HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK
(opening statement)
What a difference a week makes, huh? Excited, I knew it would be special because we were home for the first time. I knew these guys are excited about playing here. A lot of them had not. We knew it was a great opponent.
We weren't happy how the way things went last week. We were very frustrated over all our performance last week, we all were. As coaches, as (you) usual you say we thought we had a really good week of practice. I just felt they were locked in and they knew how important this game was coming out. They knew what they were facing. This organization, we have had a history with this team for a lot of years as we all know. I wanted them to appreciate the tradition we have had with them and now that these guys are part of that.
The games we have had over the years, I showed some clips of that. Obviously, they were excited to play today. The defense did a great job of keeping us in the game early by shutting down that offense that scored so many points last week. I think the confidence built.
The offense kind of, the first couple of series, we had the tipped ball for the interception. We had some penalties that hurt us. We had some drives where key penalties really hurt us. We could have easily kind of folded up like we did last week in the first quarter, I think.
I give a lot of credit to the defense for keeping it alive, then all of a sudden, there we go. You know, we get the 80-yard drive. I think we scored that before halftime. That was a huge confidence builder. Coming out in the second half, we do the same thing. I think that showed you what we are all about. We took it from there. Then it became a complete game. Then all phases we were playing. We were hitting our field goals. We were driving the ball on offense. We were converting on third downs. We were converting on fourth down. The confidence level grew as we went though that game. It was fun to watch the team come together. So, a great outcome for us this weekend
(on if he challenged the team this week)
I think you challenge them all the time. We challenge each other. We expect much more than we saw last week. We knew we played the last 20 minutes of that game. For some reason, it took us until the last 20 minutes to get going. So, I think we were disappointed, all of us were. The coaching staff, the players, we knew we couldn't be 0-2. You can't start a season 0-2. We knew how important, we have been talking about winning at home since the first day I took the job. That 3-5 (at home) wasn't going to cut it anymore. We can't have that. No matter who comes into this building we have to win. We have to find a way to win it. So, we just stressed all those kind of things.
I mean the players came back. It's early in the season. Last week was one game. This is one game. We know that. It's the highs and lows of the season. Obviously, this is a high we enjoy, 1-1. We are back at least where we think we should be. Now, it's just what goes on next week. Enjoy this one, we will, believe me because of who it is. Because of the team that we have had quite a history with that has knocked us out of the playoffs a couple of times. If you are going to get your first win, it is a good team to get your first win against. And hopefully, it helps build confidence in our players in a lot of different areas and kind of carries over into next week and the rest of the season.
(on Kenny Britt matchup)
We all know he (Kenny Britt) is a special guy, a special talent. It just a matter of keeping him healthy and getting him on the field. And obviously, we got him a little action in the last preseason game. We know what he can do out there. The last two weeks he has played very well. We know for us to win, he going to have games like that. Nate (Washington) had a great game. I don't know the last time we had 24 balls caught by the receivers, or 25 whatever we had. Him (Britt) and Nate they had some big-time catches, now.
(on his first win as head coach)
I feel more happy for the players than me. I think for all us coaches, you usually see things that we're heading in the right direction. We're doing the right things. I mean that's what a win gives you that, 'hey you know what? We're doing some good stuff as an organization, as a staff.' You know, Jerry (Gray) and Chris (Palmer) put some good game plans but it's up to the players to execute them. We came into an environment that these guys hadn't had yet. I think the fans weren't quite sure what kind of team we had and I mentioned it last week that I don't even think the Ravens knew what kind of team we were because of what they watched on tape last week. There wasn't much tape to watch, especially the offense. I think today we found out a little bit more about ourselves. A win obviously helps you feel a lot better about a lot of things as far as what you're doing. So for me, it's a good feeling for me knowing that we're doing the right stuff. We're headed in the right direction. It's only one game. We're 1-1, you know, next week is another challenge but it's a great recovery from where we started last week. So that's the good feeling about it as a head coach or a coach in general.
(on issuing fines for the Gatorade bath after the game)
I'll have to see on the tape who actually did it. I can't fine someone unless I can see who actually did it. No one was fessing up. It was very unexpected. If I get one after a win, I hope I get about 10 or 12 more of those this year. I think these guys were excited too. You know it's nice that they're excited for me that we got this first win with me as a new head coach and for this organization because they know I've taught quite a bit about our tradition all year long and these guys are ones that have been in our way for a lot of years. Even though it's a regular season game, it's still a great feeling for us.
