HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening statement: "OK, [it's] good to see everybody here. [I] appreciate you [all] being out. [It's a] beautiful day, [a] hot day. [It was a] good practice, tough practice and a very physical practice. [We are] trying to get ready to play a very good Detroit Lions team on Monday night at our stadium. So, what questions do you have?"
As you mentioned with the Detroit Lions, their offense put up 52 points last week. What do you feel are the keys to try and slow them down? (*Jamison Hensley)* "Well, first of all, [the Detroit Lions] have a nice system. They've been running it for a few years now. Johnnie Morton, their new offensive coordinator, has been there, [he] took it over and has been around for a long time. It seems like he has his fingerprints on it as well, but it is along the same line, so they've got continuity and then a lot of good players; [they have] a lot of good players who are playing well."
It was good to see TE Isaiah Likely back on the field today. What does he need to do this week to maybe see action soon? (*Kyle Goon)* "[Isaiah Likely] would just have to be ready to play in the game."
What does Detroit do well to stress defenders in the middle of the field on offense? (*Jonas Shaffer)* "Yes, [the Detroit Lions] do. They throw [the ball] in the middle of the field a bunch. That's kind of their thing; it's [in the] middle of the field, crossing routes, in-breaking routes, high-low kind of combos when they drop back, a lot of play-action pass. It's a rhythm play-action passing attack. [Jared Goff] kind of gets it out on time, but it's not a ball out immediately because it's off a play action, and it's all set up by a really good run game with two really good backs and a good offensive line. So, they have a lot of good ideas in there, but you get those linebackers, people playing up a little bit for the run and then you throw it in behind them, basically. It's good stuff."
Going back to that game against the Detroit Lions in 2023, do you see a lot of similarities with the team that they have this year compared to that game or no? (*Jerry Coleman)* "Yes, there's a lot of similarities. It's the same head coach and they have the same kind of philosophy on both sides of the ball. The schemes are similar but they're not the same. We're not the same. You go back and you watch the games, and there's a lot of things that look the same, and there's a lot of things that look different. It was two years ago, so it's been a while."
Do you think we're still in that time of the year, where teams are still kind of figuring out their identity, figuring out what type of team they want to be this year? (*Cordell Woodland)* "I don't know. That's kind of an esoteric, existential kind of question. It's a really deep question. I'm sure everybody's just trying to figure out what they do best. In simple football terms, what are we capable of doing? Who are we going against? And you're trying to get to the next week and play your best football the next week. The identity and those big questions, those are questions that are important because you make decisions based on what plays you're going to run, what calls you're going to make, but it also has to do with your opponent, too. I's pretty practical, too."
With the offensive line and G Daniel Faalele, what have you seen that you like from him? (*Brian Wacker)* "Daniel Faalele? What do I like about Daniel Faalele? I like the fact that he's a big, strong guy, [who] moves his feet well. He bends. He's getting better at using his hands. I think he's been doing a really good job in pass protection for the most part. [His] run blocking has been good, but he needs to be more consistent in both areas. I think what you're asking me is – I'll just give you the direct answer. He's had some bad plays that you're talking about, probably, that haven't looked great, but he's a good football player. He is getting better, and he is young. Hopefully, he'll continue to improve. That's what we're hoping for. I know one thing, we are coaching him up really hard every day, and we expect him to go out there and play his best football game on Monday night, and that's what he's going to try to do."
QB Lamar Jackson hasn't thrown an interception this year, and he hasn't thrown a lot of interceptions during his career. Is it more than just decision making? Is it more than that that goes into not throwing a lot of picks? (*Jamison Hensley)* "Well, that's a good question, another deep question, [a] football question that runs deep. Why doesn't Lamar [Jackson] throw many interceptions? He's smart player. You start with that. He sees the field really well. I think he's a disciplined player in the sense that he just doesn't throw the ball blindly into areas. He wants to see what he has. That's what I think; probably, that's the main thing. He sees the field well, and he processes the game really well, and so he doesn't get fooled too often. He is not throwing it right into people too often – that's tough. It happens all of the time, but you don't see it happen too often with Lamar. So, [that's] just part of being a really good quarterback."
