Q. Usually we start off with something about the previous game, but this is Ravens week. Is Ravens week different?
A. It is. There are intimacies in these divisional relationships, and I have the perspective of having been here 18 years, and so I take pride in the education of young Steelers and new Steelers regarding the rich history of this rivalry. And it goes back even prior to them being in Baltimore. A lot of these young guys don't realize that they're originally the Cleveland Browns, and so there's a foundation to this rivalry. The education component of it is big in terms of just understanding and appreciating your involvement in it. And I think that's one of the fun things of the week, educating the new and young Steelers about the rich history of this rivalry.
Q. Something you once said about Steelers-Ravens was "two trains, one track." What did you mean by that?
A. I mean organizationally, we have a very similar agenda. We're serious about competing for World Championships in both organizations. Stability is probably a calling card at this point for both organizations in terms of key components of staffing, whether it's the head coaches, or guys like Ozzie Newsome and Kevin Colbert. It's just a cool thing to be a part of because the makeup of the groups are so similar, which, you know, breeds contempt,
Q. But usually when two trains are on the same track, the collision is brutal.
A. And inevitable, and I think that's a component of this thing. When we're both right, we usually see each other three times a year, and that's the mindset that both organizations hold.
Q. And there's not a lot of finesse in a train wreck?
A. No, no, it's kind of a frontal assault. You know, I don't think either group is the type of group that sneaks up on anyone or has a desire to.
Q. During your news conference on Tuesday, you referred to Lamar Jackson as Mr. Jackson, which is your way to show respect. What did you tell your team about him this week?
A. The things that I always talk about. What makes him special. The plays that he makes outside the pocket. He's got 400-plus yards passing outside the pocket. He's got 9 touchdown passes outside the pocket, and that's No. 1 in the league. His quarterback rating is 123 when he's outside the pocket. And so not only do you have to rush this guy, but you better not let him escape downhill and via the run, and you better not let him escape out around the perimeter, because he's dangerous in both instances. There are a lot of mobile quarterbacks. All of them are a little bit different. There's a prescribed recipe in terms of dealing with each one in the pocket. That component of his, obviously, is really, really significant.
Q. The Ravens employ designed runs for Jackson. How is the defense coached to handle the mesh point – that time when a decision is made by the quarterback whether to keep the ball or give it to the running back?
A. I think that's one of the key components to working to neutralize him or create indecision in him and in them. We have multiple ways of playing the mesh point depending on the defensive call. I think if you took one approach all day to the mesh point, they would quickly adjust, and it would be fruitless. And so for us, there are several ways that we play a mesh point, and it's based on the defensive call, and that variation is a component of working to stay ahead of the posse, if you will.
Q. Also during your news conference you said you remembered having dinner with Mr. Jackson the night before his Pro Day coming out of Louisville. What did you learn about him that night?
A. He was very comfortable in his own skin. He asked good questions. He had a real rapport with his teammates, and it was genuine. The affinity and affection that they had for him and him for them was evident, and that's just something that you're looking for often in the quarterback position and real leaders. Is he capable of being one of the guys in a social setting? And I was really impressed with how he interacted with his teammates, and how a part of the group he was in addition to his general thirst and knowledge. And the questions that he asked about professional ball reflected his will and commitment to doing what he's doing.
Q. Is minimizing Jackson the No. 1 thing an opponent must do to have a chance to beat the Ravens, or is that an over-simplification?
A. That's an oversimplification. and particularly at this point. I've been referring to the big runner (Derrick Henry) and No. 42 (FB Patrick Ricard) as the risk reduction team, because if you don't minimize those guys, the Ravens expose themselves to very little risk in terms of pursuing victory. You better deal with Mr. Henry. You better deal with his lead escort, No. 42, and so I think that the acquisition of talent and the evolution of their football makes that original statement less true these days. You better be ready to deal with No. 22 and No. 42.
Q. Mark Andrews has been targeted 36 times, and he has 30 catches for 257 yards, an 11.9 average, and 5 touchdowns. Isaiah Lively has been targeted 34 times, and he has 24 catches for 271 yards, an 11.3 average, and 3 touchdowns. How do the Ravens use those two tight ends?
A. If you just look at the totality of the season, Lively was really hot early and Mark has been really hot lately. I think Mark has had 5 receiving touchdowns since Week 6, and that's No. 1 in the NFL, regardless of position. And so more than anything, the stats are reflective of Mark was probably slowed a little bit by lack of availability, if you will. And as they have gotten into the guts of this season, the unique relationship that Mark has with Lamar Jackson is very evident. They were in the same draft class, and they've grown up in Baltimore, Maryland, together. And so we respect Likely's talents, but the recent video confirms the unique relationship that Jackson has with Andrews, and we better be ready to minimize No. 89 first, respectfully.
Q. Both DeShon Elliott and Patrick Queen entered the NFL as draft choices of the Ravens, and both of them now are starters on your defense. Queen said earlier this week that he wasn't offered a contract to stay with the Ravens, and when he signed here he mentioned wanting to become a villain in this rivalry. How do you expect Patrick Queen to respond in his first game against his former team?
