RAVENS WEDNESDAY QUOTES: WEEK 10 VS. SEAHAWKS
Head Coach John Harbaugh
Opening statement: "Good to see everybody. We're back at it. It's a beautiful day out here. We just had our walk-through, as you guys know. It's Indian Summer in Baltimore, right? OK, what've you got?"
Did you notice anything, in terms of Ben Grubbs' return, how much that had an impact on the offense and offensive line in general? (Ed Lee)"Ben's played guard all those years and is very familiar with our system, so things were a little smoother in there. Andre [Gurode] did a great job while he was in there, for what he had to overcome especially, to learn the position. Ben's the left guard, he's the starter, so it smoothed things out a little bit for us."
What has Torrey Smith added to this offense? (Tom Worgo)"Speed, obviously, big plays. That's the thing that we were hoping we'd get from Torrey. And, really, from all the guys – the tight ends and Lee [Evans] when he gets back and guys like that. You look at all those guys. Dennis [Pitta] making that huge catch over the middle… Those are the kinds of plays that really help you out."
How important is it for you go get off to a good start on Sunday? And, what specifically can you do to do that? (Kevin Cowherd)"Well, you could break one for 70 yards like we did in the last game. We drove it down the field and ended up getting a three, which we chose to do. It's just executing, it's handling the crowd noise – that will be very difficult. It's handling that defensive front, which we really haven't done that well against that particular configuration, we haven't done that well against this year. The things we have to overcome against their defense, which is an excellent defense – downhill-playing, very fast, aggressive defense. So, we've got to take care of our business, and if we do that early, we'll have a chance to move the ball out there."
Given that Lee Evans has been down, how big has it been for Torrey [Smith] to step up and be the No. 2 wide receiver that Joe [Flacco] can look towards? (Dan Kolko)"It has been huge, because we need that. That's something like we felt like we needed in our offense – the ability to push back the defense a little bit and make some plays downfield. I can't say enough about what Torrey's done, yet there's still many things he can do better. Obviously, he wants some of those catches back. There are some finer points to the game that he can do better. But, he's off to a very good start."
Coming into this season, your staff knew there would be younger guys playing important positions. As a staff, as you prepare for the season and how to approach things, how do you talk about what you are going to do to get the younger guys up to speed quickly? (Kevin Van Valkenburg)"You throw them in there, you push them out there. We spend a lot of time teaching. We have a big emphasis on developing our players. We keep guys, as much as we can, in extra meeting time and practices; it's things like that. We try to develop every guy on our roster. We've got 53 guys plus eight. We try to coach every guy who comes through here as much as we can, because you just never know who is going to develop into a really good player. But, the biggest thing about younger guys is [that] opportunity meets performance. At practice, we've talked about it before, you see them out here at practice, and it gives you an indication where they are. And when they start doing things well in practice, then you give them a little bit more and then you give them their shot."
Does it feel good when a player surprises you, when they make that leap? Is it like teaching a little bit? (Kevin Van Valkenburg)"Yeah, that's what it's all about as a coach. I hope we're not surprised too much. I hope we're excited about it. And, that's the fulfilling part of the profession. When you see a pupil, so to speak, go out and have success, that's what teaching is all about. And, really, that's what coaching is."
After the Steelers game, Jarret Johnson said if you don't win this game, everything that happened Sunday negates that impact. How much does that resonate with your team? (Aaron Wilson)"It resonates with us a lot, because you'd give one back. It would still be a division win, it would still be a conference win, but we don't want to win one then give one back. And that's going to be true for the rest of the season. Every game we play is going to be the most important game. This is the most important game of the season that we are going to play, just for what you're saying."
What are some of the challenges you face when traveling to the West Coast in trying to stay as naturally acclimated as possible? (Stan Saunders)"The biggest, probably, is the rest part of it. We'll play at what is four o'clock our time, 1 o'clock their time, so that is not as much of a problem going that way. But, it's a little bit harder rest-wise, because we're on a different time clock. That's why we go out there on Friday and try to acclimate ourselves as much as we can. We just want to make sure on Saturday night we get a good night's rest."