(on using Javon Ringer instead of Chris Johnson)
He had a good week at practice and we wanted him on the field and like we said we were hoping to mix him even more with Chris. Even last week we probably would have played (Jamie) Harper more if we had more plays. This week we had more. It was more like a normal game for offense as far as reps so, no, we definitely wanted to mix in. Chris got tired. There's spots where he was on the field quite a bit because we had some long drives so this way we were able to mix him in. He's a playmaker. We like him. I always have. He runs hard with the ball, blocks well. He's the complete package so we're happy we have the two of them.
(on being concerned about Chris Johnson being on track)
I'd love to be standing here and saying that we rushed for a hundred and a half , two hundred and passed for this but this is the type of team that doesn't allow you to do that . I mean they're a great defense and have been for a long time and we just took what phase they gave us. It happened to be the pass game and with our receivers we feel we have an advantage in a lot of games and we're going to try to make the plays if they're there. We're not going to be hard-headed. The running stats weren't what they want but it's efficient, we made plays when we had to. Does it have to improve? Sure. We have to improve in a lot of areas and as coaches we can't get too excited then you start overlooking a lot of the mistakes we made because we made a lot of mistakes in the first quarter and even throughout the game that you know, you stand here as a coach you say, 'it could have been even better.' So that's the encouraging thing. It's better to do that after a win than a loss, obviously. We're excited. This is obviously a great day for the Titans and the Titans fan base.
MATT HASSELBECK
(on his early chemistry with Kenny Britt despite Britt missing most of the preseason and training camp)
I wish it was a lot better to be honest. We're working through everything—not just him, but with everybody we're working through new people, new things. It would have been nice to have that time, but like I said to you guys earlier, I think the goal for us in the passing game is to just try to find ways to win games as we're growing—as we're getting better. I think our coaches are doing a nice job of trying to communicate to us, and it's a good group of guys to talk to—to work with and we made some plays today and we missed some plays today. We come to the sideline and we talk about it real quick, 'alright, how are you going to do this?' There is just way more effort and work going into that relationship than normal because we are trying to play catch up, but there are a lot of teams doing the exact same thing. Kenny (Britt) in particular, he's a very talented guy—for a quarterback, I'm not sure I've ever had a guy that talented. He has special abilities.
(on utilizing double moves in the passing game today, as he had mentioned to the media earlier in the week)
That first long one to Kenny (Britt) on the left-hand side was a double move. We tried another one to Nate (Washington) we just weren't timed up. I think we were on the 24-yard line, so I was rushing it and he was slowing it down. I know there is not as much room so I was rushing it, and he knows there's not as much room so he's slowing it down—so we came to the sideline and we talked about it. Things like that, but sometimes you just say those things so they don't jump your routes too.
(on the offensive improvements from last week)
We struggled today early. We had some bad breaks, we had some attitude plays early where we were just going to fire off and come at them; they like to disguise, they like to move around and we were just going to come off the ball hard and run at them and we didn't have a lot of success doing that. We had a batted ball turn into an interception early—really that's not a good way to start. We missed a field goal, which usually doesn't happen here, so we didn't start well. Last night, Coach Munchak gave a talk to the team about the rivalry and just the history between these two teams, and it meant a lot to me because I'm new. He just talked about how these games start ugly a lot of times—they're all about turnovers a lot of times. He just kind of laid it out, what the history was, kind of showed some videos. He did a nice job, the message was clear and it was ugly early for both offenses, but I don't think anybody flinched, I don't think anybody panicked because it was almost exactly what he said it was going to be like.
(on the performance of the Titans' defense today)
They did a great job of getting off the field, and really third down for us and third down for them—those were big. Those are usually the story of the game. I didn't really watch our defense, I was cheering real loud on third down—the crowd noise is a huge, huge help for any defense especially on third down. I know there were a lot of turnovers. A lot of times I was on the phone and then Buddy (Schaffer), the guy who holds my helmet was like, 'here's your helmet, lets go' a sudden change so that was really good, those really help.
