Ravens players (9.29.19)
DL Michael Pierce
(on if the team’s defensive play was embarrassing) “Very much so. When I broke it down on Wednesday, I told the guys we had the brand to protect. For a lot of reasons, we did not go out there and do it today as well as last week. We’ve got some new parts that need to gel immediately, so we have got to do a better job – front coverage and rushing. On all accord, obviously we weren’t there today.”
(on if Cleveland did anything to catch the defense off guard) “No, not from my perspective. The trick play they did run, we shut it down. We have got to, speaking for myself included, all got to play better. Sitting there stopping the run, getting to the quarterback. Marlon [Humphrey] played a great game, just speaking from the front, when you get performances like that from Marlon, some of those guys, we’ve got to produce up front. [Nick] Chubb, I don’t know how many he had, we haven’t gelled yet. I would like to see that hurry up and come along.”
(on what he saw from the 88-yard touchdown run by Chubb) “Basically it comes down to everybody gelling. We had a young guy in there; we did not set the edge. The guard pulled front side, double pull from the center. I have got to do a better job of penetrating and slowing them down across the edge. As I said, we have a group that is relatively young. We have got to do a better job of everyone being accountable to their gap. Effort can cover up those mistakes, and that is what you saw last year. We weren’t perfect, but we were the No. 1 defense. Everyone picked up the slack if someone was missing an assignment on the play – that is what we’ve got to get back to.”
(on the impact of the loss of Brandon Williams) “It hurt a lot, honestly. That is our leader, one of the best nose guards in the league in my opinion. Anytime you are missing one of those guys, that is big time, but we’ve got to step up. I think [Daylon] Mack did well for his first time being in there, but of course you miss one of the best Nose Guards in the league, that’s going to affect you. It is always next man up and we’ve got to figure some stuff out before Sunday.”
(on who stepped up with the team’s leadership) “Everyone knows who our leaders are. Obviously, Earl [Thomas III] is a lead by example guy, amazing football player, [Matthew] Judon is more vocal, so at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter to me who was talking, but it is more about being accountable against stuff that needs to be shut down. We have leadership, that’s not a big deal to me, being where we are supposed to be, knocking out plays we are supposed to knock out. Obviously, they have an amazing group of talent, but to get the win, you’ve got to find a way to shut that down.”
(on the impact of giving up multiple big plays) “It goes back to last week and when big plays happen, you see guys get tentative. You see guys double guessing where they are supposed to be, they may not blitz when they are supposed to blitz, somebody may try to do something extra to make a big play. As much as that happened last year, we’ve had big plays happen all the time, but we found a way to rally. That is something that I feel like I need to do a better job, encouraging guys, making sure we stay on our toes, what Wink [Coach Martindale] preaches all the time. Big plays happen all the time, they have a great collection of talent, we knew they were going to make some big plays, but I think somebody has to come through and make a big play, everyone needs to be where they are supposed to be to rally.”
S Tony Jefferson
(on the performance) “We just didn’t play well. We just didn’t execute. We have to do better if we want to be who we say we are.”
(on the Browns showing something different) “Every time that you play is going to show you something different. They have schemes, they look at the film, too. For the most part, it is just about us not executing. We weren’t in the right spots and we couldn’t stop the run. They gave us everything they had in the playbook, they opened it up, tight scheme, trick plays. Our idea is to not have the offense so comfortable, but they were comfortable out there.”
(on a few defensive players meeting at his locker after the game) “Obviously, it was about the game, we are just not happy, we have to make more plays. We are just not happy with how we are playing. It is Week 4 and we have another divisional game next week. We have got to get it fixed.”
(on how surprising the defensive lapses were today) “Honestly, I think the communication wasn’t an issue today, it is more about execution, tackling. We just have to tackle better. We are there, we just have to make the play. We have to make more plays; it is what you play the game for. You play the game for opportunities like this to build with your team. To be in predicaments like this, which gets you stronger, so I am fully confident in the guys we have in the room. This feeling does suck. Obviously, our fans deserve more. We practice so hard, so we have to go out there and get it fixed. We are a good football team; we just have to show it and make the plays. I think we are going to be fine. We are 2-2, .500 right now, what are we in the AFC North? (Reporter: ‘Tied for first.’) Tied for first, that’s not a bad place to be. We’ve got two division games in a row, so let’s take advantage of those.”
