Q: Hey John, can you confirm the news that we just heard about (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) here a few minutes ago and tell us what you know at this point.
JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, thanks. I'm not sure exactly what news or how anything's been stated but right now I'd say evaluations are ongoing. We haven't got any final decisions yet. We've learned a lot more, I wouldn't really want to share too much until decisions get made. That takes more than one person, takes everybody involved. So, when we know you know what direction we're going to have to go or go or whatever it might be, we'll announce that but we don't have that yet. So, I don't want to get out over our skis on that. Can't really respond to every report that people make; we've got to kind of work on our own timeline here.
Q: Yeah, there are reports that he's that he could miss the season.
JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, I don't think I can really comment on any of that right now until we know for sure what what's going to transpire.
Q: If you are missing Jaxson (Dart) for any period of time, sort of, what is your organizational faith in (quarterback) Jameis Winston being the guy moving forward?
JOHN HARBAUGH: Absolute faith in all of our players. That's why all the guys are here. Jameis is one of our guys who obviously is here for a reason. He's a very good football player but that would go for any position, any player on our team. They would be the next person, injuries in the National Football League are part of it and that's at any position. We had Tae Banks (cornerback Deonte Banks) was out this last game; that was tough. You got to find a way to overcome those kind of things and play through it because guys come back and it's a long season.
Q: When you guys spoke with Jaxson, I guess just what was his mood? I guess, obviously just trying to process what could happen as you guys are still evaluating everything.
JOHN HARBAUGH: His mood? When? Last night?
Q: Last night or today just as you guys are evaluating everything that's been coming out through the whole process and everything.
JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, I really don't have a comment on his mood. I mean, he was disappointed with the loss, I think. I saw him in the locker room after the game, just all trying to sort through it. We were talking more, he was involved in a conversation more about offense and where we're at going forward, things like that, which conversations that we try to keep having but it wasn't it wasn't along the lines that would answer any questions for you on the injury part.
Q: I guess in the sense of just, obviously when you initially look to hear what happened you think, okay you said yesterday it could be in the neighborhood of a sprain of an MCL but then obviously things can change. So, I guess how do you try to process, okay you hear one thing and then obviously as things transpire how do you just try to say, okay we have to process and go with what we have now versus what we initially thought?
JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, I mean, I think that's it. I mean, you answered it actually, that's where we just have to go as we go. We can't control things, we don't have the ability to dictate as much as we'd like to any kind of outcome. So, whatever transpires is what we're going to have to respond to and react to. We're going to have to meet those circumstances, whatever they are. And right now that's a range of things and we're just going to have to see where we're at but we're going to work really hard to prepare for those things and try to focus on the task at hand, which is we got five days till we play the Tennessee Titans. And we've got to be at our best as a team and that's the whole team playing a football game and that's really what we're focused on. So, the other stuff kind of what you're talking about, I get what you're saying, but it's not really what we're thinking about. Not thinking about interpreting a mood or anything like that or what could possibly happen. We just got to prepare for the range of possibilities and then once we know where we're at, make a plan going forward and that's really what we're going to do.
Q: Do you think, obviously the reports don't sound great. Do you think this makes your job different or more challenging and I should know this so excuse me for not knowing it, do you have any history with losing a quarterback this early in the season? You're starting quarterback for maybe the whole season?
JOHN HARBAUGH: We've lost quarterbacks in the past. I don't really know, I don't know about a measurement of how long into the season or whatever, if it even matters. But yeah we've lost their quarterbacks quite a few times over the years.
Q: Is it different for a head coach with a quarterback, you mentioned Deonte Banks and you've also talked about how important a quarterback is to the whole operation.
JOHN HARBAUGH: I think that's a pretty self-evident answer, isn't it? It's an important position, obviously. That's a pretty obvious answer, just theoretically. I mean we're talking you're talking theory I take it.
Q: Yeah, I'm just going by, I mean these reports usually don't end up having a great outcome, that's all. That's what history says.
JOHN HARBAUGH: Oh, okay.
