HEAD COACH JESSE MINTER
Opening Statement: "All right, we're 70 hours or so until we get an opportunity to play on Thursday night. [I'm] super excited to be back at home playing in front of our fans on Thursday against a really good 'Jags' [Jacksonville Jaguars] team. [I'm] proud of our players [for] just showing up today ready to work, ready to try to improve and shoot our shot on Thursday night. That's where we're at."
Does it look like QB Joe Fagnano is going to be the starting quarterback on Thursday? (Jamison Hensley) "We're kind of working through some things, but to Joe [Fagnano]'s credit, he's kind of fighting through a couple things he's dealing with, but [I] expect him to have a chance to play on Thursday."
How big of a challenge is this for you as a coach, having to deal with the losses, turn around and deal with the new quarterback in such a short amount of time? (Jerry Coleman) "It's really not about me. I'd just say this, there's no testimony without a test. Adversity happens and it really reveals things about people. I'm excited about our team. I'm excited about the chance to play these guys on Thursday. Then obviously you get a little bit of a break after that, which will help, but the timing of it for us is good. But we're excited to play against these guys on Thursday, put our best guys out there that are healthy and ready to play and shoot our shot and see what happens."
With where you are at quarterback, has that forced you to alter your week at all? Not that you're going to go out in pads tomorrow, but are you doing a little more on-field work? Are you trying to get a little more reps just because of who's going to be at quarterback? (Luke Jones) "[With] the Thursday games in general, it's interesting, because obviously you do a lot of walkthroughs, but sometimes in the walkthroughs you may actually even get more reps than you might get in a practice. And so we're trying to make sure that we get the amount of reps that we need for particular players that may be getting more playing time than they've gotten. That'll be today, tomorrow, Wednesday, even up to Thursday, where you get a chance to try to do some things and make sure that guys that haven't had those type of reps are ready to play. And then tomorrow, there'll be a few guys that we may do a little bit more with, whether we're getting a guy ready to play or seeing if a guy's able to play, so we'll look at that tomorrow."
After the game, T Roger Rosengarten was talking about how he feels responsible for QB Lamar Jackson's injury. As a coach, how do you approach that? (Giana Han) "I would say that's never the case. Football is a funny game — there's 100 percent injury rate for guys. Guys get hurt on stuff sometimes where there's no contact, where there is contact, where it's this, it's that, [but] it's all part of the game. [I] would never want a player to feel that way. You certainly understand [when] a guy saying that — that's just because of the competitor that he is and how he feels about Lamar [Jackson] and how he feels about his teammates and what you try to do to protect your teammates. And so honestly, I feel for [Roger Rosengarten] for thinking that, but we've got Roger's back. [I] definitely don't think that at all within our walls."
With that being said, you had three quarterbacks who got banged up in this game. I know you've been dealing with turnover at the offensive line, but what has to happen, bottom line, to make sure nobody else gets dinged up that way? (Kyle Goon) "There's a lot of things to improve on, I would say. That's really all across the board, but in particular on the offensive line, in pass protection, in the run game. [There are] so many things. We're chasing improvement and we're chasing continuity, which we haven't quite had, but that's not an excuse. I think it's unfortunate the way that happened. Again, a couple of those [were] almost fluky-type injuries where something like that happens where it's not like he's really getting hit or pressured, it's more so not being able to follow through on the throw. We just need to improve in that area."
Did you feel like you had to have a message for the team losing QB Lamar Jackson for how long you guys think he may be out? Did you feel like you had to say something to the guys? (Cordell Woodland) "I think the message is [that] we're going to play. We have a bunch of guys that are really, really good football players that are capable of playing. [With] our style and our formula for winning, I think anytime you're down playmaker-type guys, the formula that you feel playing a game may change a little bit of how you need to win. And I just try to emphasize that. I think when you lose a guy like Lamar [Jackson], it's a little bit of every phase doing a little bit more. It's [about] being able to play really good defense, being able to maybe make a play or steal a play on special teams, maybe a different style of offense of how we need to play. But we just want to have a formula of how we want to attack and try to win games regardless of who we have. Obviously, Lamar's one of one."
When might you have a more definitive timetable on QB Lamar Jackson's status? (Jerry Coleman) "Maybe sometime this week, but we're figuring all that out."
Has he had surgery yet? (Jeff Zrebiec) "No."
In terms of the injury, I know you didn't get into specifics yesterday. Is it more structural? Is it more ligament? (Brian Wacker) "I'm not going to get into the specifics of the injury."
Are there any updates on QB Tyler Huntley and his injury? (Valerie Preactor) "[We are] still kind of working through that as well. [He is] dealing with something. We'll probably know more... As we speak, [he is] kind of working through some different things. [We'll] see where that's at."