I know you and others have talked about OLB Tavius Robinson and his work ethic, never missing a session, a film session, a meeting, practice, whatever. Over the time you've had him, what has most impressed you about him? (*Bo Smolka)* "Well, just from a football standpoint, Tavius [Robinson] is very physical. He's a physical player off the edge. You need heavy-handed edge players in this league, and he is that. He is about 270-275 pounds. He's lengthy, so he plays the edge with strength and power – it starts with the run, but also that's how he rushes – and then, he runs to the ball. He runs to the ball, and we like that, too."
A rarity here, a Monday night game. What do you enjoy most about having those home Monday night games? (*Jamison Hensley)* "You enjoy the atmosphere. It is tough to play on the road on Monday night. It's always exciting. We've done pretty well on the road on Monday night. We have a pretty good record, but [with] the home games, you have your crowd. That's really what it boils down to. You have your crowd, and I hope they're out there. I expect them to be out there like they always are and be really into it, be loud and really make it tough [for Detroit]. The Lions do a lot of communicating at the line. They do a lot of communicating on offense. They try to get in the right play, try to move you around and things like that. Our defense is going to have to cope with that as well, but I'd like for it to be tough on them to do that."
We talked to T Roger Rosengarten yesterday, and he was talking about the run game from last week against the Browns. He said a lot of the issues were before the snap, some of the adjustments and stuff. Is that a communication thing? How would you explain that? (*Jeff Zrebiec)* "Yes, I'm sure that's a big part of it. It's all of that, and it's doing things the right way. It is anywhere from technique to assignment, and then you're going against a defense that's charged up to stop the run. So, you have to be a little quicker with what you do. You can't get beat to the punch [and] can't get beat to the point. We did that a few times, and when the runs didn't look good, that's basically what happened."
Two years ago, you talked post-game after that Detroit Lions game about how they were trying to cage rush you guys, and you guys did a really good job of keeping QB Lamar Jackson safe, and he was only hit once. It looks like, so far, they're not really trying to turn the corner too much. Is there anything that's maybe different or that the average fan wouldn't be able to tell about about what makes a cage rush difficult to stop when it's being executed well? (*Jonas Shaffer)* "It depends how physical [the cage rush] is. If it's physical, and it collapses the pocket, then it's a challenge. If it doesn't collapse the pocket, then it's not a problem. So, I think they have some physical rushers. They got No. 97 [Aidan Hutchinson] – he's pretty good to say the least. No. 92 [Marcus Davenport], he's really good, too. So, they have two strong guys off the edge, and their inside guys are powerful inside guys. We have to make sure that the pocket doesn't get collapsed. But I don't expect them to strictly do that. They bring a lot of blitzes, especially on third-and-medium, and then on our first and second down, they'll bring the run blitzes, and they have good rushers. So, we're going to have our hands full, but we're capable of it. We just have to do a good job."
We didn't see CB Nate Wiggins at practice. I know on Monday you thought he was OK. Is that the case? (*Cordell Woodland)* "Is [Nate Wiggins] OK? He's generally OK, yes. He wasn't good enough to practice today, though, so hopefully he will be good enough to practice tomorrow."
S KYLE HAMILTON
On what jumps out about the Lions team that scored 52 points last week: "[The Lions] have one of the best running back duos in the league, so I think they start off with just getting those guys going and deservedly so – those guys are talented, and the offensive line is talented, and then they set up their passing game through play action and stuff like that. So, when you watch it from a defensive perspective, obviously you see the big picture [with them scoring] 52 points, but I think the Bears just had some miscues here and there in the back end that led to that. But, it's a different week, and it's a one-week life, and people were talking crazy about us [after] Week 1, and now they want to sing our praises after Week 2, and we really don't care either way. It's up to us to, in Week 3, do what we need to do for ourselves."
On how he tries to stay even keeled during the season: "Yes, you really have no choice. Honestly, in this league, every single team has a chance to beat every single team. There's talented guys every single week, so no matter how good or bad you did the previous week, you can't carry that into the next. Maybe you take stuff you did well and correct [the] stuff you did poorly, but at the same time, you've got to reinvent yourself every week. So, it's up to us as a defense to do that, and I'm sure we will, and I'm excited for the opportunity."
