After the Texans' game against the Baltimore Ravens at Reliant Stadium, players and coaches from both teams spoke to the media.
Houston Texans Texans head coach Gary Kubiak
(on his biggest frustration from today's game) "Just that we fell apart at a certain part of the football game. You know, we are in a tough football game against a good team and then midway or late in the third quarter, we just kind of self destructed. But give them (Baltimore) credit. They did a hell of a job. I obviously did a poor job of having my guys ready for the second half."
(on how much of the game was just the team being out of sync offensively and how much was the Ravens' good defense) "I was hoping that we could control their offense and I was hoping that was where we'd be. I thought that's the type of game it would be. But then we got down a couple of scores and we had to get probably more aggressive than you want to against that group. Regardless, if you have to come from 14 down or play correctly when it is 19-13, you've got to find away to get it done."
(on if the problems with interceptions that Texans QB Sage Rosenfeld is having is a confidence problem) "I'll have to go back and look at them (the interceptions). The first one we had them in a back of the end zone, a play we've worked all week. I gotta see what happened and why we couldn't get there. It's hard to see from the sidelines sometimes. I think one or maybe two of them were tipped, but he was trying to make plays there at the end. And I probably put him in some tough tough situations as a coach, so I take responsibility for that."
(on how the Ravens TE Todd Heap and the Ravens receivers ended up wide open) "We busted a two-deep (zone) on the first touchdown. We didn't get the job done. On the one to Heap, they were unbalanced one time and we got confused with our linemen, which causes some alignment confusions. But one of our issues has been giving up big plays, and we obviously gave up some more today."
(on throwing on first-and-goal from the 1) "I had no problem with that. I enjoyed doing that, and we've been successful doing that. We had a play we should be successful on again, but…. I wish I wouldn't have now."
(on throwing out of the end zone and if Texans QB Sage Rosenfels held the ball too long) "No, you know he works on that all the time - that is part of your backup principles as a football team. There are a couple of things you can't do. You know, you can't hold it (the ball). You know, you can't commit penalties in the end zone. You know, that's a safety, so those are things you work on and those are chances you take when you throw it. But we are trying to make a play to get out of there and we obviously hurt ourselves."
(on how he would characterize or describe the football game today) "It is exactly what I just said awhile ago. We were in a good football game against a good football team, a one score game, and we found a way to self destruct at about three minutes into the third quarter and throughout the rest of the game. Maybe I'll see something different tomorrow."
(on if he was surprised the Ravens were able to run as successfully as they did) "Yes. Like I said, I thought that we would be able to contain this football team better than we did. Give them a great deal of credit, they ran the ball 162 and the kid (Ravens QB Joe Flacco) made some big plays in the passing game. We knew we had to play great defense today, going into this game and we couldn't help them and we didn't get those things done."
(on being within a score of the Ravens) "Oh yeah, we expected to be in that type of game. At halftime, we expected to be in a low scoring battling game - that's how we were going to play today. There definitely wasn't any panic. If my memory serves me correct, at 19-13 we had three big penalties on the next drive, which all of a sudden put us down about two scores and then they went for two. You know, you go from having emotion and having your crowd in the game and being one play away from taking the lead, and then all of a sudden you're down two touchdowns - down after that drive. So you know, they drained us right there. Then, we come right back and go three-and-out and we're 14 down - go three and out and then turnovers, turnovers."
(on how many of the mistakes were from fatigue) "Yeah, we put them back out there. W ell first of all, we had two big drives against them to start the half. There shouldn't be any fatigue to start the second half. I think they went 75 or 58 yards to start the third quarter and if I'm correct, they came right back with another one. So, there should be no fatigue then. But definitely at the end when you keep going back out there, you're going to wear down."
(on how much of a pleasant surprise Texans DT Frank Okam was in his first outing) "I have to go back and look. It's hard for me to sit there and concentrate on one football player during the game. I'll go back and take a look and I'll comment on that tomorrow."
