HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening statement: "OK, it's good to see everybody. I appreciate you guys being here on short notice. Happy Thanksgiving week. I'd say I'm very grateful for you guys, and I am. I am. [There is] much to be grateful for, and the opportunity to play on Thanksgiving is something to be grateful for. It's really an honor to be able to play on Thanksgiving and just to know that everybody's going to be watching. It is a night game. Most of everybody doesn't have to get up in the morning, I guess, unless you go shopping. Do people still do Black Friday shopping? ... So, we're looking forward to [playing on Thanksgiving], and obviously, it's a very respected opponent. What questions do you have?"
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said earlier today that he expects QB Joe Burrow to be the starter on Thursday. He hasn't played in quite a while. What kind of, if he's out there, what kind of Joe Burrow do you expect out there? (Jamison Hensley) "I expect to see Joe Burrow. He's pretty well documented [on] what kind of player he is, and I'm sure he is ready to go."
What are you going to look at in terms of preparing for Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow? Just what you've done in the past, because the guy's been off for a while. (Jerry Coleman) "Yes, I don't expect too much to change. [The Bengals] are running their offense [with] whatever tweaks they have over the last few weeks, so I'm sure they'll continue to evolve. It's kind of week-to-week, scheme-wise, for all the teams. They're going to stay on track, I'm sure, and what they've been doing is pretty much what they had been doing with Joe [Burrow]. So, I expect to see the Bengals run their offense with Joe."
Is it an advantage having a familiar opponent on this short week as opposed to someone you don't? You know the Cincinnati Bengals well. (Bo Smolka) "Yes, even Miami – we had them [on a Thursday] earlier in the year. We knew them pretty well, because we play them pretty much every year, but [Cincinnati is] a division team. So, you play them a lot and know them the best of all the teams."
You had G/T Emery Jones Jr. up yesterday for the first time, and then he didn't play. Was there a plan to give him a look, or was it a matter of just having him up if we need him? (Bo Smolka) "[Emery Jones Jr.] just kind of moved into that role of one of the eight [players] being active, and [I] was ready to play him if needed. I think we'll see where it goes from there."
The last two weeks, QB Lamar Jackson had some soreness after the game. How's he doing the day after? (Sam Cohn) "[Lamar Jackson] is good. Yes, he's good."
Any takeaways that you can share with us from just your look at that offensive film from Sunday? (Jonas Shaffer) "Well, there's a lot of takeaways. In really every aspect of what we do, there's so many things to talk about that we work on, and we try to just carry forward to the next game. It's like we said, there's the big picture, which is part of it, just in terms of what we're trying to build into, big-picture-wise, but really, it's really more about the next game. Then really that's all you really think about from a coaching or player standpoint. It's, 'Where are we, and what do we need to do against the opponent we're going to play to try to find a way to play winning football and to win the game.' That's really all we're thinking about. So, the other things that get talked about are really not something we talk about. We are just trying to put the best offense, defense and special teams out there [that] we can right now against who we're playing and try to find a way to play the type of game we need to play to win the game. That's really what we're looking to do, and then everything around that kind of builds as you go. So, that's really the focus and that's what we're going to try to do."
Just going back to G/T Emery Jones Jr., is that a situation where you can maybe see a rotation at some point, or is that something you prefer really not to do? (Brian Wacker) "I think everything's on the table. We've done that before. We were probably one of the first teams that started rotating linemen, if you remember. That was kind of unheard of. When did we start – three, four or five years ago? We did it a few times, so [I am] definitely not opposed to doing that."
Did you get any word on that DL Taven Bryan MRI? (Jonas Shaffer) "It's going to be a short-term kind of a deal, potentially a short-term IR, a three-to-four-week type of injury."
You mentioned with S Kyle Hamilton, is everything still OK? You said it wasn't serious. Is it still the same with that? (Jamison Hensley) "Yes. Yes, Kyle Hamilton will have a chance for this game."
You guys have ended up playing on Christmas the last few years. This year, it's Thanksgiving. Is there a preference between the two? (Jerry Coleman) "No. It's an honor to play on Thanksgiving or Christmas, and I think I've said Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love Christmas, and it's probably the most important one – that or Easter – but Thanksgiving is [my favorite]. Just the cooking part of it. I do the cleanup, like I said. You don't have to really buy gifts; you don't have to worry about anything, and you just kind of watch football, enjoy being around one another and eat. Who doesn't like eating? It's a great holiday."
Are you going to clean up Thursday night after the game? (Jerry Coleman) "No, we'll probably do it on Friday. Hopefully it'll be a happy Thanksgiving."