(on if he still believes in the team) “I have full confidence, and we all know we can play better. It is just a matter of going out and doing it at this point. I love my guys, I love my coaches, I love my staff, I love my team. Regardless of what everybody says, I know we are going to get hammered by it, but this locker room is fully confident. I love our guys, and that’s just how we are going to roll, just get better at it.”
RB Mark Ingram II
(on missing out on opportunities) “Obviously, we did not play our best ball, we did not make enough plays.”
(on his fumble) “I fumbled, it really proved detrimental to our team. We were down one score moving the ball well and they were able to get a touchdown out of it, so I put our team in a bad position. Now we were playing a game of catch-up.”
(on the halftime adjustments they made during the game) “We just stuck to our game plan. We were down three and weren’t playing our kind of ball. We were having some success doing some runs, and then the fumble came out and that hurt us.”
(on the game plan today) “We always have an emphasis on running the ball. I think we ran the ball well, we’ve got to do a lot better in a lot of areas. We just have to dig deep. We will be alright.”
(on what it will take to get back on track) “Make plays on offense, not give up big plays on defense, play well on special teams. Every single person, from the top to bottom just has to do better. We didn’t play well, but we have great players. We just have to figure it out.”
(on dealing with the frustration of losing) “Yes, we are frustrated, because we are not having the success that we want, but you just have to stay after it. Try to stay focused, try to move on to the next play, try to believe that we are working our way back, to making it a game, and to winning the game. We have guys that are positive, believe in each other, and work hard. We won’t give up.”
(on little mistakes costing them the game) “We made a lot of mistakes and they capitalized on them. It is a good way to lose the game.”
CB Brandon Carr
(on giving up 500 yards on back-to-back games and if that shakes confidence)” We don’t flinch. We have to work through these tough times right now. I’ve been here for three years now. We’ve kind of been flirting with 500 [yards], at this point in the season and a few games after this, but we just have to relax and play football. Focus in, a sense of urgency, step-by-step as the weeks go. But you can’t panic at this point, you can’t flinch, you just have to remain calm, and things go back to fundamentals. Break it down, go back to Day One and build this thing back up.”
(on if he will tell guys that this week) “That’s always our mindset. You have to remain calm. You have to figure out ways to get the job done under duress, and this is one of those times right now. With two-minute drill, second half, end of the game, third-down, fourth-down call, it’s all the same. It’s frustrating on us right now. We know that. But the good thing is we have an opportunity to clean this game up and get ready for another week.”
(on the multiple concerns on defense) “Fix it all. Take it one day at a time. Chip away. You see it, we know what’s going on. We see it as well. There are a lot of areas we can improve on. Up front, in the middle, on the back end. We all have our work cut out for improvement. We can’t point fingers at each other. We all have different things that we can get better in to make this defense better. It’s just going to take all hands on deck, guys in this locker room for the rest of the season. It just takes time. It’s a long process but trust the process.”
WR Willie Snead IV
(on his late touchdown and what that can do for him) “It’s all about the finish. It’s just finishing the game strong, just the way it needs to be finished. That run, I just broke away, and I wasn’t going to step out of bounds. I just wanted to finish it for us. Hopefully, that carries into next week.”
(on how the team bounces back from a loss like this) “Just learn from the mistakes. We’ve got to be better on offense and defense. We’ve got to help them out. It was just a bad game for us. We all have games like these. We’ve just got to come to work on Monday, watch the film, learn from it and get ready for Pittsburgh next week.”
(on the best way to move on) “It’s going to sting for a couple of hours. But, you know, tomorrow will be here, and we’ll be getting ready for the Steelers. We’ll see these boys again at the end of the year.”
WR Miles Boykin
(on his TD catch) “One of the biggest things about having [QB] Lamar [Jackson] as a quarterback is just scrambling when the original play doesn’t work. So, that was kind of the plan all week. I was trying to run a rub route, and I just had to get open after that.”
