Coach John Harbaugh

JOHN HARBAUGH: Good seeing everybody, appreciate everybody being here. Beautiful day, great day for football. It's a different kind of a week schedule. We don't play till Monday night, so it's an extra day a week, and this is kind of an extra day practice for us. Walk-through type of a practice, called an ACT practice, so that kind of gets us a jump on the week. Tomorrow will be our normal rhythm, as far as our normal Wednesday practice. What questions do you have?

Q: In Baltimore did you always go to the West Coast a day early? Is that always your philosophy?

JOHN HARBAUGH: We did.

Q: What do you like about that?

JOHN HARBAUGH: I think it's just been good. We did it in Philadelphia all those years too. You get a chance to kind of get your clock set just a little bit. We go ahead and get our clock set. We go out late, so the guys are up a little later on the travel night two days before. So, we try to get them ready to be at their peak at night. That's kind of the idea. Same thing we did at home, but now it's on the road, so that's really the process.

Q: Are you signing somebody from the practice squad to the 53?

JOHN HARBAUGH: We are. We are. When does that come out? Four o'clock? It's one o'clock? I think we'll wait. Appreciate it, though.

Q: Where was, we didn't see (running back) Tyrone Tracy out there.

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, he's sick. He had the flu. Bad flu deal, so hopefully be back tomorrow. Expect him to be back tomorrow if it clears up a little bit. So, he came in yesterday morning not in good shape. They sent him home. You worry about this. You don't want to get everybody sick. So, that's part of it.

Q: How did (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) look?

JOHN HARBAUGH: I think good. I think good. I haven't really asked him directly, but the trainers said he looked good. He was out here today. He looked good. So, it looked like it was an A, I would say, but you should ask him. Seemed good, though.

Q: As far as Tracy, aside from the sickness, he's obviously had some low moments here. How do you as a coach, what's your approach to him?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, it's a great point. It's two tracks. It's definitely two tracks because the reality of it is that it's important and those are the types of things that make difference in games. And it's like the number one thing, a ball carrier, anybody touches the ball, even a defensive back who gets an interception and returns it, they've got to protect the football first. So, that has to be clear and has to be important because it affects their game so much. The other side of the coin is you don't have a player who's trying to do that. He's trying to do the right thing. He had the ball in a good spot and their player did make a great play. You have to acknowledge the fact he came out of nowhere like Superman flying through the air. Got his big, strong fist right on the football. So, acknowledge that as well and just try to go forward and move it. But we have to, I'd say we're going to be more intentional as a team. We think we've been intentional as we can be, but we haven't been because we're not there yet in terms of that part of our game. So, we've got to pick that part of our game up and we've got to do whatever we've got to do in practice. We have some ideas that we'll apply and see if we can get that cleaned up.

Q: What do you expect from (Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman) Aaron Donald if Aaron Donald plays in this defense?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Expect him to play like Aaron Donald, which is a game-wrecking type player inside. Penetrating, active movement player who can wreck the game, really any particular play in a lot of different ways, run and pass. So, we're expecting him to play. We're planning for him to be out there.

Q: Coach, when you build all offseason and you have such an atmosphere in game one and get that emphatic win, how do you stop from having a letdown in week two?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Well, I don't think there's any chance of that. Our guys understand, they're mature guys. They understand, they understood going into the game that it was the first game of a 17-game season, no matter what the outcome is going to be and that the Rams are going to be next up regardless of what the outcome is. So, our job is to get better, keep improving, because you have to. You have to improve to have a chance to be successful next week. So, our guys understand that and I don't expect or have any inkling, I don't believe that'll happen for one second.

Q: With (running back) Najee (Harris), just kind of how is he continuing to turn in the right direction with his ramp up?

JOHN HARBAUGH: He's looking good. He's looking good. We'll continue this week to see where he's at and make a decision by the end of the week.

Q: Coach, what about (Los Angeles Rams quarterback) Matthew Stafford, year 18 in the NFL, wins his first MVP year 17. What kind of challenges does he present, just intellectually, physically, he's got it all?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Well, that. That's it. I mean, it's in every way. The one thing is you say, well, he's not really a scrambler, except he does scramble sometimes. Takes that old, how old is he? 38, that's still young now in the National Football League for quarterbacks. So, he can still move, too, but he just sees the whole field. He gets them in and out of plays. He's like an offensive coordinator out there, really. And I think (Los Angeles Rams Head Coach) Sean (McVay) would say that. This is a very well coached football team. Great football coach, Sean McVay. They play fundamental football. They're very disciplined. That's really their calling card. The schemes are excellent, but more so it's the fundamental nature of the way they play that makes them who they are as a football team. And that's our challenge. And then Matthew Stafford epitomizes that at the position. He's accurate. He's on time. He gets the ball where it's supposed to go. He doesn't make too many mistakes. So, that's a big challenge for us.

