Interviews with Ravens

A number of Baltimore's players and coaches were made available on Thursday to the media. Many of the comments were of the "Pittsburgh is a great team" variety, so instead of those we are sharing the more interesting portions of the official transcripts provided by the NFL. Highlights include Rex Ryan telling Tennessee to quit whining, Cam Cameron calling Ben Roethlisberger old, the importance of home field advantage, the loss of Samari Rolle and Ed Reed compares Ben Roethlisberger to Michael Vick ~ seriously.

Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan
On Steelers RB Willie Parker not getting a lot of yards against the Ravens in the regular season: “I guess he got a lot of yards against San Diego and stuff like that, and I read all the experts say we would have given up 150 yards to the running back [Chris Johnson] from Tennessee. But remember, he never finished the game for some reason. Whatever that reason is, they can cry all they want. Who cares? We’re here. We’re still playing, and they can watch us.”

On how much he trusts the defensive players to make calls at the line of scrimmage:“That very rarely happens. We have a system that’s flexible in our calls and things like that. We trust them to make the audibles and correct things like that. But there is flexibility in who blitzes and who doesn’t blitz. We’ll change things up and all that stuff, but as far as changing the call and all that, they occasionally will do that once a game or something like that, and that generally gets me to the middle of the field. But for the most part, with our guys, we’re all on the same accord. They know when they change a call that, No. 1, it better work, and then I’ll say, ‘Give me the credit for it.’ But realistically, it’s a partnership that we’ve had for a long time now. When we put a game plan together, we explain our calls and explain why we are doing them. Our guys pick up on why we are making those calls and what they can expect as well.”

Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron
On whether he feels Ravens QB Joe Flacco and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger are more similar or different: “It’s a good question. Obviously, there’s some size similarities, some arm strength similarities. They are both competitive guys. Obviously, one’s a lot younger, but one has a similar opportunity that another guy had. [They are] two outstanding quarterbacks. Obviously, one’s a little further along than the other.” Note: Joe Flacco turns 24 years old on Friday, Ben Roethlisberger will be 27 in March.

On if the improved ball security in the playoffs is due to a heightened focus or concentration: “It really isn’t. We don’t try to have any levels that we teach and coach ball security. It’s always going to be our No. 1 priority. I just think it’s another case of some guys that are growing in our offense. You can see it. I know you guys see it. We’ve got a lot of players that are still growing as players. You could see the growth last week. You could see the growth throughout the course of that game, and it will always be our No. 1 priority.”

On what the team is doing to prepare for the cold weather in Pittsburgh: “That started way back in the spring when we practiced outside in the rain. We go outside when it’s cold. We come in here when John [Harbaugh] feels like we need to. We try to simulate certain things, even when we’re indoors. We’re trying – it doesn’t always work – but we’re trying to build an offense that is weatherproof and condition-proof.”

On the way the Ravens were able to box LB James Harrison in the second game against Pittsburgh and if that was a result of adjustments in the game plan or the team playing better than the first game: “I don’t know that we did anything earth shattering. Obviously, we’ve got to play better than we played last time. That’s our focus. You have to focus on their defense as a whole. There is no way you can go focus on him and ignore all these other guys. It’s a collective effort. Scheme-wise, everything you have to do against these guys is collective, and we’ll have to do a better job in this game than we did before. Period.”

Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg
On how difficult it is for kickers and punters at Heinz Field: “I think over the years, the toughest part of the field has been the playing surface itself. I’m not sure the winds are that unusual this time of the year in any of the northern stadiums. My understanding is that they’ve re-soded the field, and we are expecting a good surface. It looked like it held up well last week.”

On if he thinks Heinz Field is one of the NFL’s top-three toughest stadiums to kick in: “The playing surface has been the biggest issue. I was in Cleveland for a long time, and I thought that the winds were tougher in Cleveland than they are in Pittsburgh. It just depends on when you play there [in Pittsburgh] during the year and how much use it [Heinz Field] has had.”

C Jason Brown
On the advantages and disadvantages of an unstable playing surface like Heinz Field in the trenches: “You definitely have to make sure you have great footing underneath yourself, making sure you get your second step down. It’s not going to be one of those crazy, out-of-control games because you do have that field surface. It will just have to come down to good, fundamentally sound football.”

On if Pittsburgh is a tough place to play compared to other stadiums around the league: “When it’s loud, it’s loud. Really, that’s all you can chalk it up to. After that, everything else is white noise. You just drain everything else out.”

