Cedrick Wilson Jr. – January 1, 2024
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Monday, January 1, 2024
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.
(What would you say is the mood of the group today?) – “I mean, anytime after a loss you come in and you watch the film and see what the problems were. I feel like everyone is definitely hitting on that right now and just soaking in what happened, because it definitely was not our standard. All we can do is move forward because we’ve got an even bigger game this week.”
(What do you think led to the offense or the passing game being out of sync?) – “I feel like we just got off schedule. I think the one drive where we didn’t go down and drive like we did the first drive kind of got us off schedule and then we started pressing and didn’t hit the plays that we needed to hit. Everybody has to be accountable for their own plays and I feel like once we get everybody back in the groove and everybody’s moving forward, then we’ll be back to what everyone’s used to seeing.”
(Did the Ravens do anything unique to maybe shift towards your motion with their signals?) – “I feel like they had their defensive plan and they came out there and obviously ran it to the best of their ability and the outcome was that.”
(When you’re pressing in that situation, what do you guys say to one another in terms of – I guess the score doesn’t help the pressing, but how do you say to one another, ‘let’s say composed and let’s stay and be who we are?’) – “I mean, we say exactly that. Just going off of what Coach Mike (McDaniel) says, not one person’s going to win the game. Not one person’s going to lose. Let’s all work collectively and that’s what we have to do in those moments. I feel like we caught ourselves in that a couple of times when we didn’t need to. That moment is going to come up again and we’re going to have to handle it the right way because the game is going to matter.”
(It seems like in the locker room, you guys are really close. How does that closeness help you, knowing what’s in front of you and where you’re at this season?) – “I feel like way back to OTAs, when you’re with a group of guys and you know the person next to you is going to give all-out effort – you don’t know the rhyme or reason, you don’t know why he does it, but you know he’s going to give his all. That’s the type of guys you want to play with and I feel like that’s from top to bottom.”
(Knowing that it comes down to the division in primetime, is there any added pressure for you guys, knowing how well you also have played at home?) – “I feel like there’s no pressure. The pressure is go out there and win the game. Don’t lose. I feel like that’s the only pressure there is.”
(What was different offensively yesterday? You guys didn’t have WR Jaylen Waddle or RB Raheem Mostert. I think that’s the biggest skill player deficit that you’ve had going into a game. What was different? Was there a different feel or a different way you had to attack?) – “I feel like those are two big playmakers in this league, not just on our team. So when you take guys off the field like that, that are a big play away from when they touch it, it’s definitely going to hinder you in some sort of way. I feel like we know what bullets we’re going out there with on game day and we’ve got to use them the proper way.”
(What do you like most about a Sunday night matchup?) – “Personally, I like primetime games. Everybody is watching. That’s what you fall in love with as a kid. Primetime games, that’s what you’re watching around the holidays and you want to see big plays be made and you want to see a good game, and you want to come out victorious.”
(What do you do with the extra time on Sunday?) – “Stay off my feet because they’re going to be in use.”
(What’s this stretch been like for you? When you got here last year, you were kind of a sparingly used punt returner and now you have a prominent role in the offense, and you’ve had one for a while. What has this process been like for you?) – “It’s kind of been the same as my whole career just in general. I was in Dallas for four years and didn’t really get to play much until my last two years. Just like here, I’ve only been here for two (years). When the time comes and plays need to be made, that’s what I prepare for every day even if it is not getting an opportunity on game day.”
(From having played the Bills four times in the last 16 months, any comfort in terms of knowing their defensive system from an offensive player and receiver’s perspective?) – “Just knowing the plan they’re going to have of what they’re going to stop. Simply going out there and trying to execute against their execution, because they’re going to have a defensive plan that they’re going to know to a T and we have to go out there and perform our offensive plan.”
DeShon Elliott – January 1, 2024
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Monday, January 1, 2024
S DeShon Elliott
(This team has really been good at shaking off losses, the limited number there have been, and responding well. Do you sense that will be the case even though yesterday I’m sure was disheartening?) – “I think we are a resilient team. I know we’ll bounce back because I believe in the guys. I think with that bad taste being in our mouth, it’s just going to fuel us to be better. We made a lot of mistakes yesterday, but a lot of those mistakes I felt we did to ourselves. We’ll get back to the drawing board and try to be the best version of ourselves and I think we can do that.”