On ILB Roquan Smith's performance on Sunday vs. Cleveland and on the importance of his role in their next game against a team that likes to attack the middle of the field: "Yes, it's huge, and it's huge every week. Those are the easiest throws and easiest runs you'll have when they just hit up the middle, and you just throw it right over the ball. But, having somebody like Roquan [Smith] there who can not only guide the defense and lead us, but also make plays in between the snap and stuff like that. I think last week, just for me personally, it was nothing out of the ordinary for Roquan. That's what everybody expects out of him every game, and I think we get that most of the time. Stats may say one thing, but I know that every single game he's out there, whether it's getting people aligned or taking on blockers so [that] another linebacker may tackle another player. But this week it just came with the stats, and I'm just happy for him."
On if he knew about ILB Roquan Smith's speed: "Yes, [Roquan Smith] ran faster than me at the combine, which wasn't hard to do, but he always talks about how he played running back in Macon County [Georgia]. He was playing 2A football, so who knows who he was really running against down there," (laughter) "But no, I knew he was athletic, and I knew he still had some juice."
On the start of CB Nate Wiggins' season: "Yes, I think it is just [about having] confidence, and I think [Nate Wiggins] came in with that confidence, honestly, and now it's just a matter of [having] opportunities to be able to do it. I think he's one of the more talented guys, if not, the most talented guy in our DB room. And I think for him, it's just consistency every week. He has the ability to go shut down guys every single week, but he still just turned 22 and is already a great player in this league. I'm just excited for what he does in the future."
On what makes Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown such a great player: "I think it's just what you said, just [Amon-Ra St. Brown's] toughness and his motor. I think [his] blocking, everything, route running and run after catch [ability], he goes a hundred percent at in it. I remember my freshman year at Notre Dame, we were playing USC, playing against him and [Colts WR] Michael Pittman Jr. and [Falcons WR] Drake London, and you could tell when he got the ball, he was trying to make most of his opportunities, and he always was working super hard on the field, and that translates. That's not something you really can teach. Either you've got it, or you don't. And along with the talent, it makes sense why he is top of the league in all these stat categories and stuff like that. So, [I give] props to him and the way he plays, because I think it's kind of rare at the receiver position to approach the game like he does."
On the difficulty of covering a player like Lions WR Jameson Williams: "Yes, it is tough. You just watch [Jameson Williams] on film, and he just picks up speed as he goes, and it seems like he's accelerating all the way up until he catches the ball. It is tough to defend when you have a guy like Amon-Ra [St. Brown] who can do damage underneath, and then a guy like him who can do damage over the top. They've got good tight ends, good running backs, and at all three levels, they're affecting the game. But specifically for Jameson, he's a good route runner, a speedy guy, and he can hurt you in a lot of different ways. So, it's up to us as a defense to be on the right page in the backend to prevent that."
On what they can take from studying and looking at their last game against the Lions in 2023: "Yes, I just touched on it earlier, it's a week-to-week league, and it's definitely a year-to-year [league]. It's definitely a two-year to two-year league, and that was a great day for us, but at the same time, they're going to have a chip on their shoulder coming in here. It's Monday night in front of the whole world, so everybody's going to be playing their best and playing their hardest, so I don't think that's a good barometer just as to where both teams are right now. [We are] two completely different teams, and for them, obviously they're going to – like you said – not forget that game, and we won't either. But at the same time, we need to prove it to ourselves, prove it to the world again, and then we can go be dominant. I'm excited. It's going to be a good game on Monday, and I think we're ready."
On if they've talked about the team celebration after CB Nate Wiggins' INT on Sunday: "No, honestly. I think we were more so just worrying about catching [turnovers] right now, and let's celebrate later. But, that was kind of crazy about 'Chido' [Chidobe Awuzie]. He just jumped on Nate [Wiggins]. I know Nate was tired. All this 40-yard dash talk, Nate ran a 4.2 and got hawked by [Joe] Flacco and an offensive lineman. And he was tired, so I was about to tell the trainers to come on the field so we didn't get a delay of game [penalty]. And then he got up and started dancing. I didn't even know what was going on, so I was like, 'I'm done. I'm going to the sideline.'" (laughter) "But 'Chido,' I think was tired and just wanted to lay down, so he just jumped on Nate, and everybody just jumped on Nate. It was cool for him to kind of get that moment. It would've been cool if he 'cribbed' it, too. [He] would've had two picks and two pick-sixes."
