Ravens Postgame Quotes (Week One)
Head Coach John Harbough
(opening statement)
“Thanks everyone for being here on a really important day. It was really an honor, we felt like, to be here on 9/11, and to be in New York City and to get a chance to take a walk last night, I did with some of the other coaches. We walked around and got a chance to see the [twin] towers [memorial] site and the lights. It was just surreal. The full moon was out, the lights were incredible, and it makes you think back to that day, what, 21 years ago? My daughter was born that year. So, it’s very meaningful for everybody, and we have the upmost respect and gratitude for our first responders, for the NYPD, FDNY and the Port Authority here in New York and everywhere … The Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department and Fire Departments, which are mostly volunteer, and all across the country. We have the upmost respect and gratitude for what they do and for our service members here and overseas for everything they do. So, what questions do you have for us?”
On if he was concerned about handling the emotion during the first quarter after the pregame 9/11 memorials…
“That’s a great point, we were. We felt like with all the things going on, and the families on the field and all the people holding the flag … They were so much fun on the sideline, the people holding the flag, mostly in their Jets’ stuff, but it was just neat. It was kind of a coming together, kind of a unifying type of a feeling, but we knew the enthusiasm, the emotion was going to be high. We knew the Jets were going to be very physical, very tough, very emotional; that’s how they play. We have a lot of respect for this football team. This is exactly what we thought was going to happen, is what happened. They fly around, they hit you, they’re a tough, physical team. They play very hard; they’re very well coached. So, we were hoping to weather that first quarter as much as we could.”
On the offense’s slow start and if he attributes it to their lack of playing in the preseason…
“I don’t know; that’s a great question. I’m not sure about it, obviously we’ll look at the tape and see, but the Jets are a penetrating front. They get in your backfield, and they make things tough for you. If those combination blocks don’t get together, or you get on edges of blocks, it’s really hard to get anything going in the run game. They were supporting well off the edges with the secondary. I thought they well tackling well, and we really couldn’t get our run game going. We didn’t have many yards in the first half, but we did capitalize. We got a couple of key turnovers there. We didn’t make too many mistakes; our mistakes really came in the back end with some holding penalties that kind of kept some drives alive. Really other than that, we had a couple holding penalties on offense too that we probably would want back, but other than that we played a really, pretty solidly clean game. When the ball was on the ground for us, we got it back. I told Mike Davis, ‘That was a fight for life in there under that pile to get that ball back,’ but he got it back. Then, our guys game up with the ball when the ball was on the ground. So, those were key things that might have overcome what you’re talking about just a little bit.”
On the defense being able to pressure QB Joe Flacco in the pocket today…
“Yes, we did. Joe [Flacco] stands in there, [and] you can see he makes throws. We did a good job on the back end, too. We were moving our guys around, disguising quite a little bit, and I think he had to hold the ball at times too, which gave our guys a chance to get there as well. Our guys pressed the pocket really well. They were physical – Justin [Madubuike] is sitting right there – those guys were bringing it. We had a good inside pressure. Very happy with those guys. Devin Duvernay, he’s sitting there too. I just saw him sitting there. What a game. He came up with plays when we needed plays made, and he made them. That’s what you hope for, and we knew it was going to happen, right ‘Dev’ [Devin Duvernay]? (Devin Duvernay: “Yes.”) We knew it, so, I’m proud of these guys.”
On injury updates on T Ja’Wuan James and CB Kyle Fuller…
“I do. [Ja’Wuan] James has a torn Achilles; it’s the same one. It’s a little bit of a different tear; it’s off the bone. It’s not the one that is mid-tendon. So, he’s determined, and he says he’s in a way better place than he was last time, and he’s determined to come back in time. [Kyle] Fuller, we don’t know for sure. We’ll see tomorrow with the MRI with him. We have some reason for hope there.”
On coming back and scoring the first touchdown of the game on third down immediately after T Ja’Wuan James was carted off the field…
“You’re right, it was a big part of the game. We were just trying to hold the fort there just a little bit. We got the turnover and then the field goal. For Devin [Duvernay] to make the play, and for Pat Mekari to come in, [he] deserves a lot of credit. He came in and he played really well. Tyler Linderbaum, for his debut playing all those plays, it looked like he played solid football. So, the O-line looked like they did a good job as the game wore on and [we] started to get a little bit of control of it.”