(on how it makes him feel that the Titans' staff has the confidence to go for it on fourth down in a tie game)
Again, I just think it was knowing the opponent, great call, courageous call. I give Munch (Mike Munchak) a lot of credit, he's calm under pressure, he's been around, been an assistant for a long time, obviously was a player for a long time. It just seems like he doesn't panic, has a plan, he's prepared and I've been in plays with these guys (Baltimore) where it comes down to a fourth-and-one and they stop you. It's hard to get a yard on these guys, it's really hard, and that's what happened on (Javon) Ringer's touchdown. We faked it up the middle, pitched it outside—touchdown, great call. Then on the fourth-and-one to Quinn (Johnson), again they're playing that run and I don't know if I've ever seen anyone get a fourth-and-one on them, so we faked the run and threw it to Quinn so they probably weren't expecting that either. It was a great play by him. Again there was no panic, very calm, it was almost like they knew the play before what they were going to do.
(on what today's game says about the belief that if you stop Chris Johnson you will beat the Titans)
We don't get too caught up in that. We talk about their fronts, their coverages, their blitzes, down and distance, their tendencies, focusing on one guy isn't usually where our head is at usually. We're talking about the overhang, where's Terrell Suggs, where's Ray Lewis, where's Ed Reed, how are we going to attack them, what personnel groupings on what downs, how are they playing us on first down versus two tight ends, versus three wide, those kind of things. I think we're thinking bigger picture, and the stats come out however they come out.
(on having other playmakers step up other than Chris Johnson)
I know he's been unbelievably productive here. I think in fairness to him, he just got back. I know it'd be really tough for me if I just showed up a few weeks ago. He's a great player and he's going to be the focal point of our offense I'm sure, but I think we're really just focusing on the opponent and what we can do. If big plays come from our playmakers like him, then they come.
(on if he was going to take credit for Coach Munchak's Gatorade bath)
It was somebody else's idea, but it was a good idea though. I rallied the troops, but it was pretty heavy so I waited until the offensive line got back from their field goal and got the guys who have more muscle than me to take care of it.
(on if it was the cleanest jersey he's ever had after a game against Baltimore)
Yeah, zero sacks—those guys up front, I've said it before, those guys are great.
RUNNING BACK CHRIS JOHNSON
(on making strides from a week ago)
Just as much as I've played in the NFL, I'm making strides conditioning-wise and things like that; I can play a whole game and things like that. So my conditioning I feel is good.
(on whether throwing the ball or attacking the defense will buy more space)
Of course it will help buy more space. A lot of teams come in thinking they can (inaudible) stop me then they can win, but as of today you see that's something that they can't do. Two receivers over 100 – Nate (Washington) 99 and Kenny (Britt) over 100 – so that just shows we got other playmakers and we got other ways to beat you. So, hopefully that helps out and let teams around the NFL know you just can't stack the box and try to stop me.
(on conversation with Ravens' Ray Lewis during pre-game)
No, we just talked or whatever. Me and Ray Lewis, we have a relationship off the field, just him being down in Orlando some and playing in three Pro Bowls, we just got a relationship. I haven't seen him in a long time.
(on feeling closer to busting out today)
I could say that. It was plays where we almost had it and we just didn't click as a unit. We just need some more work. It's a long season so we're going to stick together.
(on third-down substitutions with RB Javon Ringer)
No, it's not different. It's just a situation where Coach handled the rotation, if I get tired and need a breather I come out, Javon come in and do what he got to do. Javon is a good player so we don't feel like there's no drop-off when he comes in the game. So, it's just the whole situation of how we rotate.
(on watching RB Javon Ringer on fourth-and-one plays)
I don't feel any type of way because throughout the whole season there's plenty of plays where I'm in there making plays and he's on the sideline. Anytime you have a backup, you need him to step up and make plays when he's in the game.
(on crowd booing)
It didn't really bother me at all. Just playing a game like this and the type of player I am and things like that…just the whole situation going through off-season, there's things that you got to accept and you just got to play through.
(on putting pressure on yourself)
I don't really say it's too much pressure. We have 14 games left and it's going to be times when things don't go right, it's going to be times when things go right. So, the situation where you just got to work at it and get better and at the end of the day, you might have a couple of boos now, but when you make a play they're not booing.
