HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "Alright, [it's] good seeing everybody. [I] appreciate you guys being here. [It was a] good start to the week. [We're] back from the bye [week] and had a very good practice. [It was] very sharp. [I'm] very happy with it, and we'll be working this week to get ready for our game. What questions do you have?"
We didn't see QB Lamar Jackson out there. Do you still anticipate him practicing this week? (Jamison Hensley) "All the guys are working really hard to get back – I can tell you that – so we'll see who's back and who practices on Wednesday. I don't really want to comment on any individual guys per se, and I'm looking forward to it."
Do you anticipate QB Lamar Jackson playing this week? (Sam Jane) "Same answer."
I know there's a lot that goes into it, but what was your biggest takeaway from the bye week and your time taking a look at everything? (Morgan Adsit) "That's a great question. It's an exhaustive type of a review, and you do it as you go. Then, you get a chance to kind of step back, and you really dig in on different kind of reports, analysis and film study. You try to build in where you want to go going forward. It's a real opportunity, and we try to make the most of it, really every year, and we really tried to make the most of it again this year. I feel really good about what we did. I feel great about what we accomplished. [There was] a lot of hard work, a lot of discernment, judgment, choices, things that you have to decide what direction you want to go, what's best for us going forward, [so] that we can maximize and play our best football, really. I'm really pleased with where we're at. Now, we have to go put it into action. The opportunity in front of us is great, and we have the people for the job. We have everything we need, and we have to go get started this week."
OLB Tavis Robinson has given you a lot of snaps, and now you've lost that, how do you go about replacing that? Do you anticipate elevating one of those practice squad edge guys? (Bo Smolka) "Yes, that's a possibility. We'll have to see as the week goes on, in terms of personnel groups, whether we feel like we have to do that or not. You can pick it up other ways, too. [We have] other guys [who are] versatile players. The bigger guys can go out. The smaller guys can come down. We could do it that way, too, so we'll have to see what we do, but I wouldn't be opposed to that. Those guys are doing a nice job on the practice squad, as well. That's going to be an important factor for us on defense is filling those reps up, because Tavius [Robinson] is a really physical edge player, a real hard-playing guy, and we're going to need that to be no drop off, those reps that are taken."
The Chicago Bears are on a good run. What have you seen from them particularly that makes them so formidable? (Jeff Zrebiec) "They've done a nice job of playing winning football. They're starting to get a feel offensively; they've scored some points, and the defense is playing better and better, so they're playing good football."
We saw ILB Roquan Smith back practicing. How much ramp up time does he need, and how much of a boost would it be if he could play? (Brian Wacker) "It's a big deal. It's a players' league. I think back to [former Ravens defensive line coach] Clarence Brooks; he said, 'It's always been a player's game, and it always will be a player's game.' That's never going to change, and that's really the truth. So, having your players on the field is important. A player like that – like 'Ro' [Roquan Smith] or a player like anybody else, all the other guys ... [With] the guys that came back last week, you can see the difference it made, between the week before and last week, so it's a big boost."
Wednesday is the deadline for you guys to activate OL Emery Jones Jr. to the 53-man active roster. Is that still something you guys are going to do? (Jonas Shaffer) "Emery [Jones Jr.] is not going to be cleared by the doctor for this week, so the doctor hasn't cleared him yet to be activated for this week. If it's not this week, it would be next week, so it's up to the doctor."
So, you're not going to put OL Emery Jones Jr. on season-ending injured reserve? (Jonas Shaffer) "No, we're not going to put [Emery Jones Jr.] on season ending IR. I don't think he'll be up this week, just for that reason, because the doctor hasn't cleared him yet, and we're not going to put him on season ending IR.
