HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Baltimore's performance Sunday) * *
"I watched it at home. I had a chance to look at it and look at it closely. Certainly, very impressed with the way the Ravens played. They played tough, they were sound, they had a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and they really controlled the line of scrimmage."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he focuses more on what Baltimore has done lately or on the game the two teams played earlier this season)
"Teams change quite a bit. That was seven weeks ago, somewhere around that area, when we played them. Obviously, there is an opportunity there for everyone to get better. I think in this particular case, that without question, they have. They did a great job yesterday demonstrating that."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how both teams are different from the earlier meeting)
"I think when you look at it, overall, I'm not certain that there is a huge difference, it's just better, I think. I think they're running the ball better than they ever have. I think their defense is certainly playing that smothering style that they typically do, and playing it at even a higher level. I think their kicking game is good and solid. Obviously, for us, it's one of those things where week-in and week-out we had an opportunity, and we kept getting better. You have to judge it a little bit by what we did last week. Our practices were spirited, our practices were fast and our execution was good. I think in both bases you're going to find both teams have made tremendous strides since seven weeks ago when we played."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Baltimore's defense)
"They've created turnovers, and they're an opportunistic team, but they force them. I think they're a team that will take some chances. They'll gamble. They have guys that are instinctive. They have a lot of instinctive guys on that side of the ball. LB-Ray Lewis is maybe one of the most instinctive players that you'll ever see, and obviously S-Ed Reed has a great feel for the game, but then also, has tremendous ball skills. Those guys end up getting their hands on the ball quite a bit. Now, (S-Dawan) Landry has gotten in the act and followed through. You couple that with an outstanding pass rush, and you really have your hands full. (DT-Haloti) Ngata handles the middle for them very well. Overall, that defense can be smothering."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if K-Adam Vinatieri can do anything this week to get to play Sunday)
"Just like we stated last week, this is kind of the way it is and that's how we finished it. Our point was that (K-Matt) Stover was going to be kicking for us and that's it, unless there is some injury or something of that nature that may occur."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on OLB-Terrell Suggs playing in this game after missing the regular season matchup)
"I think you can see his presence yesterday. He is a guy that can still get up the field and rush the passer. He not only can rush the edge, but he also can come inside and power rush you, as well. He's a real force. He has a unique blend of power and speed that makes him very difficult to handle."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Baltimore's offense)
"The big thing is when you look at them, in terms of how well they run the ball, a lot of it has to do, obviously, with the two great backs that they have. RB-Ray Rice is a guy that has tremendous balance, he has tremendous power, and the thing, oftentimes, you'd find that maybe a guy with that combination might not have long speed, but he has long speed, as well. So, he has the entire package, plus he can catch the ball, screens, out of the backfield on swing passes, things where you get him out there in space, and he can do some damage. He's very capable. RB-Willis McGahee, obviously, is a guy that can run the ball, also. He has real fine vision, is a good power runner, as well, but also has good speed. You couple those two backs with a very talented offensive line, they load up on you, they do a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage, they create holes in your scheme, and those backs are skilled enough to find it and do some damage."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the matchup between a great defense and a great offense)
"There are so many factors that go into it, but I think when you look at the key factors, and the key factors are obviously penalties (and) turnovers. Those are the big things. I think oftentimes those skew a game quite a bit. We have to make certain that we do the things we do well and have been doing well, and that's minimizing the number of turnovers that we have, but then also, our penalties, as well, and executing properly."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on playoff games sometimes being more lost than won and turnovers being one of the main causes of that)
"I think so. I think that's kind of the way it is really when you look at the entire year. Typically, that indeed does happen, but more so even in the playoffs, because I think those things are accentuated quite a bit. I think if you look at the couple of games we saw this weekend, those turnovers were huge, and if you can just make certain that you don't beat yourself, obviously your chances are going to be pretty good."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on not sacking Baltimore QB-Joe Flacco in the first meeting this season)
"They do a good job all around. They are a good football team. So, we may need to be a little bit creative with some things, but we'll do what we normally do. I do believe that we have the ability to rush the passer. But the big thing is, you better be able to stop their running game, or there won't be a need to throw any passes, because they run it so well they can really limit your ability to rush the passer because they aren't going to throw it often, because they don't have to."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the Colts winning the last seven games against Baltimore)
"Everything that has happened previously you can throw out the window. Those records don't matter. The regular season doesn't matter. What does matter is what happens from here on, and we know that we're facing a real solid team. Our focus has to be keen. We have to have a focus where it's one team, one focus and one goal. Obviously, I think all of us, our fans included, are invested in that. We have to make certain that we focus in on this particular game, because what happened in the past doesn't matter."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the team's injury situation)
"Coming out of our three practices that we had last week, we feel really good about where we are. I think guys that were supposed to come back this week are trending positively, it's moving in that direction. We feel really good about it. Some of them are still day-to-day, but I do feel we are in much better shape than we were a week ago."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on QB-Peyton Manning being named MVP)
"What an honor. This is a league that is so highly competitive, so many great players, and for a guy to be able to perform as well as he has performed, year-in and year-out, and receive that award, that recognition, four times is quite an accomplishment, particularly when you look at the great years he's had prior to this one. Some of those years you'd look at it and say those would be tough to surpass, but yet, he finds a way to do it every year. The great thing about it is, it's great to see a guy who works so hard, who is dedicated, who is a true professional, get that kind of recognition. The great thing, also, is the fact, that today, even right now, he's trying to get better at this moment, looking at our opponent, making certain that he knows all the ins-and-outs about them, trying to find a way to get an edge."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he is coaching the best quarterback the game has ever seen)
"(Quarterbacks Coach) Frank Reich is coaching a great one. I'm not certain if you can say the best he's ever seen, but obviously, I think there will be an argument when his days are over. Hopefully, that's about 15 years from now. We may be able to talk about him in that sense."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on defenses picking up audibles and calls from television sound)
"It's really not anything that is new. I do think that everybody uses that tool. Every tool that's available to us, we try to utilize. Obviously, there is no question that we know that everyone kind of listens to what is happening at the line of scrimmage to see if they can get some type of tip on what play may be run. That's also why you must have a little flexibility within your scheme, as well. Hopefully, you can counteract some of those."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how often the team changes up its audible calls)
"Quite often."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if it is like learning a new language every week with all the different calls)
"We have so many options that it's not like relearning for anyone of us. We put them in with a lot of variations, so it just depends on which one we pick for this particular game."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the Rooney Rule)
"From what I understand, everyone has complied. They have complied with the rules, the way they were setup. I certainly think that's why they were put in place. I certainly benefitted from those opportunities to interview, six different times. The guys, I think, are doing a fine job, (Chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance that oversees the Rooney Rule) John Wooten and (Executive Director of Fritz Pollard Alliance) Harry Carson and the rest of the group, of kind of monitoring what is going on. The league office is doing a great job of monitoring and putting some teeth behind it. As long as the opportunities are there to interview, I think it's accomplishing what it wants to accomplish."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if they had started on a New York Jets game plan)
"We started one on all three, Cincinnati, the Jets and Baltimore. We didn't know exactly who we were going to play. We had an entire week, so we kind of picked a different day to really focus in on a team, and once you realized Cincinnati was out, we narrowed the focus. Some of us ran back in here again and tried to narrow it a little bit more, and once the afternoon game was over with and Baltimore was up, then we came back in again at night and tried to crystallize our focus. We had to narrow it down as the weekend went on."