You have done well in your career against teams with losing records, but your two losses this year came after big wins when facing teams on the road against teams that had losing records. Have you talked with your team about that this week and is that a focus or is it just about Seattle? (Pete Gilbert)"Well, it's reality. And we understand that. We realize that's been our Achilles heel so far this year. And that's something that if we want to win this game, we have to overcome that. It's definitely a factor."
Marshawn Lynch came off of a really big game last week. What does he do well? (Ryan Mink)"Marshawn Lynch is one of the premier backs in the National Football League. He's a violent runner, he can make you miss, he's elusive. He took over the game last year in the playoff game against the Saints; he absolutely took the game over. He's capable of doing that in any game, especially out there with that crowd. So, we'll have our hands full with him and their offense."
After Flacco performed well against Pittsburgh in the opener, he said it would only be a few weeks before the critics come back, and he said the same on Sunday. Is that just life as an NFL quarterback, having to fend off the critics? (Dave Ginsburg)"Yeah, it is. You probably reach a certain level, but even at that level [you will be criticized,] if you talk to the guys that have been there. I'm sure Johnny Unitas got some criticism when he was playing, certainly, but that's part of the business. It's like what we were talking about with that quote the other day. It's not so much, in any way, to be critical of critics, so to speak, because that's part of the business. It's very fair to assess and analyze and look at the performance of the guys who are playing football. I think the whole message of that particular poem is to encourage us all to get in the arena, so to speak. You guys are in the arena every single day. When you put something out there – when you write it or you get in front of the camera – you're putting it out there for the whole world to see. And, we try to do that in our life, in our job, our family. And, that's what we encourage our guys to do and not be worried about that part of it so much as [to] be worried about chasing excellence and trying to be the best you can be."
QB Joe Flacco
On whether he saw LB James Harrison coming for him on the play he tried to jump over RB Ray Rice: "I felt him there, and I didn't feel Ray [Rice] coming over right away, (laughter) and then I started to feel him come over, but he was kind of… [Harrison] was pretty close at that time, so I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get off the regular ball. I was waiting for LaQuan [Williams], I think it was, to come back, but there was no way, I think, I could hold on to it long enough. So, I just threw it away."
On what this week has been like for him: "I don't know. For us, it's another win, and we've got to do the best we can to put it behind us and move on to Seattle. It was really exciting, it really was, and I think it always will be to go in and beat Pittsburgh. And just like I said before, it's our job to go and take care of the rest of the year against some good football teams and against a tough stretch that we're going to have coming up here. So, that's going to be our focus. That's my focus."
On whether he thought the critics would still be out after that win: "Well, I still haven't seen our highlights, so if you're saying people are going to start talking about us, I don't believe that. It probably took me four days to see our highlights on T.V., so, I'm not buying in to the fact that people are going to jump on our bandwagon all of a sudden."
On whether that performance puts pressure on the offense to go out and have repeat performances: "No, hopefully we don't play too many games that you have to come back and have a 97-yard drive, 98-yard drive to win a football game. Hopefully, we can take care of business throughout the course of the game. I mean, we did play well the whole game, but hopefully as a team, we can go out there and play well, be consistent. I think that's what we're working towards is being more consistent and playing every game the way we know how to. And the more we work towards that, the more we grow as a team, the more our young guys get better and better, the better we're going to become as the year goes on. And I said that all along. We're a young football team, and we've got a lot of improving to do, and that's what we're going to do all year, is improve and improve, and we'll see where we are at the end of the year."
On what G Ben Grubbs' return means for the offense: "Ben's a key part of our offense and our offensive line, and he does a great job in there. The other night was his first night back after a pretty long layoff, and he was excited to get back out there. We were all excited for him to be back out there, and he's another guy that's going to do nothing but get better from here on out as long as he can stay healthy."
