Opening Remarks: "Last ballgame men – a thrilling, come from behind win late in the fourth quarter. That part was excellent. Everything in between, we have to clean up. You only get so many opportunities and when you have those turnovers and the penalties, it leaves you very little room to score. Typically, when you have a lot of yards and fewer points it's normally one or all of four things: turnovers, penalties that stop drives, (being) terrible in the red zone, or field position. The first two correlate with the field position. We were pretty good in the red zone when we got down there. The first three were - it's just a classic example and we've all seen the other side of it. It's just the reverse of that where you don't have as many yards but a lot of points. We've got to clean an awful lot of things up. Much more to clean up after the first game than I certainly ever expected at really all positions.
"We're on to Baltimore. This is really one of the elite defenses for many, many years. They do have several new players playing for them. They are big, fast, and physical. They have an excellent scheme, and are very well coached. They have some excellent cover men, and they have some very excellent defensive linemen. You know about their linebacking crew. Everything revolves around 52 (LB Ray Lewis) and 20 (S Ed Reed). Those are just two high-level, excellent players - even more than high level. These are two of the great players in the game who have great experience and instincts. We have got a lot of hard work and preparation (ahead of us). It's a great challenge and also a great opportunity with Baltimore coming in here on Sunday."
On how important it is for the backup running backs to be able to block: "It's critical. We missed a couple of – there was one in there – but physically I think we're okay. We have to be able to get to our assignment. That's a critical thing. Always is and always will be."
On how important it was for RB Bryce Brown to gain experience and be in the game close to the goal line: "It was excellent for him. Bryce Brown, as you know, has earned an opportunity to play. As he keeps going, he may earn an opportunity to play more and more. I think highly of him, and he's earned that with the situation that he is in. Special teams does factor in as well as offense."
On where the offensive line unit is at now compared with last year: "You always have to start over. We have a new man playing as well. Last year means very little to the next year because you have to start it all over and get all of the hard work and preparation in. Our offensive line has done that. I do know this – they have an opportunity to become one of the best offensive lines in this league. We have a lot of work to do. We missed a couple of things there assignment-wise. We did some excellent things in the running game. Most of – but that's not good enough – the pass protection was excellent at times. We've got a lot of work to do there as well, and it's all positions."
On how much he has worked with QB Michael Vick to encourage him to check down instead of trying to make big plays: "He did do that. Some of these plays were plays that he has done just a beautiful job there in the past. And you know that we don't make excuses, but after the ballgame, I do think there was a little bit of rust there now. I usually don't go there, but I do think that was a real thing. We expect our players to play at a high level no matter what has occurred in the past and play at a high level consistently. Now, I remember one game – I've been fortunate enough that I've coached in some (great ones) – where it happened and lost the ball game. I think, with Mike, I know this – the things he went through in that ballgame, and some of them were horrible types of things to go through – the things he did on that last drive, I think you do have to give him credit there as well. We'll build upon that and make all of the corrections. He has seen that film over and over again. Like I said, I go back to several plays were things were just performed perfectly in the passing game, with some of the same coverages as well."
On how he knows that Vick's confidence is not shaken: "You take the last drive. Absolutely. You don't think he's confident? Shoot. Come from behind win. We're 1-0. He's on a five-game win streak - I don't count last year but technically. Yeah, I don't think any quarterback can lack for any confidence, but he's rocking and rolling right now."
On Vick dropping back to pass 56 times in the game: "We won the game but certainly, looking back, we could have done some other things. That's hard. Just because you have a whole overload amount of turnovers doesn't mean just because it didn't work very well because of the penalties and turnovers doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do. You know we look at that closely. I go back, and back, and back, and back. As far as the running game, it just felt like –and I've been back through the film an ungodly amount of times this time and usually you're doing that after the first game. It just seemed like we were first-and-20 (a lot), and a lot of those runs got called back. Those were holds, and we need to correct that. It felt like we were backed up just a little bit. We had 20 carries (for RB LeSean McCoy), and you can always do it differently. You can't go back, replay it, and see what happens. We can't do that."
On whether the interceptions came from Vick's decision-making or bad passes: "He threw the ball strong, and he kept throwing the ball strong. A quarterback has to do that now no matter what has happened in the past. There are a couple of things. You have to have complete confidence in the fellas around you up front. You get hit in the mouth and that has to happen. Second, in this league, you have to throw the football strongly and with confidence every time. You can get away with some other things, but you have to do that. I know that he did do that. He continued to do that. We talked about that already and he has to get through his progressions. Some of them, he was pretty clean. We had reasonably good success against the blitz and we had three big plays and a couple of zeros and all that. Some of the basic things, he'll get there. I suspect - I haven't read or seen anything – that Mike stepped up and took responsibility. I would expect that from him and that is the type of guy that he is. Our team understands the turnover ratio, and we understand that. We have proud players who want to take care of the ball and make no mistakes carrying the ball. Eight out of ten teams who were 1 in the game won their respective games, and that's typical. We were one of the two to overcome that and win the game with a negative turnover ratio. One of two teams."
On who would go into the game if T King Dunlap has to come out: "We'll see. Last week, it was going to be (T Dennis) Kelly. We'll see, and that's ongoing. It may be different from game to game, and it may be the same."
On how T Demetress Bell has done since the season started: "He's done well."
On whether his situation is similar to what G Danny Watkins went through last year: "Yeah, there is an awful lot to learn when a player comes in to any organization. You see that with any of these even really good free agents. Sometimes, it takes time for them to play at the high level that they played at somewhere before. You have different terminology, different players around you, and you have to figure out what the strengths and weaknesses are. All those things come into play."
On whether there is concern that Vick is over-thinking: "Sure, and I think that is part of the rust. I think he was trying to do a little much, and he knows that. I think you're probably right there, yeah."
On whether he thinks it is okay that Vick dropped down and threw sidearm a couple instances during the last game: "Yeah as long as the ball is thrown accurately and strong. Now, there are times where you move your feet. A quarterback needs to throw at every different angle because there will be times where he's got to throw it like that, sure."
On what will happen if WR Jeremy Maclin misses the game: "It will change it. Maclin is a fine player, and we expect the next player to step up and play at a high level. That work load may be split just a little bit, and we'll see as we go through the work week here."
On whether it surprises him that the Ravens gave up so many yards on the ground last week: "Very difficult to evaluate a football team in first games. You need three or four games typically. Cincinnati is a heck of a running football team. They do some things there very, very well. I would not evaluate them on one game and I think they are an excellent run and pass football team. There is no question about that."
On what type of challenge DT Haloti Ngata brings to the offensive line: "That's right. They have several different players up front there that are playing at a high level. They are big men, strong men, and they are athletic. We've got a great challenge all across the front, but certainly inside. He is just one of the outstanding players in this game."
