Ravens vs. Browns Week 18 Postgame Press Conferences

Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass Podcast. The Ravens are AFC North champs. They took down the Cleveland Browns thirty five to ten Saturday at M and T Banks Stadium. The Ravens have now won the division for two years in a row and they will be hosting a playoff matchup next weekend in Baltimore for the wild Card Weekend. The Ravens had contributions from several guys on both sides of the ball, and after the game we heard from head coach John Harball.

Everybody in here appreciate you guys.

Very very exciting, very very big, very big deal to win the AFC North, to win the AFC North against the Browns, and Browns are a tough football team and they're out there competing and fighting like they always do. Have much respect for those guys, So I'm proud of our guys. I'm excited for our guys. It's a great accomplishment. We had said in the locker room after the Chiefs game out in Kansas City, we were gonna we were going to fight, and everything was going to be for

All right, what question do you have, John.

How do you like, I think it was four weeks ago you trailed the Steelers by like the beat, you know, how press is it to go from that point?

Now?

So a score champion?

Yeah, it's awesome, It's it's a it's an awesome thing.

And you know, we you know, it's a week to week league, you know, and you really just have to take it one one week at a time, one day at a time, one player at a time.

You know, our guys have done a really good job of holding on to that.

That one to O T shirt that we that we all wear around is real. And uh so four wins later, you know, we're we're the a FC Nord champions.

Now.

That's that's gonna be exciting and we're gonna enjoy it tonight and we're gonna watch games tomorrow and see who we play. But we're moving into what we've been working for because last year, when we were in the locker room after after the AFC Championship game, we knew we had a long road to go to get back to this very point. You get back in the playoffs with an opportunity to, uh to take the next step, and we're not there yet, you know, we've still got we

I'm trying to have an update on Z eight Flowers.

I don't have an update. It's not it's not.

It's something that he has a chance to be okay with. But we'll probably have more details after an MRI tomorrow morning.

John off c. The expectations are very high when you brought Derek Henriham to put them with Lamar.

But the numbers they put up were pretty historic. Did they meet your expectations, exceed them?

Where did that fall?

You know, it's a great question. The numbers really weren't part of the conversation. I think we were just excited about what we had a chance to build, because we try to build all of our offense like our defense too. You got Kyle Van Noys sitting right here, said, how what's the best way we can we can utilize this

John, I mean, Nate Wiggins obviously had the huge play to get you guys started. I mean, was that a nice play to highlight how important he's really come to you guys over the.

Second half of the season.

Probably, So yeah, he's really been a He's a big part of what we're doing, and he's established himself as a starter.

I think he's playing great ball.

He had a couple other ones in his hands, and he was frustrated with earlier in the season.

So we've been on him a little bit.

Everybody you know, talking about getting that first pick and did get it and take it back to the house.

That's It's a nice way to start.

Plan to rotate at guard or is it? Patrick was just didn't practice luck he was sick and.

He I'm to Patrick, like wanted to go. He insistent on going, but he just he just he did a good job of fighting through that, but he was really sick. Justice Hill had the same kind of thing, and you know, you see, he wasn't able to be up for the game, but patri Ron wanted to go. I just just we just felt like I felt like he just wasn't at full strength.

He tried and uh and uh. I basically just made the.

Decision to let those other guys play who were full strength. So Pat pat Pat's he's all hard man, He's all hard, He's tough as nails, and he'll be fine, ready to go next week.

John, does Michael Pierce have a green light to go to the HO?

I was I was saying, go, go go, but Mike said that we had a meeting and we talked about, you know, get down victory.

You know, it's a situation that we talk about. So he's a smart football player. Right there.

I'm telling you, man, the most amazing play in the NFL history right there.

How would you describe this light?

Yeah, a little awkward.

I mean I saw his like one leg flail out.

Lamar cap season where you know, over four thousand yards for player, over four hard down in the yards off passing, over nine hundred yards rushing and he's just helped out the season.

Lamar has had very.

