Transcripts of conference calls by Baltimore's Ray Lewis and John Harbaugh with Jets reporters Thursday:
LB RAY LEWIS
On if he saw "Hard Knocks" last night…
No, actually I didn't. I haven't watched an episode. Back to school for my kids so daddy can't watch any TV. Back to school.
On if he thinks it is strange to play the Jets on opening night…
No, I don't think it's strange. It's exciting, but it's not strange at all. Definitely for myself, being in the league as long as I have, I've played against other people who went on to other teams. It's more of an excitement because of the respect factor that you have for each other and then just have a good time competing against each other.
On how badly he thinks Rex Ryan wants to win…
I don't think he wants it no badder than anyone in this locker room wants it. We all feel the same way. We understand that Rex had a long career here and we understand what Rex represents, but now Rex is with the Jets. Ravens are the Ravens and we will continue to be Ravens. I just think everybody is excited. Rex wants to win bad, but at the same time, we want to win bad too.
On how he views the Jets as an offensive team..
The bottom line is they stick to their identity. Their identity is that they like to run the football. Shonn Greene is a north and south runner. He likes getting downhill-running through the A gaps and B gaps. Anytime that you have that type of combination over there with that defense that they have, then they're going to stick to their philosophy. If you watch Rex, that's one thing that he's done very well over there. They led the NFL in rushing last year. Mark Sanchez didn't throw that many passes here or there. The bottom line is they actually stick to their identity. The bottom line is we don't like people to run, they like to run, so it should be a good battle in that category.
On his friendly rivalry with LaDainian Tomlinson…
I think it's always been that because it's based off of complete respect. I've been going against LT for years and years now when he was with San Diego, rivalries we've always had. He makes some plays, we make some plays, but bottom line, it's a high-spirited competition. We give it everything we've got against each other because we respect each other that much. He brings a veteran presence to their ballclub, wisdom on how he can get out of the backfield. I think he is a big key of their offense. I know they've got a lot of other pieces, but LaDainian is that guy who can make a lot of things happen.
On Tomlinson being "washed up"…
Everybody has their own opinion about people being washed up. I'm always going to protect my players. I don't think anyone is washed up until whenever you're done, you're done. Anytime you see a guy like LT, it wasn't his fault that San Diego's offensive line didn't produce or they went without a fullback, letting go Lorenzo Neal. A lot of factors came into talking about he's not the same anymore. If you watch the man play football, the man plays football better than probably any back in the game right now. That's one thing, if you don't respect that he'll hurt you with it.
On how he views the Ravens as contenders for the season…
I think we understand what we have on our team. We have a team that has been in the playoffs the last two years, but now we're trying to take that next step. What does taking that next step mean? Taking that next step simply means one game at a time and do what you've got to do during the season so that you can position yourself in the playoffs to where we're not going to other people's homes and people possibly coming here. There is a different energy about our team, energy that says now let's finish. We've been in the AFC Championship against Pittsburgh. We come back to lose against Indy last year. All close games. The bottom line for us is about finish. You add a few key pieces to us right now and then now you take us from not just being an athletic, young ball club and now you also take us with a lot of veterans and a lot of great pieces as well.
On if the secondary is vulnerable due to injuries…
You're only vulnerable if you don't have a defense to step out there with. If you have a defense to step out there with, we'll build from inside out. We'll build from our front seven, so if that means we have to get more pressure on the quarterback through our front seven and make sure we stop the run to get people in longer yardage distance, then that's our job. Yes, we've got some key injuries in the secondary, but we've also got some guys in the secondary who love to play football, know how to play football and know how to play Raven defense. So it's no bigger concern than if anything else was missing from anything on the team or if anybody else had got hurt, it would be the same concepts which is next man up.
On how successful the Ravens will be if they stop the run and force Mark Sanchez to throw…
We don't even have to guess. All we have to do is look at the film. He struggles a lot when he has to throw the ball a lot. That's just not his forte. It's not their team's thing. You have to grasp the team concept. If you don't grasp their team concept, worry about Sanchez trying to grow, then they beat you by simply running the ball. You look at both championship games last year, third-down and eight, third-down and nine, they're running the ball, picking up first downs. Everybody was putting their sub packages in and all these fast people to try to cover these wide receivers, but all of that was just a coverup. It comes down to bottom line buckling up your chinstraps and realize how they're going to play for 60 minutes.
On not being too worried about getting beat by Sanchez…
No disrespect to you, but I don't like people to put words in my mouth. It's not about the quarterback. It's about the Jets total team. We don't worry about Mark Sanchez as an individual. He's a part of the Jets organization and what we are studying is what they do as a team. What makes them successful as a team? If that's making him throw, then it's making him throw, but if that's stopping their run game, then that's what you have to be focused on and make sure that you're keyed into the right things and not worry about "Oh, he can't throw, he can't do this." That's when you get your head beat in sitting here saying what people can't do. This is the National Football League and if you're in this business you have some type of ability to get things done.