On WR Devin Duvernay’s performance overall, and matching his career touchdown total today…
“[I’m] not surprised. This guy, he’s done so many things for us that really doesn’t always show up in the stat book, but he’s made big plays for us in the past. He works so hard; he’s been doing it in camp every single day. So, I don’t think any of the players are surprised, [nor the] coaches, we’re just happy to see it happen in a game.”
“Well, he ran a great route, obviously, back there. It was really well designed, and [offensive coordinator] Greg [Roman] was looking to find that coverage and find that route as the game was going along. They were bringing people down a little bit, and they were doing a good job against the run, and we got them one time. He ran a great route, and the protection held up. You need the protection to hold up on those longer-developing routes, and obviously Lamar [Jackson] made a great throw.”
On QB Lamar Jackson’s performance today…
“Lamar [Jackson] played outstanding. He played a patient, veteran quarterback game. He was in control of everything, he did a great job with the line, he handled the clock really well. There were some lengthy play calls in there that we dealt with, and he handled all of that really well. He got the guys in the right spots, and then he was poised in the pocket, held the ball, protected the ball, found guys open, moved when he had to, made a couple plays with his legs when he had to here and there. He played a really veteran, winning quarterback type of a game. He still makes his plays, obviously, two huge touchdown passes that we saw. I’m proud of him.”
On if the inside pressure against the Jets offensive line helped take the pressure off the edge…
“I think that’s probably why Justin [Madubuike] is sitting in this room, you’re going to talk to him. Those guys did a great job of pushing the pocket inside. All those guys, [Brent] Urban, how about Michael Pierce, who had some good pass rushes? I’m sure there were others.”
Lamar Jackson
On turning it around after a slow start, and if there was a feeling-out process coming into Week One…
“I feel like it was just us feeling it out, out there. Like you said, we [majority of the starters] didn’t play in the preseason. I haven’t played in like six games last year – not much really. Yes, we’re just getting back into the swing of things. We played better, we came out better in the second half and started putting points on the board.”
On if he started relying on his legs to make plays in the second half as opposed to the first half…
“No, not really. I guess I just had to. They were covering pretty well. [If] the pocket breaks down, just had to make something happen, get a first down, [and] get a few yards here and there.”
On if his second touchdown pass to WR Devin Duvernay was thrown without looking…
“No, I looked, I looked. (laughter) I’m not playing street ball; I’m looking. I was going to throw it to Mark [Andrews], but the safety jumped Mark, and [Devin Duvernay] just ran his route, and he came open.”
On the wide receivers’ performances today after being questioned as a group during the offseason…
“Very positive. It boosts our confidence in each other. We just have to keep going. This is the first game; we have 16 more games to go, and playoffs and stuff like that, so we just have to keep it going.”
On if the ESPN report that he turned down a $250 million guaranteed offer from the Ravens is true…
“No. No, there’s no truth to that.”
Mark Andrews
On the vibes they were picking up offensively…
First game back, obviously you’re getting back into the swing of things. The offense, one offense is rolling together. There were some really good things done today. I thought as time kind of went on, we got calm, started to execute, play some good stuff and a lot of good stuff I’m excited to see.
On getting a win…
Always a good day when you get a win. So, we’re going take this one. Obviously, again, super happy about that, but we’re going to learn and get better. Week one, Week two, coach talked about, we’ve got to get better. We’re not done yet. We got to keep on going.
Rashod Bateman
On if he’s reliving the touchdown reception…
Yeah, that’s what we were just talking about. My first one from Lamar (Jackson) since I’ve been here. Kind of opened up for me, he just did his job. A lot of people said he couldn’t throw but he dropped a dime then. It ended up working out, it was good.
On what the feeling was like afterwards…
It was definitely exciting, special, a lot of emotion for me personally, but it was fun, for sure.