(on the way he adjusted when QB Lamar Jackson was looking to throw) “That’s the thing about Lamar. His eyesight is great. His field vision is fantastic. You’ll be all the way on the other side of the field; he’ll throw a ball over there. So, you really can get the ball any play, regardless of what your route is or what you’re doing. You’ve just got to be ready.”
(on his second TD of his career) “For me, especially at this level, I just want to go out there and do my job and give this team a chance to win. Obviously, we didn’t win today, but like [Head Coach John Harbaugh] said, ‘This is the NFL. You win some, you lose some.’ I think that’s one of the hardest things about adjusting to the NFL game, too. It’s not like your season is over after two losses. In college, depending upon what program you came from, you can’t really do anything with a season with two losses. Just adjusting to it, and [we’ve] just got to get back in there and get better.”
(on what the Browns did defensively) “They played sound defense. They didn’t make a lot of mistakes. That was their plan. They tried to keep everything in front of them and limit their mistakes, and that’s what they did.”
WR Marquise Brown
(on how to bounce back from a loss like this) “That’s what you have to do, just [forget it] and focus on the next opponent. Come back in this week and try to prepare better.”
(on what the Browns did well today) “They were executing. They made the most of their drives. We’ve just got to make the most of ours.”
(on the offense and how it moved the ball at times) “We were moving the ball. We’ve just got to capitalize on [some] more things, and when we get our chance, you know, make the most of it.”
(on putting this behind them) “I’m done with the game. I’m focused on Pittsburgh.”
ILB Patrick Onwuasor
(on how frustrating this loss is) “It’s really frustrating. We came in here with a good gameplan, and we tried to execute that gameplan. We just have to get back to the drawing board and do what we do; Ravens football. I don’t think we really played Raven football, and we need to get back to it.”
(on people referring to miscommunication a lot after the last few games) “It goes both ways, communication and execution, and everybody just needs to be on the same page. I feel like we’re going to get back to that. That’s what we do. We all talk and communicate and make sure to get across the board [that] everybody has an assignment to do, and we just have to do our job.”
(on being huddled up with a few teammates after the game and what the message was) “We have a great family. We all come together win, lose or draw, so we like to talk about certain situations, or if there is a situation we want to all come together and make sure we’re on the same page and just figure out what we need to do for us to be successful. I think that’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
(on if the confidence of the team is at all shaken right now) “No, it’s not shaken. We would never lose confidence in this defense or in this organization. We play Raven football, and that’s what we’re going to figure out to do, and we’re going to get the job done.”
S Earl Thomas III
(on what’s going on with the secondary right now) “Again, we’re just not reacting right to the different concepts that they’re giving us. The glaring thing is the seam throws. We understood those are his [Baker Mayfield] best throws. We just didn’t react to the concept like we needed to.”
(on if there’s still communication problems on the back end) “Yes, it’s stuff we’ve worked on. We understood what could happen versus that movement. We just didn’t make it work.”
(on if a loss like this shakes his fundamental belief) “Doesn’t shake my fundamental belief, but it’s frustrating as hell. It’s like you take another step back after you put in work, talked about certain situations, you made corrections and when we get out there and they still have success, it’s very frustrating. But, it’s a team sport. It’s all of us. We definitely have to keep believing, sticking together, have tough conversations if need be and move forward.”
(on if communication during the game is different than it is during the week) “Yes, the speed. You have to add in conditioning … bro, you have to know the seams are coming. We just have to keep repping it and talking about it, and hopefully we get it fixed.”
(on missing out on an opportunity to take a strangle-hold of the division) “Yes, that’s the sucky part about it. It kind of stings a little bit. On all phases, we’ve got to stop the run, we’ve got to stop the pass, we’ve got to help the offense out, keep giving Lamar [Jackson] chances. All we can do is just go back to the drawing board.”