(What was the message today?) – “I was talking to Jevon (Holland) last night. I was just like, it’s like when you go to school, you have a bad day at school, you come home and your parents bring out that belt. They put that belt on us yesterday. It just makes you realize that you’re blessed. You’ve just got to get back to the basics and do your job. When we do our job at a high level, that’s when we’re the best version of ourselves. We’ve just got to play within yourself. Don’t try to do too much.”
(On that play that Ravens WR Zay Flowers got open, the 75-yarder. What happened? It looked like you were on the field and you guys were looking at each other like somebody was where they weren’t supposed to be.) – “Miscommunication. Like I said, we weren’t playing within ourselves. We weren’t playing team football the way we’ve been playing the last eight or nine weeks at a high level so I think that – and I want to apologize for my frustration on that play – I shouldn’t be showing that type of frustration on the field, but I did. It shouldn’t happen. But it happened. We’ll get it fixed. We’ve gotten it fixed. We’ve just got to move on.”
(Playoffs secured obviously, but now it’s going to be down to a primetime game against a division rival, the Bills. Is there extra motivation knowing it’s at home, it’s primetime, you guys want to finish at least the regular season hopefully clinching the No. 2 seed. I know sometimes that doesn’t matter, but is there any added pressure to that?) – “Of course you want to win the division and also you want to play as many games as you can in the playoffs at home so it means a lot. Being able to do that would be big for us. Just getting that bad taste out of our mouth, it would be great for us to finish the season with a win going into the playoffs. With what happened with (Bradley) Chubb, I’m praying for my dude, but with that happening, we want to be able to move on and hopefully something good can come out of that. We’ve got young guys on our team who can step up, rise up, and I think with this next game, with our preparation, if we go into it the right way, that it won’t be a snowball effect. We’ll just be able to play at a high level again. So I think it’ll be great, not just for us individually but us as a team and as an organization.”
(With Bills QB Josh Allen – I know last week Ravens QB Lamar Jackson had a perfect passer rating. Josh actually had a perfect passer rating against you guys last time you faced him. How much ownership do you as a leader of the secondary take for when quarterbacks have that kind of level of success?) – “I mean, high. It’s all three levels – d-line, linebackers and DBs. When we are not playing together, that happens. I think that this is a different team than we were when we faced the Bills the first time obviously. With our preparation, I think we’ll be fine. We’ll be ok.”
(How big of a loss is LB Bradley Chubb?) – “Huge. I mean, Chubb was having a career year. Double-digit sacks. I think he was leading the league in forced fumbles. His energy, the approach he brings to the game, his fundamentals, just everything. He’s a great player, great teammate, great friend, great brother of mine. I think that’s going to go a long way. But he is also a leader in that d-line room. He has some young guys behind him who can step up, who can make plays, who can contribute to this team. I think with that being said, I think everyone will play harder, not just for each other but for him and for JP (Jaelan Phillips) as well. I think we’ll be ok.”
(I know it’s a next-man up league, but you guys have had bad luck with a run of injuries with LB Jerome Baker and LB Jaelan Phillips and now LB Bradley Chubb and CB Xavien Howard. How do you go forward when you know some of your best guys are down?) – “Shoot we are all in the NFL, so those other guys are here for a reason. They’re given an opportunity to make plays. Some guys that have wanted an opportunity all their life, they’re blessed to be here and never got a chance to get the opportunity. Now they have it. So with the right preparation, hopefully they will step up and do things that I know they can do and hopefully they believe in themselves that they can do.”
(What are your feelings on being out there on the field when LB Bradley Chubb got hurt? Overall, a player being out there on the field in those situations, do you want to stay out there as a defensive player or would you rather save the plays on your body?) – “Man, I’m blessed to play ball however many plays. I’ve been hurt a lot since I’ve been in the NFL. If they let me go out there on that field and touch that grass, I’m playing no matter what. If they are going to pull me out, I’ll come out. But shoot, I’m not coming out unless you’re going to tell me to come out. It is what it is.”
(And that’s the feeling for most of the defense from yesterday?) – “For sure, yeah. It happens sometimes. Injuries are part of the game. It doesn’t matter what the score is, injuries are part of the game. Of course we wish Chubb didn’t get hurt. We actually all did come out after that play, but it happens, man. It’s sad, but there’s nothing you can do about it.”