On if he thinks Darrelle Revis will be in shape…
Honestly, I'm going to always be honest. I'm glad he signed, but I don't care what type of shape he's in. I don't care nothing about Revis outside of we play on Sundays and that's it. The bottom line is he has to line up just like everybody else has to line up. I'm just glad he is signed, so there are no excuses. Don't come and say, "Oh. We didn't have Revis." Have everybody you need to have. Whoever you all need to go sign, bring them out of retirement, whatever you have to do. Sign whoever you need to sign. Stack your deck and then let's play football. I understand the importance of getting him signed because he's a key part of what they do on defense, but for us I don't care nothing about that.
On if there is a danger to Ryan's confidence…
The only danger it can be is writing the check that you can't cash. Rex can talk all he wants to. Rex isn't putting on pads, so that's pressure on his players. If it's pressure and his players respond to that then let them respond. At the same time, you put that bulls-eye on your team's head. They're doing all this talking. They're in the Super Bowl. Ok. Do what you do. Come Monday night no matter what you do, the whistle has got to blow and somebody has to get hit.
On if the Jets can live up to their talk…
I don't' know. That's for the Jets to deal with that pressure for the rest of the year. I don't have to do anything, but deal with my team, which is the Ravens, and get us ready to play Monday night. Whatever checks they wrote, saying that they made this or made that, we'll see Monday night.
On Ryan's response to Revis being back that the Jets never make excuses for themselves…
I have to tell you, personally and many of us, haven't heard a lot of the comments. I heard him talking about giving us hope, about not looking to Revis. The only hope I'm looking for is in God. That's it. I don't look for any hope. Darrelle Revis put his pants on one leg at a time. He's not a machine. He's a simple man, and he has to deal with everything that we're willing to bring to the table, as well. Bottom line is, hopefully, he's ready to play. Hopefully, his 36-day layoff didn't hurt him. When you talk about giving us hope, we don't need hope. You all bring your own hope. We have enough hope over here. We're packing our bags. We're not packing our bags to play water polo. We're packing our bags to come play football.
On the development of Joe Flacco…
I think, from the first time I saw the kid throw a ball, I've always loved his attitude toward the game. Now, you see him with weapons and everything around him. That by itself, for a talent like that, is awesome. When you see his progression, his maturity about the game, how he takes control of the offense and how he keeps everybody loose, but plays the game at a very high-level, it's to be respected. That's one of the first things I respected from day one, when I came in and first met him and actually saw him play.
On what he sees in the Jets offense…
If you watch them, they dictate. They try to dictate, and that's the mentality of Rex's team. He wants to dictate. He wants to say, "We're going to run the ball." That's what they did very well. Like I said, even watching film, you go back to the last three playoffs games, they made Cincinnati and San Diego's defenses as if they didn't want to play football, anymore. People weren't taking on blocks. Whether that's on their part, or the teams they played, the bottom line is they ran the ball effectively, the way they wanted. Then if you watch their formula this year, they're kind of doing the same thing.
On Tomlinson…
LT to me is always going to be LT. Everybody else talks about LT has lost a step and this and that. LT to me is probably one of the greatest to ever do it and the greatest to ever keep doing it. That by itself for me, means that you have to prepare a certain way when you get ready to play a guy like this. Don't ever disrespect, get caught up in what everybody else is saying. "Oh. LT doesn't have it anymore." LT, to me, I'm telling you, probably one of the top three, four backs still in this game right now and that's just the way he plays the game and the respect of having to study for him and knowing what he is going to bring.
On his thoughts on the game on Monday…
Nothing outside of, for us, just like Coach [John Harbaugh] has put in our heads. It's game one. That's it. It's game one of the 2010 season. If we treat it just like that, then there is no extra added pressure. There is nothing like it's their new stadium opening. No. At the same time, be careful who you ask for to want to play in your stadium. You got what you asked for and we'll be there Monday night.
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
On what he sees from the Jets offense…
Obviously, they're an offense who knows how to win. They have a really good offensive line. They're very physical, very well coached under Bill Callahan. I really like their running attack. The downhill running attack gets after you a little bit. Receivers will block. They have big-play receivers as well. They'll spread you out when they want to. There is a lot of motion when they want to try uncover and gain some advantages. It's a very well thought out offense.
On how important it is to stop the running game…
It's always important. It's a basic philosophy of both defenses, their defense and our defense. You really don't want to be in second-and-five. We're going to have to stop the run. It's going to be a huge challenge for us, the number one running team in the NFL last year. It's just going to be tough for us.
On going against Rex Ryan…
It's going to be something. He's a guy I personally have a lot of respect for. He's a friend of mine. He's done a great job there and took them to the championship game last year. He's proven himself as a great head coach. It's got to be business and we're both going to try to win the game.
On how he has reacted to all of Ryan's talk…
I appreciate it. I've always enjoyed Rex's style. I've always respected it. Way back when we were both at the University of Cincinnati, he brought that personality that he brings to the table and got those guys playing at an incredible level. You try to learn as much as you can from everybody around. I've learned a lot from how he does things and just appreciate him.