I think you guys have 11 turnovers forced in the last six games. I know it's been a talking point, but are there things you've focused on in practice to kind of ramp up that attention to detail? (Brian Wacker) "No, it's the same. We did the exact same thing that we had been doing. We wanted [takeaways], and there's a lot of talk about them when you're not getting them, for sure, but the emphasis has been there from Day 1, and you just kind of believe that they're going to start happening. And I'll tell you, that play Marlon [Humphrey] had, and then for 'Lo' [Alohi Gilman] to be right there to make the play – we were kind of on our heels in that drive, and even Breece [Hall] was heading toward the end zone, and [Humphrey] got it out. So, it was just a phenomenal play."
With QB Lamar Jackson and the injuries, he hasn't had any injury designations, but do you feel these injuries have impacted his play at all the past couple weeks? (Jamison Hensley) "I can't really say. Like I said, I'm always proud of [Lamar Jackson]. He's playing winning football. He's working really hard every week to be prepared and be ready to play, and [he's] doing everything he can do to win the game, win the next game and be ready to play winning football."
We've asked you about some rehab guys periodically. Is OLB Adisa Isaac getting closer? (Jeff Zrebiec) "[Adisa Issac] was, and then he had a little setback, so he's not closer, no. We thought he was going to have a chance here in the next couple of weeks, and he had a setback."
WR ZAY FLOWERS
On if they reflected on the Jets game or moved on to the upcoming Cincinnati Bengals game: "We watched a little bit of [the tape], but now we're on to Cincinnati by this time."
On what he's taking away from yesterday's game: "Just getting started fast. I would say just getting started fast. We know we have to do that. So, that's one of the main things we talked about."
On the history between the Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals: "[They are always] crazy games. Shootouts, shootouts, shootouts."
On if he's expecting Thursday night's game to be similar to previous games against the Bengals: "If it comes down to it, if it has to be that, then that's what we'll do. But I hope it isn't like one of those games. I hope it's just a nice one [where] we get to enjoy our Thanksgiving after and go home."
On going against Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow in his return from injury: "It is what it is. I don't really have anything to say [about that]. They got their quarterback back, so there probably won't be any more excuses. You can say that."
On if he gets excited going up against a defense that has given up an average of 32.7 points per game: "You get excited, but every game is different, and every opponent is different. So, you just see that, and hopefully we have a game that we want on offense so we can get going in the direction that we want to go in. We'll see what it brings."
On what it's like going into a 'shootout' game: "It's crazy, because you're scoring so fast. You're like, 'Dang, we just got off the field.' And then you're back on, then they're on, then you're on. So, it just feels – you're always warm, you're always ready to go. So, in those games, it's always fun."
On what is special about playing on Thanksgiving day: "I think this will be my first time playing on Thanksgiving. You can get the [NBC] Turkey leg, so that'd be exciting. Hopefully somebody gets the Turkey leg [after the game]; I'm going to go over there with them."
On if QB Lamar Jackson has looked healthy during games: "I don't know. I can't really tell. I can't really speak on it. I feel like [Lamar Jackson] wouldn't put himself in a bad position if he wasn't healthy, you know what I mean? I don't think he'd jeopardize it."
On if he feels like QB Lamar Jackson can turn things in the game around quickly: "Absolutely, because [Lamar Jackson] can do everything. So, when you have him out there, you don't really know what to expect – I feel like – if you're on defense, because he can throw it or run it. And then we have Derrick [Henry], and we have Mark [Andrews] and the tight ends – we have everybody. So, it's just, I feel like it puts teams in a tougher situation when they're playing against us."
On if he feels like they had a difficult time getting all of their offensive weapons involved early on in the season: "Oh, I feel like at the beginning of the season, we were starting fast. I feel like we put up a lot of points in the first four or five weeks. And then, it started to slow down a little bit, mainly because 'L' [Lamar Jackson] was out, and defenses [we were playing against]. That's just the first four games, where teams are getting warmed up to playing [during] the season."
On if he thinks that team is having difficulty starting fast right now: "Now, I just feel like it's small things here and there that we have to fix to start fast."
T RONNIE STANLEY
On what he expects playing Thursday night on Thanksgiving: "It's going to be a physical matchup. These division rivalries are always tough, so we don't really look at the record. We know how [the Bengals] play, so we're expecting a physical game."
On if he's surprised that Bengals QB Joe Burrow is back from injury and might play: "No, not at all. These games mean a lot to each team, and I'm not surprised that [Joe Burrow] came back for this game."
On if playing on Thanksgiving is extra special: "Yes, it's very appreciative. You're not put in these games unless you're on a good team, so it means a lot. We're very appreciative and fortunate to be playing on Thanksgiving."
On the challenge of getting the offense back to how it was operating at the beginning of the season on a short week: "It's a difficult task, nonetheless, but both teams have to deal with this, so yes, we have to still deal with it."
On if he's hosting the offensive linemen for a Thanksgiving dinner on a different day: "Yes, we'll host something like that during the [few-day] break after the game."
On what's impressed him about G/T Emery Jones Jr. in practice so far: "Just [Emery Jones Jr.'s] physicality, the way he relentlessly gets after it, so that's very important in this league."
