HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (on WR-Derrick Mason being so consistent and sliding under the radar to a certain extent) * *
"I don't think he slides under the radar with defenses and football people around the NFL. I think everybody knows how well he's played for the last 12 years. And probably, at this stage of his career, playing the best he's ever played, really."
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (on Derrick Mason telling QB-Joe Flacco if he wants the ball caught, throw it to him)
"That's what great receivers do, they have that mentality, right? And Joe does have a lot of confidence in Mase (Mason)."
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (on hoping Joe Flacco solidifies things at the position)
"We have high hopes for Joe. We have big plans for the way he progresses as we go forward So, yes."
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (on how it impacts a team going forward when you don't have a QB)
"I think it's pretty well documented how important it is to have a really effective quarterback. You go back to Indianapolis in 1994, 95, 96. I think they had a really good quarterback in place (brother, Jim Harbaugh). He played really well for them. It makes everybody better. It makes the receivers better, it makes the defense better, it makes the special teams better believe it or not. A good quarterback just makes everybody play better and that's the value of it."
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (on when you don't have 'the guy' at QB, are you always searching?)
"It's a fine line in this league to win games, and the fact that he makes your whole team better by virtue of what a quarterback brings to the table and the plays that he can make, it makes everything that much tougher if you don't have that guy."
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (on DE-Robert Mathis)
"I think he, like the rest of the defense basically, it's kind of their style. They're not trying to out-weigh anybody. Basically, they're trying to out-run you. They are fast, aggressive, gang-tackling, they strip the ball really well, a lot of movement, a lot of very active players. It's very clear-cut the type of defense they want to be, and you turn on the tape and you can see it."
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (on Robert Mathis' motor)
"Yes, but it's hard for anybody's motor to stand out on that defense. That defense, every single guy on the defense has a high motor. It's just a high-motor group."
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (on the Colts passing game being a little off and if you see that on tape)
"We see what we've always seen. You see Peyton Manning, you see all of his receivers, you see the tight end, you see the running back, you see the offensive. You just see a very dangerous offense."
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (on if he thinks WR-Marvin Harrison is not quite what he once was)
"I see Harrison out there being as dangerous as he ever was."
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (on his relationship with Cam Cameron)
"Cam and our family really go way, way back. When Cam was a young coach at Michigan, even a graduate assistant coach, he was there when Jim (Harbaugh) was there and he was involved in coaching Jim. And they have been really close ever since, and because of that relationship, he and I got to know each other and got to be friends and colleagues. And then of course the year at Indiana really solidified all of that, and we've been pretty close ever since. And when Cam was with the Chargers, and Jim was out there after he got done playing, they were next-door neighbors for a couple of years. So we would go out there and visit and hang out with the Camerons, Missy and the kids, all the time, so that's always been there. And obviously he did so well at San Diego and then went to Miami and faced some challenges there. The Lord works in mysterious ways. It just worked out, so it seems like this was the best thing for everybody. I just feel blessed and pleased that he's a part of this staff. His input—and not just as an offensive coach, that goes without saying; he's a proven, tremendous offensive coach in this league, and I think as a friend, as a mentor, the experience he brings, both head coaching and assistant coaching—has just been beyond value for us."
* *
* *
* *
LB-RAY LEWIS (on the history with Colts and how he approaches this game)
"I think the same way. I think they know exactly what they're going to get, we know exactly what we're going to get. They're a heck of a football team, and I think we play each other very well. The games always come down one way or another, outside of a couple of lopsided losses due to injuries from our standpoint, but it's really just that we know what we're getting and pretty much they know what they're getting. So it ends up just being a great game."
LB-RAY LEWIS (on one of the best offenses vs. one of best defenses)
"The realistic fact of it is that's always there. You think (about it), Peyton Manning and his offense are always doing what they're doing, and me and my defense area always doing what we're doing. We just go at it. It's kind of like a chess match, playing, disguising this, disguising that, making sure you're in this position, making sure you're in that position, he's getting his troops right and I'm getting my troops right. I think it's one of the most intriguing matchups just from a brain standpoint that we can really get after each other mentally as well."
LB-RAY LEWIS (on what makes his defense so good year after year)
"I just think once you have your core set, and I've been here now 13 years, and you kind of establish a certain type of mentality, no matter who it is, no matters who's coming in and playing. One thing I try to tell people, honestly, football never changes. Football never changes, so don't complicate football. When you come in there's a certain standard that you have to uphold, so if there's anything that keeps our defense playing at a very high level, I just think it's the standard, bottom line."
LB-RAY LEWIS (on being among the top defenses since he's been there and if it's frustrating not having a top offense to go with it)
"Yes, it's kind of the same thing, and I'll use the analogy how when I was in the league for years and I knew how good Peyton Manning and his offense was but the defensive side of the ball couldn't catch up with them no matter how many points they scored. We kind of look at ourselves the exact same way just from the defensive side of the ball. You just have to keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing until you do get that balance that everybody looks for offensively and defensively where you can go and play a 60-minute ballgame and don't have a handicap on one side of the ball. So the bottom line is you just have to keep pushing through it no matter what it is and when it does turn, it does turn."
LB-RAY LEWIS (on the Ravens having 15 different starting QBs since Manning became the starter in Indy)
"The thing for me is do you honestly get caught up in all that or do you just come back in and do what you can do with your side of the ball? And that's the way we've always dealt with it. We walk into it as a team, we win as a team, we lose as a team. The bottom line is defensively, our goal is every time we step out on the field, we have an opportunity to make a play. Does it get frustrating? It always gets frustrating if you have a handicap of any sort on your team. But I think just like any great team, no matter who it is, when you have to find a way to win, you just have to find a way to win. You just have to block all that stuff out."
LB-RAY LEWIS (on if he talks to QB-Peyton Manning at the line of scrimmage)
"I do, I do, I mess around. I just mess with him a lot of times. Like I said, it's the ultimate chess match. So when he walks up there, I might just say something, 'Alright, now, you better hurry up with that play clock going.' Something like that, or just something real simple. But it's not anything like over-drawn out where I have a conversation with him. I'm really most of the time trying to listen to the little checks, what dummy calls are real, what are not real, things like that. So that's kind of what I'll be up there for."
LB-RAY LEWIS (on if he has figured out what are dummy calls and what aren't)
"I've got a nice beat on it. I won't give it all away. I've got a nice beat on just how to play against him and how to get my people in position. That's why I think the games are so good, because at the end it just comes down to them making a play or us making a play, bottom line, not really scheming where you trick somebody. It just comes down to whoever just makes the play."
LB-RAY LEWIS (on Head Coach John Harbaugh)
"Harbaugh's a very energetic guy. He's very personable with his players. That by itself wins dramatically over anything. He's just that type of guy. You come in to work, you put your work in on the practice field, you and him will be the best of friends, the best working partners you can have in a relationship. That's kind of what you appreciate in John."
