HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2023
(On how to get creative to enhance the running game) “Well, obviously you have to find ways to
improve, possibly getting back to some of the schemes that worked earlier in the season or what helped
Travis [RB Travis Etienne Jr.] break free. Obviously, the injury situation on the offensive line has affected
that just a little bit, having that continuity up front. It’s something that we’re focused on and even with
Phil [Offensive Line Coach Phil Rauscher], just again, finding those schemes that have worked in our past
and trying to tap back into that to see if we can jumpstart the run game.”
(On injury updates across the team) “Ezra [OL Ezra Cleveland], I believe it was his knee that he felt in the
game. Everything checked out good this morning today. He’ll be day-to-day, obviously he’s sore. Cisco [S
Andre Cisco] has a groin [injury], those are a little bit different injuries obviously, much like a hamstring
or quad. He’ll be day-to-day, but we just got to see how he feels as the week progresses.”
(On if OL Walker Little may be able to play this week) “Yeah, optimistic. We’ll see these next couple of
days and when we get to Wednesday. I’m optimistic that he can maybe get some reps. He and [TE]
Brenton Strange both possibly this week.”
(On how QB Trevor Lawrence’s ankle feels today) “Fine. We’ll be careful with it, but right now being a
Monday, if we had to practice today, he’d probably not. But if he comes back Wednesday, should be
good to go.”
(On reengaging to play the best football) “I believe four weeks is plenty of time. We’ve been able to do
that, we’ve shown it in about the mid-season point of our season. We were playing pretty good football
right in there. We actually had, quite honestly these last couple of weeks, other than yesterday, I felt like
our passing game was kind of on track. It was improving. Obviously, the injury to Christian [WR Christian
Kirk] affects that a little bit. The things when you look at the tape, it’s all the self-inflicted stuff. It’s
negative runs or incomplete passes early in the down, it’s pre-snap penalties that put you in first and
15’s, route details, just fundamental things that we can control. Really, the same thing on defense. Just
not staying disciplined in the gaps, missing tackles on the perimeter, all things that are within our control
that we’ve got to get back to doing. You get those corrected and you put a little bit of attention to detail
on those, I think you will be back to playing good football and competing.”
(On if he’s been surprised by the number of pre-snap penalties recently) “Yeah, I really have. Quite
honestly, they show up in practice during the week. That’s where it starts. I’m a big believer that you’re
going to play like you practice. When you don’t have the crisp practice during the week, sometimes
those things can creep into a game. It gets magnified in a ballgame, everything matters. It’s something
that is a point of emphasis offensively. We pride ourselves with the silent count, being able to use that
because yesterday we did draw a couple of defensive offside penalties which was great. I think one that
was missed late in the game on the touchdown pass which was okay. Those are things that are
concerning and alarming, because those are things that are holding the offense back right now.”
(On if reasoning for pre-snap penalties is due to different lineups with injuries) “It’s hard, you’ve got
different personnels, different bodies, different people. But it’s not an excuse that we’re going to use.
Everybody reps those plays in practice, they know exactly which plays they’re going to be in on. The
cadences are all predetermined going into a football game what we’re going to use. There’s no excuse;
we’ve just got to focus in and detail that part of our jobs.”
(On frustration of players continuing to make the same mistakes) “It does, it drives me nuts. We continue
and I continue to talk to the team and just reiterate the impact that those fouls and mistakes have, the
implications of those plays in a game. It’s the things that have kept us from being better maybe in the
win-loss column this season than where we are right now. Again too, we’ve got to own it, we’ve got to
take responsibility and accountability for it. Everybody has to lock in and focus a little bit more.”
(On if the players making the same mistakes is due to lack of focus) “Some of it is on players, their
attention to detail. They’ve just got to focus and listen in on the huddle, what the play is and what the
call is, where to be aligned, the snap count, all those types of things. I get it too, they’re in the heat of
the moment, you’ve got to block [Browns DE] Myles Garrett one-on-one and you might anticipate the
count just a little bit. You just get a little jumpy. Those are things that we have to try to eliminate and
keep us out of those long-yardage situations.”
