VS.

POSTGAME QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 10, 2007

Ravens-Bengals Gameday

Initial comments:
"We know these are going to be hard-fought games going into it. Every time we play them, it goes down to the wire. We're happy to get the first victory at home. We have to maintain some kind of home-field advantage. The crowd and the fans were unbelievable. We seemed to get through the game without any serious injuries. Obviously both teams had a bunch of guys cramping. We did some good things on defense, and we did some good things on offense. We need to be more consistent. The biggest disappointment was that we weren't consistent. We got ourselves into too many third-and-longs on offense. That makes it hard, sledding against that group. It wasn't our sharpest night throwing the ball early in the game. We had a couple of breakdowns in our run defense as well where they had 40 yards on three runs. We'll get back to work on Wednesday and get ready for the Browns."

Q: Is momentum a real and tangible thing this team can build on?
"This was one game. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game. If we win three or four games in a row, then that becomes momentum."

Q: Thoughts on seven stops to end the game:
"Sometimes it's going to be like that. I thought our guys did a good job of stepping up and making plays. We had a couple penalties on Todd Heap today. We have to do a better job of defending with our feet and not grabbing them with our hands."

Q: How important is it to win those gut wrenching games?
"I think it's a matter of winning those physical football games. We don't want to say that we were close. We know Baltimore is a good football team and they are going to win a lot of football games. We know we have to play them again, and if we keep playing this way, we might play them a third time. When you invest so much into this game, it's good to get something out of it."

Q: Do you think your defense matched their physical play?
"I'll watch the tape. We made a lot of plays tonight. Our defense played well. Everyone on defense who suited up today ended up playing 12 to 15 snaps."

Q: Your thoughts on Robert Geathers:
"We made a big investment into Robert, so we obviously think he is a fine player. He just keeps growing and getting better."

Q: What did you think of them switching to Kyle Boller that late?
"I saw him grabbing his legs so he could have been cramping up like a lot of guys out there."

Q: Was getting more turnovers a big focus this year?
"It's always a focus to lead the league in takeaways. The last six times we've played the Ravens, the team that wins the turnover battle wins the game. It's important that we make those plays when the opportunities arise. We weren't that bad last year in takeaways — we just weren't at the top."

Q: That was not the prettiest of wins tonight:
"We'll take it. Any time you get an ugly win, or a pretty win - a win is a win against that team, against that defense. Fortunately our defense came out and kept us in the game, made big plays, and just played great. The whole offense was so fired up for them because everybody keeps asking about the defense. There's a lot of question marks. I think they answered every question mark about 'Can the defense win games?' because they flat out won the game. They had (six) turnovers ... But every time I looked up, the crowd got loud and I just figured we had another turnover. It just kept happening and kept happening. They kept giving us opportunities. You feel bad because we didn't take advantage of all the opportunities. But we did enough, I guess, to get a win. A win is a win against that team."

Q: Were you already planning for the next drive once Baltimore got near the goal line?
"I was thinking about that. I was thinking about what we're going to run coming out because I think the ball was at about on the one-foot line — maybe even the six-inch line, it seemed. So we were thinking of stuff we could do to get out of the end zone. You don't want to get a safety right there and then punt the ball back to them and give them another chance for the win. Then we got that pass interference call. Then we were saying, 'Alright, what are we going to do? All we need is a field goal if they end up scoring.' Fortunately, our defense made another play and got the pick and we got the ball back."

Q: How much would you have liked to develop a third receiver tonight beyond Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh?
"You'd love to have Chris Henry. But I think Tab (Perry) is really going to start coming into his own and start making big plays. He does so much for this team just on special-teams alone. I need to keep working with him. I missed him on a couple of things tonight, and I just need to keep repping things with him, keep working with him in practice, get on the same page with him. He'll be that guy. I've said it plenty of times: He's got the talent, he's got the ability, he's smart, he wants it and he works extremely hard. It's just that he and I need to keep working to get on the same page and get rolling."

Q: The passing game struggled to find a rhythm tonight. How much was that because of Baltimore's defense and how much was that because of the offense playing inconsistently?
"It's both, you know. They do so many things on defense and create so much confusion. They did a great job. You've got to tip your hat to them because not only do they play great, they disguise things. They have some key guys on running backs and pass protection stuff, and (they) actually came out with a couple things they've never done before to kind of set us off. You've got to expect it against them. It's a season opener, and they didn't have anything on film other than vanilla stuff from the preseason. They had a couple of really good things they got us with. We were a little confused. As we went on, all we did was try to iron it out on the sideline. We did that, and they kept changing. They did a great job. Overall, I think I missed a couple of easy balls that I shouldn't have. When you don't play great, and you don't play your best football, you just say a thankful prayer for being able to get a win."

Q: Did you think they were going to overrule the challenge of you catching the interception pass?
"No. I knew I got my hand underneath it. I knew that it was going to be a big play."

Q: It was a great game for the defense, wasn't it?
"It was. Anytime you can stand up in the red zone like that and get off the field it feels great. We have made a lot of mistakes, and we have a long way to go from last season."