Concern right, I mean and seventy two yards passing forty one touchdown passes. How many exceptions four? Okay, I mean that's pretty unbelievable. Over nine hundred yards rushing twenty thousand passing yards for his career right now, I mean, you know, it's almost like, you know, say less, you know what else?

What else needs to be said?

And not just that. Dude's a competitor. Man, he's a fighter, he's our he's he's he's just he's just.

One of a kind. It's nobody like Lamar Jackson.

I mean, he's in the locker room and he's not happy about the last drive and we didn't handle it great and we had some personnel challenges and all that stuff, and he wants everything to be perfect everything. That's that's why these numbers are the way they are because of who he is.

John.

How valuable is it to be ending the regular season on the floor yet winning street now going to.

The postseason knowing you're posting a first round game.

I think it's valuable, and I think it's it's it's a good thing. But we're I think if you talk to our guys, they would tell you that we can be so much better. We can play so much better. We weren't very clean in this game, with too many penalties. We uh we operationally we weren't probably as great as we wanted to be. Mentioned that the two minute drive that Lamar you know, was one wants to be perfect on and uh so we can be so much better.

But but we're playing good football.

We just got to keep keep keep getting you to getting better' getting worse.

We need to keep getting better.

Uh you got a first place schedule this year, you have a very competitive asy nor how press is it just for this team to have an opportunity to have a hot T shirt game.

I appreciate you mentioning that. You know, we don't talk about that too much. But it was a tough schedule and it was a It was a tough schedule. We played teams when they were at their best quite often, you know, and they're coming off they were, they were, they were on a role when we played them. And I thought our guys hand letting you know, you get forged, you get tough, and you know when you come from iron, you know, then you become iron, and I think our guys have done that.

Let's see where it takes us two more.

Job, how much of the league. You know, you can only play the team that you face.

But the level competition, especially for your defense, the offensive that will wait in the AFC here to which you guys have faced at the end of this year.

I mean, just the kind of level of competition that this defense is going to have to face it, you know, once you get to the playoffs.

Yeah, I mean the same level competition that we've been playing against. And we played all the teams in the playoffs, you know, when we played them all when they were playing really well. But they've been getting better as well, so we understand. I mean, it just it just gets better. It gets tougher, but so do we, you know, and that's our job.

Our job.

The guys are saying it in the locker room, you know, we need to get to work Monday, you know, and let's uh, let's get ready to go.

We gotta be at our best.

Oh good, thanks, Except he heard from quarterback Lamar Jackson.

What's it feel with that?

HEFC more champions point to. Uh, it feels good. You know, had a T shirt game.

Uh.

I always go back to my rookie, my rookie season. We have Matt Wiss as the coach. He used to say that you have ta had a T shirt game, and that's pretty much always stick with me. So it's great to have this again.

M as kick in and.

Coach Rouble, we're talking about just the journey to get to this point. How proud are you of this? He was able to win this division given just the challenges of the year, get to get back to this point.

I'm very proud of our team. Uh, pick it back off what v said, you know, Uh, starting off on to just looking at how how things was happening with us, you know, just battling the adversity people just doubting us, and just this turnaround we had, you know, win the games here and there and in the division, this division.

It's very tough.

Uh.

We got some of the best defensive players you know in the league in our division. Then we wanna m matching up against them twice a year. Really, so i'm'a say six times, cause like I said, defense on all the teams, we play good defenders on all the teams we play.

But I'm I'm very proud of my team.

Man.

We we battle and we got the job done. But job is undone, you know what I mean?

Personal accomplishments that you've done this season mean to you if it if anything, the four thousand yards, the forty touchdowns, eight hundred yards rushing, what does that mean to you in relation to the team itself too?

Uh, that's all my teammates, you know, included with that. That's just not me, you know, cause when we practicing, you know what, I'm trying to get better. We got the look team giving us great looks. Those guys helping us out a lot, got my tight ends doing what they doing running backs, offensive line, receivers.

That's all the way. That's all the way, a team effort. You know, that's just not me. I do what I supposed to do.

Mar how much did your part kind of sync when you saw a Za down on the field and then and then helps off. I mean it sounds like the news isn't as bad as it as it could be.