(on WR Kenny Britt emerging as a threat)
I think he's been ready to emerge. Last year , just like he's playing right now in these first two games, he was making a lot of plays last year, but he kept being injured and missing games and things. So I think it's a big key for the offense if Kenny can stay healthy and play throughout the whole season, I feel like it's going to be tough to beat us. **
TITANS WIDE RECEIVER KENNY BRITT
(on if he thought there was good coverage on the passes he was targeted on)
Yes, definitely. Baltimore has a great defense, and some really great defensive backs and a great safety. Matt (Hasselbeck) actually was trying to put in a perfect place where I could go get it.
(on if turning around on some of his routes is part of the play's design)
Actually, it's by design. We've been working on it for at least two to three weeks now since I've been back from my hamstring injury. We've just been working on our timing on the field. We want to make sure we're on the same page so we can make every play.
(on if the back-shoulder catches were also by design)
Yes sir.
(on if his timing with Matt Hasselbeck is still a work in progress)
Like I've said, it's only been three or four weeks since we've been actually on the field and running routes, but it all pays off…working hard, going into the meeting rooms, and working after practice and stuff like that. Like I said, after that touchdown where he threw it back-shoulder, he (Hasselbeck) came up to me and said, 'Actually, once I know what you're doing at all times, we'll be good at it, and that's what I am waiting for.
(on if Matt Hasselbeck recognized that the corner had backed off of press coverage on his touchdown)
It was actually a great play by Coach (Chris) Palmer. He gave me a fade-stop, which gave me the ability to run a fade, or just stop at the goal line. If he plays off it, I got a stop-route and if he plays press, I got a go-route.
(on how he feels about Chris Palmer calling him a superstar)
I just want to be a playmaker and be a team player. I want to do whatever I can do to help the team out to win, and that's what I'm trying to do.**
(on the importance of not turning the ball over after seven last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars)
That's one thing that killed us last week. We've been working on that and we try to keep it in our head that we can't give it away. We at least have to stay on the field and give our defense some rest so they can go out there with fresh legs.
(on his chemistry with Matt Hasselbeck)
I'd say we're at about 75 percent, probably 80 after today's game. Hopefully we'll be at 95 after tomorrow's practice.
(on if he talked to Ray Rice)
Yes. Actually, on one of the other plays that I caught for a first down, I ran into him and said a couple of words. I asked him how he was doing, and he's still smiling. That's one thing I like about him, he's a kid like me. We went through the same thing throughout Rutgers and then coming into the league to play for our dreams.
DE DERRICK MORGAN
(on Titans improved defensive effort compared to last week)
I think everybody kind of felt a little embarrassed getting run over like that at Jacksonville, so we kind of focused this week in practice on being a lot more assignment-sound and having gaps protected in terms of the run. So I think guys did a great job of stepping up and answering the challenge.
(on hearing so much about the Ravens defense, and not much on Titans defense coming into game)
That's all we heard all week, how good they were and how they man-handled Pittsburgh. The only people that believed that we could win were the guys here in this (locker) room, and that's all that matters at the end of the day. Everybody believed in each other and we went out there and handled business.
CB ALTERRAUN VERNER
(on Titans defensive effort)
We were all on the same page. We were able to do our assignments and make plays when the ball was in the air. And then the D-line was doing a great job getting after Joe Flacco, making him move and get out of the pocket. It was just overall great team effort.
(on getting an interception today)
Especially when you get one against a quality quarterback like Joe Flacco and that offense, so it was something I'm definitely going to treasure and look forward to. But I'm going to put that behind me and try to get one next week.
CB CORTLAND FINNEGAN
(on the Titans defense)
I grew up loving Ray Lewis. And the Ravens' defense has always been something to reckon with and talk about. But I think there were guys on this team that knew what we wanted to do as a defense. When we go out and execute a game plan, we're a pretty good defense.
(on turning around the Titans' defense after last week's game)
I think it was just about stopping the run. Yeah, it's the biggest thing in the NFL. I keep reiterating that. The defensive line played great today. We were able to stop Ray Rice and he's a big part of them. We saw them having to go to the air, and I really believe in our defensive backs and secondary. Coaches (Marcus) Robertson and (Jerry) Gray did a great job preparing us, and we just had to go out and make the plays.
(on the Titans win against an old foe like the Ravens )
It feels really good because it was Coach Munchak's first win. And that's big, and it was against a really good football team. The Broncos don't care. It's the 24-hour rule. So after this, we'll move onto the Broncos.
