Head Coach John Harbaugh

JOHN HARBAUGH: Okay, appreciate everybody being here. Good, hard work day. Thought the guys did an excellent job today. Preparation in this transition week, from training camp to the regular season, and we tried to get better and I think we did. What questions do you have?

Q: (Wide receiver) Malik (Nabers), was he a full participant today?

JOHN HARBAUGH: He worked with the trainers for a little bit early, then he came out and was involved in most of the team reps.

Q: Was that planned?

JOHN HARBAUGH: It's day-to-day. He's kind of working through what he needs from one day to the next. So, he was with Alli (Coordinator of Rehabilitation & Return to Play Allison Boudreau) for some period of time, then he was out there for most of the team reps.

Q: Do you get the sense from the players that they're kind of antsy for the season to start?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, I do. The guys are looking forward to playing the game. They're practicing well. They're not skipping any part of the process in preparing for the game, which is good, because I thought they were locked in both yesterday and today really well, but they're ready. They're excited. They want to go play a game.

Q: Working with a trainer to start and then going into practice seems like it's different than what it's been for Malik, because he's been doing individuals for a while. So, how has that changed?

JOHN HARBAUGH: I think it's just day-to-day. That's up to the trainers. They let us know what he's ready for at any certain time. So, it's part of the process.

Q: Malik said yesterday, and you guys have not set a target date for returning. As a coaching staff, do you have to assume you're not going to have him, or do you sort of have to plan for all scenarios?

JOHN HARBAUGH: It's a great question about assuming, because I'm going to give you the answer that comes immediately to mind. The Odd Couple. You remember The Odd Couple? Oscar and Felix. You know the episode I'm talking about, right? Where he puts these into court, and Felix is defending himself, draws up assume, and this is what happens when you assume.

Q: But you have to plan for both outcomes.

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah. We've got to plan for every outcome, exactly. So, we have to plan that he'll be there fully. We'll have to plan that he's not there at all, and we'll have to plan that he's there for some partial amount, and every kind of amount in between. So, it makes it tough. There's no doubt about it. But you never know if a player is going to be available or not, because anything can happen. Things can happen first play of the game, last play of the game, whatever. Someone's got to be ready to come in and step in. So, you don't overthink that. You just prepare for it, and you have guys ready to play.

Q: Coach, some teams choosing to keep four quarterbacks. You guys obviously moving forward with two. Is that a statement on your confidence, the health apparently of your QB one and two?

JOHN HARBAUGH: No, I think it's more of a statement about the quarterback room. We like opportunities to have a third quarterback on the practice squad. You can elevate them for a game. The teams of four aren't going to elevate more than three anyway. It just gives us another roster spot, and in this case, two more roster spots for other positions we have. That's an advantage for us. So, their room, they must not have been able to, they wanted to keep all four. It wasn't in their best interest to move somebody right now or to release somebody. Maybe they're too, in their mind, more valuable than that. Maybe they'll trade them. Maybe they'll do something different at some point in time, but that was our situation this year. It could change next year.

Q: Malik told us that he said when he plays, he wants to be able to play four quarters and be healthy to do that. For you guys, when you decide whether to bring him back, will it depend on how much he can play or just being able to play in some capacity?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Well, yeah, isn't that the same thing? How much he can play and in what capacity? That's exactly what we'll be looking at. Is it going to be where he needs to be to help us win? And then he has to be confident. Of course, he's got to be confident because for him to play at the level he's going to need to play for us to win and him protect himself, then he's going to have to feel good about it. And feel like he's there. He's got to know he's there. So, to me, that's just going to be an ongoing conversation right throughout, but it is with every player, just most players are fine. But when you're coming back from an injury, whether it's long-term or even short-term, hey, where do we stand with the doctors, the trainers, the player? How does he look on tape? What do the numbers say? How fast is he running? Some guys, they'll come back like the Minute Man with the leg and the deal with their head all wrapped up. You've seen that picture before? And they'll say they want to play. So, I'm not trying to make light of it, but I kind of am because to me it's an obvious answer.

Q: With Malik, anytime he's on the field, whether he's the Malik of old or still working his way back, defenses have to pay attention to him. He's not a guy that you can just ignore no matter what state he is. As long as he can't re-injure or can't get worse, is there any part of that to consider that he's not Malik of old?

JOHN HARBAUGH: It'd be like being questioned by the jury. I don't have the answer to that question because that's not the only factor. So, you want it to be the only factor, and it's not the only factor. It's definitely a factor. It's a very good point. I mean, when he's out there, they know he's out there, and he's only going to be out there if he can go score. But it's not the only factor. There's other factors, so it won't be based solely on that. So, you can't pin me to that, that one thing.