On if he feels that home field advantage really means anything in the playoffs: “It definitely does. Coming this far, we definitely feel as though we owe it to our home town fans. I’m sure they would love for us to play another game at M&T Bank Stadium. But, I’m sure they don’t mind traveling as well. I’m sure they won’t mind traveling down to Tampa.”

FB/RB Le’Ron McClain
On how his ankle is feeling: “The ankle is doing good. I got a little bit more work today, so I’ll see how it feels in the morning. I’ll see how many reps I get tomorrow.”

S Ed Reed
On if QB Ben Roethlisberger is the type of quarterback who can be forced into turnovers: “No, no. Ben is a quarterback who is very cautious with what he [does] out there. He’s always aware of the situation, where guys are at and easy-to-read coverages. So, it’s going to be a challenge. It always is against these guys.”

On how important it is for the secondary to stay with their guys given Roethlisberger’s ability to make plays out of the pocket: “Huge, man. It’s like Michael Vick. It’s no different. When he breaks the pocket, he’s also a threat when he’s throwing the ball – as well as running it. You’ve just got to contain him and see your guys before he does make a throw or something.”

On how big of a loss it would be if Ravens CB Samari Rolle is unable to play Sunday: “Huge. From experience to knowing the game plan, to making plays, we definitely will miss Samari. That’s also one thing that’s been huge this year, that guys step up. We expect them to attack guys that haven’t been in there. I would if I was playing against it. It happens, but that’s why other guys get paid.”

LB Terrell Suggs
On if he will play in Sunday’s game against the Steelers: “I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see Sunday. I’m being optimistic about it, I hope so. But, as of right now, I really can’t honestly answer the question for you. We’ll just have to wait and see. All I can do is work hard to try to get it back healthy. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

On Newsstands Now

The folks at Sports Illustrated were nice enough to send along an image of the cover of this week's issue of the magazine ~ and it is just too lovely not to share.

They also included a press release outlining their coverage of last Sunday's matchup between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and I'm including it here in its entirety:

"(NEW YORK – December 16, 2008) – Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the best defenses of the decade, met to decide the AFC North—and to settle the debate over which unit can claim to be the NFL's best. The answer is etched in steel, and linebacker LaMarr Woodley, a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense, appears on the cover of the December 22, 2008, issue of Sports Illustrated, with the billing, STEEL CURTAIN II -DEFENSE - That Same Old December Song in the NFL.

In this week’s cover story titled D As in Dominant, SI senior writer Jim Trotter says of the game and the defenses: “Sunday’s battle provided everything one would expect from the NFL's top-ranked defenses, with offensive advances seemingly measured in inches rather than yards…. As the Steelers walked to the locker room afterward, one member of the defense barked, ‘Fourteen games in a row! Fourteen games in row! There shouldn't be no debate now!’ What he meant was, the 11–3 Steelers, who entered the game with the league's No. 1 defense, have held their opponents to less than 300 yards of total offense in every game this season, tying the postmerger record set by the Los Angeles Rams in 1973; and any talk that the Ravens’ No. 2-ranked defense is the better unit should cease” (page 34).

Trotter adds: “Despite the hostile nature of the rivalry, there is a mutual respect between the two units, and they are more alike than players on either side care to admit.”

The masterminds behind the two defenses are coordinators Dick LeBeau (Steelers) and Rex Ryan (Ravens). Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin praises LeBeau: “Dick is the epitome of a team player. He has no ego. He just wants to win. If I had come in and tried to change the defense, it would have been about ego. But we all have to check our egos at the door. I’ve worked with guys like Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin, and I viewed working with Dick as another opportunity to work with a brilliant defensive mind. Every day he’s tinkering, trying to figure out how to do something better. He comes to work with an emphasis on getting better every day.”

Continuing on Rex Ryan [son of Buddy], Trotter says: “[Ryan] has tweaked the D to his liking, making it even more unpredictable and aggressive. He seemingly comes up with new pressure packages in his sleep, but one thing he refuses to change is what he looks for in a player.”

Ryan says: “It’s not necessarily the position, it’s the disposition. You’ve got to have the right guys, the right mentality, to have consistency. Every now and then you get a flash-in-the-pan team that shows up and has a decent year on defense. But for the most part it’s usually us and Pittsburgh right there with each other, and I think it has a lot to do with the type of players we have—and the mind-set of those players. There’s a passion that both teams play with on defense.”

As part of the cover story, SI senior writer Peter King takes a more in depth look at the philosophies of LeBeau and Ryan."

