HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "OK, it's good to have everybody here. We appreciate having you here. And at the end of the press conference, we'll talk about the high school coaches of the year; that's a great award that the Ravens do, so we're excited to do that in honor of football. But with that, we had another really good practice [today], and we're excited for the opportunity to go to Cincinnati and play the Bengals in a really, really important game. We've had a good week, and now we need to go play our best game of the year. So, what questions do you have?"
How many layers will you be wearing on Sunday? (Jamison Hensley) "How many layers for me on Sunday? There will be some layers. There'll be layers." (Laughter) "Yes, there will be some layers. It's going to be a great day for football. Like my college coach used to say – Tom Reed – it's a great day for football. And we'd look at him cross-eyed, and he'd say, 'Every day is a great day for football.' So, that's how we're looking at it."
Does the extreme cold impact games at all? (Jamison Hensley) "I do think it does. I think the elements always are impactful, and hopefully you can use them to your advantage in some way [or] some form or fashion. But the main thing is [that] we have to go play winning football, good, fundamental, winning football. That's what wins, no matter what the elements are."
Is there a chance we'll see S Ar'Darius Washington and OLB Tavius Robinson on Sunday? (Brian Wacker) "There is [a chance Ar'Darius Washington and Tavius Robinson will play]. We'll have that announcement tomorrow. Those guys practiced all week, so we'll make that final decision here today, and we'll make the announcement tomorrow."
What have you just seen from S Ar'Darius Washington and OLB Tavius Robinson's practices, in terms of where they're at and so forth? (Brian Wacker) "I think they've looked good. We will talk to the trainers and things like that – the docs – but they've looked good to me."
What's most important, keeping your feet or your hands warm during that game? (Jim Forner) "Yes, you have to think of a lot. When we played [in] Denver way back [during the 2012 postseason], right? That was one of our coldest games. I had a stocking cap, like you had, in the pre-game. I had it out there, and I was going to wear the stocking cap because I thought it's just more important to be warm, so you can think and stuff. And [former Denver Broncos head coach] John Fox was the coach of the Broncos, and he came out in a ball cap. And I've known Coach Fox since I was in my late twenties; we coached together at Pitt. He was a little older at the time, and I had a stocking cap, and he had a ball cap. I thought, 'You know what, I'm not coming out here [for the game with a stocking cap on]. He's an older guy than I am, I have to wear a ball cap, too.' So, I took my stocking cap off, put my ball cap on, came out there [trying] to be a tough guy. I look across the [field], and he's got a stocking cap and a full parka on and mittens. It's like, 'He got me.' And I did freeze in that game."
Are you going to wear mittens on Sunday? (Brian Wacker) "No mittens. I will not be wearing mittens on Sunday." (laughter) "That's the wrong message; the wrong message."
We saw that Hall of Fame Ravens S Ed Reed was out at practice today. Can you talk about him being there and maybe what he shared? (Cliff Brown) "Yes, Ed Reed was at practice. He was here earlier talking to the guys, talked to the defense earlier and then came out to practice. Just as we got started, I called the team up and had him talk to the team. He just talked about the brotherhood. He talked about brotherhood and the guys being close, and if you want to have that synergy on the field, that camaraderie on the field – you have to have it on the field, off the field and in everything you do. [You] get to know each other and care about one another. It was awesome. It was a great message."
Is there anything you can share on WR Rashod Bateman's status? (Jonas Shaffer) "Rashod [Bateman] couldn't go today with the ankle [injury]. We'll have to see how it looks tomorrow and [going] into Sunday."
Did WR Rashod Bateman reinjure his ankle at some point? (Carita Parks) "No, it's just a nagging thing. It's an ankle sprain. You fight through it, you fight through it, and you can annoy it, I guess is the best way to say it. [Rashod Bateman] has probably just been annoying it."
Statement on the 2025 Baltimore Ravens Coach of the Year awards: "The first [recipient] will be the High School Coach of the Year award for tackle football. The 2025 Ravens High School Coach of the Year from Sparrows Point High School, Nick Burkhart! Nick, come on up here, because you're going to have to do a press conference and stand right next to me here." (laughter) "Congratulations. The 2025 Ravens High School Flag Coach of the Year, from Linganore High School, Brian Sweene! Come on, Brian. Congratulations, and to all the coaches and all nominees, just how much it means [with] high school football, how important it is, and how important coaches are, especially high school coaches. [They] really, I'd say in my opinion, are the fabric of our society and what it does for young people. High school coaches are on point and on the cutting edge of that. We're really appreciative of high school coaches, high school players and what it means to everybody. I know at the Harbaugh Coaching Academy, we try to do a really good job of making that clear and how important coaching is and what a difference coaches make in young people's lives, so check that out if you get a chance."