On getting out of here with a “W” to start the season…
Yeah, for sure. There’s a lot of stuff we’ve got to do. We got to go back to the drawing board, but we did a lot of good things. We did some bad things, but live to fight another day, we’ll get ready for next week.
Calais Campbell
On the importance of a Week One Win to help build momentum for the rest of the season…
Shoot, it’s hard to win in this league. To get a win to start the season off, that’s a good feeling. It sucks because we lost a couple guys. We don’t know how bad it’s going to be, but we just know it has the potential to be kind of bad and that sucks. But at the end of the day, it’s the next man up. We work hard and we believe in everybody on the roster. It’s good to just get a win and start 1-0.
On the response to his interaction with the Max Mitchell tweet and how Max played today…
I watched the video. I know he was just trying to be confident. It’s his opportunity. I didn’t take it as really a slight. And I think he played solid, you know. He’s a rookie, so obviously he has a lot of football left. He played pretty good and I think he can play in this league. I like his confidence, but I’m glad we got the W.
Chuck Clark
On the defense having a complete game and the offense clicking in the second half…
It felt good, whenever you’re executing, but we definitely know that we have to stack and get better next week. Just seeing it and off memory, just initial, there’s definitely some stuff that we got to work on to get better if we want to grow throughout the season.
On the communication of the defense…
Yeah, definitely. I was telling somebody else earlier, it starts with Mike and then it goes from there to the whole defense and everybody trusting each other and kind of knowing, being on the same page. The main thing too is communicating when you’re tired, that’s the main thing.
On being 1-0…
That’s just one, that’s honestly what it means. It’s just one. There’s 16 more, so we just got to keep going, keep stacking.
Devin Duvernay
On scoring two touchdowns…
That felt good. That felt good to get in the game mode and get things going and just show the work I put in this offseason and in training camp.
On his first touchdown catch and building trust with Lamar Jackson…
Ran a go, just went up and tried to make a play. We’ve been doing it all camp, so it’s good to do that in a game.
On whether he was trying to prove critics wrong who said the Ravens don’t have a deep threat after the loss of WR Marquise Brown…
Not really. We don’t really listen to what the critics say, this and that. We all know what we can do. We all know our abilities, our athleticism, our speed, we know what we’re capable of. So, we just focus on proving ourselves right, not really trying to prove the critics wrong or anything like that.
On coming into his own as a deep threat…
Just running the routes that are called. I make the most of them. Run my route, he throws me the ball, I just make a play.
On what turned the offense around after a slow start…
I just think we just started playing more together. We just kind of started slow, kind of messing with the rain or whatever. But yeah, we just started slow and finally got back on track.
On how he’s doing balancing return duties and getting receiving reps…
Just fine. It’s nothing too big for me.
On whether the offense felt at a certain point that they knocked the rust off…
We were just leaving plays out there, slow start. It’s something I’m sure we’ll get fixed.
On whether his performance today is validating for him…
I just know what I can do. Coach calls the plays, I run the route and I make the play when it comes my way.
On the Jets defense…
No, yeah they didn’t really go against tendencies. Everything I feel like they did we were kind of prepared for or seen on some sort of film.
Justin Madubuike
On today being one of his best games as a pro…
I think I feel pretty good. The whole defense played pretty good I think. We got a dub. I think we executed at a high level, especially at the half. Offense and defense played a pretty solid game. (inaudible).
On his pass rush against a talented guard like Laken Tomlinson…
Yeah, he’s pretty good. I felt like I should have gotten back there more, but I definitely tried to pressure Joe (Flacco). We all know how good he is, Super Bowl winning quarterback, so we definitely have to bring our A-game against him. That’s what I think we did.
On their pride as a defense vs. the Jets…
We have a standard on our defense. I don’t think it’s a pride thing. It is pride, but it’s a standard for sure. We have to degfinitely come with that pressure and execute at a high level and that’s the standard we all hold ourselves against.
On if there is an increased pressure to get more pass-rush..