(On if WR Jamal Agnew may return off Reserve/Injured list soon) “Yeah, I think this would be the week
that if we can activate his window, we might do that later in the week. We’ll see where he’s at health
wise. He’s feeling good, so hopefully by Wednesday we can make that decision.”
(On what S Antonio Johnson showed in yesterday’s game) “Obviously, it showed quite a bit. His ability to
blitz, his physicality to tackle, cover, just a player that we’ve seen that out of. I think the more he plays,
the better he’ll get and all of that. He did a nice job yesterday, he was one of the bright spots coming out
of the game.”
(On WR Parker Washington showing a boosted need for the younger players) “Yeah, the mistakes,
they’ve got to minimize those and really eliminate those. We’ve gone too far now into the season. But
they’re showing promise, they’re showing why we drafted them. Now, this late in the season, these
young guys are really going to be called upon based on injury and where you are as a team. The more
opportunities they get, this was great for Parker with Christian’s [WR Christian Kirk] absence, he gets a
chance to really sink his teeth into the offense and show what he can do, which he’s done the last couple
of weeks, and the same with Antonio [S Antonio Johnson].”
(On if the losing streaks are becoming more evident across the league) “I believe so. I think the last
couple of years for us, the sky is not falling. Obviously yes, we haven’t played our best football the last
two weeks and we’ve gotten beat. Again, you’re right. You look around the league and multiple teams
have had back-to-back losses or more. This time of year is where teams begin to separate, you start to
get a better picture or a clearer picture, at least, of the postseason. For us, it’s a matter of just continuing
to focus on us, be us, be who we are, control the things that we can control. At least go out and not try
to lose another football game if possible.”
(On how WR Parker Washington is handling being a primary receiver and returner) “Yeah, it’s a big role,
big shoes to fill. Jamal [WR Jamal Agnew] is obviously a tremendous returner in the kicking game. For
Parker, that’s a big opportunity. He’s done well on some of the returns, obviously the Cincinnati game he
put the ball on the ground on a punt return, and again yesterday, same thing. Those are the things as a
young player, he has to understand. Chad [Wide Receivers Coach Chad Hall] does a good job of
communicating and talking with him and making sure that he understands his role. It’s a great
opportunity for him, obviously we have a lot of confidence as a staff in him. But big shoes to fill with
those two jobs.”
(On where the defense stands in his perspective currently) “I think for the defense, it came down to
three plays for about 120-plus yards yesterday. It’s really what it came down to. Some of that was
communication errors. When you’re in that type of environment, communication is of the utmost
importance. On a couple of those plays, we failed to do that. That can’t happen, that cannot happen.
That’s something that I know the defensive staff and Mike [Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell] will
reiterate. I’ve reiterated that, we’ve continued to talk to our guys. They kept us in the game a little bit
with some of the takeaways. It just goes to show you how close these games are because it comes down
to three, four, maybe five plays. You never know what play it’s going to be, that’s the thing. That’s what I
keep trying to reiterate with the team, you got to play each play independent of the last. You never know
which one it’s going to be that it’s going to come your way and you’re going to have the opportunity to
make that play.”
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN BRANDON SCHERFF
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2023
(On difficulty of getting running game going due to offensive line injuries) “Yeah, every time you’re
playing next to somebody who you haven’t, we had Ezra [OL Ezra Cleveland] out there playing left tackle.
He did a great job. Every time the communication is different, their footwork is different. I’ve played with
a bunch of right tackles and a bunch of centers, it’s all just getting those practice reps. I think Phil
[Offensive Line Coach Phil Rauscher] does a great job of getting to that, but we didn’t expect Ezra to go
out. I thought Blake [OL Blake Hance] stepped up and did a good job. It’s just about getting the extra reps
and maybe getting a few extras with a few different combinations so we know if you like to go outside, if
you’re a short stepper. Like you said, just continuity and just knowing what everybody does.”