On whether it feels any different knowing that he has that win on his resume now: "I don't know. I mean, we did it last year against Pittsburgh [in the regular season]. We didn't go 90 yards, but… (Reporter: "That's what I mean, to go 92 yards in two minutes… That's in another world, right?") I don't know. I really don't. You're put in the situation, you complete a couple passes [and] all of a sudden you find yourself at midfield. Hey, it wasn't easy, but I don't think any of us were thinking that. It was just execute the plays and see where it takes us, and all of a sudden we're in a range where we can get it done. I mean, if we don't complete that pass there, we have eight seconds left to do who knows what with the ball. Or, if they happen to play off and we complete a 12-yard pass for the first down, well now we better start taking shots at the end zone. There are so many different ways that game could have turned out, and we were fortunate the way it turned out was on our side. We made some plays, but at the same time, we had to be given chances to make some of those plays. The way it turned out… Obviously, it turned out well for us, but even if we get a pass interference call there and are down to the 1-yard line – which I was pretty excited about before I knew Torrey [Smith] caught the ball – I mean, you've got eight seconds left. We have one timeout, so you can have a run-pass option, and keep them on their toes a little bit. But, I don't know. Those games are so random. A lot of it comes down to our execution, and a lot of it comes down to, hey, we had a good situation and we were fortunate enough to take advantage of it."
On the importance of getting off to a good start this Sunday: "Yeah, we're going to be going into another place that is tough to play. Obviously, Pittsburgh is a pretty tough place to play, and Seattle is going to be another one of those places that's just a really loud place. And these guys have got some talented guys over there on the defensive side of the ball, so I think it's going to be our job to get off to a quick start, and we do that by just going and executing and trying to be as efficient as we can. I think as long as we do that, then hopefully we can go put some points on the board early on and try to take all of those other factors out of the game as quickly as we can."
On whether he believes that the quarterback gets too much praise when the team wins and too much criticism when the team loses: "I mean, it's definitely true, but that's why the quarterbacks are who the quarterbacks are. They're guys that can take the criticism and move on to the next week. And they're guys that can take whenever people are saying what's good about them and not really pay too much attention to it and take all that and really just be able to move on to the next week. I think that's why there are only a handful of guys in this league that can play and stick around for a long time. And it takes a lot to have to deal with those different emotions every week, and that's why you have to just stay the course and not really pay too much attention to that stuff."
On whether he is one of those guys that understands that and just moves on to the next week: "I view myself as one. And hey, we're a 6-2 football team, and we've won a lot of football games since I've been here. And I don't think you do that unless you go out there as a football team and put all that stuff beside and just go play the game. We've got a great locker room, great bunch of guys that can just go out there and really enjoy playing football."
On whether the offense found the right blend of plays last Sunday, and if that's something it can take going forward: "Yeah, we hope we can take it forward and move on and improve on what we did and get even better. But, we're going to have to find that same rhythm and continue to do that. And it's a different defense each week, so you have to be able to go against different defenses and teams that run different schemes, different players in those spots, and you have to be able to go out there and execute at the same level. And I think a lot of that will be running the plays that we're good at, and a lot of that will be doing some things that we feel like we can get good matchups on some of their guys. And that's what we're growing towards, is being able to take game plan to game plan and really make it ours and really understand completely what we're trying to do each week."
On whether he has applied to Terrell Suggs' "Ball So Hard University": (laughter) "Hey man, I hope everybody on our team can automatically get accepted into that. That's pretty cool. I heard about that, and that's one of those things I wish I was thoughtful and cool enough to come up with that on my own." *(laughter) *
On in what way he sees defensive talent from Seattle: "The secondary, they've got a lot of big, physical guys – some young guys that are probably pretty confident in themselves. And I think anytime you run into that, you can run into a group that can have success. So, it's going to be our job to go out there and play well and get into them a little bit, because like I said, they are a big, physical group of guys that when they get some confidence going, they can obviously play well."