For sure, yeah. That was something that we were knocked off last year, that people were like, ‘We need to do more pass rushing.’ That’s what we worked on switching in the off-season and camp, OTA’s and mini camp, training camp. We’re all just trying to get on the same page on hot lefts, hot rights, games and stuff like that. We’re just trying to be on the same page and synchronized with each other, same page.
On his first game under Mike McDonald…
We’re just taking it one day at a time. We’re just going through the week. We’re going to celebrate this win today and then tomorrow we’re going to get back on the drawing board and fix the things we need to fix, and then we’re onto our next opponent. So, just taking it one game at a time and one day at a time, and try to maximize golden days and stack golden days as a defense.
On what having a good game like today does for his morale and going forward…
It’s a good feeling, but it’s about what do you do next, what are you going to do next? Are we going to slack off and not do as good the next game or are you going to be more motivated and be a collective unit and keep stacking good games as a defense. That’s what we want to do and that’s what we’re going to do. Just take it one day at a time and work harder every day.
Michael Pierce
On what it was like to finally get back out there…
It was fun, man. I’d like to thank God I’m finally healthy. Just having a blast. Amazing group of guys, think we got a real special unit. Just got to take care of business one day at a time.
On if he felt like he almost had two or three today…
Yeah, almost. Unfortunately, Joe (Flacco) forgot who I was and we’re not friends anymore. No, I definitely got back there, I guess I got to run some more. He was moving pretty good. He escaped us a couple times, but some of the boys got him. That’s how it goes sometimes.
On if he got a chance to see him postgame…
Yeah. Like I said, he’s a great dude, obviously a Super Bowl winning quarterback. He’s a great leader so thankful for my time with him and his leadership.
Marcus Williams
On how it felt to get an interception in his first game as a Raven…
It feels good. I mean, it’s something I do all the time, so I’m not really surprised at myself. You may be surprised, but it’s just what I do, man.
On whether the defense felt good from the start…
We just take it one play at a time, one day at a time. We’ll go back to the film and see what we did good and see what we did bad and fix that going into the next week. But you never just go after the game and be like, “Oh, we did everything great” because that’s probably not the case. We’re going to take this win how it is, we’re going to celebrate it tonight and then tomorrow, we’re going to get back to work.
On how Mike McDonald did in his first game as defensive coordinator…
I think he did a good job all week. We watched a lot of film. He gave us tips and bits that helped us come into this game. I think us as a defense, we’ve been locked in since training camp, OTAs, just so when we come out here, each and every week, that we’re prepared.
On whether the three-safety defense is going to be a difference maker for this defense…
Shoot, everybody on our defense can play. One guy goes in, one guy goes out, this is what we do. You can see it out there. If it’s giving you guys a hard time, it’s probably giving the quarterback a hard time, too.
On what he saw on the pass where he got the interception…
Film study, shoot. I’ve been watching film all week and you see that guy sit down, then he does a dig, drives a dig, seen it, went to go get it and picked it off.
On how much of a focus it was to take away the deep ball option for Jets QB Joe Flacco…
I think we just did our job. If you just do your job every single play, then we’ll keep the top on the defense, eliminate the explosives, eliminate the deep balls and if you do that, if you make an offense try to beat us every single play, they’ve got to beat us over and over and over again to get into the endzone. It’s going to be really tough, so at safety, we stay deep and drive everything.
On whether he expected Flacco to throw the ball almost 60 times…
Shoot, I hope they throw it. It’s better for me so I can get an interception.
On the feeling in the third quarter when the offense started clicking…
I think it’s good that it’s one team. We’re not worried, ‘Oh, the offense is not,’ no. Defense goes out there, we do our job and we know the offense is going to do their job, special teams is going to do their job. We’re not really worried about that. We’re just worried about that one-play-at-a-time mentality. The next play can be the best play, the next play can be the big play. With Lamar (Jackson) and our offense, you never know what’s going to happen. That’s just all we did.
On the play of the defensive line…
They did a good job. As a defense, we attacked the quarterback really well today. That allows for us on the backend to make plays. If we all work together each and every play, you see the outcome you’re going to get. If we’re all covering our guys, he’s going to have to hold onto the ball longer. So, I think it’s a collective thing and that’s what gave him problems.