But yeah, I I was hurt, you know I was hurt.

But yeah, when when we gonna see what happened, you know, come tomorrow, whenever we gotta do it, uh extra or whatever, amorra.

I'm mark come back to beginning of the season zero and two, and and even when you guys start winning games. After that, there was some frustration and and so forth that you talked about along the way. How do you describe describe where you guys are at now versus back then, just in terms of confidence, communication, all those sorts of things.

We far ahead of We we far ahead than we was back then or or to start.

But just today, you know, I'm like I was, I was getting ticked off out there because I'm I'm feeling.

Like it was drives. We didn't finish.

We driving the ball, moving the ball, we getting a great field position from special team and defense, and we not completing completing the drive. But it happened sometime in division games, but we not tryna let that happen go into the playoffs. So it it's still room for improvement. But I feel like we st we take a steps in the right We take a step in the right direction.

Mark Bamarty, I mean, obviously you have bigger goals to buy, and so do you is this a day to to celebrate?

You can't. Can't You said jobs done, but it's a kind of undone. So do you get to celebrate this or do you sue you focused more on just to pick a vision.

Yeah, I'm a focused on a wild card game. I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm c I'm cool.

What's going on today? You know, I'm cool, don't get me wrong, but like my mind on something else.

Did you more or did you get a chance to talk to Zay post came in? Just what has he been to this offense? His presence in general?

Nah, I didn't get I really didn't get to talk to me.

No coach at he was talking to uh all of us, you know, and I might just say had some brief to him, but then I had to come in here, so I didn't really get to sweet to him. I would h ma, mart Baveman has been stepping up all year, but said to see him step up today, would say going down.

I'm not surprised.

I guess I'm not surprised. You know, I've been seeing what Bait was capable of doing, and we just got a glimpse of it, you know. But I'm not feeling too this morning. You know, we we got we got things to do, you know, we got things to do. I already know what type of player he was. We all knew, you know, we see him every day. Uh, you got something to do. We got we got things to finish, all right, Thanks Mark, Yeah.

Appreciate you guys.

We also heard from veteran outside linebacker Kyle van Noy, who notched another sack to finish with twelve and a half on the season. He's a leader of this defense that he talked about the play of this unit and their success, especially over the course of the last six weeks of the regular season.

Well, what did the paint for the team to get?

Yeah, like the whole games ago, you're a femily with sealer back up the games in your division now your Soli ring beings.

What did it take for the team to go from that point for champions.

Took a lot.

You know, I think back to even before everything we've gone through so much as a team. I just want to take the time of just to shout out Joe d and his family. You know, yeah, I got chilled saying that because Joe D's with us, did Tobie Jones his family? We know they're they're with us, and we're just so grateful to put on a proud display of football for him and go through what we've gone through as a group, whether it's you know, car accidents, injuries

Kyle, the trajectory of this defense this season, from the start of the season to now, and how you performed, especially since the bye week.

How of you as a leader of the unit seeing the improvement slowly as we've been filling towards the postseason.

No, you guys are with some good questions already. I think honestly, we just had to take it upon ourselves as players. We felt like coaches were doing enough, and as players we needed to step up individually and take ownership and really just battle it out. You know, you had high expectations coming off of, you know, a season like we did the year before, the expectations to do that right again with kind of the changes that we

What did you think of Michael Pierce's or ship Man?

I felt my knees hurt after watching. We got work on that slide a little bit. But honestly, just I mean, you see the team, the love that we got for each other. The whole team cleared the bench to celebrate MP. I mean his situation this year, battling an injury and then to get back and to be ready and you know, just be MP the leader that he's been, the quiet,

Now fulfilling was it for you from on top of the season that you hit the financial incentior today?

Yeah, I mean it's always awesome. But for me, I'm always worried about to win. I'm a winner. Our teams were full of winners and that's all we're worried about is winners or excuse me, winning the game.

But it's nice to put it in my pocket. Definitely always joined you in the yeah club. Just what have you seen from him this year?

