POST-GAME TRANSCRIPT
Head Coach John Harbaugh
(opening statement) "It's what we said in the locker room, 'a win's a win'. You can look at records and you can look at all of that and make determinations about the way games are going to go, and that's okay. I'm not going to stand up here and say that we played well. We obviously had some things that we didn't do very well at all, but that's a good football team. We said that beforehand. They had rest. They had two weeks, and they had a nice gameplan, and they played very well, especially on offense. I'm disappointed in the yards; I'm disappointed with the points; I'm disappointed with the coverage. I'm disappointed with the pressure in some ways. We have to play better than that to be the team we want to be, but I'm proud of the win. I'm proud of the win."
(on if he adjusted the bye schedule) "No, we were going to stay with the same plan that we had before going in. I told the players I was going to consider it and do what I felt was best. I had an idea what I thought we needed. I really feel like that's what we need. I think we need rest more than anything. We've been traveling. We've played a lot of good football teams. We've been in some hard-fought football games, some physical games. I think we get everybody's best physical game, for some reason, and I think that takes its toll a little bit. Our players have practiced very hard, but we had our best week of practice last week. So, you look at that as a coach. It's not that we're not prepared, we're not practicing hard, those kind of things. I think our team needs some rest. So, we'll get treatment tomorrow. We have a team picture scheduled in the afternoon. We'll come in Tuesday morning and have hard conditioning, both cardiovascular and lifting. We'll have a conditioning deal for them in the next five days that we'll ask them to do a couple of things – lifting-wise, conditioning-wise, and we'll come back Monday and go to work on Miami."
(on if players were emotional at halftime) "I wouldn't say emotional. I think guys were very determined. It was more adjustments than anything. You have to look at things and try to make corrections and make decisions about what you're going to do in the second half in all three phases, but there were some things said, and that's the way it is in football."
(on having Ed Reed back) "It was big to have Ed Reed back. Obviously, with the turnovers and Ed Reed back there, it changes the whole complexion. He made his presence felt."
(on Ray Lewis' forced fumble) "I'm going to have to watch that again. I'm not exactly sure what happened. It was a different kind of play. You know, our guys keep fighting to strip the ball and get it out. I assume that's what's happening because I'm not sure what happened, to be honest with you. I'm sure you guys saw better than I did, but that's Ray Lewis. You talk about two guys – Ray Lewis and Ed Reed – making those kind of plays, forcing those kinds of turnovers in the game, that's what great players do."
(on what he said at halftime to make the defense come out so strong) "I'd like to tell you that I told the team, 'Hey, we're going to get two turnovers to start the second half, or whatever, after the kickoff. It seemed like about three games ago to be honest with you. I'm trying to think back to what happened, but I think Joe [Flacco] said something in the locker room that really resonated with me. I think we were down 24-10 at one point, so we were fighting back the whole game. Then, we got the lead, and we would have liked to have put them away, and we had a chance to do it and we didn't. Then, we fought back and won the game in overtime."
(on if defensive players played with more caution following the new NFL restrictions) "I'd have to defer to those guys opinions on that. I didn't think they played great by any stretch, but we'll look at the tape and try to figure all that out. Those guys that are on the field, they'd have to speak to that more than I could."
(on if the offensive was more aggressive this week than last week) "I'm not going to compare it because I just don't think that's right. I never thought we weren't last week. I though [in this week's game] the flea-flicker was a heck of a call. When I first heard it, I kind of cringed a little bit. But when you think about it, that's what you do in that situation. It was executed so well by Joe [Flacco], by Anquan [Boldin] and by Willis [McGahee]. That's just the kind of thing that you like to see. When it works, it's aggressive. When it doesn't work, it's something else."
(on if it was his intention to play S Ed Reed as much as he did) "Our intention was just to let him kind of play out and see what he could do. Every time he felt it [his quad], I asked him about it, but it's going to have to be more his call, probably, than anything else."
(on whether he noticed the ball was placed incorrectly at the 29-yard line before the field goal attempt leading into halftime) "We noticed that, and we were screaming about it. But I think they'll find that they spotted that in the wrong place."