How valuable was it to have the time to kind of reset, and how important was it for that bye week to come when it did? (Brian Wacker) "It was very valuable. It was needed. It was an opportunity for us to do a couple of things. One thing was to help us get healthy, for sure. I don't think we could have been more injured at that point in time for the last couple weeks, so that's a big part of it. Then, for us to take a look at everything we're doing – we're doing a lot of great things. You have to take it in, understanding who's out there and who's not playing, so you don't want to overreact. You just want to react. You want to react, you want to understand where you're going, reset and re-attack. That's really what we're going to do. We're going to re-attack this week."
Going back to Emery Jones Jr. and the offensive line. With any of those positions, is that something you still look at as you may make the change here? Are you still evaluating that? (Brian Wacker) "The way the question is asked, I think everything is always under consideration, and that position you guys ask about a lot, for sure, but it's true for every position. You look at every single guy. As [former Ravens special teams coordinator] Jerry Rosburg said, 'The evaluations are comprehensive and ongoing.' And that's just a fact. You evaluate everything every single day, and coaches do it completely in everything from individual reps, to group reps, to team reps, to practice reps [and] to game rep, [with] game reps being the most important reps. Everything is graded, everything's evaluated, and you play the guys in different spots that are playing the best, and that's what coaches spend their time doing. I promise you; nobody has a better understanding of the offensive line or of the quarterback room or the wide receiver room or the DB room than the coach that's coaching those guys every single day. They're studying it. They're on it. It's what they do. You look at all that, and you say, 'OK, this gives us the best chance to be successful with this guy or this group or whatever.' That's where we're at, so when you see a group go out there or a player go out there, that's the guy who gives us the best chance and who's playing the best, all things considered. So, that's where we're at. Now, as far as Emery [Jones Jr.], he's had a couple of weeks now of practice. He's shown a lot of good things, but he also has a lot to learn, just being honest about it. There's a lot that goes into it, and he hasn't had all through training camp really to work the finer points out of the pass protection or the calls and things like that. But I do think he has a chance to be a factor this year. He's looking good. He's talented, and he's tough, and he wants to do well. He works really hard, so yes, he's definitely working himself into that conversation."
We've seen FB Patrick Ricard. He out there again today. Are you feeling better about him getting out there against the Bears? (Cordell Woodland) "[Patrick Ricard] practiced more, so yes, but kind of like all the other guys, I just put them all in the same category, and we'll see where we're at as we go, because we don't know for sure."
I know you do a lot of self-scouting. How far advance do you do advance scouting for the teams ahead? I know you have a quick turnaround after the Bears game, but as coaches, I know other personnel people are helping with advance scouting, but how far ahead you get a chance to going into the bye week? (Jamison Hensley) "I'll get a chance to get to the Dolphins [game], and I've looked at other teams [like] some teams in the division. I took a look at Miami a little bit, but you focus really on yourself in the bye week. The bulk of it is on yourself, and then you work ahead into the next opponent, for sure, and then you get a chance to take a look at some other things probably on the side. But like you said, different coaches are involved, [and] different analysts are involved with working out a little further."
Because of the start, there is obviously a little small margin going forward. Did you do any of the math to say, 'OK, what will it take for us to get to the playoffs by the end of the season? How many wins?' Things like that? (Jamison Hensley) "It's not that hard to figure out. It's pretty simple math. I don't have to think that long about it, to be honest with you. I know that winning the next game would go a long way in helping us. That's what I really understand. That's what all of our players [and] all of our coaches [understand]. That's what you really need to understand. We understand it's a challenge, but we also understand we're playing the game next Sunday, and we have an opportunity, and we want to make the most of it."
What conversations did you have with your coordinators during the bye week? (Sam Jane) "I have a lot of conversations with them about a lot of things. [What do you mean,] specifically?"