LB Ray Lewis
On whether Seattle is a tough, elusive team: "Personally, I think any NFL team is tough. There are no easy teams in the League. Every team should know that by now. Every team, no matter the record, is going to come out and fight you. Coaches are preaching the same lessons that we've been preaching over here: It's always on to the next one. No matter what their record is, we know we're going to get everything they've got."
On whether he has heard from the NFL about the hit on WR Hines Ward, and his thoughts on the fines that have been handed out: "Yeah, I heard from the League and, like I said, it's… They fined me whatever they were going to fine me, but I'll definitely call it in [to appeal]. The thing is, you definitely respect them trying to protect players' safety. But at the same time, it won't change one way I play this week – no matter what the fine is. You just can't stop playing defense the way defense has always been created to play. That is, if a receiver has the ball, your job is to disengage him from the ball. You never want to hurt anybody. I've been in this business too long, so the last thing you want to do is hurt anyone. I just think once we started getting into these fines – and I don't even know how they come up with the numbers most of the time – just get done with it. Whatever [the fine] is, like I said, I'll talk to the League guys and move on from there."
On whether he has talked to Ward: "No, talk to Hines about what? (Reporter: "About the hit.") *You don't have conversations after hits. You just keep moving." (laughter) *
On what it meant to him to see QB Joe Flacco lead the team to a victory: "I tell you guys all the time, man, I'm probably one of the biggest fans of Joe. I don't care what anybody says. I believe not one person is ever to blame for anything, and definitely when you're dealing with a team of 60-plus men. Anytime that Joe is going through that, I'm the first one to tell him, 'Just go be Joe.' That same night, when he had the opportunity to go out there – we could have ended that strip a lot of different ways – but for him to do it that way… It had to be done that way. Like I told you, from the first day the kid came in here until now, his fourth year, there's not a pass he can't throw. There's not a coverage he can't read. He's only getting better with time."
On how confident he was that the offense would deliver in the final minutes of the game: "I mean, I was confident for a lot of different reasons. Most of them I keep to myself. I was, because if you actually saw our offense the whole night, in that game, we never really stopped ourselves. One or two times they actually created a negative play against us. But outside of that, offensively, I thought we controlled the ball really well. We got into their red zone a lot. We took field goals when we should have probably got touchdowns. But, I really like where we were going in the game and in that situation, knowing what we had to do, knowing that time that we had, I think we had a lot of time to do it."
On Seattle RB Marshawn Lynch and whether he is the biggest threat on Seattle's' offense: "Complete football player, complete football player. Some of them you have a certain label [on]. He's quick, he's fast, he's this, but Marshawn Lynch is a complete football player. He has every ability to make any run, any cut. I think the exciting part about him is that he plays with a certain passion. He always plays with a chip on his shoulder. He's just one of those guys. We understand the challenge that we have this week. We also understand the challenge with going out there playing this week. It's going to be a hard place to win, but we're ready."
On whether he saw Lynch's run against the Saints in the playoffs last season: "Absolutely. That's kind of my point about defining him as a complete running back. He's just one of those guys who is never going to quit. He's always going to fight until the end. He's also one of those running backs who likes to finish on the other side. He doesn't like you to hit him, he likes to hit you."
On what little things he saw from the offense in the comeback to win: "I think before you even get to the game, it's more of the little things you see at practice. You see the communication that Joe has with these guys. Joe doesn't care who he throws the ball to. Joe throws the ball wherever the open man is. I think that's one of the exciting things about all these young guys, LaQuan [Williams] and all these guys, being in different places. Everybody had the opportunity to make the play. He's not just locked in to one receiver to make a play. Our tight ends are involved. Our backs are involved. Our fullback is involved. Both receivers... Anytime that you can get that many pieces touching the ball, there's always going to be a bonus. But, I think the young guys understand that the learning curve is way over now; now you're a veteran. So, we're way past that hump time. Now you've got to really get rolling."
On whether he felt that players like WR Torrey Smith would have to be involved in the game: "Yeah, we kind of have no choice but for him to be involved. We went into the season understanding this. We made a decision, this offseason, to bring in Lee [Evans], but Lee has been struggling though some things. So, for the young guys… It's always the next man up around here. The young guys are doing a great job in the receiving corps, and the tight ends, knowing their roles, [are] pulling Joe out of some tight situations and making some touch catches."