Beat the Steelers, Lose Your Job

Brian Billick made hating the Ravens fun and, like the folks at Pro Football Weekly, we wonder just how he held on to his job so long.

If the Ravens' organization is open to a suggestion from Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic, we'd recommend elevating Rex Ryan to the head coach position and bring in Chan Gailey as offensive coordinator.

The guess here is that moves like those will keep the rivalry alive for years to come.

A Little Prespective on a Steelers Coaching Candidate

The name of Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan was included on the list of external candidates for the Steelers' head coaching position generated by Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic. Now comes this article by Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun in which Ray Lewis insinuates that Mr. Ryan is the best coordinator he has ever played for (and he has played for Marvin Lewis, Jack Del Rio, and Mike Nolan). Mr. Lewis goes on to describe Mr. Ryan as "the ultimate players' coach."

"Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis concedes he has a fear for the next couple of months, and it has nothing to do with LaDainian Tomlinson or Peyton Manning.

It's the prospect of losing defensive coordinator Rex Ryan after the season.

When teams begin their search for a new head coach after this weekend's final regular-season games, Ryan could be the next in a line of Ravens defensive assistants to leave.

'I've lost Marvin [Lewis], I've lost Jack [Del Rio], I've lost Mike Nolan. ... I ain't losing Rex,' Lewis said while shaking his head.

Lewis might not have a choice.

In Ryan's second season as coordinator, the Ravens rank atop half of the NFL's 12 major defensive categories, including fewest yards per game (264.8) and fewest points (12.9).

This is the first Ravens defense to rival the team's historic 2000 group in dominance, which is why Ryan's name is beginning to circulate throughout the league as a potential head-coaching candidate.

'You know how long I thought about it? Not for five seconds,' Ryan said. 'I signed up to do the best job possible and my focus is on the next opponent. When it's all said and done, the teams that win, their coaches move on.'

After having 10 new hires last season, the NFL is expected to have more coaching upheaval this year.

The list of potential openings at the end of the season could include: the Cleveland Browns (Romeo Crennel has 10 wins in two seasons), Miami Dolphins (constant rumors of Nick Saban leaving), Oakland Raiders (team hasn't responded to Art Shell), New York Giants (late-season collapse could be costly for Tom Coughlin), Atlanta Falcons (continue to regress under Jim Mora) and Arizona Cardinals (Dennis Green has not lived up to expectations).

Under NFL rules, assistants on teams in the playoffs can interview once with each club interested in them for a head coaching job but cannot participate in a second interview or be hired until their season is over.

'I think Rex is as ready to be a head coach as anybody I've been around,' Ravens coach Brian Billick said. 'We'll do everything we can to help him through that process.'

In some ways, Billick has already helped Ryan by association.

Billick's first defensive coordinator, Marvin Lewis, has turned around the Cincinnati Bengals. His second one, Mike Nolan, has improved the San Francisco 49ers in his second season. And former Ravens linebackers coach Jack Del Rio has led the Jacksonville Jaguars to the playoffs.

Ryan, 44, is the last of the Ravens' defensive coaches left from the Super Bowl team.

'Obviously, you want that opportunity, especially if you believe in yourself,' Ryan said. 'And people want that Brian Billick tree. They know the organization part of it. The things you learn from him, it gives you an advantage over other possible candidates.'

Ryan could also draw interest for being the son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan, although they are much different coaches.

Buddy Ryan had a brash, in-your-face approach that sometimes rubbed people the wrong way. Rex Ryan is the exact opposite, an affable coach who is considered one of the most popular people on the Ravens' staff.

'He's the ultimate players' coach,' Lewis said.

Ryan frequently laughs and jokes with players during practice. He even allows them to have input on game plans, discussing which calls work best with them throughout the week.

'He's on our side. He's not your typical coach,' defensive end Trevor Pryce said. 'When Rex starts talking, everyone is quiet because what's going to come out of his mouth is going to help you. And it's not going to come out as typical coachspeak. You want to hear what he has to say. It is a breath of fresh air.'

Asked whether he thought Ryan would make it as a head coach, Pryce said, 'If he becomes a head coach, I'm going to find out and I'm going with him.'

The defense also carries a chip on its shoulder, which Ryan has been known to do.

Early in the season, Ryan was quick to defend a defense that was allowing some big plays. Now, despite playing six games against top-10 offenses, the Ravens have separated themselves as the NFL's elite defense.

"I told everyone to wait until the end of the season before they make any judgments," Ryan said, "because I knew I wasn't going to be the one looking stupid.' "