John Harbaugh: Press Conference (9/22)

Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass Podcast. It is Wednesday, September twenty second, and the Ravens are getting ready to play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at M and T Bank Stadium. Now, a big question for the Ravens right now are all the injuries they have going into this game. They have several players who mispracticed the entire week and

Good seeing everybody, appreciate everybody being here.

Good practice, Guys are focused, and we're all pointed towards Sunday.

What questions you have, John?

Uh? With Gus?

How is he looked down? I mean it's a couple of years now removed from that. How does he looked Okay, I think he looks the same or better than he did before.

You know, just to my eye, he looks really good and he's Uh, I'm sure glad he's on our team.

Thought he ran well last week.

John, he talked.

About the challenges in two quarterbacks and now it's been that candy interestin's when we went out, So explaining a little bit more about getting the sea for Gardermnshee and sand the.

Task exact Well, you know, Garder Minshew is obviously proven he can he can win in this league. You know, he's he's played very well many times we played him here when he's with Jacksonville here or there wherever it was, and uh and uh, you know he's a challenging quarterback and he also in that system. I think he's really established himself with coach Stike in there in Philly in terms of running that system. Well, he did it for a long stretch last year. So we've watched a lot

You know, there was a rep during Special Teams stills today where the guy's spun around before they've covered the pickup.

Final question.

I think that's a I think that's basically a Friday rep. It's more of a Friday round. Call it a Friday round.

Now if we see it on Sunday, they better cover the kick.

Did you do anything you prepare the conventional wet weather, I know, the pass you don't go dip balls and water buffets or anything. And do you have to do any of that this week?

We did?

You know.

I talked to the quarterbacks and they had a plan for that. Un tea, they had a plan for that. So they feel like we're ready to go with the ball handling, and that's probably going to be the case. Kind of takes you back to the San Francisco game a few years ago, very similar type circumstances.

I've seen a lot of the data guys say that it's actually not really the win that makes.

A huge statistical difference, but it's I mean, it's it's the win more than the rand.

Has that been your sort of heracle experience or that's a great question.

I would say the wind has a big factor in it because it just blows the ball around you try to throw the ball. You know, it's a passing league, So I guess I would say, yeah, it makes sense to me. It depends how hard it's raining. Now you go back to the New England game, at New England. That game, remember that game?

Who was there? Raise your hand? Okay, that was the Nick Boyle?

Was it the Nick Boyle game? That was a torrential monsoon? Right, So I would say in that game it was the rain. Yeah, yeah, I saw the ball on the ground a lot.

I remember that seeing that. That was not good.

Do you guys have had obviously you shared an interviewing more than any other team in the league. It doesn't last, I remembers, correct, so far of the season. At what point does that become a concern.

Well, it becomes a concern if they're if they're going to be season ending injuries. You know, I think those are the ones that you really, you really, you know, hope to avoid and you.

Pray to avoid.

And we we've had two of those, you know, we've had JK and possibly our Darius. Now that's not set in stone yet. The rest of the guys are are a few weeks a week, two weeks.

You know.

We we thought we might have a couple of guys back this week. They'll be working for next week, you know. So they're right in that range. So that's the good news. So I feel good about and I feel good about the guys who are going to get an opportunity to play this week. They're they're excited. Jeremiah Moon comes to mind, you know, and there's a guy that that uh is gonna get out there and play some football, you know, and I can't wait to see it.

You didn't ask you about Merlin for a couple of weeks.

Did his recovery end up being trickier than expected?

Or has it basically been on the time whine you plough or you know basically yes, basically yes, it's been.

It's been within the range. So those things are you know, you can't say exactly to the day. He's in the he's in the neighborhood.

Good Sunday Raven celebrating Hispanic heat this month, there a lot of people coming from Mexico, Costa Rica.

Is there a message that you have with the international in the defense?

That's great, that's exciting.

Uh coincides with my birthday coming up, you know, just a little little side note. I don't know why I brought that up.

Yeah, yeah, that's good. So we're working together.

Uh, the the international part of it, and I would say specifically, uh, the Hispanic part of it. I mean I think that that that fan base group, if you want.

To call it that, to me is football fans. I think to me the group is football fans, you know.

And to uh, to see the passion that people have for football, not just in the in the in the States, but you know, all over the world is really just really something that as a foot as a football coach, a long time football guy, just really kind of just makes your heart swell because because it's a great game, you know, and to see people who are Ravens fans especially, and you care about the Ravens and talk about the Ravens and have their families get together and just like

To see all the fans coming up for this game, I mean, that's gonna.

Be exciting for us and and we're really it just makes you, like I said, it makes your heart swell.

It looks like the Colts defense of a lot of different ways of the pressure and quarterback you with interior line man and out just even on the poor their quarterbacks that get Taymore has a lot of crutchers or actual years just thing to talk about the challenges of uh, protecting are I guess.

Well, yeah, it starts and you're right, it starts inside out. It starts with the two tackles, okay, so you've got to block them, and then they work their way out to the two ends. They'll bring their linebackers, you know, both those guys they bring, you know, bring the nickel kennymore or if he's playing corner, they'll bring them. So the safety will come, the free safety will come plenty of times. So, uh, it's inside out, and everyone of those guys is a really good rusher. So yes, that

And if we don't do it, you know, we've got to do a good job with that, and we will.

We will.

That was head coach John Harbaugh. So it's gonna be a tough test for the Ravens as the Colts come to town. And like you mentioned, the Ravens are dealing with a handful of injuries, so they've got their work