(on how frustrating it is to see rookie QB Joe Flacco go four games without losing and the Texans' quarterbacks are struggling) "The kid is playing good. He is a good-looking young man. He has a big arm and a great presence about him moving around. If he keeps playing that way, that football team could go a long way because they have great games on the defensive side of the ball and I am very impressed with the young man."
(on how they tied the season high with three sacks in the first half and what happened the second half) "I don't know. Obviously, I didn't have them ready to go in the second half because we didn't stop them and you know we self destructed on offense other than one big play. So, I'll have to go back and look. I didn't see them doing anything different offensively and they definitely didn't do anything different defensively. They played us a lot like Minnesota did. They were just trying not to give us big plays and making us work for our stuff and hoping we make a mistake, and unfortunately we do."
(on what you could do different) "I've got to figure out something to do different. I have to figure out a way to get us to play four quarters of clean football. We have some tough road games coming up, and that spurt right there was ugly. So I've got to figure out something."
Texans LB Kevin Bentley
(on what happened in the game) "I'm not really sure, to be honest. I'll have to check the tape tomorrow before I make a comment on exactly what happened. Obviously, we didn't play well enough to win."
(on Ravens TE Todd Heap running free) "Yeah, I think some of that was, one time they had a good play and the last one, it was like a trick play. Two quarterbacks in (the game), but we were prepared for it. Again, I don't know exactly what happened, why he got open."
(on the Ravens running the ball in the second half) "I'm not really sure. I was thinking that they would run the ball. Just coming from Cleveland and being in that division, once they get a lead on somebody, that's what they do. They run the ball and just try to wear you down and hope their defense holds up."
(on his first career sack) "If we would have won, it probably would have been something good but right now, we didn't make enough big plays to win that game."
(on the general mood in the locker room) "That's a good question. I know we're disappointed. A lot of disappointment right now. We work hard all week, contrary to belief or what people think, that we just line up on Sundays. We bust our tails all week, and to come out and for it not to come out the way you expect it to, it's kind of frustrating and disappointing."
(on the penalties in the game) "I plead the fifth."
(on if the Ravens changed what they were doing on offense after three sacks in the first half) "It didn't. They went to a lot of three-step stuff in the second half where we weren't really able to get there. In that situation, we have to be able to get our hands up and bat some of those balls down. If we're not going to be able to get there to get a sack, you have to be able to get your hands up so you can bat some of those balls down."
Texans S Nick Ferguson
(on if they have to match the turnovers that offense is committing) "Well, you try to, but your job as a defense is that you don't go out there and force turnovers. If they happen, you're in the right place in the right time, fine. The thing is to stop them no matter where they are on the field. You have to make sure they don't score any points. If anything, if they score any points, you keep it to three points. We didn't do that today. We did that in some previous games, but today wasn't our day."
(on the Ravens' big plays, especially the first touchdown pass) "Well, with that first touchdown, basically it was a defense we have run countless times. But when you're trying to play other team's tendencies and trying to work your defense, sometimes you kind of get caught in between. I think that was the case. If he ran that play five more times, then we execute that to a T."
(on how key it is to rebound from this game) "Well, it's always key to try to rebound in this league. To me, once you've lost a game, you grieve about it, you get upset about it, you come back and watch the film, then, after you do that, you prepare for that next week that's on us. So you can't linger on this loss. We have to get ourselves prepared for Indy, and that starts small."
Texans WR Andre Johnson
(on how it felt to lose today) "Very disappointed, those guys have a great defense and we were able to go out and move the ball down the field on them. We just weren't able to convert any points; that's pretty much it. We weren't able to score."
(on whether this performance mad him mad) "Guys are upset because it would be one thing if we knew we couldn't be a good football team, but we knew we have a good football team. We just haven't been able to put it all together."
(on whether he is worried about this team) "You really can't worry about everybody else. The only person you really can control is yourself. But I think we have the right guys in this locker room."
(on the coaches taking the blame for today's loss) "They can't go out and play the game for us. We have to go out there and play the game. All they do is call the plays, so you can't really sit here and say it was his (head coach Gary Kubiak) fault. Its not his fault at all. He doesn't have to go out there and play - we do."
