HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening statement: "Good seeing everybody. [I] appreciate you being here. [We're] really focused on the task at hand in front of us, which is a big challenge, but we're up for it. We're looking forward to it. What questions do you have?"
Is there an update on OLB David Ojabo's injury, as earlier in the week you said there might be an announcement made about him this week?*_(Jamison Hensley)_* "I don't have anything to add to that myself."
How good does it make you feel to have all 53 players healthy in today's practice?*_(David Andrade)_* "It makes me feel good. I'm happy, but [I] really haven't given it that much thought to be honest with you. I'm just focused on the next game and having a good practice today. The fact that the guys are out there practicing – yes, sure it's a big plus for us. I agree with that."
How will the team deal with mental and physical fatigue this season?*_(child reporter Emeril Hill)_* "That's the best question we've had right here, by the way. Nice job! I think we're dealing with it right now. We've done a good job of that. We've been on the road. We've [played] very tough teams [and] in very physical games, and I feel like our guys have handled it very well. We have to continue to do it, because we have this game against the [Cleveland] Browns, which is a division game. It's going to be a physical game. It always is and then another physical game against Cincinnati [Bengals] on Thursday. That's probably the main point right now. It's how we handle that and how we approach it. Our job is to handle it better than our opponents do."
How would you explain the improvements on special teams? Is it just young guys learning and getting used to it?*_(Jeff Zrebiec)_* "That's how it always works. You're always growing. It's always a process. You're always putting new guys in. I don't care if it's offense, defense or special teams – it's always a growth mindset and a process. [It] probably wasn't as bad as you thought it was early in the year, and it's probably not as good as maybe you're making it out to be right now. I think we're playing good, and we're going to have to play our best. We're playing a really good [Browns] special teams unit coming in here Sunday and another good one [Bengals] on Thursday. Our division has four great special teams operations, and they always have. That's another reason that makes this division good, and we're going to have to be at our best to help our team."
T RONNIE STANLEY
On his mindset going into the game with the Cleveland Browns: "It's going to be a battle. It's going to be a war. We know it's going to be a physical game. We know the type of teams that are in our conference. The [Cleveland] Browns are a physical team, so we have to bring our A-game."
On how well the offensive line has been gelling right now and the reasons behind it: "I just think we have great chemistry. [To] be able to have the same guys in the room the last couple years and just having a great room of guys. We just have that mentality and attitude. We're still not where we want to be, and we're just not getting complacent in what we're doing. We're just always looking to get better."
On if he relishes the battles against the best players in the league:"Definitely. You look forward to these opportunities in this game, and these are one of those games where we have an opportunity to prove the type of player I am and the type of offensive line we are and the type of offense that we are and the type of team that we are. We look forward to these opportunities."
On the mentality of the team knowing what they could do over these next couple weeks in terms of the division race: "We know what we are as a team and where we lie in this league. Like you said, we're just trying to take this one game at a time. We know how important these division games are, and we're treating this game like a Super Bowl, so we're trying to make sure that we're putting our best foot forward and leaving everything out there."
On what he is looking for to get to the next level as an offensive line:"For us, it's perfection. For us, it's making every block with perfect technique for 75 plays a game. That's a hard feat to do, but that's our goal. That's our mentality. Maybe, we won't get there, but if we keep that mindset, I think we'll be pretty close."
On where he is after nine games and if there is another level he is trying to get to: "It's the same standard I hold for myself. I try to be perfect out there. I try make sure I not only get the job done, but I'm doing it with great technique and every play of the game to be consistent. I think I'm getting better. I'm definitely not where I want to be yet though."
