HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "It's good to see everybody. I appreciate you being here. [It was] a good practice. [The] guys are focused, and we're all pointed towards Sunday. What questions do you have?"
How has RB Gus Edwards looked overall since the knee injury he had that sidelined him? (Jamison Hensley) "He looks the same or better than before, just to my eye. He looks really good, and I'm sure glad he's on our team. I thought he ran well last week."
QB Anthony Richardson has been ruled out for Sunday's game. What do you see from QB Gardner Minshew and how to defend against him? (Kyle Barber) "Well, Gardner Minshew has obviously proven he can win in this league. He's played very many times. We played him here where he was with [the] Jacksonville [Jaguars]. Here or there, wherever it was, and he's a challenging quarterback. In that system, he's really established himself with Coach [Shane] Steichen in Philadelphia, in terms of running that system well. He did it for a long stretch last year. We've watched a lot of him. We understand his game, and we'll have our hands full, and we'll have to be at our best to defend him."
Was there a rep in special teams where the guys slowed down before spinning around?_ (Jonas Shaffer) _(Laughter)"That's basically a Friday rep. It's more of a Friday rep. [We'll] call it a Friday rep. If we see it on Sunday, [our guys] better cover the kick."
Did you do anything to prepare for wet weather this Sunday? (Jeff Zrebiec) "We did. I talked to the quarterbacks, and they had a plan for that and [also quarterbacks coach] Tee [Martin], they had a plan for that. So, they feel like we're ready to go with the ball handling, and that's probably going to be the case. It kind of takes you back to the San Francisco game a few years ago, very similar type circumstance."
A lot of the data-oriented guys say it's not really the wind that makes a huge statistical difference, but it's the wind more than the rain. Has that been your experience? (Childs Walker) "That's a great question. I would say the wind has a big factor in it because it just blows the ball around. You try to throw the ball, it's a passing league. I guess I would say yes, it makes sense to me. It depends how hard it's raining. Now, you go back to the [2020] New England game at New England, that game. Do you remember that game? Who was there, raise your hands."(Reporter: Wasn't that the Nick Boyle game?) "Was it the Nick Boyle game. Yes, that was the Nick Boyle game. That was a torrential monsoon. So, I would say in that game, it was the rain. I saw the ball on the ground a lot. I remember seeing that." (Laughter) "That was not good."
There have been a lot of injuries so far this season. At what does that start to become a concern? (Brian Wacker) "It becomes a concern if they're going to be season-ending injuries. Those are the ones that you really hope to avoid, [and] you pray to avoid. We've had two of those. We've had J.K. [Dobbins] and possibly Ar'Darius [Washington]. Now that's not set in stone yet, but the rest of the guys are a few weeks, one week, [or] two weeks. We thought we would have a couple of guys back this week, [but] they'll be working for next week. So, they're right in that range. So, that's the good news. So, I feel good about it, and I feel good about the guys that are going to get an opportunity to play this week. They're excited. Jeremiah Moon comes to mind, and there's a guy that is going to get out there and play some football, and I can't wait to see it."
Has CB Marlon Humphrey's recovery from injury been trickier than expected, or has it gone on the timeline you thought it would? _(Childs Walker) _"Basically, yes. It's been within the range. You can't say exactly to the day. He's in the neighborhood."
With the Ravens celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month this Sunday, with a lot of fans coming from Mexico and Costa Rica in particular, is there a message that you have for international fans?_ (David Andrade) "That's great. That's exciting. [It] coincides with my birthday coming up – just a little side note. I don't know why I brought that up." _(laughter) "The international part of it – and I would say specifically the Hispanic part of it – I think that fanbase group, if you want to call it that, to me, is football fans. To me, the group is football fans. To see the passion that people have for football – not just in the [United] States but all over the world – is really just something that, as a football coach and a longtime football guy, just makes your heart swell, because it's a great game. To see people who are Ravens fans, especially, and they care about the Ravens and talk about the Ravens and have their families get together, just like all football fans do ... To have that transcend the borders a little bit more and more every single year to see all the fans coming up for this game, that's going to be exciting for us. Like I said, it makes your heart swell."
What are the challenges of protecting QB Lamar Jackson against a strong defense like the Indianapolis Colts have? (Kyle Barber) "It starts inside out. It starts with the two tackles [DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart]. You have to block them, and then they work their way out to the two ends [Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam]. They'll bring their linebackers – both those guys [Shaquille Leonard and Zaire Franklin]. They bring the nickel – Kenny Moore – or if he's playing corner, they'll bring him. The free safety [Rodney Thomas] will come plenty of times. It's inside out, and every one of those guys is a really good rusher. So yes, it is a challenge. I think that's the strength – one of the great strengths – of their defense right now, personnel-wise. We have to do a good job of that, and we will. We will."