(on why hasn't the team been able to put something together) "Like I said earlier, turning the ball over, not executing when we were supposed to. It's pretty much been the same story; it's no secret. You guys know it. You watch it every week."
Texans WR Jacoby Jones
(on the performance of the team today) "We just made simple mistakes. We said we have to clean up and keep moving forward."
Texans G Chester Pitts
(on the team's performance in today's game) "We self destructed. There was nothing new that they did in the second half that we didn't see in the first half. There were no option plays called that we hadn't practiced, rehearsed and were prepared for. Coach Kub (Kubiak), he was a honorable man and he takes it. This is not Gary Kubiak, this is the players. I didn't see him with a helmet on today; I didn't see him with pads on. This is our job, our responsibility, we're professionals. At this level of the game if you need a coach to get you ready to go play, you're in the wrong business. If this is what you need to be doing, you need to do something else. It's our job to get ready to go and this is on us, this is on the players."
(on his reaction towards Kubiak's statement) "Coaches don't play, we play. Maybe I got into this game late and I don't know as much as some of the other guys that have played since they were children. But we have systems; we have schemes and I don't know if there is a bad play out there. We have options; we have checks. We can get out of if we don't have a favorable look. Whatever we call, we at a minimum can make another play. It eats me alive that coaches take losses. It's on us."
(on whether there were players not ready to play today) "As leading as that is, we didn't do what we had to do. So obviously, we weren't. It's we, its all of us. We weren't ready to go, and it showed."
(on whether there's a chance to turn this around) "Absolutely, every person on this team wants to do this right and gives everything they have. We just have to find a way to give everything we have, but always in the right way, not make mistakes, not hurt ourselves, not kill ourselves."
Texans QB Sage Rosenfels
(on the game) "Well, it's just disappointing. That's a really good football team out there and we all knew how good their defense is. They proved that today. We did some good things offensively, made some mistakes and their offense did a good job of controlling the football. Tough game. It got out of hand at the end, but that's the kind of defense they are. They know when there's blood in the water, they know when to go after it. That's what a veteran like (Ravens CB) Samari Rolle did late in the game."
(on his thoughts on his first two or three interceptions) "Well, the first one, I had (TE) Owen Daniels in the back of the end zone and the defensive lineman (DE Haloti Ngata) jumped up, tipped it and caught it. I don't know what I would do differently. You don't expect a 360-pound guy to not really be rushing on the one-yard line. The second one, I got hit. I was trying to check the ball down to (RB) Steve Slaton and I got hit as I was throwing it and the ball sailed on me. Then the two late, I was trying to make a play, trying to get us back in it. We were down 14 with I don't know how much time was left. I was trying to be too aggressive and I just sailed one to (WR) Andre (Johnson), right to (Ravens LB) Ray Lewis. Then (Ravens CB) Samari Rolle, it's that crafty old player. He still can play. He just read the combination and basically ran the route and I didn't see him. That's my job, I guess, to see him."
(on if he is shocked on how the game unfolded) "Well, we played them right down to the wire. We were playing them good into the third quarter and then (in) the fourth quarter, they just dominated us offensively and defensively."
(on if in a game like this, he is almost expecting what is going to go wrong next like in Murphy's Law) "No, I don't know the exact of Murphy's Law. That wasn't my major (in college). Sometimes, it happens. It happens against a team like that. When bad things start to happen, a team like that just keeps attacking and keeps attacking because they don't sit back when they're in the lead and play soft coverages and let you find completions and slowly move the ball down the field like most teams do. That team keeps bringing it, keeps blitzing, keeps being aggressive. That's why it's so hard even at the end of the games when you might be down by four touchdowns to even find completions."
(on if he feels the offense was out of sync today) "Well, we moved the ball pretty well. I mean, we really should have had 14 points or so at the half. I think we had six. We did a lot of good things, just not enough in a row. I have to give them credit. That's a great defense, and that's an offense that did a really good job moving the ball."
(on if this game shakes his confidence) "Well, it can, but I'm not going to let it. This is a game I'm going to have to learn from. We have a big game next week at Indianapolis. That's a game we all know that we think we can win because we played them so well the first time. We'll have to play even better next week."