(On having healthy seasons and seasons where there’s a mix of injuries) “Absolutely. Like last year,
Walker [OL Walker Little] came in and did a great job. Then, went Ben [OL Ben Bartch] went out, Shat [OL
Tyler Shatley] came in and did a great job. Walker and Shat played together for eight or nine games. They
had that continuity there and they played together before with each other, so we just got to keep
repping it and keep playing.”
(On how OL Anton Harrison has grown this season) “He’s communicating a lot more, the first couple of
games he was quiet. He’s playing a lot more physical, he’s playing with a lot more swagger, so it’s fun to
see him knocking people on his butt and celebrate. He’s got really good feet, he’s really long and he’s
only 21 years old which is absolutely crazy that I’m ten years older than him. But he’s got a bright future
and I’m excited to be able to play next to him.”
(On OL Anton Harrison being challenged by facing star defensive players every game) “I think I’ve told
him a couple of times, it’s never going to get easier. The best guys you played against in college, you
practice against everyday in the NFL. If you lose a rep, don’t let one bad rep turn into two bad reps. Just
continue to fight and get past it and move on, that’s what the good players do and that’s what he’s
doing.”
(On what seeing QB Trevor Lawrence fighting through injuries does for the team) “It’s great. When I saw
him on crutches on Sunday out of locker room, I felt terrible for him. He’s a warrior. Then all the sudden
on Wednesday, he walks in with a shoe and I said, ‘What are you doing?’ It’s just cool to see, he’s putting
himself out there for us and we’re doing the same thing for him. We have nothing but respect for him
and he’s a true warrior, we’re glad he’s right behind us.”
(On how to consistently be better in practice to perform well in games) “Phil [Offensive Line Coach Phil
Rauscher] always talks about knowing what to do and knowing how to do it and be the same guy every
day. It’s just going back and knowing your gameplan, knowing the details, knowing the ins and outs,
what if you get this look, if he’s going to kill a play, what he’s killing it for, and really just knowing your
gameplan. We just got to continue to improve on those.”
(On difficulty of keeping offensive consistently all season) “I don’t want to say impossible, but it’s hard.
The continuity between the offensive line, it’s hard to be on the same page if somebody is coming in and
coming out. We’re not making those excuses and we want to be the best unit out there each and every
game. That’s what we’re striving to be. There’s no excuses, we’ve got to just keep playing.”
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER DAWUANE SMOOT
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2023
(On where the defense goes from here after two losses) “Like you said, we’ve got four more weeks,
another month. We’re definitely still optimistic, we’re 8-5. There’s no need to panic, we’re still in a good
place. We just need to figure out the problems that are happening and communicate more as a team.
We all just need to get on the same page to be able to make a push for these next four weeks.”
(On if the defensive problems are correctable) “Yeah, it’s all self-inflicted. I’m pretty sure everyone can
see people are left wide open, I can only speak on the defensive side, but it’s just communication. We
need to all be on the same page and when we go out there, we need to all be able to trust that everyone
is going to be in the right spots.”
(On what changed in the second part of the season that the defense is struggling) “Just communication.
We just have to be on the same page, we’ve had some pretty good matchups coming up and we’ve been
scheming up a lot of different things. We’ve just got to get back to what allows us to play fast. Just
communicating and all being on the same page.”
(On what being nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award means to him) “It means a lot.
It means a bunch. Especially in the community, just knowing that my peers see me as somebody that has
done a lot of things in the community. I’m just hoping it can be able to rub off on everyone in the locker
room, and be able to show this is how you get it done, this is what you can do in the community. You get
credit for it, so it’s all good.”
(On if DE Calais Campbell winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award having an impact on him)
“Definitely. I remember earlier in the week, we were talking about this as well. Just watching him,
especially around this time, he does Shopping with Calais and he does a lot of different events
throughout the year. It’s just great to be able to see and grow up in this career to see somebody that’s so
influential in the community. He’s definitely rubbed off on me for sure.”