Q: How does it feel to have beaten the Ravens at their own game?
"That's what it's all about. Any way we can win a ball game, that's what it's all about. The defense dug down deep and created a lot of turnovers. For us on offense, we were able to move the ball. It was inconsistent up and down the field, but at the same time, we won this one all together as a team. If we continue to do this each and every week, we will feel pretty good about ourselves."

Q: What happened on the fumble recovery?
"I was just running, doing my job, and I think somebody hit the quarterback. I don't know who it was, but whoever it was should get the credit. I just happened to be there to catch it and run with it. I had the easy job. Who ever got to the quarterback had the hard job."

Q: Did the adrenalin keep the pain away?
"Adrenalin helps. Things that we can do to keep pain away helps. That's what we did. It was an injury, but it wasn't an excuse. No matter what happened after that play, when I went out, there would be no excuses. I put myself out there to perform. That's my job. Even if I was hurt, no matter what, there is no excuse. It's a team win for us, and we're happy."

Q: How does this win feel?
"We just went up against the best defense in the NFL. It was a big win for us. It was a division win. We have one next week as well."

Q: Is it big when the defense makes a stand like that?
"That's what we are going to need. We are going to need it. It's a journey - a long journey - that we are talking about. Both sides have to stay even the entire year. No ups and downs."

Q: Initial comments:
"It is disappointing to lose the season opener. It was one hell of a game. The story of the game is that you can't turn the ball over on the road in the opening game of the season and expect to win. The guys really fought back tonight. Guys were called on to step up, and some played through injury. Our players were dropping to injuries right and left. I am proud of what this team did. To bring that up after a loss it sounds a little feeble, but this team will stand together that way. The way we fought through this loss will pay dividends later on in the season."

Q: Your thoughts on the having the game determined on an officials call after all the team fought through to get back in the game?
"That is the nature of the game. We will make the appropriate comments and turn it over to the appropriate people and move on to the next game."

Q: How do you think Kyle Boller played tonight?
"To be called upon to step up in the circumstance as he did is tough. To come into the game cold and have to make some crucial plays is hard. It looked to me as if he made a couple touchdown passes."

Q: Talk about the situation with injuries tonight:
"Injuries allow for other players to step up. That is the nature of the league as well."

Q: Elaborate on Ed Reed's punt return:
"Ed is usually our relief backup — or disaster relief return man — in a situation such as the one that occurred tonight."

Q: Explain why you pulled Steve McNair late in the game:
"On the last third-down throw, you could see that he could not push off his back leg. He looked as if he was doing OK, and he did not want to come out. On that final throw he made, the ball got away from him. After the initial pull, I could tell he could not get the ball off like he should be able to."

Q: Talk about the early turnovers:
"To have only been down by two points at halftime is amazing with the amount of turnovers we committed. You can correct the physical mistakes, but there are only so many things schematically that you can do to make corrections.

"We have been through situations like this before. Things happen. I don't know what you tell a guy like Steve McNair. I am open to suggestions. He has been playing this game a long time and won many football games. We will move on and look forward to the next game. We will work through the injuries and the short week to get ready for the Jets."

Q: How did it feel coming in at such a crucial time in the game?
"It's a big point in the game, and it's a rivalry game. We were down by seven, and just wanted to tie the game up. It's just tough to lose it when you're right there close to tying it up."

Q: Is it amazing to you that despite the injuries and turnovers, you had a chance to win the game?
"Yes, when you have the turnovers like we had, it's hard to win a game. When you do that and still have an opportunity to stay in the game, you have to find a way to win. We came up a little bit short, but we have to keep our heads high. There are fifteen games left."

Q: After you returned the punt, did you think you guys had pulled this game out?
"We had been saying (we have) to play four quarters. We knew we would have to play four quarters against this team, because they don't quit. I take my hat off to those guys, because they fought hard. They had guys cramping just like we did. Both teams played hard. We just need to go forward and learn from the game tape."

Q: Is it tough to lose the opener due to all the mistakes tonight?
"We've been on both sides. We've won our first game before and we've lost our first game before. We just have to correct our mistakes and move forward. It was a tough game, and we expected that. That's why both teams fought so hard."

Q: Can you talk about how the blocks set up for you on the punt return?
"It was set up well. Guys made great blocks, and that's what you look for. It was a great play."

Q: You're probably not used to playing in a game with so many turnovers. What was it like going on and off the field so often?
"We love playing football. That's why everyone who plays football against Baltimore knows they'll be hell to pay. But it was tough. Guys were tired from going back and forth like that. But that's why we work so hard. Our trainers did a great job on the sideline keeping us hydrated and helping us stretch."

Q: Initial comments:
"This was an extremely tough loss. You always want to get off on the right foot. When you look at the game, we played horribly for most of it. To battle through most of those things, have Kyle come in for Steve (McNair), and multiple guys go down in a long, hot game, it's just frustrating to not capitalize. The fact that we fought back says a lot about our team. I think we can build off of it, but it hurts right now."

Q: How stunned were you when they called pass interference on you in the end zone?
"I was stunned. It's tough to have a call like that in that situation. I'm not calling the game — they (the officials) are — and you have to go with what they call."

Q: Did you have a chance to make a play on that last pass that was intercepted?
"I really don't even know that I saw it before it hit me. It was a quick play, and it's frustrating we couldn't capitalize."