Did you talk with defensive coordinator Zach Orr about anything, particularly with the edge room thinning out? Just about how you are going to deal with snaps, and then offensively, committing to running the ball against the Rams that we haven't really seen. Just anything in regards to those two? (Sam Jane) "Yes, definitely. Yes, absolutely – not just that. We talk about everything on defense, and the edge players – who's playing, to your question – is definitely part of that conversation. That's probably, I don't know, a percent. There's 99 percent of the other stuff we're working on. We're talking about what direction you want to go. You talk about what personality we want to have in different situations, what calls apply to that personality, who we want to put where to do those different jobs, how we want to substitute guys on and off the field. It's a lot. It's exhaustive, and it's fun, and it's what we love to do, and it's exciting, because we have a lot of good players, and we have a lot of good scheme. Then as far as the offense, what was the question about that?"
It seemed like there was more of a commitment to running the ball against the Rams than we'd seen the previous week. I know we already talked with offensive coordinator Todd Monken about finding a better rhythm. (Sam Jane) "There's a commitment to running the ball, for sure, and that's the Ravens. We don't want to get away from that. We believe in running the ball. We believe in stopping the run. A lot of teams don't. A lot of teams don't think it's important. You'll hear a lot of metric people, analytics people, say that's not important, but it's our DNA. We believe in it. We want to be able to do it, and so, that hasn't really changed throughout the course of the season. We haven't done it as well as we want to do it, but we did it better against the Rams, for sure. That was encouraging. We have to find a way to keep building on that, but the conversation was about much more than that. It was about how we want to structure the offense going forward, schematically, and how we want to try to create problems for people to defend the players that we're putting on the field, create opportunities for those guys the best way we can, keep people off balance as much as we can, [playing] complementary football – those kinds of things. How do you build that schematically? Those are the conversations that we have."
WR ZAY FLOWERS
Opening Statement: "Before you [start with questions], I wanted to say that I apologize for leaving early. I respect your jobs, and I respect what you all do, so it won't happen again. I appreciate you all. I'm ready to go."
On looking at the tape from previous games and trying to correct mistakes: "I think I [just need to] lock in a little bit more. On the first [fumble], I was trying to make a play. On the second one, I just mishandled the ball, there isn't really too much to think about. I've just got to hold the ball."
On if there's any adjustment that needs to be made with handoffs with a different quarterback: "No, there isn't really any difference. You're just getting the ball, so there really isn't any difference. It was on me, so I've got to take that."
On if the need to make a play is heightened when the offense is struggling in a game: "Absolutely. I feel like we weren't moving [the ball] that well. So, I tried to make something happen."
On his focus moving forward after the bye week: "[Let's] get healthy, and let's go win the next one."
On how the bye week can serve as a mental reset for the upcoming stretch of games: "Like you said, we all needed a mental reset, and we're ready to come back out swinging, and we're going to try to make an example [of that] out of this first game."
On if he feels the offense is better than what they've shown the last two games: "Yes, absolutely. We've still got pieces all around the field. We've just got to put it all together, and it's tough when you're missing your starting quarterback. But, we've still got all our pieces that we [need]. We've got everything we need; we've just got to put it all together."
On his conversations with QB Lamar Jackson over the bye week: "Yes, we talk every day. We're all just trying to get healthy, get right and start a winning streak to get back on track."
On if he feels QB Lamar Jackson will return this week: "I don't really know the situation if I'm being honest, but if [Lamar Jackson] is [ready], we'll be ready to go."
On if he feels like there's something that isn't translating or clicking on offense: "I don't know. I feel like every Sunday we come out there, we come out there to win. We prepare the winning way, so [that] when we get to Sunday, we just go play, and sometimes it just goes like that."
On the boost that QB Lamar Jackson's return can provide to the team: "It is going to put us back [on track]. When you get your starting quarterback back, everybody is going to feel good, everybody is going to be ready to go, and everybody [is] going to be behind [Lamar Jackson]."
On the importance of Sunday's game vs. Chicago to gain momentum going forward: "It's super important. We don't want to lose any more, so we've got to start it off right. Right after the bye week, everybody got fresh, [and] everybody got a mental break. [We'll] come back, start off with a win and try to go on a run."
On if he did anything fun over the bye week: "No. I went back to B.C. [Boston College] and watched the game, but that's the only thing [I did]. I came right back, got some treatment and just chilled."