(on if there is still something to be made of the season at 3-6) "Absolutely. You never know what's going to happen. We're just going to take them one at a time and see what happens."
(on taking the blame the last time he started and if he feels that way after this game) "Well, I did the best I could and I made too many mistakes. I blame myself for the mistakes I made. But I can't do it all and I'm probably trying to be too aggressive and make too many things happen. But I'm doing the best I can and as I said, everyone knows I'm making a couple of mistakes and I'm playing great at times. I think a lot of guys are doing the same thing."
(on the Ravens' defense) "No, not really. The difficulty of this team is that it's really hard to run the ball against them, your base offense against their base defense. They're number one in the league, in fact, against the run. But when you get into more three-wide receiver sets, that's when they bring out the crazy stuff, so you really want to stay out of those situations. And we tried to do it as much as we could, but sometimes you get into third-and-longs and you have to, and even when they don't bring it, sometimes it can affect your protections and stuff because the possibility of them bringing all the pressure that they bring."
(on the first interception) "Yeah, O.D. (TE Owen Daniels) ran a great route and, no, I was going to throw it and I think the ball was going to hit him right in the chest and 92 or 94 just as I said, I don't know if he wasn't quite rushing or what, but he just got a fingertip on it and he tipped it to himself. I mean, I don't know what else I would do on that play. Obviously, I'd like to throw the ball six inches higher, but you couldn't – usually, d-linemen are three feet off the ground at that point on the goal line trying to stop the run."
(on DE Haloti Ngata being in an unusual spot on that play) "Yeah, I don't know if they were trying – nobody runs twist games or anything like that on the goal line. I don't know exactly what he was doing. As I said, I don't know what I would do different on that play."
(on his interceptions) "Yeah, as I said, the first one on the one-yard line, a 370-pound guy tips it and catches it, I don't know what I would do different on that. The second one, I got hit as I was trying to check the ball down."
Texans WR Kevin Walter
(on the touchdown drive in the third quarter) "We knew we had to make a big play; we called two deep routes. Right when I turned my head, the ball was right there. I don't think I caught a ball in my career as in stride as that one. It was a great ball, so we just had to do something with it afterwards."
(on the situation after scoring a touchdown) "It was 19-13, we were right in it, crowd was in it. We've just can't turn the ball over and just got to do better in the red zone."
(on today's performance) "We've got to do a better job in the red zone, that's what really hurt us. We were on the one-yard line and the guy made a great play. Its kind of crazy, but we've got to do a better job in the red zone and we've got to stop turning the ball over. We moved the ball pretty well. We moved the ball, and this team is the number one defense - number two, whatever they were coming into this game and we moved the ball pretty well and they didn't do anything different that we didn't know."
Texans DE Anthony Weaver
(on all the penalties) "I don't know. We were just out there trying to be aggressive. Unfortunately, the calls weren't going our way today. Why they were being called today, I don't know, but you can't play passively on defense and we're not going to change up."
(on the penalty called on him) "I've played a lot of football and I'm taught to do that, so I was surprised by the call."
(on the turnovers) "Whenever you turn the ball over like that, that's what's going to happen. They're going to run up the score on you. With that being said, we have to hold them to three. We were out there giving up touchdowns, and you can't have that on defense, regardless of the situation. If stuff changes, we've got to look into ourselves to stop it."
(on how everything spiraled out of control) "I think it is turnovers. We are out there, our defense, (WR) Kevin Walter just made a big play, we're trying to get a stop. Penalties happened, and that's the drive when they scored and it all kind of avalanched from there, so it's tough to say what exactly happened. But we have to give them (Baltimore) credit, because when it came time to run the ball and shove it down our throat, they did."
(on the blame being on everybody) "Yeah, all of us realize we can play better. It's important for us, especially now, we have to play through some adversity and look into ourselves and come out here and try to play harder."
Texans DE Mario Williams
(on frustration after giving up 40 points) "Obviously, it's very frustrating now. You don't want to go out there especially in a key game – every game is key for us – to be in this position to go out there and have another loss."