There's been no shortage of people over the last 24 hours wondering if it's possible we won't see QB Lamar Jackson in a Ravens uniform again. Is that something you've even thought about? (Childs Walker) "No."
What about K Tyler Loop? What do you say to him, or do you feel the need to make a change at kicker? (Cordell Woodland) "Tyler [Loop] has been dealing with something. He potentially may go on [injured reserve]. He's dealing with a little bit of an injury, so we'll see how that shakes out."
Does QB Tyler Huntley have a chance to play this week at all? (Jamison Hensley) "Probably not this week, but we'll see how it goes from a long-term standpoint."
You said QB Joe Fagnano is battling through some things. Do you feel it's still up in the air of who is starting? (Jamison Hensley) "I think we'll figure that out over the next day or two."
You had a chance to review the defense and obviously, the whole team gets a gut punch when QB Lamar Jackson gets hurt and when QB Tyler Huntley gets hurt. How do you kind of grade the defense? Do you use a curve once you kind of take some of these other things into account? (Kyle Goon) "I wouldn't say I use a curve. I do think, potentially, the style of play that the other team is attacking you with may change. Just like their defense changes when you're going from defending Lamar [Jackson] to 'Snoop' [Tyler Huntley] to Joe [Fagnano], that maybe some of the way you can rush the passer and the way you can play certain coverages that you might not play with Lamar out there that you see. So, not necessarily a curve. I thought we battled and I thought we were competitive, but we didn't play consistently enough winning football. We gave up a couple explosives that really tilted the game. We had some chances. I thought we played really well on third down, but obviously that's an aggressive fourth-down team, so a couple of those, you feel [like you're] in good spots, but you'd like to have those plays back. Those are momentum-changing, drive-ending type of plays on fourth down. Then, when a game is going like that, there are a couple calls I'd love to have back where you're kind of being really, really aggressive and putting guys in a tough spot, but you're trying to make a play to maybe keep the team in the game early in the fourth quarter [and in] a couple of those type of situations. So again, I liked our spirit. I liked our fight. I liked the way we did certain things. I think [the Bills] ran the ball almost 40 times at 3.7 [yards per] carry. There's some good things there, but [we] also let the quarterback out a couple times. To me, it's the explosives in the passing game that can keep the score at a relatively closer deal to where you may be just a play away from that being a really tight game in the fourth quarter. So, we just need to play a little more consistent winning defense, and there are no curves for sure on how we try to coach those guys."
Does that mean K Jake Moody will kick Thursday? (Jeff Zrebiec) "At this point, yes."
Was the K Tyler Loop injury something that arose during Sunday's game or was it something prior? (Jonas Shaffer) "[Tyler Loop] is dealing with something small that kind of became a little bit more, and [I'll] leave it at that."
G VEGA IOANE
Do you feel good enough to play this week? "I feel really good. I am confident in my ability to be able to come out. I have been talking to the trainers, and I appreciate what they have been doing with me the entire week, day in and day out since it happened. Like I said, if I was ready to go last Sunday, I would have gone, but I didn't want to go out there and be a liability to the team. But I feel confident now. [We will] see how practice feels tomorrow, and if I'm ready to go, then I'm ready to go."
How hard was it for you to have to watch QB Lamar Jackson go down, just from the sidelines knowing that you couldn't be out there? "It was really tough. Being in football comes with a lot of things, but unfortunately, it had to come down to that. But we as a whole team have to step it up a little bit, just play our game. We have to turn it around."
How about the psyche of the offensive line? How are they as a group? I know you are a rookie and just joining the group, but how was it watching two QBs go down in one game? "We know it's not our standard, and all the guys in the room know that. I'll be the first one to say it. You don't have to hear it from [anybody] else. We already know ourselves. We take a lot of pride in going out there and protecting the quarterback. Some games it doesn't go like that, but I have big faith in our O-line, and I still do. The guys that went out there and played, they did their job to the best of their ability, and that's all there is to it."
QBs Joe Fagnano and Austin Reed are two rookies that have been with you in that class. What can you say about those guys for whoever is playing quarterback on Thursday? "For whoever's going to be out there, I know they're going to do what they need to do. Joe [Fagnano], he's been here for a while. I have complete faith in him to go out there and play ball. We've already seen that. Austin [Reed], we have seen him in the preseason as well. You just have to go out there and play ball."
Just mentally, how did you guys feel? The gut punch, to watch QB Lamar Jackson work so hard to get back on the field, then gets out there one play in and it goes away? Just what's that like on the sidelines to watch that and then as you're trying to prepare and deal with it? "Obviously, it doesn't feel good. [Lamar Jackson]'s the leader of our team and our QB1. It's tough to see that. He has been working his butt off to get back. It just unfortunately comes with the game, but I know he's going to shake back."