(on entering the bye week with a 5-2 record) "That was our goal this week. We wanted to be 1-0 this week so that we could be 5-2. I think when you look back, we wanted to be 7-0, but we're not. The best we can do is be 5-2. We had to win some tough games to do it, and we lost a couple tough games. We are in good shape, but we're only in good shape if we take it and make the most of it. That's why we're going to make the most of this bye week, for what as a coach, I feel strongly our team needs [to do] this week. That way we can make the most of our preparation next week. But, we are in position to accomplish some things, and it's going to be our job to try to get those things done."
(on if he focuses on the amount of points given up or the amount of points the offense scored) "You could focus on all of that. Even with the offense, all of the good things that they did – and Joe [Flacco] could stand up here and talk about those things – and I was really happy with those things, but there were so many things that we can get better at. Special teams-wise, a lot of good things, a lot of things we can get better at. So, you focus on everything as a coach."
(on what he said when he pulled CB Fabian Washington for CB Josh Wilson) "Well, I didn't say anything to him. It was just what we needed to do at that time. He was struggling. We all see that Fabian has good games. Sometimes it's just not a guy's day, so we thought that was the best thing at that time."
K Billy Cundiff
(on if he felt like the game-winner was good when he hit it) "Yeah, I felt like I was in a good rhythm today, so when I got out there, I just did exactly what I did on the previous two times."
(on if he thought the coaches were going to call a timeout prior to his kick) "I don't think the coaches should call a timeout for a veteran guy. If you look at the situation we had, it was a 48-yarder, they had to review the play. It gives an older guy a chance to go through, see exactly what he wants to do, kind of set everything up and check the wind. I think an older guy, you have to just let him go out there and do it. Hopefully, they get wrapped up in the moment."
(on today's kicking conditions) "Perfect conditions for the East Coast. I'll take it."
QB Joe Flacco
(on whether it was the perfect time for a flea-flicker) "It definitely was. They might have been expecting a shot or something like that, but I don't think anybody expected a flea-flicker. And yeah, it worked out perfect. I think we can all agree that it was the perfect time because of the way it worked out."
(on whether it worked out because the Bills' defense rushed onto the field) "Yeah, just think. We're just coming out of the tunnel to go back in for halftime, and I don't think anybody's ready to get hit in the face like that. And it happened so quickly and it was really tough to recover. You're just out there reacting. And we did a good… Willis [McGahee] did a good job of running the ball into the line before he threw it back to me."
(on whether it's better to go into a bye week with a tough win rather than an easy win) "I don't know. I don't think it matters. I think a win's a win, and we've got to be happy either way. But it's definitely good to go into your bye with a win to be able to relax and get everybody healthy. And Todd [Heap] will be a big part of that. Todd's been huge for us this year, and he's a little banged up. So, hopefully, he can get himself a little more healthy this upcoming week."
(on whether he addressed the team at halftime) "I didn't really… I just sat down and said, 'Hey, we've got to keep it going. Every time we get the ball we've got to keep this going. We got a little bit of momentum, and we can't let our foot off the pedal.' You don't really sit there and say things to guys. By that time, we kind of had the momentum going our way a little bit. And it was just our job to go keep that. And I think we did a good job with a little help from our defense, a little help from special teams of doing that early in the second half."
(on what having S Ed Reed back means to him) "Obviously, I think everybody can see it. Who knows if anybody else is in the position that he is. He was in there today, and the important thing is that he was in those positions. I think we've all been watching Ed Reed do that for a while now. I wouldn't say we were surprised by it, but we were definitely excited and all the things that go with that. But Ed's used to doing that. He's been doing that for a while. It was awesome. It was awesome to see. We kind of wasted the one [interception], but it was pretty cool to see Ed back out there doing his thing."
(on whether it was a wake up call to have a close game at home against a winless team) "Not really. We just have to keep our heads up, and I think we did a good job of keeping our heads up. The biggest thing is you get down like that, you feel like you have to score 17 points in one drive, and you can't do that. So I think we did a good job of just keeping our heads down, playing one play at a time, and before we knew it, some things started going our way, the ball started bouncing our way a little bit. We were scoring touchdowns and getting ourselves back in the game."