(On what he saw out of S Antonio Johnson in yesterday’s game) “He’s a great player. We already knew he
was a great player when he first came in. I just see that he’s growing, he’s a tenacious player, he’s in the
right spots all the time. I just see a lot of great things for him and in the future as well too.”
(On where the organization has achieved and where the team is headed) “It means a lot, we’re now
primetime. It goes to show all the work that we’ve put forward in the past seasons to finally get here. It’s
time for us, we’re on the front stage. It’s time for us to show out now.”
(On the hard work OLB Josh Allen has put in is now paying off) “It’s a lot that goes in, he’s a beast in the
weight room. Me and him, we compete a lot in the weight room. We lean on each other as well, too. I’m
just so happy for him, I’m happy to see all of his work come into fruition and everything that he’s been
putting forward has been worth it. I’m just so happy for him and I’m just trying to be able to get him
there, get him to that record. I know Calais [Campbell] is going to be mad because it’s breaking his
record. I’m just trying to do everything I can as a teammate to be able to get him there.”
(On if his workouts outside of the building includes martial arts) “Yeah, definitely. I’m still working on it,
not as much this year because I was trying to get back on my feet and actually be able to walk and run.”
(On having experience in martial arts helps his mind and body with football training) “Definitely, just
being disciplined and knowing that it’s a long process. Especially in martial arts, you don’t just pick it up
in one offseason or just pick it up in one year and can do it. It takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of
dedication, it takes days and days of work. That’s something that I talk to about with Juan, at Combat is
Unlimited. We just sat back and was like, yeah, it’s going to take awhile for me to walk, it’s going to take
awhile for me to run. We’re just going to work every single day and just keep putting the hours in, it’s
going to get better.”
HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2023
(On talent of Ravens QB Lamar Jackson) “This is a very explosive, high-energy player. Great football
player, great quarterback. One of the things he’s doing this year, which was a point of emphasis for them,
throwing the ball a little bit more from the pocket and he’s done a nice job for that. It takes all 11 on
defense, you can’t let your guard down with him not only in the run game, but the pass game as well.
When you get an opportunity to tackle him, you’ve got to tackle him because he can definitely burn you
with his speed. You try to slow him down, try to minimize the explosiveness, but at the same time, with
his ability to throw the ball, he makes it a challenge.”
(On injury updates of OL Walker Little and OL Ezra Cleveland) “Both guys are doing well, kind of a day-to-
day right now. We’ll get them in some of these walkthroughs that we’re going to do in the morning and
see how they respond to the afternoon practice. Both are trending in the right way.”
(On if OL Walker Little and OL Ezra Cleveland will practice today) “I believe so yes, I think so.”
(On if he will do anything different in practice to improve communication across the team) “I challenge
the coaching staff to listen in practice, listen to the communication. Make sure that the guys are
communicating and that carries from today, tomorrow, obviously carries through the game. We just keep
communicating with our players to communicate during the game. We know that’s been a big reason
why we’ve had some breakdowns in our game last couple of weeks.”
(On injury update of CB Tyson Campbell) “He’s day-to-day. We’ll see how he progresses.”
(On injury update of S Andre Cisco) “Cisco is the same, those are tough injuries. We’ll see how he is too
after today.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence will practice in full today) “He should be, we shouldn’t have to limit him
today.”
(On concussion status of CB Tre Herndon) “Tre Herndon is trending good, he’ll be out there in an orange
jersey. Still in the protocol, hasn’t been cleared, but part of process is to get him in practice and today we
can get him going.”
(On if he’s been surprised by the lack of focus by the defense recently) “It’s interesting because ‘lack of
focus’. I know one thing, at this level and at this game, where we are this late, we’ve played a lot of
football. Those things just can’t happen obviously. It really just does come down to those guys just
talking, just having conversation on the field, staying locked into the gameplan. One play at a time
mentality; they don’t have to do anything other than that. Just trust that and trust their instincts and
how they’ve been coached this week to execute that gameplan and they’ll be fine.”