Super proud of him. A lot of high expectations for him coming in as a first rounder. You know, has battled some injuries early in his career, but just his work ethic to keep going, his belief in hisself. I'm just super proud of him. I think, you know, something that we want to do is have double digits. I think it's the first time since Dumerville and Suggs to do that. Was one of our goals together that we had and it's awesome to accomplish that together.

You touched on us, You touched on this a little bit, I think already. But has it felt in a way like an eleven months journey from that disappointment at the end of last year too, You're back to having the opportunity again.

Yeah, what was your question on that?

Just?

I mean, does it.

Feel like a complete story? I mean, just one de relate to the other.

I mean, have you guys been thinking about getting to this point?

I mean since we would all be lying. And if we said we haven't been thinking about I think. You know, me and coach Harbaugh had a conversation earlier and I told him I didn't leave my house for a week after that, and just that mindset. You know, as you get closer in my career, you're closer to the end, and those chances you don't want them to slip. And it's all I've thought about all off season training we as a group during training camp, it's been everybody on

In the locker room. We also heard from several guys, tight end Mark Andrews.

Or to be healthy and to be able to contribute at your's normal level going. Just feeling incredibly grateful and blessed. How think you put it? You know, that's that's great.

Same as you know, I wasn't here last year at this time, and so I feel great to be able to contribute and help the Steed win games individually.

Can you can you think of the better stretch of games that you've had, I mean, it wasn't six straight the touchdown.

Yeah, I could think of a few, but yeah, yeah, no, just just like I said, I'm just trying to help this team win games, be there for the quarterback, make plays and help advance the ball score whatever it is, block, it's it's all those things that I'm trying to do and just fit fitting into my piece and play my.

Part this offense, whether it's personal accolades, people got our team, franchise and in the NFL a lot of brankers haven't happened with this offense.

Has that even exceeded maybe yourtifications of what you thought going in the week one with this group?

Yeah, yeah, I think that. You know, those type of things come with a great team. You you have a great team, great grand guys around you, You're able to excel those expectations, and obviously coaching and players and all that plays a part, and very happy for the guys that are doing that and and and stepping up and making this thing go market.

You know, along the same lines.

If someone had told us all his kids that somebody was gonna have a stat line like the margin this year, would have said, you were lying, and you're crazy, right, I mean, just put in perspective.

What it's like to have watched him have a.

Season just truly incredible. I say it week after week. It's just he brings it week after week, every game, just as will, and a fight to win games and to be on point and just to be him, to be Lamar, but to even.

Elevate that and trying to elevate that week after week. He's trying to be.

He's perfectionist, he wants to be perfect, and it's so awesome incredible to.

Play with the guy like that.

Is its Historically, I think we're efficient. I think we're able to do a lot of different things. I think it's physical. I think we're able to, you know, throw the ball downfield, and obviously we got eight for twenty two. All of us around then just needed to help out once you.

Get to the playoffs and we've been there and the playoffs, what do you kind of think his mind to.

Say from the league entering.

Into those locked in?

Completely locked in?

And Mark, how do you think the ups and downs of the season, Where would.

You guys go into the pinks? I think we've been through it.

There's been some roller coasters, have been some adversity, and you know, for us, it's just being level headed, you know, to know the type of team that we are, and I think right now it's it's it's it's great. You know, I think all sides are clicking, you know, offense, defense, special teams and when you can play complete football.

That's what it is this time of year. What do you think it was the biggest lessons team? The last season ended and you don't know who you were playing at as far as you're pass to the Super Bowl, But how can you take that into the post season this year?

I think for us it's just just dialing and we have five weeks, just five weeks for the rest of your life. Just take advantage of that and understand what it is and just focus. All that matters is this team, this organization, this group of men, We.

Also heard from outside linebacker a da fa O Way he came up with his tenth sack of the season, joined the double digit club for the first time of his career, and he talked about the significance of that accomplishment.

Okay, ten sacks on the season, del digits, Just how much does that mean to you?

It means a lot, So most sacks I got in my life. I started playing late junior year in high school, So I know it's ten to y'all, but it's like it's a milestone of me. So yeah, it feels good.