(on whether there was a difference in the game in terms of the new suspension rules) "No. Guys are going to come out and play intense and be ready to hit people every week. It's a shame that guys are fined. I don't think anybody who plays necessarily agrees with it. And it's not going to stop us form going out there and playing football. Our guys are going to be over there playing fast, playing physical, and they're going to be hitting people and trying to knock that ball out. And that's what happens."
(on how he feels mentally and physically before going into the bye) "Physically, I feel great. Mentally, I feel pretty good, too. And I think everybody's feeling pretty good right now after a win like that. I think it wasn't the way we wanted to [win], but you've got to remember we were doing 17 to 3, 24 to 10. We hung in there and won the game. I think that's a sign of good teams, winning those games. We lost it last week, but we came back and won one of those tight ones this week. So we've got to be proud of ourselves. And I think we'll all mentally and physically pretty much go into this bye pretty good. And a lot of the guys are going to get their legs back underneath of them, and this will be a great opportunity to do that."
(on whether he was surprised that the second TD pass to Heap was an option) "It was different. They were kind of hitting the same spots. Todd was running up the seam on the first one, and I threw it up high for him. Then on the second one, he was one of the inside receivers, and he kind of got the guy that was covering him, thinking that he was going to run over the top of him, and he snapped it right on the goal line. I kind of knew pre-snap on that one that I had Todd one-on-one and just had to give him a chance to work it. And that's how it ended up happening."
C Matt Birk
(on a slow start offensively to open the game but finishing strong) "We didn't start as fast as we'd like, but everyone on the outside looking in, says, 'Oh, they're 0-5, you're supposed to handle these guys.' But we've watched all the film; we knew they were good. We knew they could put points on the board, and we knew that they played really hard defensively, and you see a lot of talent when you look at the guys on the other side of the ball. They have a lot of high-round draft picks, a lot of talent, a lot of guys that have been in the league for a long time with a lot of pride. So, we knew coming off their bye week that they were going to make the adjustments they needed to a be ready for us. Basically, they came out and just out-executed us in the first half, but luckily we made enough plays to stay in it, and then, obviously, it came right down to the wire. You know, it wasn't the ideal situation to surrender a lead like that, and offensively, we didn't do a great job in the fourth quarter. But it was a team effort, and the defense did a great job getting us the ball back in great field position in overtime for the field goal."
(on having a balanced attack on offense today and whether that was the game plan going into the game) "It just kind of unfolds like that. You know, you've got to see throughout the course of the game how it's going and how they're playing. Like I said, they had a week off to prepare for us, so we knew they'd make some adjustments defensively, and we didn't know what they would be. When we're balanced offensively, that's when we're at our best, when people have to defend the run and the pass. Now with all that being said, we can certainly get a lot better offensively, but anytime you win a game you feel pretty good about it. Our goal coming into today was to be 5-2, and we're 5-2."
(on the mood of the team sitting at 5-2 and heading into the bye week) "You take the time off whenever you can get it, but especially at this point in the season. Everybody is all banged up, and the bye will be a great opportunity for us to freshen up mentally and physically. You know, when we come back, it's not stopping anymore. So, we've got to be smart on the bye, making sure we rest up and take it easy so we come back ready to go."
RB Ray Rice
(on whether Buffalo is a better team than their record suggests) "Listen, this is the NFL, and they are not a bad team. Their record does not show how good they actually are. That team has a lot of talent. Much respect to them, much credit to them and everybody up there. We prepare every game for these kinds of situations that it came down to. Last week, we were on the short end of it, and this week we made some big plays and got it done."
(on splitting carries with RB Willis McGahee today) "It was our game plan going in, and I think it was smart on the end of our coaching staff. I came out of the game healthy today, no wear-and-tear on the body, and I think we both did a pretty good job of running the ball today."
(on heading into the bye week 5-2) "Oh, it's a good feeling around here. We get to have some time off to heal, recover and spend time with our families. That's what the bye week is all about. It sets you up for the second half of the season. It's time to get healthy, time to get our minds right, and we're going to fight for what we needed to fight for."