RB JAVON RINGER
(on teams thinking it's a pass when he is in)
You know that Chris Johnson is blessed to have done tremendous things in only three years, so of course when you see him out there you definitely have to think that it's a run. Me, I'm just kind of behind him, so it's hard to get a lot of opportunities. So yeah, when they see me they probably do think that it has to be a pass. But I always love to take advantage of it.
* (on the running combination)*
I feel like me and Chris complement each other well. As far as CJ, he's already done amazing things in his first three years and that's something that helps push me. Because clearly, I haven't done any of those things. So that's something that I want to be able to continue to show that I'm a good running back in the NFL, too. And seeing him do well is something that continues to motivate me because that means I'm keeping up with him. Like everybody says. He's arguably the best running back, so if I can keep up with him, I feel like it's just benefiting me.
(on getting the call to run the ball on fourth down)
It felt good. I didn't really it at all … I'm just thankful I was able to make the best of it. It didn't overwhelm me. I just kind of heard the play and was just like let me make the most of my opportunity.
WR NATE WASHINGTON
(on Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's throwing today)
Matt's always thrown a good ball. It's just a matter of him getting on the same timing and things of the new offense that he was running. He's a good quarterback. He did a great job today and that's what we expect of him. He's going to step in here every game and give us the best opportunity to win. That's what we got today. In the past, when we missed, we barely missed. Even though it only counts in horseshoes and grenades, barely. But at the same time we were just missing. Today, I think we connected on some things that we normally just missed on and it worked out for us today
(on Titans offensive performance today)
I think this is an offense right now that has a lot of weapons. You are not going to be able to double one guy or pack in the box for C.J. This is an offense that has many weapons right now. We understand it, and we're going to come in and do our best job every Sunday to come in and get better. Everybody played well today. We played as a team, and that's what we expect.
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
(opening statement)
Hats off to the Titans. They won the game, they beat us by winning in every way you can beat a football team. The crowd was into it, I thought their players were into it. I thought they had something to prove and they proved it today.
(on why the Ravens didn't play as well as last week)
We didn't play as well. I don't have any theory right now. Everybody is going to have a theory and none of them are going to be right. There were a lot of things that were a part of it. We didn't make plays when we needed to make. We didn't get off the field on third downs. I haven't seen the numbers yet but third downs were not good on either side, that's the bottom line. You stay on the field on a hot day like this, you have a chance to wear out their defense. They stay on and you don't, their defense rests. If you can't get out and you can't stay out on field on offense your defense starts to get a little bit gassed. That's just the way it goes and they won that battle, time of possession battle, all those things. To me that was the difference in the game.
(on committing to the run putting the Ravens at risk)
At times you have to put eight in the box and you're singled up out there. A lot of times we play two-deep coverages and two-high coverages and play it pretty good. (Matt) Hasselbeck did a really nice job of controlling the game as far as recognizing what we were in and getting them in the right play. To me, that's what a veteran quarterback does. When he gets the ball, he's very accurate and he's got some big targets. A lot of credit goes to him I think. I think he was the difference in the game. He did a great job.
(on Joe Flacco's performance)
I think everyone didn't play well and that's the bottom line. So you can go all the way down the roster. Every single guy didn't and every single coach, none of us. We win as a team, we lose as a team. I'm not going to sit here and nit-pick one guy or another guy. It's a team effort, a team effort last week, a team effort this week.
(on concerns of the effort of the younger players)
I'll look at the tape and have answers for you. I don't think it's fair to comment specifically if I haven't really seen the tape. That's fair. Obviously we didn't defend well or get off the field on third downs.
(on not running well)
We obviously didn't block them as well that's the bottom line. I think they dropped that safety down a whole bunch and that factored in the whole thing. Give them credit they played run defense. They said that their number one thing was to make us one dimensional and stop the run. We stayed with the run and maybe we stayed with it longer than we needed to. We were committed to it and we were patient because it was a tight game and I think that was the right thing to do but in the end we never did get back on. We didn't make enough big plays down the field in the passing game. We have to do that. We have to make plays on third downs. We have to make plays down field to open up the running game as well. It's not just the running game sets up the pass, the pass sets up the run game as well.