Calvin no I mentioned that this was a goal for you and him to both get double digit sacks, to kind of get after the last time that happened for the Raven's history. Just you were one away from being able to eclipse that. Just did you feel pressure to get onto that and what did it mean when you finally did get.

That ten sack?

I mean, I felt like I could have gotten a lot, I like a few games before or that, So I did feel a little pressure. But you know, I feel like I've been having that pressure since I got in the league. So I found a better ways of, you know, trying to comport it and you know, transform into how I play. So I just use it as you know, come on, but pressing on you, I get it.

So it wasn't really pressure. They just given her this This season started. Now you guys are AFC North Champs. Just what is that feeling? Just the roller coaster the season to be where you are now in the position to host a.

Home game, it feels good. Just everything we said it was going to happen off season, all the people we had to prove, you know, right, or prove prove wrong. We proved ourselves right. It feels good. You know, I feel like this want to feels a little better than last year just because of you know, all the doubt and you know, trying to do something again. It's a little bit harder that way. New new people in crucial

And you know, right right right the ship, how much deference is the defense playing with right now?

I mean back to back weeks. You guys get picked sixes.

You know, you and Kyle double digit sacks, Michael Pierce wan with an interception.

How much confidence is the defense?

A lot? I feel like Houston was a good good like you don't start to what the defense really could be. But I feel like each time we have a good game, it's just like letting us know what we can be, and it's like a different form of like dominant. So like this game was great, we got someone like four hundred pounds get an interception. Like there's levels to this defense,

When you hit a milestone like double sacks, do you think about the path through to get to this point and all that you got through?

Yeah, I think about all that, But it's like I told them, it's like that's what fused you to keep going. Obviously, when you have games where you don't get sacked, stretches where you don't get sacked, and you know you hear everything and you know can't doubt yourself, You'll just keep on leaning back on what got you here. The work and then that driving passion. You know, they want to see you stop, they want to see lou So don't do that, you know. So I feel like that's what

So definitely there were times earlier in the year where the offensive cars since we love you guys, best defense in the NFL, and the ways.

Turning around associated.

I feel like, like I said, we knew who we were in the beginning. It's just that certain things we weren't doing in terms of, you know, playing the defense the right way. It's a new it was a new team, so we were trying to do things like we did last year. I feel like I said, it's testament to the players on the team and zo to step back and like rearrange things and like, you know, go back to work, don't blame anyone. And we found a way to do it.

And that's that's the ingredients of a good team. Nothing how value was And to be able to play at home, that's big.

I don't like to play anywhere else but home, you know, to be honest. So that's real big, and it's see the Charger that still is right. So both both teams that we've beaten before, we'll have the home crowd behind us.

So that's a good situation for us. Every year of the expectation of Baltimore is double digit wins cloud appearance. Do you ever take it for granted that you guys are we find yourself back?

I mean a guy like me that's that got drafted here, I might because I haven't seen anything else since I've been here. I guess the first year, second year, we're a little bit streaky, but it's just been dominant consistency, discipline. That's you know, it's the Ravens. So for me, yeah, I might, but I really I tried really not to because I have vets and guys that have come from other teams that know, like, this is not easy to do.

So yeah, app sire.

We also heard from running back Derrick Henry. He finished with more than one hundred yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns for his birthday. He certainly was excited about winning the division and coming up with another big game in the process.

Yeah.

This plus, man, it's been about three years since I've ever been able to do this. Love his team, love his organization, great coast to be able to have this moment. And yeah, fun your fantage point on Michael Pierce? Your vantage point of Michael Pierce?

What did you see it?

Then? Oh?

Man, like up here he's got light feet many now he couldn't move.

He ended up getting this this first.

Pick in his career, which is so cool for him.

Man, he works hard.

He definitely desertly happened more.

That's very I under saying two touchdowns on your birthday?

How do you feel about that?

Yeah, God is good.

Thankful for my teammates, coaches, for me to have success, and yeah, man, just just grateful. I'm thirty one, so let they make them come around to alten. You know, the the clock is ticket, but we're definitely grateful and thank you.