Q: When he is ready to go, will he be on, if you will, a pitch count?

JOHN HARBAUGH: I don't know. We'll see.

Q: Where have you seen (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) grow the most this summer?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Oh, a Jaxson question (laughter). That's great. It's awesome. It's amazing. Where have I seen him grow the most? It's hard, you can't pin that one down either, really, because I think it's more about right now this offense. Being in this offense, operating it, and executing it for every player. And for sure, Jaxson probably the most because he's the quarterback, and he's got the most responsibility for operating the offense and for executing it. He's running the whole show. So, I think he's come a long way. I think he looks really comfortable in what we're doing right now but the next test will be game time, and we'll see how he does. That'll just be the beginning too. The first game is not the end of the story. The first game is the beginning of the story. It'll be the beginning of the story for Malik, it'll be the beginning of the story for Jaxson, and really for our whole team going forward. So, that'll be a great moment to see where we're at, and then we'll figure out where we go from there.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart

Q: Well, you watched (wide receiver) Odell (Beckham Jr.) play, I'm sure, as a young player. What's it like now having him as a teammate going into the season?

JAXSON DART: From that perspective, I would say it's pretty nostalgic. Just, as a kid, that's like an icon, in a way where you feel like he changed the game a little bit. You're in your backyard as a young kid, talking about, 'Odell,' when you catch it one hand, or just things like that. So, that part, it's a really cool experience. From a player standpoint, really just proud of him. He came in here, he earned it. He got better each and every week, and he's playing his best ball since he got here right now, from just alignment, assignment, playing fast, getting open, making plays. So, really proud of him, and just the dedication that he's put in to get into this point. And he's a great teammate as well. So, there's a lot that we, as younger guys, can learn from him. And he's still a great player.

Q: Jaxson, was there a moment where – I think most people when they saw Odell sign, it was like, 'Okay, they're giving him a shot, they're giving him an opportunity.' But whether it was you guys working out on the side, away from here, was there a moment where you realized, this guy can still play a little bit, there's still something left other than just the name?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I think I started to realize that, probably like when you said, just the extra work that we put in in the offseason where – you hear stories like this and you don't really know how dedicated somebody's going to be when they walk into a situation like this because he's damn near had it all, right? He's experienced and had so much success. But I knew he was serious when he's flying out across the country to come throw with me, to get those extra reps in. And when you just have that one-on-one time, you see his talent and the things that make him a special player. So, I think just from those experiences and him growing each and every week, you realize that he's still got it.

Q: What have you picked up from him just because he's been in the league for so long – and you have veterans on the team, but just the experience he's had, how has he made you a better quarterback?

JAXSON DART: Well, he's played with a lot of amazing quarterbacks. So, for me, just asking questions about different guys, his experience from across the league and how maybe some of those other great quarterbacks communicated to him, communicated to the receivers. I think that those have been the conversations that have really helped me.

Q: When we talked to you in the spring, I asked you what you want to improve, you said your form in the pocket, your eyes. So, five months later, how have you progressed on those types of things?

JAXSON DART: I feel so much better. I feel in command. I feel confident. In this offense, there's a lot that's put on the quarterback's plate, but it's exactly how I want it. It's exactly how I viewed this coming together. And we still have a lot of room to improve and grow as a unit, but I'm definitely feeling way better each and every day, continuing to learn, continuing to grow as a player, and just the comfort in the offense, seeing the defense and putting ourselves in great situations.

Q: What are the benefits to this style of offense, do you think?

JAXSON DART: Well, there's just a lot of answers. There's a lot of plays that you can get to. There's a lot of options that you can get to, and it lets us just go out there and play football. It lets the creators that we have make plays, get open in space, and us just being on the same page and getting a ton of reps has really helped. And I definitely feel like we've taken a lot of really big strides.

Q: Jaxson, when the opener rolls around it will be near a month since you face live competition. Are you doing anything in particular mentally or physically to be ready for Sunday Night Football?

JAXSON DART: I mean, every single day. I mean, every day I'm going against (Defensive Coordinator) Dennard's (Wilson) defense, the great players that we have, the scheme that's in place, and those are some of the best reps that I'm going to get going into Week 1. So, I've been very grateful for those because I would say early on in camp there was a lot of things that maybe caught me by surprise, and against a defense that I haven't really had a ton of experience playing against. But I think it's just made myself and this team a lot better, and I don't take those reps for granted. So, I feel like those are the best reps I could possibly get each and every day.

Q: I know you only played with (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) for that half of football last year, but what would it mean to this team to have them back, even if he's not fully 100 percent?