On what they do to prepare for the next game after a big win: "The approach is very simple: You don't carry one week from the last week to this week. You just move on – win, lose or draw. That's why you're sitting with six wins instead of two wins, because you can move on and do those things. What you do is take you're hiccups early, take them early. But the learning curve from it… It's always that 24-hour rule with it; it's always on to the next one. This week is to prepare for the next week. It don't matter who it is. Last week, of course, was Pittsburgh, but this week it's the same. The game is as big this week as it was last week. Last week we took care of that game. I think this game is even bigger for us, and I think we understand that."
RB Ray Rice
On how the team can improve the running game against a 4-3 defense: "You have to attack them. The thing is with the 4-3 fronts, different than the 3-4, obviously it's a different structure of defense. You can't run the same kind of runs against a 3-4 that you are going to run against a 4-3. A lot of the stuff… Blocking assignments are probably a little bit more downhill, rather than East and West. A lot of the stretch-and-cut things still apply, but it's definitely something that… You can't go into the game plan thinking that you are going to run the same plays you ran against the Steelers – or any 3-4 team – that you are going to come in and run the same against a 4-3. It's a totally different defense."
On how difficult it is to get in the mindset of running against a 4-3 defense: "For us, it's just execution, like I have been saying. But, you have to rep it out here in practice. I think the benefit is – especially the run game – we do practice it in pads. You have to go out there and execute it out here to at least feel what it's going to be like in the game. That's one thing about getting the great reps in practice, because if you are taking the reps in the pads, then you get in a game-like simulation. You can't do the same in shells. I'm not going to say it's not realistic, but it's not as physical. You want to get the physical look against the 4-3, against our guys, to go out there and feel what it's going to be like at least in the game."
On G Ben Grubbs returning to the lineup: "Ben helps our scheme out a lot. He does so much, and he is very talented. Andre Gurode did a great job of being in there, but he is a center that we used at guard; his natural position is center. But, to have that veteran offensive lineman available when stuff went wrong, it was key for us. But, having Ben in there and having him be able to hold up against a physical Pittsburgh team, it's really inspiring to go for the rest of the way, the season."
On the importance of getting off to a good start on Sunday at Seattle: "It's two different teams. We have been riding an emotional high right now. Coming off those big wins, you [the media] like to say we have that tendency of a letdown. I think it's time for us to be able to put the big games behind us and treat every game like it's a big game. [Head] Coach [John] Harbaugh put it in perspective: Every game, your season is on the line from here on out. Pittsburgh is over and done with. It's the Seattle Seahawks now. Like I said, I have never been a guy that looked at a team's record. Team records don't mean anything in this league. The man, and the best team, that shows up and goes out and plays hard and executes wins on Sunday."
On how different teams are defending the Ravens' running game this year: "Pittsburgh… You put it out there. If we get that 76-yard run, the average is way up there. You have to look at what's happening. I have been seeing a lot of different fronts, a lot of safeties down, a lot of – especially against the 3-4 teams – double coverage at times. If I was playing against myself, I would probably do the same thing. (laughter) It's like one of those situations where yeah, you are going to see the extra guy down, but usually [offensive coordinator] Cam [Cameron] will do a great job of… Joe [Flacco] will get up on the line, he will check, being able to do different situations, which you saw last week. We don't have to force the run game. One thing about it now, I told Cam, I told the guys, I am not going to be a guy that begs for the ball. I want it to be a situation where he is calling the game, and he is comfortable. Any time you try to force any situation, bad things happen. We are where we are. The run game, I think, is still effective. Guys have to go into the game respecting it. Regardless of what you say; you put on the film last week, you take away that holding penalty, your stats skyrocket."