On how people perceive Ryan's bravado…
Everybody it takes it differently. Everybody makes their own decision about how they want to perceive people. That's up to every individual person. I choose to perceive it how I want to perceive it. I think he's a heck of a coach and a good person. He's a good family man. We look forward to the game.
On if he thinks Darrelle Revis will be in game shape…
He has a week to be in-shape. I don't think he'll have any problems. I think it takes about a week to usually get your legs back under you. He'll have plenty of time and plenty of rest between practices. We figured he'd be back all along. We didn't even consider that he wouldn't be there in the first game. I don't think it's any surprise to anybody. They did a good job and he did job of getting back in.
On if they would normally go after a player that has missed training camp…
I don't think we really have a book on that. We don't have that in our manual. I think we'll just see how the game goes and attack them the best way we can. We'll just do the best we can with it.
On the Ravens being banged up in the secondary…
We'll put 11 guys out there. There will be four DBs in the regular and five DBs in the sub, six DBs, seven DBs, whatever. We like our players. We've got good players, so we'll see how we do.
On former Ravens Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard…
I have tremendous respect for them. I was just telling our media here that I think the Jets down the middle are as good as anybody in the league. They may be the best in the league in some ways. The nose guard [Kris Jenkins] was in the Pro Bowl a couple of years ago. Just a fabulous player, a dominating player. The two inside linebackers, Bart and [David] Harris, control the middle in there and they're smart, physical guys. Then with Jimmy [Leonhard] in the middle, you never know where he's going to show, what he's going to do. He's one of the smartest players I've ever been around, but he's also a very underrated athlete. He's a great athlete. Then they have two corners [Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie] that are obviously very good. The basis of the defense is right down the middle, so obviously Bart and Jimmy are a huge part of that.
On his favorite thing about Scott…
My favorite thing is to see him go hit lead plays. When I think of Bart Scott, I think of him playing downhill into a lead play. Nobody does it like Bart does it. He's very good at it.
On Scott's personality…
I loved it. I loved his personality. I think he's one of the great competitors of the game. We had a lot of great conversations, had a lot of laughs. I just respect him as a player and person. I loved him when he was on our team.
On his players saying they're happy Darrelle Revis is back for the game…
I don't care, happy, sad. It doesn't really matter to us. We don't have any control over any of that stuff. We just play the team across from us. We'll be there Monday night and we'll be playing our best game, I hope. That's the plan. That's what we're preparing to do. The rest of it, I don't really care about.
On getting to play their season opener at a new stadium on Monday night against a former coach…
I think it's a big opportunity. It's a big deal. Obviously, it's New York City, that's a big deal. You have a brand new stadium, I think that's a very momentous, historic kind of a thing, and very meaningful to the Jets and their fans. We're honored to be a part of it. We're glad they asked us to come up and be a part of it.
On his expectations for his team…
We've been talking about it since day one, if you've followed us at all. We don't shy away from the expectations. Our goals are just like everybody else's. We want to win championships. Our expectations are for the next practice. Our expectations are to have a heck of a practice and preparation day today, and we'll worry about tomorrow when tomorrow gets here.
On what he has seen from Mark Sanchez and if he is the key to beating the Jets…
You have to stop the run because they can run it so well. They can hurt you with the run game. You don't want to put them in situations that are easy to convert on. That's not just the Jets, that's anybody. I guess what makes the Jets unique is they run it so well. Mark is capable of beating you, too. Mark is very athletic. He has a tremendous arm. He made a number of big plays in the playoffs, where he kind of came into his own. Obviously, he's a guy that we want to keep a close eye on and we're going to have to. He's a capable quarterback.
On comparing Joe Flacco with Sanchez…
I think the biggest thing is that they both took their team to the championship game in their first year. That's the obvious comparison, probably the only one I'd be willing to make. They both stand on their own two feet. They have their own styles, they're both their own guys, but they're obviously very successful. That's the obvious comparison.
On where Flacco is in his development…
I hope he's really good. I hope he's a lot better than he was last year and I hope he's a lot better next year than he was this year. We've worked really hard. Jim Zorn and Cam Cameron have done a great job. We've put a few players around him. Joe wants to be better in his own right. He's worked extremely hard throughout the offseason, throughout the minicamp. We're going against a great defense, so that just presents its own challenges. I'm very hopeful that he'll play very well.
On T.J. Houshmandzadeh…
He's a veteran player, that's the biggest thing. When you bring in a young guy, it's tough for those guys sometimes to get up to speed. T.J.'s been in a bunch of systems. He knows how to run all the routes. It's just a matter of him translating the system, so I hope he's a good translator. He looks fine in practice, doesn't seem to be having any problems, and obviously he's a very good player.
On how Houshmandzadeh will help the offense…
It's just another good player. You try to put as many good players out there as you can, and try to mesh them into a unit as best you can. You guys have seen him play for years. You know what he does. Those are things we're hoping he brings to the table for us.
On anything he can take away from last year's preseason game against the Jets…
Well, that game was played at a pretty high intensity level. I just take away how physical they were, how they got their team to be so physical so fast. Obviously, they've just grown from there. We understand that about them.