(On confidence things will be better in this weeks game for the receivers) “That’s going to be a point of
emphasis offensively, the route detail and the discipline aspect of it. I tell the guys all the time, you don’t
have to go chasing plays. Just do your job and let the play or the ball come to you. Then, make the play
when it comes. Much like the issues on defense, it just comes down to that. Just do your job, let the
coaches coach, let the players play, have great dialogue throughout the week, work through these issues
now during practice so that they don’t show up and repeatedly don’t show up in games. That’ll be a
focus for us offensively, is that attention to detail in the passing game.”
(On frustration of watching errors from last game on film) “Well, those plays that were huge plays in the
game, one of them took points off the board. The other one was a big point of the game from a blitz
standpoint, we saw it, we protected it, got to the right play and we failed to execute. Those are the
things that we have to continue to iron out during the week. There’s a lot of things nowadays too, or this
late in the season, where we might talk about them in meetings and sometimes you don’t get that live
rep during the week as there’s just not enough practice reps to go around because you’re trying to keep
guys healthy and fresh for gameday. We’ll have conversation and dialogue in a meeting, but as coaches
and players, we expect those things to happen during the game. Even though you don’t get that rep
during the week of practice, we’ve covered it. Those are the things that have kind of kept us back just a
little bit, those are the things that we’ve got to continue to work towards. It’s all internal stuff, it’s all us.
It’s what we see, it’s how we execute and how we play. We’ve got to make sure we do a better job of
that.”
(On being at a disadvantage due to having a young team) “It is, but we’re not young. Everybody has
played, rookies are no longer rookies, it’s Week 15. I can’t hide behind that anymore. I can’t use that as
an excuse anymore. Every team is in Week 15, there’s no more byes, every rookie has played. It’s just
everybody has to focus that much greater this time of year and be on the same page.”
(On if he’s pleased with the extra work players are putting in) “Well, I don’t follow everybody home in
the afternoons. You can listen and hear to see what guys are doing in the building and when they’re
here, their attention to detail and all that. Listen, there’s life outside of this building too. Families and all
kinds of things that are going on, at the same time, this is obviously our jobs and our responsibility. No
different than you doing your job. I’m sure you take your work home and you study and read and
prepare and all that’s I ask them to do, spend 30 minutes, spend 45 minutes just watching a little extra
film. You can tell the guys that do it. I just ask them collectively too, just spend an extra 30 minutes
watching a little more film on their opponent. Again, it’s more about getting mental reps this late in the
season than it is the physical reps. Keeping bodies and minds as fresh as possible.”
(On confidence level on ability to correct mistakes this late in the season) “My confidence level is fine, I
trust the coaching staff. It starts there. I trust the coaches to make sure that they’re making sure our guys
are prepared, turning over every stone. Taking it from the practice field into the post practice meetings,
then picking up the next day where they left off. Confidence is still high, it’s our job. Our job is to make
sure they’re prepared mentally. My job is also to make sure they’re ready to go physically as well. A little
bit of a tradeoff, but a lot of confidence in the staff and the players to get it done.”
(On if he likes where the team is with mental toughness) “I do. A lot of confidence downstairs. Me and
the guys are excited for this week, it’s two good football teams coming together. Two top four right now
in the AFC playing. Obviously, it’s great for the NFL and great for fans. These are the games, again, it goes
back to what I expect our players to get used to, playing in moments like this and games like this.
Baltimore obviously has, but the confidence is high and the confidence is great. Again, we have to turn it
internally and just focus on us, making sure we are doing everything that we can in our power to be
prepared for these games. The confidence is there.”
(On if why running the football interiorly has been a recent struggle) “Well one, we’re playing some good
defensive lines. This season, there hasn’t been a shortage of defensive fronts. Every week is another
challenge, we got another one again this week. It’s a matter of the extra strain and the extra effort.