(on what happened on the 88-yard run by RB Nick Chubb) “So I was playing ‘claw’ backside. I tried to get there and couldn’t get there. It wasn’t worth pulling my hamstring. I’ve been there before trying to chase DeAndre Hopkins down on a screen, pulled a hamstring and was out. I wasn’t doing that today.”
CB Marlon Humphrey
(on how desperately this team needs to prevent giving up big plays) “We definitely have to fix it. The one, I think, maybe it was one of the tight ends, I know one of those was a coverage bust by me. I can’t be doing that. I have to know the coverage, know what we’re doing, how we’re playing it that week and execute it. I think that’s the biggest thing that’s hurting us right now. I’m averaging a few busts a game, so I’ve got to be better. The man coverage is the man coverage, you’ve got your man. That’s pretty simple, but when it comes to the three-deeps, the two’s and the Cover-6, you’ve got to know what you’re doing.”
(on what happened on the exchange with WR Odell Beckham Jr.) “Did you see the game? (Reporter: ‘It’s hard to tell exactly what happened.’) You can just take it as it is. I ran into him after the game and apologized. It’s not really the brand of football that I want to represent. The whistle blows, and it’s got to be over with. I got my team a flag. It’s never good when you get your team a flag. Like I said, it’s not the brand that I want to represent. So, I was happy I was able to talk to him after the game.”
(on if WR Odell Beckham Jr. accepted his apology) “I think so. Yes, I think he did.”
(on if WR Odell Beckham Jr. apologized for throwing a punch at you) “I don’t think he did, but I definitely told the referee he should have been ejected. But it is what it is. Emotions flare. I enjoy going against a top guy like that. I think this offseason I’ve had more people tell me, ‘Oh, you get to play Odell.’ People don’t even talk to me about stuff like that. Just the excitement he brings to the game; he can really do it all. So, it’s a really great matchup.”
(on holding WR Odell Beckham Jr. to only two catches) “We lost, so it is what it is when you lose.”
(on what the defense needs to do to fix its problems) “Big plays, I think. We’ve just got to be better. I talked to the guys last night. [Defensive coordinator] ‘Wink’ [Don Martindale] has a different player talk every Saturday, and I talked about family. With family, you can approach each other with anything, so I think we’ll have a coming-to-heart meeting on Monday, Tuesday or whenever. We’ve got to figure it out. Everybody’s got to know each other. We’ve got to know what we’re doing wrong and what we’re doing right. Not a lot is being done right lately, so we’ve definitely got some work to do. I think we can all get it fixed and figured out.”
OLB Tyus Bowser
(on what his message is to the fans after the defensive performance) “It’s the NFL. You’re going to have good games, and you’re going to have bad games. It’s all about how you respond. Obviously, we didn’t do that today but it’s definitely a learning lesson. That’s life. You go through tough times, but you always have to figure out how to get back up. We’re definitely going to take this as a lesson to learn how to fight, to game plan better and to execute better as players. We’re just going to take this, learn from it and come into next week ready to go.”
(on the Browns’ offensive weapons) “It’s a good group, man. ‘OBJ’ [Odell Beckham Jr.], [Jarvis] Landry along with Nick Chubb and, of course, Baker Mayfield. That’s a ton of weapons. It’s tough trying to hold one down, because you’ve got so much talent across the field, but we’ve just got to figure it out. We’ve got to game plan and execute better and figure out how to stop them.”
(on going to Pittsburgh next week) “Yes, absolutely. It’s another divisional rival. Another opportunity to go out there and try to bring a win back to Baltimore. So, it’s going to be tough. Those guys, they’re going to come with their best game, so we’re excited about it. But for now, we’re going to learn from what we had going on today. Once Monday and Tuesday come, we’re going to be fired up and ready to go.”
(on what went wrong on RB Nick Chubb’s 88-yard run) “No, I’m not sure. I’m going to have to look at it on film.”
(on the leaders that stepped up today and who talked to the team after the game) “T.J. [Tony Jefferson], Matt [Judon], of course, and of course, [Pernell] McPhee. McPhee is a vocal leader for us. Our three main guys that we needed. They tried to get us back up. Those are our guys that we look to, to help us get back to our game.”
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