QB JOE FLACCO
(on the having trouble getting on track)
We felt like if we could keep these guys on the field and do that over an extended period of time, we would be able to score points on these guys. Obviously we didn't do too many things that helped us out there, we didn't convert. We didn't really keep ourselves on the field for a very long time. We were never really able to get to them, wear them out a little bit and break them. You have got to credit those guys for preventing that. You have got to discredit us for not pushing through it and continue to go. We didn't convert enough. We hurt ourselves with a couple penalties. We turned the ball over. All things that aren't really a good recipe for winning football games.
(on the first interception)
I thought I had one-on-one with Lee (Evans) and he (Alterraun Verner) just undercut it.
(on the second interception)
I got a little greedy trying to make a play and let Ed (Dickson) make a play. It just so happened that (Cortland) Finnegan got his hands on the ball and tipped it up and the guy (Jason McCourty) was sitting back there for it. Probably getting a little too greedy and let a guy make a play and it wasn't a very good one on my part.
(on being up and down from last week)
You have got to go out there and prepare, just like we did this week. We prepared to come out here and win this game. We had a really good week of practice. We have got to go do the same this week and go into St. Louis and be ready to play. We have got a really good team in there and if we didn't respond well to this, I would be pretty disappointed in our guys and myself for letting that happen. I think we are better than that. It is up to us to go out there and have a good week of practice and get ready to go for this Sunday.
(on the Titans coming out strong in the second half)
You have to credit those guys. They came out there and put points on the board and once again we fell back into our trap on offense in not really getting in any rhythm. I think we had a false start that kicked us back to first and fifteen and we weren't able to overcome it. We had a couple third and longs and we just couldn't convert them. They got out ahead with that first drive and they were able to keep that momentum going. They are a good team and we didn't do the things we had to do to win the game today.
(on any unexpected blitz' from the Titans)
Not on the blitz part. I think they definitely put a little bit of pressure on. They didn't do anything that we didn't really expect them to do. I would say the one thing maybe is that they manned us up a little bit more than they had shown in the past in the preseason and first game and we have to do a better job.
* (on getting Anquan Boldin and Ed Dickson more involved early)*
We have to get everybody involved early especially those guys that are going to be our playmakers. When they get involved in the game, the flow gets going. You put a defense on their heels a little bit and those guys really feel like they can get themselves going like that. We were just never really able to do that. On the last drive, maybe, but by then you are really reeling trying to score touchdowns as fast as you can and get the ball back and score another one. Things really have got to go your way at that point and they didn't. We didn't score touchdowns when we needed to force their hand a little bit more.
DB CARY WILLIAMS
(on Matt Hasselbeck)
He is a precise quarterback. He has 13 years in the game. He has played in the Super Bowls. He has been very successful against us. He knows us. He went out there and played pretty well. Bottom line they made plays and we weren't there. We didn't make as many plays as we needed to.
(on getting beat)
It wasn't that it was quick, quick and I wanted to jump it. I just played poor technique. That is all it was. I should have pressed it and I didn't. I faded off. When I looked back his hips were sinking and that is when I sunk my hips and he just took off. It was a good route. You are going to win some and you are going to lose some. It is just about coming in next week to get it done.
DL TERRELL SUGGS
(on the differences in week one and week two)
We have to ask ourselves what was different from week one to week two. Week one we got a lot of turnovers and didn't give up the ball. This week we didn't get so many turnovers and we gave up the ball. We didn't have too many balls go over our head in week one and some got behind us today. Better in week two than in week 15. It is a long season and we will come back ready to play next week.
(on Matt Hasselbeck)
He is a veteran quarterback. He knew where to go with the ball and he made plays. It is like a chess match. We have to get off the field on third down and we have to execute. That is exactly what they did and they won the game.
(on the difference from week one)
It is a long season. We just have to go back to the drawing board and see what we did in week one that we didn't do this week. We are a great team. We ain't even worried about it. We knew we weren't going to go undefeated. That is the only thing that this game really confirmed. We are going to come back next week and be great. This team never had illusions of grandeur. We knew we were going to have to work. You have to give Tennessee credit. They took care of their business at home. This was their home opener and they are professionals too. They planned on having a good season just like we did.
LB RAY LEWIS
(on stopping Chris Johnson as the focus of the plan)
Any time you have a home run hitter like that, that is the focus. The focus was Chris Johnson and we got after him. We really got after him and that is a credit to everything we focused on. Each team you are going to focus on some individuals here or there. They went away from that. They saw that we were really getting after him and they started throwing the ball. Hasselbeck is a veteran quarterback. He stood out there and got the ball out quickly.