Rat second, then.

We're sixty parents eight yards Massinison.

But thirty years, I think we just got in the rhythm. You know, we started off slow a little bit as an offense. We just had to get things going and we're calling goodell and then.

Dereck, you mentioned that it's been three years, has been in the playoffs, and uh, these opportunities, how do.

You kind of take the urgency at these moments?

Yeah, you know, definitely grateful to be able to have opportunities to get in the playoffs. Like you said, it's been three years. The reason why I came here to have off the opportunities that.

We know in that thing, you know, we gotta do.

You know, we got to lock in and you know, prepare right and get ready for this week down of the bye.

Week for wings, for this team, how much has the mind set shifted or what's ahead of you in the playoffs since that, by way.

Let's just credit everybody in this whole organization just just locking in. Don't know what we need to do to give ourselves a chance of going into the playoffs the right way, and like everybody did a great.

Job doing that.

Starting.

But yeah, definitely before you know, that's what you know, that's what you want going to the playoffs at home home playoff game in front of the home crowd, out the momentium your side.

That's gonna be big for us and whatever. We would really do that sign here you get the fields.

So what it what it would feel like to be a part of this team and to accomplish these goals. Now that you guys to the one game north, I know you guys, you're not finished, but kind of how does this home field right now with the woman.

Everybody you guys area, So I'm grateful. I love it. This is why I came here.

You got the first the goals done is winner division, but it's still a much more route we need to accomplish. Enjoyed this one and then get ready to.

Playoff and then last but not least, we also heard from Michael Pierce. He came up with an interception late in this game to put the nail on the coffin as the Ravens won this one. You don't see defensive tackles come up with too many interceptions, so it was a big moment for Mike and the team definitely enjoyed it. Here's what he had to say after the.

Game, congratua, thank you, thank you, thank you, and how could have started to this game?

Too talented?

This was impress with the way you finished, say a time, this was I pressed with the way you guys finished stop.

Yeah, no, man, We've had a lot of trouble finishing games and do all that stuff throughout the years, not only this season. So for us to just come out finish the season the way we want to, more importantly going to the playoffs.

Right whereas defense came together, offense really came together, new second and talking about both sides really putting it together a new.

Seconds complimentary football. So, like the coach says, everybody preaches the simple football going into January and then you know, hopefully rolling into the again of February, ain't complimented football, defense, off and special teams. Everything coming together is what's most important. So for us to do that, you know today, like I said, hopefully that continues to roll over next week, the next week, the next week. So now I'm proud

It's your first career in I want to try six.

So there's a long history of turning big guy interceptions and fumble and all that stuff, and the means so at the risk of ruining a career.

Play like that for myself, it's time to go home.

So which us was out of gas?

We're good.

It's not the first interception that you ever had.

Yes, first for a couple a couple of fumbles, but first time catching this, like, like ever win.

What that means?

It means everything.

Man, it's a year nine, Like I had an injury this year, so just trying to find my way back from my rhythm and all that stuff.

It's kind of tough.

But uh, I had that happen, like God is God is a funny, funny God. So I'm grateful and uh, like I said, I got to call it more important.

Can you describe the emotion shoes that you went through when you caught that ball? Yeah, I'm gonna be honest. I don't want to curse on.

Luck on TV, but oh, gess word. You know what I'm saying, say, oh my god, you really do this football. So no, I got fairly decent hands. I'm glad I called it, and uh like I said, coach Spreech the smart football and like I said, I don't end up on the meme or Instagram, my wife and everybody laughing at me.

So we we did the right thing.

We got down to Kevin moving.

How satisfying is that this team started to go in to defense really put in the work.

Yeah, no, I mean that was really tough to be completely honest, Uh exact question, have us question you know, we brought a lot of people.

I'm sure they questioned the air decision making.

So for us to fight back to uh, you know, have a good run defense, pass defense gotten a lot better.

More important.

That puts us in the chances, you know, to to get to the big one. So now it's it's what you work for.

So we were definitely glad to have everything on the right track and have some momentum one forward.

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