A. I'm going to send him out for the coin toss, if that gives you any indication. Motivation is good. We're human, and everyone wants to feel wanted. And so I'd imagine it's not only a motivation this week, but it's probably been a motivation for him every week. Particularly those that you do business with, that you work shoulder to shoulder with every day, you want to be appreciated. And obviously they chose to move in a different direction. And if you're right minded and grown and mature about it, you utilize that as good fuel, as motivation and focus, and that's what I've discovered about PQ since he's been here. He's taken what seemingly is a negative and he's made it a positive in that it's been really motivating for him day to day to be the best that he can be and have a good relationship with us.
Q. Is going against this high-powered Ravens offense going to be a defining test for your defense?
A. To this point, yes, but that's the beauty of this season. As you push through it and you cross hurdles, or you answer challenges, it just makes the next challenge bigger. Last week we sat here and we talked about the formidable challenge that was the Commanders' offense, with Jaden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury and all the things that they were doing. And make no mistake about it, it was a challenge. But looking back at it through the rearview now, there's been growth in that, in facing that and conquering that. And so now we're here this week, and so certainly as we sit here this week, this is the biggest challenge that we have faced. But it won't be defining when we look back at all of this, if we're doing what it is that we're supposed to do, not only as a football team, but specifically as a defensive unit.
Q. Do you have a relationship with John Harbaugh?
A. I do. I do. How can we not? We're tied to each other for life, whether we want to be or not, just because of the nature of this rivalry and the organizations that we're honored to lead.
Q. But how is it possible to have a relationship with a guy who you go against at least twice every year, and you compete against him and his team in a lot of these high stakes games? I mean, you can't be buddies, can you?
A. I don't know that either one of us had the intention of being buddies. But I can think about small talk we've had over the years. In our early years, we met one time around Halloween, and we were talking about what our kids were going to be for Halloween from a costume perspective. OK, all of those kids are now grown, and so we just have that perspective and that appreciation. Oftentimes we refer to that, like "remember when we were standing out here talking about the costumes that our kids had for Halloween?" It was 16-17 years ago. And so from that standpoint, there's an appreciation, but I don't know that it's been an agenda for either of us. Another component of it is, for me, is I'm just such a lover and appreciator of football and the men involved in it, and I've just got a whole lot of respect for his Dad, Jack Harbaugh, who was a legendary college football coach. I've had the pleasure of getting to know him over the years, and I just I appreciate that. I appreciate how important football is in their family, his Dad and what he did and how he cultivated the relationship that his sons have with the game. I appreciate that, and I think those are the two core things that have kind of been the basis of our personal relationship. And to your point, it's just kind of evolved in a natural way. Certainly it's not something that either one of us are probably pursuing.
Q. One of the Ravens key guys on defense is Kyle Hamilton. How do they deploy him?
A. They do a really good job of utilizing his unique skill-set. He's best down around the line of scrimmage. He's a really good blitzer. He's long and combative, and he doesn't stay blocked, and so in their sub-package defense, for example, he is a leg up for them in the run game. You put three wideouts on the field, and they go nickel, and they play him at nickel. They average giving up 3.8 yards per carry on the run in those situational moments, and it's really because he is more physical and more productive in the box than most slot receivers. He's too much for slot receivers to handle in the run game, and that's an advantage that he gives them. He's position flexible. He's obviously a safety, but he's nickel capable, and oftentimes too much to handle for interior receivers. I think that could be an interesting thing to watch in the game, how our interior receivers work to manage their nickels, whether it's him or Marlon Humphrey. Both of those guys are unique in their ability to shed and tackle and play the run game on the inside.
Q. Who would you compare Hamilton to? Somebody that I might be familiar with, a current player, a former player?
A. You know, he's really unique. He's what I imagined Isaiah Simmons from Clemson being. He was originally drafted by Arizona, and I think he's now with the New York Giants as a dime linebacker. He's a hybrid player. He's almost a safety and he's almost a linebacker. Also the Boise State big man who played in the secondary at Cincinnati a number of years back. George Iloka. He is another hybrid-like animal like that. Taylor Mays, although he really distinguished himself primarily during the course of his career as a special teamer, he shared the same physical characteristics. They're all big people. They're 6-3 or 6-4, they're really big in terms of secondary people, and they're really athletic in terms of linebackers, and that's what makes how the Ravens utilize (Hamilton) so effective. They play him at nickel in run circumstances. He is a challenge. And when they get you in one-dimensional passing circumstances, he plays safety. And so he's not only talented, he's got position flexibility. He's somewhat of a hybrid player, and that's a small community. Isaiah Simmons, the first-rounder out of Clemson who was unique a couple years ago. Taylor Mays is probably a decade ago. George Iloka is a decade ago. There's just not many of those guys who are safeties and 6-4 and combative. It's just a small, small community.
