) "Oh, the right pieces are here. We know we have the right pieces. But I know they're going to look around, and they're going to try to change up some things, find the perfect match. But I know we have the pieces – we just have to put everything together."
(on if a short week is a blessing in disguise) "I don't know about a blessing. We kind of need our week to kind of [let] everybody get their feet back together, go back to practice [and] get our mental. So, we kind of need our days, but we're going to come back and we'll be ready. I know this one hurts for the moment, but we've got to move on. If we're still on this loss next week, then … Your mind needs to be off this one. Like now."
(on if it's a good thing that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger may not play Thursday) "Ben, he's a great quarterback. He extends plays; he does a lot for their ball club, for their offense. So, if he's down, it should handicap them a little bit."
(on if it's a whole different ballgame if QB Michael Vick starts) "Mike Vick is nice, he's nice. But we're just going to be prepared for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Whatever quarterback they have, we'll be prepared to play him."