On if WR Torrey Smith has bought him dinner after getting called for holding on his 76-yard touchdown run that was called back: "I am still depressed in Torrey Smith right now. I just told [senior vice president of public and community relations] Kevin Byrne that he didn't call me. I still could be in a state of depression. I understand that [video game] "Call of Duty" just came out. (laughing) But, I could have been home… That was probably the longest run in Pittsburgh Steelers history at Heinz Field. There is a lot at stake, Torrey. You didn't even call to check on your boy. I still love you, Torrey. I am going to get you back one day." (laughter)
On if he thought it was actually holding: "No, I thought it was a questionable call. I think the guy did a great job. You know how it is when the offensive guy… Basketball guys flop, do a lot of different things, so I am not going to take that away from them – it happened. I am just glad we got the victory."
On what QB Joe Flacco was like in the huddle on the 92-yard game-winning drive Sunday at Pittsburgh: "Oh man, there was so much communication going on. There are the Steelers, so you have to understand that they can come from anywhere. I was being doubled sometimes out of the backfield; Joe would get us in the right play. He was poised. I don't think there was one worry or doubt that we weren't going to go down and score. I am not saying it was easy, but if you had seen the huddle… The time in the huddle when I knew we were going to be serious and I knew it was a moment, when 'Q' [Anquan Boldin] dropped the pass, he came back and said, 'Call my number again.' That's the kind of guys we have on this team. He said, 'Call it again.' He didn't get it, but to have that kind of mentality, says a lot about your team and your guys. Joe is going to throw the ball to you. Even when Torrey dropped the pass, even when he got back to the huddle, the whole huddle said, 'Torrey, take that look off your face. The ball is coming back to you.' I would just like to say it was a lot of poise when our veteran guys [were] stepping up and making plays. At the same time, we were vocal. Joe did a great job of just driving us down [the field]."
On if something has clicked with the offense after the Pittsburgh game: "I think it's trust. The biggest thing for offense is that you are not taking away anything from a defense – we need all 11. You could have a guy screw up a gap block, but then everybody is coming to tackle somebody on defense. Our guys pride [ourselves] on having all 11 around them. If one guys screws up on offense, it's a bad play."
On his block on Steelers OLB James Harrison, where he flipped him in the air: "When he jumped, I clearly thought that… It was actually one of plays where I was scanning across, but I was really supposed to get out, and I just saw him running free. I figured if I just get over there, he would have to either try to run through me… But when he jumped, I just said, 'The ball better be out.' (laughter) I am not going to lie, I haven't seen an athletic play like that in a long time. He cleared me! I was standing straight up, and he cleared me. I was like, 'Alright.' I said, 'Joe, the ball better have been out.' It was kind of a freaky play."
On if he looks at Flacco differently after the 92-yard, game-winning drive at Pittsburgh: "The scary part about this whole thing is we all believed that Joe [could] do it. We all – including some of you guys – knew that Joe was capable of doing it. It was just a matter of going out there and actually doing it and seeing it. To be a part of it, it was even more impressive. I am in the huddle with [him]. At the same time, in the locker room, I get to hear him talking a lot. It's a quarterback position; you are going to get hit with the high [and] with the low. When you lose, it's your fault. There's a lot of stuff that goes with it. He is handling it very well. I judge the guy off the character. The character of the player goes [a long way] because quarterbacks go through a lot of emotional highs and lows. Look at me, I was almost a little stressed over a holding call. (laughing) But, he did it, and he is our quarterback. I am not afraid to say that I look forward to playing with Joe Flacco for a long time."
On looking into the eyes of a defeated opponent: "The best feeling of the whole night was seeing that stadium quiet. The foul stuff they were saying; I don't know if you all have seen the McDonald's cup being thrown at me walking off the field. It was a sight to see when you quiet up a place like that, I am telling you. Going back on last week, they are loyal fans. It's Steeler Nation. When they mean the Steeler Nation, it's a Nation. [It's a] hostile environment. Even the first run, it was quiet. When you are able to quiet a place down, it's sort of like you are playing at home. It wasn't home, it was hostile territory, but we had a lot at stake."
