Head Coach DeMeco Ryans
On what it means for the team to have LB Azeez Al-Shaair back
"It's really great getting Azeez back. We've missed him over these past three weeks, just missed his presence, his leadership, missed his playmaking ability on the field. So, we're excited to get him back out there and let him knock some of the rust off."
On what he thinks is the biggest key for the team to move on from last game in a positive way
"To move forward, we have to go play better. And that's what it comes down to, us playing better football. That's all that matters. When we step across those white lines, are we executing? Are we playing really good football? That's all that matters to me. That's starting with coaches, players, we all have to do our jobs better and that's what I'm looking forward to this week."
On how much consideration there will be in managing the snaps of players against the Titans
"Going into this game, as I mentioned to all of our guys, that everybody has to be ready to go. And that's where we are. Everybody will be out there playing and we'll see how the game goes. But for us, right now, we've got to go play better. And our last outing on the field was not good enough, not representative of who we are defensively, offensively, just – it's not a good representation of our team entirely. So, we've got to go out and we've got to play better football."
On if being a little 'banged up' is a result of how much football QB C.J. Stroud is playing
"The piece about C.J. being banged up is – I think that's real and that's real for everyone in the league at this time of the year. Everybody is banged up. The amount of games guys have played, the snaps they play, everybody is banged up. It's what it is. That's NFL football this time of year. You try to manage it as best you can, but it's also we all have to fight through, push through and a lot of guys are fighting through a lot of things, not only C.J., but a lot of guys are fighting through and that's the nature of what we do. And that also shows how resilient these guys are of what they go through and what they battle through that a lot of people would never know that they're fighting to go out there and still go perform and asked to perform at a high level."
On if he has noticed that being 'banged up' has kept QB C.J. Stroud from making some plays
"I think C.J. has had some plays that he would like back. Again, that's everyone. Everyone has had plays that we would all like back and like to play better. I think C.J. would be the first to tell you he has to play better. And our entire team rallying around him and playing better as well. I think, collectively as a team, we all have to play better. And when we have an outing like we did versus Baltimore, no one did good enough, coaches, players, no one did good enough. So, we all as I've asked for guys to look introspectively and see where we can all get better."
On why he feels the team did not execute well against the Ravens
"We just didn't. When the ball was snapped, we weren't good. We didn't make plays. We didn't execute properly. Our eyes weren't in the right place. We didn't fit things the right way. It just – it was not a – it was a poor outing by everyone."
On what he sees from WR Diontae Johnson and what he hopes to get out of him on and off the field
"With Diontae, adding him to our team, it's a guy who has talent. He's done it at a high level for other teams. Has bounced around a little bit here. As I mentioned to him, of course it's a clean slate starting with me. It really doesn't matter what has happened in the past or what the narrative is about you. You come here and everything is a fresh start and so we'll see how he can help us, what he can add to our team on the field and off the field."
On how important it is for the team to play better and have some momentum going into the postseason
"I want to see our guys go out and just gain that confidence just from doing ball the right way. And you gain confidence by that. You want to have that confidence. You want to be playing your best ball at this point of the year. So, that's what I want our guys to feel. Tennessee's a tough matchup. Again, they got us here earlier in the year. Really tough matchup for us, so we know we have to play our best ball versus them. Divisional opponent, it's always tough matchup. So, we have our work cut out for us. I want to see our guys go out and just play the right way and gain some confidence going into the postseason."
On the balance of having players play in Week 18 while knowing they are in the playoffs and wanting to keep them healthy for the postseason
"There is a balance there. For us, right now, I think it's a feel for where your team is at this point of the season. And for me, right now, our team needs to be playing better before we head into the postseason. So, we'll see where we are and how the game goes and, of course, be smart about what we're doing and be intentional about everything we're doing knowing what we have ahead of us. But I still want our guys to go out and play good football."
