STEELERS VS. RAVENS
Monday, November 5,  2007
at Heinz Field

RAVENS CONFERENCE CALLS

 

HEAD COACH BRIAN BILLICK

How is the health situation leading up to the game?

 

We are healthier.  We are not quite there yet.  We will have to see how the week progresses, but we are a whole lot healthier than we have been in the last month.

 

I read last week that you said you were hoping to have most of the starters back?

 

We are hopeful.  Chris McAlister and Todd Heap will be the biggest question marks right now, but outside of that I think we are moving along pretty good.

 

What were you able to do to the Steelers last year, it was 58-7, they rarely lose by that kind of margin?

 

We got on a pretty good roll.  We were able to offensively maintain a certain balance with both the run and pass.  In the second game, we were able to hit a couple big plays.  The first game, we ran the ball pretty well, dumped the ball off, the defense played well and it was enough to win.  The second game, we were able to take advantage of some big plays which is uncharacteristic against the Steelers and a Dick LeBeau defense.  Defensively, we were able to put a lot of pressure.  At the end of the day, it was the pressure that we were able to bring on the quarterback.  Obviously, it is something we hope to do again but I am sure they have given a great deal of focus to not let that happen again.

 

What is the difference between your team this year and last?

 

Right now, injuries, and you are always hesitant to say that as a coach, because it sounds like an excuse but we think we are a better football team than we were last year but so far that team hasn’t been on the field.  To look at it offensively, to be out basically a month without Jonathan Ogden, Mike Flynn, Todd Heap and Steve McNair is going to affect you, to not have both corners, to not have Trevor Pryce, so it is our hope that we, in getting most of those players back, we can kind of put a team on the field that we envisioned happening at the beginning of the season but haven’t had since the second play of the opener.

 

What would you say is where you might be better assuming you get that team back on the field?

 

Well, the addition of Willis McGahee gives us a little more diversity in our running game and utilizing him out of the backfield.  What was our depth at receiver and tight end was going to be an asset and we have lost that depth at tight end due to injury, but we are beginning to get that back, so I think the diversity of what we are doing offensively.  Defensively, it is virtually the same group, but it is a group that has another year to mature with one another.  If we can get that team back on the field, losing Trevor Pryce was a big hit for us the last month of the season because of the pressure that he can bring inside.  It definitely affects where teams can focus their protections, meaning outside on Terrell Suggs or on Antwan Barnes and we are now able to reinsert Trevor Pryce and add that dimension inside, it is our hope that we are able to bring and make it a little bit easier of a road for Terrell and on the outside.

 

The Steelers are having this gala weekend where they are honoring the 75^th anniversary team and they are going to introduce them Monday night.  Have you found that through the years, does that give a team an emotional lift or does it mean virtually nothing?

 

I don’t know, we look at it as we have been scheduled for their homecoming.  Ohio State and Michigan seem to schedule Northwestern a lot for homecoming, and I say that with a daughter who graduated from Northwestern.  Yes, they have chosen to that.  That is great.  I don’t know that our players are particularly focused on it but we know it is going to be a very emotional night, not like it needs more, it is Pittsburgh and Baltimore on a Monday night.  You think that would be enough.  But obviously with what they are honoring and obviously the story and fabulous history should be a fabulous night.

 

You have been on both sides of these games where one team has very little to play for and yet has gone at it as if the Super Bowl was at stake, why is that?

 

It is a division rival.  I think there is a lot of healthy respect, there is a lot of emotion when we play one another, and has been.  You are right, it is kind of odd in that we seem to be, although this year obviously we are fighting for the lead in the division, so it is a little early in the season to know exactly how this is going to play out.  They are 5-2 and we are 4-3.  There have been other times where for whatever reason we have been on a roll and they are maybe out of the picture and vice versa, they were heading to a Super Bowl and we were kind of out of the playoffs, so for a rivalry to be maintained even though there seems to be that inequity in your position a lot of times, it does tell you what a strong rivalry this is.

 

What is like when you had to by necessity go from one quarterback to another week to week?  How tough is that?

 

I have said many times, it is the hardest thing a team ever has to deal with, the loss of its quarterback either due to play or injury.  The rhythm, what you do, the style, it is a lot for a team to deal with.  Although Kyle (Boller) has played very, very well for us and has gotten a couple wins for us, the continuity that you hope to have in the quarterback position building from week to the next, the practice time, the quarterback working with the receivers, we kind of got a double whammy in that we haven’t had our receivers available to practice pretty much for the last two to three weeks.  We have that back now so we hope to get that continuity back, but it does take a little while to get back into the rhythm now that you are back to the original quarterback.

 

Has it helped to have (Willis) McGahee running pretty well?

 

Huge, we are very pleased to have Willis.  He is much more physical than what I thought when we got him.  I knew he could stretch and cut and have big plays but he is a much more physical runner than I had originally thought.  That is a nice dimension for us.