(on the emotional difference on the road than at home)
If you're a professional there shouldn't be a difference. The bottom line is the crowd is going to be louder here than it is in Baltimore cheering for them.
(on being resilient)
That is one thing that I have always liked about our team. We always bounce back. We go through what we go through, go back, learn our corrections, twists and that. None of us came out and said let's go 16-0. We let people put you where they put you, rate you where they want to rate you, but the bottom line is if you are okay with the journey then you are okay with going through ups and downs. As a team we have been battle tested so many times. Then you have to understand there is a 24 hour rule. The 24 hour rule is win, lose, or draw you come back to work and it is over. The next week is upon us.
(on playing Chris Johnson)
Knowing how he plays you saw how many times he reversed out on people. He is one of those home run hitters speed wise. You let him get an edge on you, you let him get the corner on you and he is out the gate. Integrity-wise we attacked the gaps very well and everybody won their one on one battles in the run game. That is why I think the results were what they were in the run game.
(on 2,500 tackles in his career)
I was introduced to it last week. That I was very close to it, but it is just a credit of going out and giving it everything you've got year in and year out. Just try to stay as healthy as you can be and never stop loving the game. For me I never stopped loving it. I try to get these young kids to understand, be okay with the journey man. Don't go through this roller coaster that everyone else wants to take you through. If you are a true professional, you are going to prepare a certain way when you win and you are going to prepare the same way when you lose. That is a credit to me coming back every year in better shape than I was the year before, because I always like the journey and to see where the journey is going to end.
RAVENS RUNNING BACK RAY RICE
(on the disappointment of the loss)
There is no disappointment. It is a learning experience. If I say disappointed, then I'll be carrying that in to next week. The other team played a great game today. They executed. Hats off to them. We didn't execute and that's what it comes down to. When you're playing against a team with the weapons that they have, you have to execute. Their offense did a great job and their defense did a great job. They were the better team today. To say that I am disappointed, I wouldn't call it that. It is a learning experience. You don't take disappointment into the next week.
(on if he was surprised by the Titans' defense)
It wasn't a surprise. They played a good football game. They're a professional defense, it's their home opener and they came out ready to play. There aren't too many things that a defense is going to do to surprise an NFL team. Did they play hard? Yes, they played very hard and very tough today.
(on the difficulty for the run game without left guard Ben Grubbs)
Ben Grubbs not being in definitely was a blow for us. At the same time, we are professionals and we have to take what happened today and build off of it. We're used to playing 3-4 teams. When you get a team that is a 4-3 or over-under team, you have to execute. Execution wasn't on our end today. We'll look at the film. This game definitely didn't make or break us, but it's definitely one we have to learn from.
(on the problems with facing a 4-3 defense)
It's been problematic for us for some time. Cincinnati runs a 4-3. That's one of those things where you have to execute. The teams I've been with have had problems with a 4-3 team. Indianapolis and, I mean, it's not the structure, it's just how it's ran. You have to execute against it. Sometimes against a 4-3 team you have to nickel and dime.
(on the disappointment of not being able to carry over momentum from his first quarter touchdown)
I'm not going to use the word disappointment. You take disappointment into the next week. We didn't execute. That was one of the few plays that we did execute and you try to carry over momentum off of that and we just didn't get it done today. The other team came ready to play and we didn't. I'm not going to make any excuses. Our team is not going to make any excuses. They were the better team today. If you come into the game with a gameplan, you want to execute it. Like I said, I'm not going to be negative in any way. The other team played a great football game. If you look at what they did on offense and what they did on defense, they deserved to win the game today.
RAVENS WIDE RECEIVER LEE EVANS
(on the performance of the Ravens' offense)
We just didn't play well offensively. That's really the only thing that I could say about it. We just didn't play very well. We never really got into a rhythm and we didn't make enough plays. That's what happens.
(on describing the day from an emotional standpoint)
It's always tough to lose. But, I think we have enough character in this locker room and just looking around at the guys it's going to be something that we can learn from. We know we have to come out and play a lot better offensively if we expect to be a good football team.
(on if he was fully healthy)
I'm alright. I can't say that I am all the way 100-percent, but I'm just giving it what I've got.
(on being on the sideline some in the fourth quarter)
I was just trying to pace it. Late in the game we were just trying to buy a couple of plays so that I could go back in there.