Those five guys, having great communication, we’ve talked a little bit about the distraction on the left
side of the line with the injuries there. These guys work extremely hard at it, we can do better there. We
can help them gameplan wise, we can make sure we’re running our best plays and our best concepts
that have been successful for us. Putting our players, especially the offensive line, in those positions to
be successful. Then, coaching the backs, too. We’ve got to make sure we’re coaching them and we’re
detailing those guys, they’re hitting the right hole or the gap, seeing the right things also plays into that.
It’s a little bit of everything, but I think getting back to what we do well will help us do that.”
(On why the team has improved in the redzone) “The execution has gotten better, we’re four for four I
think this past Sunday. Getting opportunities down there has been good for us, but that’s the thing about
the course of the season, you’re not going to start out great, you’re just going to keep building in certain
areas you’re going to get better. I think some of our third downs have gotten better, even the last few
weeks. It’s just a matter of all those things beginning to come together at the right time, we just have to
put more of them together. Run game is one of them as we know, getting after the passers, all that stuff
needs to come together now with this last month.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2023
(On if he and OL Luke Fortner will be on speaking terms next week with the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl hosting
Clemson and Kentucky) “Yeah, that’s a pretty big rivalry typically, Clemson and Kentucky. I feel good
about our boys, but we got [OLB] Josh Allen too, so it’ll be fun. We’ll probably be messing with each
other all week.”
(On the receivers gelling better without WR Christian Kirk in a second week of playing together) “Yeah, I
have a lot of confidence in those guys and in our offense and bouncing back this week. There were a lot
of things that we didn’t do well out there, really in all aspects of the game. The good thing is, what I’ve
learned through playing for awhile now, is the tape is usually never as good or as bad as you think. You
watch it and it is what it is, there’s corrections. Obviously, there’s things we did in the game that are
uncharacteristic and mistakes all the way around that we can’t make. But, it is what it is and you’ve got
to correct them and move on and same thing when you feel like you played great, there’s usually stuff on
the tape where you’re like, ‘Eh, maybe I didn’t play as good as I thought I did. I left a lot out there.’ Good
or bad, you’ve got to assess it and you’ve got to look at it for what it is and you’ve got to make the
corrections and adjustments moving forward. We had a great start to the day today and we’ve got
practice here in a little bit. It’s important to be sharp and communicate and all those things which we
kind of already fixed a lot of the issues so I feel really good about it.”
(On if his frustration gets resolved when making errors in the game) “Yeah, that’s something where I
really try to keep my emotions out of stuff like that typically. I there’s a time and a place. I have a lot of
respect too for my teammates and how hard it is for all of us to do our job. I know for me, I got a hard
job, but so do all of those guys. I understand that this isn’t an easy game and there’s going to be
mistakes. There’s been a lot of times where I made some mistakes, some bad mistakes, and guys don’t
come out of left field chewing me out. I’ve always tried to keep the right perspective, but I do think as a
leader, it’s important at certain times to show your frustration and there needs to be a sense of urgency
to correct things and to play better. I think there’s things like that, obviously you want to address and not
even pointing to anything specific from Sunday, just in general. I think it’s kind of two-fold on that and it’s
important to do both. I always try to be respectful of my teammates and understand the position we’re
in. That’s just kind of how I look at it. Also, on the other side of that, if there is an issue, if there’s a
conversation that needs to be had, it needs to be a conversation. It’s not just freaking out on the field
and you just move on and brush it off. There’s always conversations between myself and the guys,
whether it’s receivers, guys up front, running backs, whatever, tight ends. We’re always having those
conversations where we got to be on the same page more than anything, it’s not about who was right or
wrong, it’s next time this happens, we just need to be on the same page. I think we all have some fault in
most things, miscommunications and things that happen. There’s a way to go about it and I think our
team handles that the right way; I think we got a maturity about us that lets us handle some conflict and
some issues that come up as they will every game, every year.”
(On how his ankle is feeling this week) “It feels good. It’s feeling better, thankfully I made it out of the
game pretty clean. I didn’t reaggravate it or mess it up anymore. I feel good and just trying to keep
getting better every day, hopefully it feels even better this week. I was able to move around decently on
Sunday, so that was a positive. Trying to keep that going.”