Q: John, today is a walkthrough, does that mean on Saturday you guys are also going to do a practice before going out to LA?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Saturday, yeah. Thursday will mimic Wednesday. Friday will mimic Thursday. Saturday will mimic Friday.

Q: As somebody who asks his receivers to do quite a bit of run blocking, how much respect do you have for him in that regard? I mean, I know he's also an 1,800 yard receiver but (Los Angeles Rams wide receiver) Puka Nacua as the blocker?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Well, you have to respect him as a football player. I mean, he does, he is, his picture is next to "football player" in the dictionary, for sure, because he does it all. He'd probably run down a kickoff and tackle if they'd let him. He's that kind of a guy. And he makes contested catches. He blocks the lead play. He's in there on play actions. But not just him, all the guys do that, all their guys do all the jobs, the way they're built. They're kind of a positionless offense in that sense. So, you can't really, it's hard to hone in. You get an idea of who does what to a degree, what they prefer to have guys doing. But at any point in time, anybody can pop up doing anything. You've got to be aware of that.

Q: You mentioned in the past about (running back) Devin Singletary, 'I know what I'm going to get from him.' Which it sounds not like unbelievable praise, but I think from you, it is praise, isn't it?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Oh, man, what better praise could you have? I mean, the word, the biblical word is faithful. You can trust him. You can believe that he's going to be doing the right thing as best he can, to the best of his ability. And he's got a lot of ability, too. You don't want to say, okay, because you can say that description of it, that means he's not talented, he's super talented. To me, when you watch him play, probably that's the best description of him is just watching him play. I mean, he played really well. Obviously, he made a big difference in the game.

Q: I mean, when something works, that pass into the left flat, then you did it again, then you did it again, a third time. I mean, as a play caller, you're not calling the plays, but you're listening, and it's like, let's just keep doing it until we stop it.

JOHN HARBAUGH: Right, well, yes and no, because it was the same element of plays, but it wasn't the same play. It was all different plays each time. But that part of the play, and the route combination was different, but the back was in the flat numerous times, and it kept coming open. So, I thought (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) did a good job of continuing to throw the ball until we got the touchdown, so that was good.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart

Q: Jaxson, can you describe the feeling around here, coming off the win? Do you sense it being different? Is there a positive feeling in the place that's nice?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, definitely feels good to come out of the week with a win. This is a long season, so you have the time to feel good about it, and then you're right back to work and preparing for another really big one this week.

Q: Jaxson, what did you think of the job (Offensive Coordinator) Matt Nagy did scheming some guys? It looked like you had a lot of guys running through space.

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I thought Nags (Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy) did an unbelievable job. Just his preparation, the rhythm that he got in. We could all feel it when we were out there on the field. That's a great feeling to have as a player, as the quarterback out there, just having all the trust and confidence in your coordinator and what he's calling and being able to see it through the exact same lens as him. So, I thought he did, along with the rest of the coaching staff, an unbelievable job.

Q: The three passes to the left flat to Motor (running back Devin Singletary) were not all the same play, correct?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, they weren't the same play.

Q: Were none of them the same play?

JAXSON DART: None of them.

Q: So, what were you seeing there when you're looking like, 'Okay, I can exploit this,' once, twice, three times?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I mean, I think the first time that we got them, I just saw a tendency from the first play, kind of in that drive, and then it just kept showing up. So, I was like, I'm not going to be getting bored with just getting completions and good gains. So, I tried to just use my eyes as much as possible, and then I thought Motor did a great job that drive.

Q: As a football fan, what did you learn or observe about (Rams defensive lineman) Aaron Donald?

JAXSON DART: I mean, for the longest time that I can remember, he's one of the most dominant players that I've watched. So, getting the chance to go out there and compete against him, it's going to be really cool just to be on the same field as him. He's a great player, and I've heard that he's kept himself in really good shape. So, it's going to be a great competition.

Q: He's going to be a Hall of Famer. What makes him a Hall of Famer?

JAXSON DART: I mean, I think the number speaks for itself. But the real impact on the game from just a game plan standpoint, there's countless clips of putting three offensive linemen on him and still being able to make a play. So, he's an unbelievable player and has had an unbelievable career.

Q: Jaxson, you said yourself that the energy in the stadium played a big part in making Sunday night happen. What do you do specifically to kind of get yourself that same juice on the road?