On if he gets excited and relishes a screen pass thrown to his side of the field: "I don't even know my thought process in that. I think I just try to go and [it's], 'See ball, get ball.' It is right there in front of me, and if I can beat the lineman or whoever's coming to block me to the ball or run through a blocker [or] whoever's in front of me, then so be it. But, I kind of feel like I just black out in those moments. In between plays, it really doesn't matter [what] the play [is], I just let my body take over and just go play."
On what makes the Lions different in how they try to leverage or use the speed that they have in the field to open windows for QB Jared Goff: "Yes, [Jared Goff] has been a great leader. He went to the Super Bowl with the Rams, and it seems like he's gotten even better in Detroit, so [I give] props to him. But I think, from the outside looking in [from] a fan's perspective – when you think of the Lions – you think of big plays and points, and I really don't think that's who they are. Obviously, they can do that, but like I said, they run the ball very well, and I think that sets up everything they do. For him to manage that, be intentional with play fakes and stuff like that, I think he's one of the best in the league at just carrying out fakes and getting people out in leverage to the flat, and they just do a great job overall. He does a great job operationally."
QB LAMAR JACKSON
On if he was the kind of kid that stayed up late to watch Monday Night Football: "No, I was trying to play the game, trying to imitate what those guys were doing, if anything. But my mom used to make me go to sleep because I had school, so no, not really."
On his ability to play well during primetime games, specifically Monday Night Football: "Probably that extra rest day. I'd say that. Probably the extra rest day [and getting to watch] extra film. [You have extra time to] get a good feel for who we are playing against and go from there."
On if he has a preference for Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football: "Any given [day]. Any given day, I'll be ready."
On if he is aware of how well he has historically played during Monday Night Football: "No, if anything, I'm going to try to keep it going, if I am playing well. I don't pay attention to it."
On how nice it is to have TE Isaiah Likely back out on the practice field: "Great. We have great guys who are playing right now and another great player to be added. Whenever that time is, it is going to be great. [I am] looking forward to it."
On what he recalls about the last time the Ravens played the Detroit Lions in 2023: "Yes, two years ago. Those guys were flying around. Watching them on film, [you can see them] just flying around. But that game is really a blur now. When was it, in the middle of the season? We [had just] come back from London [and] played those guys, [so the game is] really a blur now. I don't know. I just know they were flying around. They had a high-powered offense [and a] high-powered defense, at the time, so I expect that team to still be the same."
On how to improve the run game after the Cleveland Browns did a good job of stopping it: "We just have to execute better. And shout out to Cleveland. Their defense, they did a pretty good job. I can tell their gameplan was to stop the run, but we got it done other ways."
On if it's his responsibility to make the pre-snap adjustments mentioned by the O-Line to help improve the run game: "They're probably [talking] about making their calls faster and stuff like that. That's not me."
On him being the all-time NFL leader in QB passer rating: "I'm just trying to win. I don't pay attention to it. The only way I find out [about things like that], is if somebody posted it or something, and I'm tagged in it. [Then I will] mess around and see it, but other than that, I'm not looking for it. I'm trying to win games, so that's all that matters to me, really."
On what critics of G Daniel Faalele may not understand about his play: "I mean, [Daniel Faalele] is an NFL guard. Every position in the NFL is hard to play. It's easy to just watch and tell somebody, 'You should be doing this.' It's easy to direct someone, but it's hard to do. I'll leave it at that."
On his emotions when running out of the tunnel for night games at M&T Bank Stadium: "I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go whenever I come out of the tunnel, not just on Monday night. I'm always ready to play, especially in our stadium. [But] it really doesn't matter what stadium, I'm not going to lie. I'm just ready, man. [I am always] pumped up. It's football; I love it. I'm ready, regardless."
On playing against elite pass rushers like Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett and Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson and if he is aware of their presence on the field: "Absolutely. I have to know where those guys are. [You have] to respect those types of players. Those guys get after it, and once they get it going, sometimes it's hard to stop them. So, I have to have an eye on or a clue about where those guys are."
On how important it is for skill players like RB Justice Hill and WR Tylan Wallace to also have blocking abilities: "Shout out to [strength & conditioning coordinator] Scott [Elliott]. Scott Elliott, our strength and conditioning coach, he has those guys lifting, so I know those guys are going to do their job; get a chip and get out on the route."
On if he noticed a defensive player from the Cleveland Browns try to twist his ankle during the game: "I don't know. I can't recall it. Did y'all that? I don't know, I need to watch film and see."