 

What was it like to have Ray Lewis publicly criticize your play calling from the Buffalo game and how did you handle that situation?

 

Oh, it is standard operating procedure around the league.  As a coach, you don’t like to hear those things.  By the same token, we as coaches have to stand up there and basically criticize our players in meetings day in and day out and players have criticisms as well. You would like for it not to be outside of the family, outside of the structure, you certainly understand when it happens and the last thing you are going to do is respond to it as a coach because that just exacerbates the situation.  You look around the league, it is kind of standard operating procedure.  Ray and I have no problem.  We have been down this road before.  I certainly understand the frustration, I am frustrated.  I get frustrated when we jump off sides, when we drop coverage, when we miss tackles, when we drop balls and I am a little half pissed off at the offensive coordinator, too because he probably should have run the ball on fourth-and-one.  I am the offensive coordinator, by the way.

 

Defensively, Adalius Thomas had some things to say, but you said you moved on from him.  Are you able to do the same things that you were able to with him?

 

Naturally, no.  Adalius is a very special player.  What we did with Adalius, we have to approach kind of in combination now, different players doing things.  Jarrett Johnson has been outstanding for us, probably better at the point of attack and better against the run than Adalius.  Obviously not going to quite do the same things in coverage that Adalius did so we have to cover that in other ways.

LINEBACKER RAY LEWIS

How did you feel after the two wins over the Steelers last year?

 

I think we felt the way you always feel after beating a division rival and everybody knows the rivalry we have with Pittsburgh. I think the bottom line was to reclaim your thrown and that is why we’ve been going back and forth for the last couple years; us and Pittsburgh battling for the AFC North. When we got done with what we got done with, we knew we had made a statement and I think they kind of understood it.

 

How were you able to beat them?

 

I think we had some great momentum. I think we forced them into doing things that they really didn’t want to do and Ben (Roethlisberger) made a couple turnovers, especially when they came down here to Baltimore. We really got after him a lot, pressuring him and all. Then when we went to Pittsburgh, we carried the same concept. I think they felt that too and knew what we were trying to do, but they stuck to it. Pittsburgh’s mentality is that they are going to run the football. Last year we took Willie Parker out of the game early and overall we were really getting to them early. I think that made them go away from their game plan a little bit.

 

Were you guys the more physical team?

 

Definitely, if you want to talk about those last two games. I don’t have to confirm that. The film will do that itself. When you turn on the film, the bottom line is the most physical team wins. That is the bottom line. Playing against Pittsburgh for the last twelve years, I’ve always understood that. The most physical team in this game always wins.

 

Were there times in either one of these games where you could see that the Steelers’ were demoralized?

 

You can always feel it when you take the air out of somebody. When we were in Baltimore, we really took the air out of them. Even when we went to Pittsburgh, we got on a nice roll against them. Defensively, we took away the things that they wanted to do. You can kind of see it in them and you could see it in their eyes that they didn’t like losing to us the way they did. We kind of know what to expect on Monday night. We kind of know what kind of game it’s going to be. It is going to be physical and they are going to be pumped up. They don’t want to get what happened to them last year. We understand that.

 

 

Any regrets about going on the air about Coach Billick’s play calling?

 

It doesn’t matter what I said ten days ago. My coach knows I respect him to the utmost and for me, not to disrespect you guys, but for me to dwell on any of that, it what would take away from my team. One thing about my team; my team knows I wouldn’t do anything to hurt my team. My coach knows I wouldn’t do anything to disrespect him. There are things people do with their husbands and wives that they don’t like. Bottom line is whatever decision you make, you make it and you move on. You don’t let anyone let you keep dwelling on it. For me to come back after the bye and have a game this big, for me to even entertain that. Bottom line whether it was true, false or whatever, for us to keep living that or let people keep bringing it up would really make more out of it. They say I’m criticizing. I’ve been playing football for over 30 years and I am 32 years old. I have been playing football since I was five years old. Bottom line is, you get all these outside perspectives and “Oh Ray said this.” Ray didn’t say anything outside of how I’m trying to find the best way to win, however it comes by. I think I’ve always been that person and I think I will never change. For a lot of people to try to create a lot of controversy between me and my coach and between me and my team; that would never happen  because I have never disrespected no one, as well as the coach.

 

Does the statement the Ravens made last year carry over into this year?

 

Of course. I was around in the earlier years when Pittsburgh had our number. They played us the same way. When they thought they had our number, they came in and did things. We would win one or maybe two every blue moon, but they knew they had our number for whatever reason. For us, we feel like we have the momentum right now and we know this is a great team. Bottom line is, they’re in our conference and we’re in their conference and we know the team very, very well. I think for us, all we have to do is go in there and be who we are.

 

What do you make of being the underdog?