JAXSON DART: I thought it was a special, special environment to play in front of, to be a part of. And like I said, outside of just the game, but just everything that encompassed that night. But our fans really did an amazing job and had a huge impact on the game. Made it hard for their offense at times to execute, just communicate. And I think that you see it a ton in college, right? You see how much of an impact the crowd noise makes. And then in the league, there's probably not as many that have the exact same impact. But I thought our fans did an unbelievable job of really swinging momentum at times but also creating chaos for the opposing offense. So, it was huge for us.

Q: Jaxson, how would you describe the challenge of this week taking on the Rams on the road?

JAXSON DART: It's going to be a great test. It's going to be a great test for our team. The players that they have on their team, some really, really good guys. So, we believe that we have really good guys too. So, just going out there, competing, trying to just execute at the highest level. I think that when you have two teams that have great talent, it's going to come down to execution.

Q: Jaxson, in the summer you talked about how they threw a lot at you, the coaches, and how they wanted to push you guys to the limits – you, specifically, to the limits. How much coming out of that on the other end helped Sunday night and helped you as a quarterback going forward?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I feel like I've just tried to do my best to make strides each and every day. Coaches have pushed us. The players on our team have pushed one another. I thought it's been extremely challenging, before the season started, to go against (Defensive Coordinator) Dennard's (Wilson) defense. So, I thought that was a really good test for us and to get us prepared for these moments. So, still a long way to go for all of us. Looking back on the tape, we did a lot of good things, but there's a lot of things we need to clean up. So, I think for myself, I'm just going to continue to try to have the exact same approach that I've had from the moment I got here, just trying to be a better player today than I was the day before.

Q: If there was a most popular Jaxson Dart mock draft spot, it was the Rams with (Rams Head Coach) Sean McVay way back when. Was there any time where you thought that might be where you were going and what were your pre-draft interactions with McVay like?

JAXSON DART: They kind of handle the draft stuff a little different than everybody else around the league. But I definitely thought that there could be a possibility. I think as a quarterback, you have the select teams where you're like, 'Alright, here's a possibility.' So, that day I didn't know exactly what was going to happen, but they were one of those teams that I thought had a chance.

Q: Jaxson, you kind of know that the narratives are out there, right? Protecting yourself, you talk about it throughout the offseason. When you had the opportunity in the opener, a couple times you did step out of bounds. Another time in the fourth quarter, to try and get some yards you dove forward. How much do you still think about that? How much is that – are you taking that into account during the game and in those situations?

JAXSON DART: Definitely take it into account. Like I said during training camp and everything, it's important to me to be as healthy as I was from the last snap to the next snap. And that puts me in the best situation to execute my job for the team and help put us in the best situation possible. So, kind of how you just described it, from first quarter, second quarter, and then you make some adjustments for the second half to go out there and try to do your best to still win. But you've definitely got to take all those things into account.

Q: Is it something your coaching staff has talked a lot about with you or is it just kind of – you know the deal at this point?

JAXSON DART: No, it's not anything that we've had too many discussions about. It's more just all of us just having an understanding that it's the right thing to do at times.

Q: Jaxson, a lot of guys the other night said that the tough training camp you went through prepared you for Week 1. How does that change now – obviously there's things you can build off of, but how does that change from a Week 1 to a Week 2, going into – and you have to keep that momentum going?

JAXSON DART: Well, it can't. It can't. It has to be for us as a team to get better and to be where we want to be, we have to keep the exact same mindset that we have had from the moment that this kind of new regime has started up until this point. So, we've got to stay diligent to that.

Q: You talked a lot over the summer about building chemistry with the receivers, with Zay (tight end Isaiah Likely) specifically. There was that one play early on near the goal line where you kind of threw it on the side away from the defender. Is that an example of both of you guys being on the same page knowing exactly when the pass has to be made, and if you aren't that maybe that's a mistake either by him or by you?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I think that's a great point. You know, that's a lot of work, a lot of communication that we've had. And he has a unique feel for the game. And it's been really cool to just – being able to have discussions with him, really go through every single concept and just talk through different looks that we possibly may get. And that was one that we didn't really work on a ton, but we were able to have discussions and we were just on the exact same page at the right time. So, those are really encouraging things to see from one another.

Q: The decision to go out a day earlier for Monday Night Football (on) Saturday instead of Sunday, how (Head Coach John) Harbaugh's doing it. How important is it, that extra time to acclimate to the time change?

JAXSON DART: I mean, I haven't really done this a lot, so I'm still trying to figure some of that stuff out. But whatever Coach Harbs (Head Coach John Harbaugh) says, I think it's exactly what we should be doing. So, I've got the confidence that it's going to put us in the right situation to be acclimated and to be prepared for the game.