JAXSON DART: I mean, I feel like I've said it a lot. He's just a game-changing player. So, whenever he's out there on the field, whenever his time is ready for us as a team, I think it's going to change a lot, and I can't wait for that time to come. But at the same time, I think that we've done a really good job of putting ourselves in position to be ready and be prepared for any situation that may come our way.

So, guys have stepped up and done a really good job, and like I said, whenever his time is to come back, we're all going to be really excited, and he's a game-changing player.

Wide receiver Darius Slayton

Q: Your name has come up, I don't know if you're paying attention or anything, but it came up as a potential trade target. What's it been like to see that?

DARIUS SLAYTON: Nothing really. It's not the first time, probably won't be the last time. But I really don't pay it too much of mind, honestly. I just take it day by day.

Q: Is that easier just as a vet, obviously seeing it (inaudible)?

DARIUS SLAYTON: Yeah, for sure. You kind of just figure out the league the more you're around. At the end of the day, you control what you can control and let the rest fall where it may.

Q: How do you feel like the summer went for you?

DARIUS SLAYTON: It went solid, I feel like I had a solid summer. Obviously, trying to shake back from rehabbing and all of that. So, I had some bumps along the way. But overall, I think I put together a solid summer.

Q: How are you feeling? How close to 100 percent are you feeling at this point in terms of getting back into football shape and all that stuff from major surgery?

DARIUS SLAYTON: I mean, I feel pretty good. I wouldn't say 100 yet, but definitely turning in the right direction.

Q: How do you think you fit in this wide receiver room?

DARIUS SLAYTON: Just another playmaker. I feel like we have a bunch in the room, a lot of really talented guys that we've added to the roster. I see myself as one of those guys and whatever capacity that I can be.

Q: What do you make of the (wide receiver) room overall?

DARIUS SLAYTON: Yeah, kind of like I just said, I think we have a lot of really talented guys, some vets, some young guys, obviously, like (wide receiver) Malachi (Fields) and (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) that kind of round out the youth of the room. But obviously, Mooney's (wide receiver Darnell Mooney) a really good vet, Braxton's (wide receiver Braxton Berrios) a good vet. (Wide receiver) Odell (Beckham Jr.) obviously, has done well this preseason. I think we have a strong room.

Q: What have you seen from Malachi throughout the summer?

DARIUS SLAYTON: I think he's done a great job being on top of his assignments, he's a smart kid. And he's a big kid and he plays big, there's a lot of big people in life that don't always play big or act to their size, but I think he does a good job of that. That's what allows him to be successful.

Q: Is this kind of a typical spot for you where you're, every single year that you've been here that you've just got to prove yourself again?

DARIUS SLAYTON: That's mostly kind of been exacerbated by the turnover. So, anytime there's new people, there's going to be that. Just for me, I've just been fortunate to be here for four staffs. So, I don't take it personally. I understand that you have to show and prove yourself whenever there's new. So, that's what I plan to do this year.

Q: Does being the longest tenure here through all those changes mean anything to you?

DARIUS SLAYTON: I think it does. I think maybe contrary to common belief, studies would suggest that I've done more good than bad. Otherwise, I probably would have been gone with three different people coming here and evaluating me, but it is what it is.

Q: You told us before that, I think in West Virginia, that this close to playing with Odell, you thought of some mythical creature, but now he's actually here, what does it mean to be his teammate going into the season?

DARIUS SLAYTON: I think it's really cool. I mean, I think obviously it's cool to see somebody be able to get their chance at redemption, maybe, I guess, or kind of just having a chance to rewrite a story that kind of felt, I guess, a little bit unfinished with him leaving here so early. I think it's a beautiful thing for him to come back here. Obviously, the fans love him, you know, well really, if you're a football fan, you probably love him because he was such an iconic player. It's definitely awesome to see him get his chance to be back.

Q: What is the most different thing about these practices under this regime for someone who's seen, as you said, several different versions of how the preseason looks?

DARIUS SLAYTON: These practices have definitely been probably the longest in duration, but I would say they've been – the fact they've been the longest in duration, but they've been the most efficient. The way we practice is very…the tempo is high, we're going from period to period. Even though the time is long, it doesn't feel as long as you would think because of the speed at which we practice and the efficiency that we practice at.

Q: What have you learned about (Head Coach) John Harbaugh in that time?

DARIUS SLAYTON: He's a stickler for the details; he's a stickler for the details. He has an appetite for excellence and that's what he expects out of everybody, coaches and players alike. So, I think that's definitely something that he's enforced from the first day he's been here and enforced throughout camp.