(on the offense's balanced attack today) "It unfolded that way, and I think Cam Cameron is a great offensive coordinator. He's a 'feel' coordinator; whenever he feels something, he just goes along with it, and we just took it from there."
WR Anquan Boldin
(on the flea-flicker touchdown pass) "I think it was a great play call. We had just gotten a turnover, so we wanted to take a shot at it. It was a great play call by Cam [Cameron]. I came in motion and Willis [McGahee] sold it. As soon as I came off the line, I saw two defenders biting on the run. Willis got it out of his hands and Joe [Flacco] made a great throw."
(on the impact S Ed Reed had in his first game of the season today) "I mean his impact was huge. For the guy to come back after missing the first six weeks, have two interceptions and a forced fumble, I mean he's definitely a difference maker in the secondary."
(on whether there are still a lot of things to work out offensively, despite the win) "Oh, I think so. You know, you've got to take your hat off. That was a team that came in here with nothing to lose. They played their butts off, they played their heart out, and they played winning football today. But, we found a way to get it done. It wasn't the prettiest win. Like you said, we managed to hurt ourselves there a couple of times. There were times when we could have put the game away, but penalties here and there is something that we can't do. So, there are a lot of things that we can go back and look on the tape and correct and get better from."
(on not being able to ask for much more going into the bye week 5-2) "Yeah, I mean at this point we are what we are, you know, 5-2. We would love to be 7-0, even 6-1, but we are 5-2. We're going to go back to the drawing board and evaluate ourselves, see where we are as a team, and go from there."
(on his plans for the bye week) "Yeah, spending time with my family, but it's football season, I've still got to concentrate on that. I'll continue to work out, get in the film room and just see what I can do to get better."
CB Fabian Washington
(on defensive breakdowns) "It wasn't my day. The Bills had my number today. The coaches decided to pull me and go with Josh [Wilson]."
(on rebounding from a bad effort) "I'll be back- believe that. I can promise you that."
(on reasons for breakdowns) "I know that on a couple of plays my technique was off. Especially on the first drive touchdown. I got behind on that deep ball and I couldn't catch up with it. I knew going into the game that Lee [Evans] was a fast up-the-field receiver."
(on teams going back at you when you give up a big play) "Once they start going after somebody, you gotta get them off you then. Today was check, check, 31. That was what it was today. This week they got me. But, please believe I will be back."
DT Haloti Ngata
(on getting a win today) "A win is a win. That was the second team in a row that we played that was coming off a bye. We knew that they were well-rested and that they had two weeks to prepare for us. We're lucky we came out of it with a win because that's a really good team."
(on the offense going 37) "It's great. They had a big game for us. They came out a little shaky in the beginning but then they came out driving. We held them as much as we could and our offense scored points."
(on seeing the Super Bowl XXXVS team) "It's great for those guys to come back and see a game because that's where we want to get to. It's good that they can come back and see us win."
(on getting to the bye at 5-2) "We definitely need this rest. And I think it kind of showed out there on the field today."
TE Todd Heap
(on his first touchdown) 'We were hoping to get them in a certain coverage, and they came out and we saw exactly what we wanted. So when I saw the safety over the top of me; I think Joe saw the same thing, and we were…a little double-move play, and I was able to set it up and go make the play. Joe made a great throw, put it up where only I could get it. We needed that play at that time."
(on the second touchdown) "That second touchdown is a play we've been running for three years and probably haven't got it on the field. We've practiced it so much, to come out and see the coverage that they came out and played, they were kind of manning us up over the middle. Joe saw the same thing. We were on the same page that whole play where I kind of made that move over the top of them, tried to get my head back to Joe, and as soon as I saw a defender turn his head, that was when I put the brakes on and Joe had the same timing. It was perfect timing. It was one of those kinds of easy touchdowns where you're standing still catching it in the end zone. It was a good play. We needed a lot of those big plays today that we had to get the momentum."
(on the momentum) "It was a game of momentum. At times they had it, at times we got it back. We were just happy to get it at the end."