(on what changed on defense from the first half to second half) "The second half, there were kind of some positions that were pretty tough, but we didn't hold up. Definitely, the first drive or whenever they came out and they scored on us, that's not like us. We can't do that. Then we had some other times when we were down there that we really needed to hold them to a field goal, and we didn't do that."
(on how much the penalties hurt) "They drove the whole field on that one drive. That was just a big blow. I don't know if they were legit or whatnot, but they drove the whole field off of penalties that one drive."
(on how difficult it will be to rebound from a loss like this) "You have to rebound regardless. It's football. You have to go out and play ball and make it happen. You have to rebound."
(on everyone taking blame in this loss) "Most definitely, from my aspect from the defensive side, it's from the d-line to the (defensive) backs. We all take it that way."
(on how key is it to get turnovers on defense) "We've got to get them. We're losing the turnover battle badly right now, and it's happened before and we have to turn it around. We have to get some turnovers."
(on allowing big plays) "They're making big plays, and it really hurts, especially at key times when we came up right there to kind of get things back in hand and they came up with a big play. We just have to stop that."
Baltimore Ravens Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh
(on the important plays and the victory) "It was a team victory, like they all are, but to single out a couple of individuals, first of all, (WR) Derrick Mason. Derrick Mason, I think, I won't give it away here, he had a dislocated shoulder, to my understanding. He played the game with a dislocated shoulder, and that's incredibly painful. That means he is an incredibly courageous guy. He made some catches and he did a nice job. (LB) Ray Lewis, I thought, stepped up. Talk about two defensive players, one on offense and one on defense. Ray, on defense, made huge plays for us. The interception with (DE) Haloti Ngata was big. What he said to the team at halftime is always as big. We kind of shut down the running game in there. (FB) Le'Ron (McClain) did a nice job with cutback runs, of course our d-line with the knock-back defense, got to credit (TE) Todd Heap even on the offensive side. Not just the two touchdown catches, but a couple of big, big conversions in third-and-long situations where he made big catches for us and got open coming across the middle just looked good. So it was good to see some of the veterans step up and play the way they did in a tough road game. "
(on DE Haloti Ngata) "That play at the goal line, that's the player we're going to talk about, but that wasn't his best one. He dominated the line of scrimmage like nobody else in this league right now, but they go down the field, they've got some momentum. They make a couple of plays. Our guys rise up and stop them when they have to. I think that's the trademark of our defense, and that's why I'm so proud of them."
(on QB Joe Flacco's momentum swings) "Well Joe did, you know – early in the game, I was giving Joe a hard time. He's back there right now. He's going to laugh a little bit. I was getting at him a little bit and he doesn't get flustered. I think momentum swings don't affect him too much and he comes out and plays the next series. He takes care of business. That's the kind of person he is and it is a credit to his parents, right Joe? But he played well when he had to. No question about it. You know, I was just thinking, too, our coaches, position coaches. If we could go through every one of the position coaches, they'd be too numerous to name right now. I thought our coaches did a great job. (Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator) Rex (Ryan), (offensive coordinator) Cam (Cameron) and (special teams coordinator) Jerry (Rosburg). Jerry did a great of rallying the special teams after a tough outing in Cleveland last week and had those guys playing at another level. (K Steve) Hauschka did a nice job for his first time kicking. He made a field goal; kicked off well and our kickoff team was running down there like bullets, getting off blocks and making plays. That was nice to see. Then Cam, scheme-wise, and Rex, scheme-wise, Rex came up with a couple of pressures and Cam had a couple of routes that came wide open. That's the whole staff on both sides of the ball."
(on getting players involved) "I know we keep talking (about) getting players involved and you guys keep asking about it, getting (TE Todd) Heap involved, getting your mind involved in whatever you are going to do and we're trying, you know. We found a way to do it today and think it's a credit to (WR/RS) Yamon (Figurs) and it's a credit to Todd. It's a credit to the guys who got involved. (RB) Willis McGahee coming in and running so well. It's a credit to those guys."
(on RB Willis McGahee) "I think Willis was more healthy probably this week than he has been all year. Not having to play last week was a big plus for him. The game plan was more contoured toward what Willis does well, very well."