On what the predominant emotion out of the locker room is after the start to the season: "We've got the same emotion. Nobody wants to be 1-5."
On how big of a challenge it will be to reach the playoffs after starting 1-5: "It's possible, so we aren't doubting that. I know we can do it. I think we can do it, so that's what we are [planning] to come out and do."
On if it has been difficult to get all the pieces involved on offense and if there has been any frustration amongst the offensive players: "No, I don't really feel any frustration with that because if you know how many pieces you've got on the team, you know that you can't get the ball as much. So, whenever you get the ball, you try to do whatever you can to make the best of it."
On if he feels like his teammates want the ball more: "Everybody in the league wants the ball more."
CB MARLON HUMPHREY
On how the bye week can serve as a mental reset for the upcoming stretch of games: "I don't know if it was a mental reset. I think it was a health reset, I think, for some of the guys that have been banged up. It seemed like we had most of those guys back practicing during the bye week and today, so I think it was a good time to get some guys back healthy and get ready for the second half of the season."
On the changes made to the secondary and on if he thinks it can help them moving forward: "The honest answer is [that] we still lost, so I don't really know what it really did. The objective is to win, so I could say, 'It looked like this, it looked like this,' but the result was still a loss. So, we're still trying to figure out what we can do going forward to hopefully win some games and get the stink up off of everybody."
On if he feels like they have had to mature quickly or have gotten to where they hoped to be or wanted to be at this point: "Yes, I don't know if you guys remember when I said the 'mature' thing. I was saying what Coach [John] Harbaugh said, and then I get a report sent to me that I said we weren't mature. So, I don't know which one of you just put that out there, but that was not my quote – that was [just] a quote I was putting out there, so I can't really speak on that. I was just speaking on the quote that was sent to us, so that would be a [head coach John] Harbaugh question."
On what he feels they have to do to start playing more consistent and winning football: "I've kind of given up on [trying to figure out] what we need to do. I'm putting all that in the coaches' hands. The coaches give us what we need to do, and we try to go from there. The biggest thing I'm trying to do is just to do my job, do my assignment and kind of do my own independent studies. I'll take what I have, take what the coaches have, try to go there Sunday, be the best version of myself [and] help the guys in whatever way I can. But to give [you] the answer, I think we have all been trying to figure that out for five games straight during every game we've lost, and so we're still searching for that. Hopefully, we will figure out some things and get some wins."
On if they have faith that what the coaches are telling them are the things that will result in success: "I think the best thing we've done as players this year is we haven't really questioned the coaches. I think [that] even though we have a losing record, there really hasn't been a lot of turmoil, and guys turning on each other. I feel like we have all been in this altogether. I think if there's one positive for the first half, I would say it would be that. There has definitely been a 'want to,' there's been a trust there, and I do believe that we are very close, and just [being] close in this league is not enough. You've just got to do it. And everybody in our room is definitely still of the mindset that we still can do it, and I believe we can, and I think everyone else believes as well. So, it's now the opportunity to go out there and try to do it."
On if he thinks about the big picture of being 1-5 and not having a lot of wiggle room between now and the playoffs: "I'm just trying to win games. I think everyone else is trying to win games. I'm not sure exactly [what] the question [is], but we're trying to win games."
On if he looks ahead at the schedule in the second half of the season: "There would be nothing greater if we could beat the Chicago Bears this Sunday. We are 1-5. We are 1-5, so we've won one game and lost five games. The only thing I think anybody wants to do is just to win one game. If you're focused on anything other than that, I hope you let somebody know, because you need to either meet with our mental health person or somebody, because we need to focus on one game [and] one practice [at a time]. I just want to win a game. That would be really cool. I'd be really happy. It is just not fun to lose games. It's something I told the defense. I've never really been a loser in my entire life. I'm not really cool with being a loser. I'm not really comfortable with being a loser, so I just want to win one game. And if that's not everybody's mindset, there needs to be a sit down to figure out how we can get that on your mindset. I think that's going to be the only way going forward for us to win one game."