(On talent of the Ravens pass rush) “Yeah, they do a really good job. They just have a great defense all
the way around. Not even just pass rush, on the backend they have linebackers, they have some of the
best linebackers in football. [Ravens S] Kyle Hamilton, too, is another guy I played in college. I think he
might’ve been hurt when we played them last year, but that’s a guy I’m somewhat familiar with. He’s a
great player. They just have a really talented defense, but they’re also really smart. They do a great job
and playing sound. They’re really on the same page, everyone knows their assignment and knows what
they’re doing. They play really fast, I think that’s the biggest thing. They know what they’re doing and
they play fast, and they’re physical. You combine all those things and that’s a good defense. It’s the pass
rush, those guys up front are great players, they’re doing a great job winning their matchups. It’s also the
pressures and the way they’re able to get guys unblocked or get a mismatch in the scheme. They do a
really good job with all of those things. We got to have a great plan and it’s a team you’ve got to be
prepared for because they do a lot of different things.”
(On if it’s helpful to play two difficult defenses in back to back weeks) “Yeah, it’s two different defenses,
two different schemes. But we’ve played some really good defenses this year. I think it’s good to do that
though, if you want to get to the end of the season where we’re all trying to get, you’re going to play
teams with great defenses. That’s what gets you there, that’s a big part of why teams are good, because
their defenses. I think it obviously goes hand in hand, Baltimore is a top team in the AFC right now, I
don’t watch the offensive side of the ball. Obviously, they’re doing some good things on that side as well,
but defensively, they’re playing lights out. It’s a good challenge for us and we’ve got to treat it like any
other week, we just got to go about our process and put a great plan together, be prepared Sunday and
go out and execute. That’s all it’s about.”
(On frustration of mistakes still showing up this late in the season) “Yeah, it’s frustrating for all of us. I
think you ask any guy on the offensive side of the ball or defense, whoever, any guy on our team, it’s
frustrating to have mistakes and stuff that you can control. You’re not going to make every play, there’s
going to be things the defense makes plays and does some things well that hey, you’ve just got to give
that one to them. Stuff that we can control, and there was stuff speaking candidly, in the game where I
made some mistakes that I typically don’t’ make. I thought some of my progressions were off and some
of the decisions I made I want back. It’s all of us that have a hand in it. I think we’re all frustrated when
you come in Monday and you watch the tape, you just try to make the corrections and move on, you just
want get another chance to play and get that out of your system. We all feel that way, and yeah we’re
frustrated, but it’s a good frustration. It’s something that we should be after not playing well. After all
that, still having a chance to win the game, I think it just shows that if we can clean up some of these
mistakes and just play more efficiently, we’re going to be a hard team to stop. We’ve been shooting
ourselves in the foot too much.”
(On if there’s still enough time in the season to clean up mistakes) “For sure, yeah. Definitely. We’ve got
four games left, we’re in a fine position where we’re at record wise. We got to take care of business this
week and moving forward, but we’ve got to take it one week at a time. We need to get back on track this
week for sure. There’s still plenty of time. You look at where we’re at, if we could’ve been in this position
last year, we would’ve given a lot to be here. There’s no panic, but there is a sense of urgency where this
time of year in December and going into January, you’ve got to be playing your best football and we’re
not there yet. We’ve got some work to do.”
(On if the feeling gets old of playing in a primetime game) “It’s exciting. Like I said for the Monday Night
game, it’s just another game. For us, nothing changes. We just play a little bit later Sunday night. We
can’t make it more than it is, obviously it’s a great opportunity for us to take advantage of and play well
in front of a bigger audience, crowd and all that, it’s going to be a night game, it’s going to be the only
game on Sunday night. It’s exciting for us, but it really honestly doesn’t change much. We still have a job
to do and I look back at the Monday night game, we ended up losing the game and not much to show for
playing on a primetime game and you lose. That’s something where we’ve just got to focus on our job
and taking care of business, no matter what time or what day the game is on.”