(on the stinger in his shoulder) "I really don't remember exactly what happened. All I know is, I was in extreme pain at that time, so I wasn't quite sure if it was the neck or the shoulder or what it was—it was probably going along with what happened with the hit last year, it was a similar-type deal. At that point, I was just trying to make the pain go away. It was contact. It was a play I was trying to block one guy and then get a hand on another guy, and as soon as I got that hand on him, he kind of came into me and kind of got a similar hit in the shoulder, similar stinger that I got last week."
(on the bye week) "The bye week couldn't come at a better time for a lot of us."
S Dawan Landry
(on the game) "It builds up your confidence, at the same time, you know, we didn't play our best game, but we got the win. It's a bye week right now. So we're going to watch the film, correct the mistakes and on to Miami."
(on what they'll work on) "I think everything is correctable. Those guys made some plays today, some stuff probably technique-wise that we couldn't correct, but we'll be OK."
(on if Buffalo's passing game surprised them) "No, not at all, because on film the last few games, they've been moving the ball up and down the field, so we knew they were going to do that. We were prepared, but give those guys credit."
(on the turnovers and Ed Reed's help) "The fumble was big. Ed Reed had two picks. You know that was huge. We created turnovers today so that's a plus. That was huge, Ed Reed, he's going to always be around the ball. I had already assumed that when he came back, he was going to get a pick today, and he got two."
LB Ray Lewis
(on the overtime fumble he caused) "Everyone just rallied to the ball, and I was up under him and just saw the ball, snatched it out of his hand knowing he was trying to go forward, and the whistle hadn't blown yet. It just so happened he and I locked arms, and I snatched it out."
(on the Super Bowl team being here today) "We went through something like this in 2000 against the Jags. What I tell the guys is, 'Don't get caught up in what everyone wants to talk about, the game was too close…' This is the NFL. A game is won by three or less points eight times out of 10. I tip my hat off to this team for how they fought all season to get to the bye 5-2. We've been up, we've been down, injuries here, injuries there, but now we have a well-deserved week of rest."
(on the difficulties of having two straight games against teams coming off byes) "Bottom line is, we're 5-2. Last week, we didn't make those plays in the fourth quarter. This week, we did."
(on Ed Reed's return) "That's the beauty of it. You hear everybody talking about all these players across the league, but nobody ever mentions Ed. We know how important Ed is to this team. I know how important he is to this defense. Any time you get somebody to come back like Ed to come back, it speaks for itself."
(on the offense today) "We kind of went through the same thing in 2000, everybody keeps comparing offense to defense, defense to offense. But that's the beauty of team. Giving up that fumble that we gave up on the kickoff, and then Josh [Wilson] coming back and getting one himself. They make a play, we make a play. It's team. Any time we give our offense back the ball. That's the part where you tip your hat to the offense and say this team is maturing. The days that you come back and make plays, that's when you say this team is maturing and being something."
S Ed Reed
(on whether he was surprised with the Bills' offensive performance) "Five hundred and five yards, yes it was a surprise. I knew it was an explosive offense. We gave up a lot of plays, I don't know what for. They're professionals too. At the end of the day, the 'W' that's what counts. Hats off to those guys, they fought hard. They probably should've won, but we've got a good team over here, too."
(on appearing to get hurt and then getting his second interception) "I had a few bumps and bruises, which I knew was going to happen. The next couple weeks for me are like training camp, being that I've never tackled, been through the grueling part to the season. It's kind of like I'm going through training camp right now. I kind of expected some of the things I'm going through in a sense. You've got to fight through it."
(on whether it was better to return before the Bye Week) "Yeah, that was my plan if I could go, which I was able to. I wasn't sure to come out and try to work the rest out and play as much as I could. I didn't know if I was going to be able to play the whole game, I had to come out one series because of my quad. I wanted to come out, like I said, move around and take this week and get even more healthy."
(on when he knew he was going to play) "Probably about six weeks ago [laughter]. I knew it was going to be hard for myself and the team to hold me back from playing. That's why I went on PUP. If I didn't go on PUP I probably would've been playing against the Jets, and that wasn't a wise decision."