The last ten years of my career I’ve never been a favorite. We don’t get caught up in that. That is one thing about it. If you have ever followed Baltimore you would know that Baltimore has never been favored to win games. That is the beauty of it. There is no pressure on us. All of the pressure is on Pittsburgh. They lead the division right now. They are number one in defense. We are number two in defense. They are running the ball better than anybody. They are at home. They are up and favored by 8.5 points. The pressure is all on them. All we have to do is go in there and play football.

  

Do you think you can be a better football team this year when you get healthy?

 

Of course. We know all of the pieces we had last year, but a lot of the pieces that we had last year, with (Steve) McNair coming over and things like that, we were moving and adjusting on the run. Right now, we have everybody back comfortable now. The only key additions will be with the offensive line coming back after being gone for God knows how long. We were starting three rookies on the offensive line and a rookie fullback. That takes a toll on you, especially offensively. When you come back as a total team, you get one of the greatest offensive tackles in the game, Jonathan Ogden back and Adam Terry comes back to his regular position. Now you see all of the pieces coming back now. Now you get Trevor Pryce back. You get Samari (Rolle) and Chris McAlister back. Now you can appreciate the way we are built as a team, because the way we are built, if you lose one or two of those key pieces, that really damages what we do. That is why we feel like we are definitely a much better team than we were last year, because we are built for it. If we can stay healthy, it is going to be a good year for us.

 

Will the players coming back from injury be able to jump right back in?

 

I think when you are dealing with those types of veteran guys; I think they can jump back in. Of course, if you were dealing with a first or second year guy it would be totally different but when you are dealing with guys that have been in the league for nine, ten years, they know football. J.O. (Jonathan Ogden) knows what he is doing and Trevor (Pryce) knows what he is doing. So everybody who has been injured knows what they are doing, so you really don’t have that issue.

 

How does Joey Porter being gone change this rivalry?

 

I don’t think it changes it at all. Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh. I think if you are a true football fan and I have always been a true football fan, you appreciate playing in these types of games. You really do, because as a child, I sat back and watched these types of games my whole life. Now, when you are that person playing on Pittsburgh’s field, for me, I have always appreciated the great ones. The Lambert’s and all of those people like that. Then there was the Steel Curtain defense. Now you go back and you know that these people are somewhere watching their old team, so you can appreciate doing the things you do when you go against a Pittsburgh Steelers team and you play against them. That is what I think is always exciting. That is what I always think about when I play Pittsburgh.

  

Does the 75^th Anniversary celebration play into the game at all?

 

That goes back again. That is one thing that I will keep thinking about. That is more of a distraction for them. They have all of that going on. All we have is coming to play a football game. Get on a plane, get to the hotel, get away from all of it and go play a football game. When you have all of that other stuff; anniversaries and all that, I think that can pull away from you a little bit. I don’t know if it does, but I know for us, the only thing on our mind is football. All that other stuff, ceremonies and all that is what they have to deal with, not us.

 

How were the Ravens able to get so much pressure on Ben Roethlisberger last year?

 

I just think that was the style of defense that we play and I think we gave a lot of different looks. We came from a lot of different places and sent a lot of different people. I just think it really kind of confused not just him, but the offensive line.

 

Do they look like a different offense this year?

 

I just think they are doing the things they need to do to play football. Even last year when we got to play them, Willie Parker was averaging over 160 yards before we even got to play them. In the game that we got to play them, I think we held him to like 29 yards. The bottom line is we understand before we get to them how well they’re playing. We saw  the game, we watched film. We saw the things that Willie Parker was doing against Cincinnati and things like that. For our defense, we don’t believe in 100-yard rushers. We don’t believe in people running the ball and controlling the game on us. That is why we always know how we have to play Pittsburgh. The bottom line is I think offensively, Pittsburgh is doing the same things they were doing last year. They are running the ball very well. Ben Roethlisberger is making more plays with his legs, getting out of a lot of tackles and keeping third-downs going and things like that. I pretty much think they are the same offense, outside of a couple key losses and things on the offensive line.

 

How good has Bart Scott gotten and is he a talker like you?

 

Talk, yes almost. Bart is one of those young guys that you have to control. He is a true football player. He appreciates his role and he loves what he does and he just loves to play football. Just to see him grow, coming from a special teams demon to being beside me and me helping him along the whole way and really trying to get him to read things and slow down and just have fun doing what he’s doing. You can really appreciate it when you see it from the outside and as long as I have.

 

Do you guys hate the Steelers?

 

Hate is a strong word and they (Cincinnati) probably hate them for a different reason. We’re built the same way the Steelers are built, so there is no reason for us. We feel the same way they feel. We are more of the physical side, us and Pittsburgh. Cincinnati is more of a “we want to trick you” and get the ball deep. I think that is why they don’t like Pittsburgh, because Pittsburgh plays them very, very physical. It is easy to hate someone that comes in as the bully all the time. For us we don’t look at it like that because we kind of look at ourselves as a bully and they kind of look at themselves as a bully as well. When we play it is kind of like two bullies playing each other.