On if he feels like them rising or not rising to the occasion for the rest of the season reflects on his leadership: "I want to win one game. There's no rest of the season. There's just one game, and that's all."
ILB ROQUAN SMITH
On how he's feeling: "[I'm] feeling really good. Thank you for asking. How about yourself?" (Reporter: "Doing well.")
On if he did anything fun on the bye week or if he focused on work: "I was just more so focused on work, getting the body together and everything like that. I was fortunate enough to be able to see the 'Dogs [Georgia Bulldogs] play, so that was pretty awesome."
On how much of a reset the bye week was, physically and mentally: "The bye week was awesome. It came at a right time for us as a team, for myself as well. [My focus was on] getting back healthy and then just re-dialing our focus and just knowing the plan on where we want to go and doing that and getting back healthy. It's major for us, for sure."
On when the hamstring happened in the Chiefs game and if it was sudden: "I felt that that it was a little ... but at the end of the day it happened, so I'm not really dwelling on the past at all right now. I'm moreso focused on going out and being the best version of myself moving forward. I can't really think about when something was happening. It happened, so it's over with now."
On if he thinks he will play Sunday against the Chicago Bears: "Yes, absolutely."
On watching ILBs Teddye Buchanan and Trenton Simpson take on more responsibility and how he's helped them while he's been injured: "[Teddye Buchanan and Trenton Simpson's] roles grew tremendously. Obviously, when I went down, the way those guys took it amongst themselves to actually be the best version of themselves, raising their standard of preparation, and just being the guys that the guys looked up to get the communication out – I thought those guys did an unbelievable job in their role and with their experience. So, hats off to those guys. They're just going to continue to keep getting better."
On the vibe of today's practice with some players returning from injury: "It was an awesome vibe out there today. I feel like everyone is refreshed, regenerated, and everyone is feeling exactly what we know we need to feel in order to be the best version of ourselves. So, that's what it's about – going out and doing that – and I felt like the energy was really great at practice. Guys were dialed in, locked in. [There were] not many mental mistakes or even physical mistakes for that matter. I'm feeling really confident, so [I'm] very excited to see that. It's also sign of confidence, as well."
On his mentality playing his former team, the Chicago Bears: "I'm excited about the matchup, for sure. I haven't gotten a chance to play Chicago since I've been here. [I'm] grateful for all of my time in Chicago. [There are] lot of amazing people over there [that I] have a tremendous amount of respect [for], but obviously, it's the team that's on the schedule, and every team on the schedule has to get dealt with accordingly. You have to be the best version of yourself, week in and week out, and it happens to be the Bears. Obviously, I have a lot of friends and family that will be in [town for the game], but it's about doing my job to the best of my ability and showing the world exactly who I am."
On why he feels the team can turn around their season: "I know each and every guy that's in this locker room, at least to the degree that I know them, and I feel like that degree is deep enough to know the mindset and how optimistic each and every guy is in this locker room. We're all eternal optimists, and when you think about it from that perspective, we know exactly what we have to do, and it's about going out and doing it. I've reiterated to the guys throughout the week and at the back end of last week; it's about locking your jaw and having that mindset of, 'Hey, it's going to go down by any means, and you have to be there and be willing to put your face in the fan every given play. All that takes is you doing your job to the best of your ability, a hundred miles an hour. When you do that, great things are happening. We'll love the results.' So, that's what it's all about, and it's just [about] getting back to the basics and being ourselves. I'm confident, and I know exactly each and every guy that's in this locker room – and who I am as well – and [I'm] just excited to show after this bye [week] how rejuvenated we are and how we're ready to unleash and show exactly who we are, because we haven't showed that quite [yet], and we obviously know that. But it's not about what's happened in the past; it's more so about what's happening in the future. There have been many great stories, and there's going to be another one coming soon, but obviously, it's one game at a time, and it starts this coming week."