(on whether he was surprised that he played that much) "No. No. Coach made me a captain Wednesday, and I kind of knew they were throwing me in the fire, kind of like a rookie. I was just mentally prepared. Physically I knew it would be tough in the latter part of the game, but we fought through. The trainers, doctors, organization, myself, we all worked hard for the six weeks I was off."
(on whether the Ravens would've lost without him) "No."
(on his first interception) "We kind of knew they wanted to work on Ray [Lewis]. I knew personally that they wanted to work on Ray, and the coaches knew it also when we came off. It's just a call we make, and Ray played it aggressively and the ball bounced up, and I just caught it."
(on whether that first interception changed the momentum) "That was probably one play that changed the momentum, but like I said, those guys kept fighting. I know a bunch of those guys over there, and they have a great team. It's just those little plays like that, those little mistake turnovers that will cost you."
(on whether the Bills changed much offensively from their previous games) "No, not really. The shots that they took, the plays that they got, those guys made great adjustments with the quick routes versus us playing the deep routes. They made some great adjustments, and like I said, they fought hard. They're professionals too."
(on whether he is ever surprised with the plays Ray Lewis makes) "No. No. Not at all. I know how hard Ray works, how much he loves this game, and how much film study he puts into it. I'm not surprised at all."
(on whether the chemistry in the secondary was immediately there) "No. No. We've been working at it all week, and I knew it was going to be different with [Tom Zbikowski] out and me coming back. I told the guys, 'Just bear with me for these couple weeks,' because I knew it was going to be tough communicating. There's a lot of calls that I didn't make, and those guys just played around me. I knew that was going to happen, and they knew that was going to happen. They fought through."
(on whether he could tell any difference with anyone's approach to hitting this week) "No, you kind of pay attention to those things. I don't think we were as physical in the first half as we could have been. We touched on that at half time. We harped on it. The coaches talked about it. We talked about it with the
fines and all that coming out. But at the end of the day, you've got to play football, and you've got to be smart playing it."
(on appearing more emotional before the game) "Oh man, it was beautiful. Honestly, it was more emotional Wednesday for the walk through. Just getting back out there with the guys, that was it. Coming out here and knowing the fans were going to be how they were, that was just a dream come true. It was like being a rookie all over again my first year here."
(on his feelings about recording two interceptions and a forced fumble in his return) "Keep talking about who the best safety is. Let me know."
LB Terrell Suggs
(on the Bills coming in at 0-5) "That's a tough football team and a tough football game, and I take my hat off to the Buffalo Bills. They came here to win, and there were times where they should've won."
(on the nature of the NFL) "Sometimes we have a tendency to make things too hard. We like to give our fans and our coaches a heart attack and then win in the last minute. That's just how we like to do it, we like to keep it entertaining for the fans."
(on the Bills' offense) "Remember, that's the same team that put 30 up on New England. They're a great offensive group. Those two backs, I wasn't a believer coming into the game, but I'm a believer now. They made some plays and broke some tackles. I've never seen backs do it like that on us."
RB Willis McGahee
(on the distribution of carries between him and Ray Rice) "As long as we get the ball, we just like to get the ball in our hands."
(on if he thought the game should've been as close as it was) "We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. At the beginning, we came out and didn't do anything, and we left some plays out on the field and left our defense at risk. But then we came back in the second half and rallied and got enough where we got the lead. But then the fumble at the goal line was bad communication by me and Joe [Flacco]."
(on his TD run) "It was basically a play-action play to Le'Ron [McClain], and Joe [Flacco] flipped it out to me. I got my hands on it, and it was just me and the DB, and I realized that I wasn't going to beat them to the corner, so I just tried to split the two, and I got there first. It was my business to get in there."
(on the flea flicker play that resulted in a TD pass) "That was a play that we worked on all week, and it was just me getting up to the line and getting it back to Joe [Flacco], and Joe looked for Anquan [Boldin] in the corner, and he got him."
(on Ed Reed's impact) "I told him, 'You're not really back unless you get a pick.' And then he got one, and I said, 'You're back, you're back.' And then I said, 'You're not really back until you run one back.' And then he almost ran it back, so he knows it's a good thing."