(on CB Samari Rolle's first game back) "Well, the interception was sure nice. You know, the thing is, Samari probably was worried more than anybody. Maybe Samari wasn't. Maybe we were more worried about the physical part of it. But he stepped up. Was it at the first play or the first series? First play, he smacked somebody right away, and that's the kind of football player we have on this team."
(on the first drive in the second half) "It was important, obviously, to do that, to take control. I think they'd scored once or twice right before that and maybe got a field goal on us. It was good to see our guys with the football in their hands. I thought our offensive, let's talk about the whole game offensively, you know, putting points on the board, first downs we had to have and converting third downs and that's what we had to do."
(on K Steve Hauschka kicking longer field goals) "Hauschka is obviously younger. He's got some leg strength, so he was going to be the longer field goal guy. He didn't even kick that ball as well as we wanted to, but you know what you do? You kick it straight. You kick it straight and it's got a chance to go in."
Baltimore Ravens OT Willie Anderson
(on the big plays with the unbalanced line with three tackles on the field and if that is fun for him) "Yeah, it is, because it gives you a chance to go to the other side and do things a little different than a normal offense would be doing. My whole career, I've been on a normal offense doing normal things, and (offensive coordinator) Cam (Cameron) kind of gives you the opportunity to go on the other side and be the other guys a little bit. So, left tackle's got to be able to play right and right's got to be able to play left and just have fun with it. The main thing is it allows you to be a physical offensive line, I think and we're winning games with it because this offensive line is playing very physical and also, being a whole balanced offensive tackle."
Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco
(on the offense growing) "I think we still can grow immensely. We scored 12 points in the first half and we came out and did well in the second half and our defense did at the end of the game. It was good to put things away, and when our defense gets the opportunity at the end of the game to have a short field goal and score a touchdown and really put it away, it's good to know that we were able to do that. We're getting better and better each week. Our main goal is to improve each week and hit our stride where it counts the most. We're starting to improve each week, and that's the best thing there is."
(on getting TE Todd Heap involved) "I couldn't tell you before the game whether (TE) Todd was (Heap) going to catch one pass during the game or 10 passes during the game. Todd's a great receiver and he's always going to be there for us. Whatever the game calls for, we're going to do it. Todd stepped up big today."
(on hitting WR Yamon Figurs for a touchdown after WR Derrick Mason went down) "Oh, it's great. I never like seeing a guy (Mason) like that go down, but we've had guys step in all year in all different kinds of decisions and we've done a great job all across the board on the offensive line. Having those receivers is great. Those guys did a great job today."
(on WR Yamon Figurs being uncovered downfield) "No, not really. I think if you drew it up on a blackboard, he probably wasn't covered. The way they played it, he ended up popping open. I wasn't quite sure whether to believe it or not, but he ended up being wide open. He went down there and made a nice catch."
(on seeing FB Le'Ron McClain downfield) "No, Le'Ron was just down there blocking. If he had run across the field and if he would have been wide open, I guess you could have popped it to him, but it was really back to (QB) Troy (Smith) and we ended up a little short. I would like to have that one back, but it was one step getting there."
(on the Texans scoring a touchdown after TE Todd Heap caught his touchdown) "They're always big drives. They scored, but we stopped the momentum. They (Texans) started to feel like they were going to get back in the game. We still had the lead. We just knew we needed to take it back down there, move the ball, keep getting first downs, and then when we got down there, capitalize on our chance of getting the ball in the end zone. You know, we did that at the end of the game."
(on TE Todd Heap's stumble) "He really was my only guy on the routes, so I came around and saw him slow down and was like, 'Oh no.' So I started backing up, backing up and trusting that he was going to come up. Then he was wide open, so it was pretty easy."
Baltimore Ravens TE Todd Heap
(on the feeling after his first touchdown) "That was a great feeling. I think at that point in the game, we needed it, so that was what made it even more pretty. I don't think the play was quite like we wanted it to turn out, but we got it done and (QB) Joe (Flacco) stayed with me and we got to score."