On the certain look that the players had in their eyes: "You can sense when you have a team on the ropes. You can sense, you can feel it. We have had it here before where we have had teams on the ropes, but didn't finish them. We are getting the ability to finish now, and the ability to finish games is big. We had our two hiccups this year, where it was total letdown on our part. But, when we had to put guys away, we put them away. When we had leads, we put teams away. When we had to play from behind and finish games, we finished. That's going to be our ability to do different things."
OLB Terrell Suggs
On "Ball So Hard University" and where/why that started: "Well, a lot of guys on this team attended 'Ball So Hard University,' including me, myself. And, I'm actually the dean of students, and the president of the school is actually Shawn Carter [Jay-Z], so you all might want to get clearance on that. But, it was just fun. It really started because I said 'Dahni and Duke University,' those are my children, and they kept saying it was my parents and they kept messing up. So, I said, 'You know what? I'm going to do something different.' I just so happened to be listening to the song going into the interview, and 'Ball So Hard University' was born."
On if he's selling T-shirts: "No, I am currently not selling T-shirts. But, apparently, there is some way you can get them, as you can clearly see I'm wearing one. So yeah, that has nothing to do with me."
On the schools' mascot: "We're working on that. We're working on it. It's probably, Jay-Z would think of something like that."
On if he surprised by all the attention he's receiving for it, especially on social media: "Yeah. It was trending for like 48 hours. It was crazy. It's a song. It's a national song by Jay-Z, and I thought people would actually have thought the song was hotter. But, as soon as I said it, it started crazy."
On the Ravens' losses to Jacksonville and Tennessee after big wins this season and if the natural letdown after a big game can be a problem for this team: "I think our attitude was the same. The intentions were good. Both teams were well-prepared for us. I don't think it has nothing to do with us coming off a big win. But, we're well aware of that now. [We are well aware] that we had a big win in the opening week, and then we came back and Tennessee got after us a little bit, and then we beat the Jets and then Jacksonville got after us. So, we don't want to start a little trend there, absolutely not. But, we're well aware of it and we know this is going to be a tough one to get, and we're just going to prepare all week for it."
On what he sees from Seattle: "They're tough, they're tough. Just like you mentioned before, like I mention all week, this is the NFL, and any Sunday a team can come out there and get at you. They can have you dialed in and they can just have your number. So, we're going to definitely try not to do things that we've done in the past [and] be too predictable."
On Seattle giving up a lot of sacks: "I pin my ears back every week. It doesn't matter on the team. But, you bringing that up, means they're probably going to do something for us, so thank you for mentioning it in the press conference. But, at the end of the day, the most important thing is to win."
On what it meant to watch that last drive from the sideline on Sunday when Joe Flacco took the team down the field: "I don't even know if I can find a word to describe it right now. I don't have a big vocabulary in the first place. Just to see Joe do that and to see our young guys [come through]… It wasn't just Ray Rice and Anquan [Boldin]. Even LaQuan [Williams] caught some balls. And, that's huge. [Dennis] Pitta [made some plays]. Our young guys, they were growing up fast and they just kept making play after play, and Joe just kept putting it there. I was just highly in awe of what was happening. We had Ray [Lewis] on the sideline, and he was [saying], 'Don't worry.' Even when they had 92 yards to go, Ray was [saying], 'We still go it, we still got it.' And I was, like, 'If you say we got it, we got it.' And, they went and did it."
On his appearance on ESPN's "First Take" defending Flacco Tuesday: "Thank you. I don't really have to protect Joe. His reputation and his game speak for itself. I love it when 'experts' that have never really even played the game before have so much to say."
On if it was good to see the offense "win" the Pittsburgh game, considering the situation: "Definitely, because week-in, week-out, sometimes, they get too much scrutiny. And, they really handled themselves in a hostile environment, and they went 92 yards and showed the world."
On if Kanye West and Jay-Z get a nickel every time one of those T-shirts are sold: "They probably are going to get all of it by the end of the day. So, I'm just having fun with it. I'm out of here."