(on selling the block on his first touchdown) "Yeah, it was more just trying to get through the line of scrimmage. I don't care how it works, as long as it works, and it was good."
(on QB Joe Flacco bouncing back) "There's no question. I think Coach (John Harbaugh) already stated it before, just the demeanor that he brings to the huddle. We could have a horrible play. We had a couple of second-and-25's, third-and-20's, a couple of tough situations to overcome, and he just comes in the huddle and we don't get flustered, we just go about our business. And that's kind of how we play. The first half, we didn't come out and play how we wanted to, with the intensity we wanted to, the physicality we wanted to, but the second half we came out. I think that's been one of our staples this year, really putting it to them in the second half and being strong the second half."
(on being able to close out a team) "I just think that's huge for us. It's the first time we've done it in that fashion yet this year. Hopefully, we can build on that and learn from that. I think we kind of got in a little rhythm of running the ball, moving the ball down the field. To finish drives the way we did in the second half, I think we need to learn from that and expand on that."
(on how the offense changes when WR Derrick Mason is out) "It definitely changes our personality. It changes the formations that we can run. We're used to having Derrick in the slot, and so when he's out of there, we lose a big part of our offense. We lose a bunch of our formations. Definitely, all of the other guys have got to step up when Derrick's down. It was good to see him come back in the second half and make some plays. We know he'll be sore this week, but hopefully it's not too bad."
(on the offense being a big part of this team) "It feels good, but at the same time, we aren't where we want to be yet. I think we're improving. We're seeing signs of what we were capable of. But as far as all of us were concerned in the huddle, we know we can get a lot better. We can kind of see down the road and see what we're trying to get to. We're still working at it. We're still trying to improve every week. I think games like this are good for us to really get in that rhythm and figure out, 'Hey, we can really put it to teams.' I think this is just a sign of what we're going to see down in the future."
Baltimore Ravens OLB Jarret Johnson
(on if the ability of the group to communicate comes from practice all week) "Yeah, you've got to get your communication down on Wednesdays because you come in and you've got new plays. You've got a new offense you've got to get adjusted (to). Everybody does different things, so you've got to really get your communication down and know we're going to get this route, so you might get this call as opposed to another team who wasn't going to give you this particular route. Soyou've got to get your communication down on Wednesday."
Baltimore Ravens TE Edgar Jones
(on if that is an NFL record for sacks by a tight end) "It might be. It might be. It might be an NFL record for tight end for sacks. You don't really see a lot of tight ends down in a three-point stance rushing the quarterback."
(on if he is having a good time with playing different roles) "Oh, man. It's fun. It's a blessing being able to show my talents and God letting me show my talents. I just try to take advantage of it as much as I can. I'm having a lot of fun out there on offense and defense, just out there playing ball."
Baltimore Ravens WR Derrick Mason
(on what made his decision to go back in the game) "You've got to help the team. If I can run, I can help the team. This thing wasn't unbearable. I just had to go out there and be smart about it. There were a couple of times where I could have possibly gotten some more yardage, but I stepped out of bounds. I'm just out there trying to help the team as much as possible."
(on what the injury was to his shoulder) "It was a dislocation. I can't tell you the degree of it, but it was a dislocation. (Baltimore training staff) did tests back here (in the locker room) and I sat out the whole first half and came back the second half. Not to say it didn't hurt, but when adrenaline is going, you kind of block some things out."
(on the play where he was injured) "It was. As soon as I went up, I knew if I came down wrong there was a possibility that I was going to hurt myself. I'm just glad it's not broken. A dislocation, there's a lot of people that play with it, but my situation is a little bit different because I'm a receiver. So we'll see how it feels tonight and tomorrow and the rest of the week and we'll determine the rest from there."
(on if nothing surprises him now about what QB Joe Flacco can do) "Not really. Joe played a very good game today. He was efficient in what he did. Numbers might not show it, but we had 20-something first downs, almost 30 first downs. That's what we preach. If we can continue to move the ball on third down, then we'll be OK, and that's what we did today."
(on QB Joe Flacco) "He's calm under fire. I know that's a cliché thing or a nice little quote, but he's calm under fire. When things are not going as well, he stays calm no matter what the situation is. So he's shown that since day once and he hasn't changed since."
(on if this team is developing a killer instinct that it takes to win in December) "We'll have to. Teams make the playoffs in December, November and December, and then you win championships in January. So we're just slowly but surely setting ourselves up for next month, December, and we'll see where it goes from there. But the offense is starting to develop that attitude of, 'We're not waiting on the defense. We understand that the defense is going to do what they need to do, but we can't wait on them. We've got to go out there and start scoring points.'"
Baltimore Ravens DE Haloti Ngata
(on the interception) "I didn't really know who was around me. I just looked up, saw the ball and caught it. I didn't know who or what hit me or was around me, so I just went down. I didn't want to make a mistake or anything."
(on turnover on the one-yard line) "It was real big. I was lucky to be in the right spot at the right time. I was happy to make that play. It killed their momentum. They were driving the ball, and it killed their momentum."
(on sensing Texans QB Sage Rosenfels getting jittery) "Definitely. We knew if we got pressure on him, we would get some opportunities to get some picks. When I got pretty close to get some picks, it was big. It was definitely needed to put pressure on him to get those picks."
(on putting pressure on QBs more now than in the past) "Definitely. We saw a lot of us closing in on the pocket, pushing that pocket in. We are definitely working a lot on that, and it's showing."
(on interception) "Well, I thought they were running the whole time. I hit my inside gap, turned, moved and tried to read the quarterback and put the pressure on. I was just trying to get in front of him and get the ball."
(on the biggest play of the game) "It was probably the one with (Ravens LB) Ray (Lewis) when he got the interception, just because it kind of killed them. Their momentum definitely went down. The quarterback is big, and that interception was really critical for us."
(on how blocking for a touchdown run compared to his interception and pressuring the quarterback) "I'm a defensive guy. It's priority number whatever down there. I definitely love doing it. It's fun to do something different. It's great that they are trusting me to run behind them. It's great to do that and a lot of fun."
(on punt coverage units taking him back to his college days) "Yeah, they started me on that this week. They wanted me to just stick on that center and push him back and not let him get off it. That's my job. I didn't realize how close I was on that second one. It was great."
Baltimore Ravens CB Samari Rolle
(on getting back into action on the first play) "That was crazy. I didn't imagine it like that. Coach (John) Harbaugh told me before the game, 'There's going to come a point.' (I thought) 'I'll test it, and I'll be alright,' and I was good."
(on how the first hit was) "I was fine. I was good after it. I'm alright."
(on playing the entire game without thinking about injury) "After that first hit, I didn't think about it."
(on the interception by DE Haloti Ngata) "Best play of the game right there. He kept them off of the scoreboard, and we got more momentum and we were able to finish them in the second half."
(on if the interception today felt the best of all of his interceptions) "Yes, it did. It did. I was just told that's career number 30 right there, so it was good."
(on the defense's ability to get turnovers) "When we stick together and everybody does their job and listens to (assistant head coach/defensive coordinator) Rex (Ryan), we're hard to beat."
Baltimore Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs
(on finishing off the game) "Well, you cut them once, and they keep fighting. You've got to keep cutting and keep their head under the water. So I think we did a good job of doing that, and I think our offense did a good job of doing that. So, (offensive coordinator) Cam Cameron called an amazing game. (Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator) Coach (Rex) Ryan, he called an amazing game, but we just went out there and did what we were supposed to."
Baltimore Ravens OT Adam Terry
(on his play) "I've got a ways to go. (I'm) excited about the win, excited about some of the things I did out there, but, you know, we're just back to work, a big game going back to New York for me. So it's exciting. It's exciting. It's good times. If need be, I'll be ready. We're ready to roll."
(on the leadership on the offensive line) "It's just how it is. Like I said yesterday during offensive line meetings, we're starting to get a brotherhood in there. It's a really tight fraternity. It takes something to get in there, and I don't think we're going to let a lot of people in. It's just how it is."
(on if he will ever be an eligible receiver) "No (laughs). Yeah, throw it to me. I can catch it."