Q: So, just to clarify, a couple of these reports are saying that the further testing today revealed the injury is worse than initially thought. Is that accurate, that it is worse than a sprained MCL?
JOHN HARBAUGH: I think that the biggest thing is, just to be fair, is I'm not commenting on all the different reports or all the different conversations because it's not for me to do that. It's not my place to do that. It's an ongoing conversation about the health of a player, a person, that is I know there's interest in it. And when in due time, at the proper time, everybody's going to know what the outcome is, but while these conversations are being had I don't think it's really fair to the person involved or the people involved to give a running report on where it stands or what those conversations are. I mean, it's one thing for a media person to do it, which I get and that's what you guys do and that's what you should be doing and try to find out what you can find out, put it out there and get the news. That's what you do, but you've got to put yourself in my shoes, that's not my job. I'm not a media person and I just can't do that. It's not the right thing to do, it's when decisions get made and we know which direction we're going to go, then heck yeah, we'll let everybody know what they are. But until that happens, I can't breach those conversations. That's trust that you have with people, and I don't even know all the answers because I'm not the person who's hurt. So, I'm not the doctor either, so I'm privy to it. I kind of know some of it, I don't know all of it and I certainly am not in position to be reporting on it. That's not really for me to do. I'd like to give you more, I just can't. It's not right, it wouldn't be right.
Q: I understand. As far as the timeline goes, are we now at the juncture where he has had the MRI and the testing, and now you are deliberating with him about how to handle it?
JOHN HARBAUGH: There is an ongoing process of evaluation of the test. Yeah, that's what's happening right now. So, that's what you'd expect. Had the MRI, yes. And then there's consultations and things like that with the doctors. That's right. I mean, that's fair, right? I mean, that's where it's at.
Q: Was there a teaching point for Jaxson Dart on the play itself? It looked like his dropback went all the way back to the 12-yard mark. Or have you been able to break that down yet? Is that a teaching point? Did you not get there yet?
JOHN HARBAUGH: I don't think we're into that at that point right now. I'm not sure that he really could have stepped up in the pocket in that case or not. You look at that – we'd look at that, but that's not been what we've been focusing the conversation on this morning.
Q: Was he was he trying to get back in the game last night?
JOHN HARBAUGH: I believe he was. I believe he was. Yeah.
Q: Hey, John. Generally speaking, from your experience in Baltimore, replacing an injured (Ravens quarterback) Lamar Jackson with (Ravens quarterback Tyler) Huntley, what are the challenges for a head coach to emotionally get your team ready to play at the same level it played for the starting quarterback? What are the challenges a coach faces to prepare a team to do that?
JOHN HARBAUGH: Well, I mean, that's an interesting question. And I think you probably – I don't know, may be be surprised. Maybe some people wouldn't be surprised. But historically, it's not a problem at all because the guys want to go win. They want to go play. You can think to the Green Bay game last year up in Green Bay and other games before that. I mean, playoff runs with backup quarterbacks that we've had. So, guys play. They'll play. They play for each other. They play for themselves. They play for their families. They play because they believe they can win the game. And it's never one person, never one person that wins or loses a football game. It's everybody. And the more good players you can have out there, the better chance you're going to have. There's no doubt about it. But you still have to be a complete team to win games. Take the game last night. I mean, the team that won the game last night was the was the better team last night, the team that played better. And that's what we've got to continue to strive for, is to play our best as a team. We haven't even come close – not even close -- to playing as well as we're capable of playing as a football team. So, that's really going to be the focus. I mean, it's going to be something we're going to have to, you deal with all the different challenges that you face and all the different adversity that you face, for sure. And even the prosperity, you learned that last week, you faced some of the prosperity and prosperity sometimes can be more dangerous than adversity. All these challenges to put your best effort out there, play your best football, so you can win a football game. And we're going to do that. These guys are going to do that. That's what you get excited about. The prospect of our team playing the best football that they can play. And that's what we're working on, working as hard as we can, working like crazy as a football team to do that all together. And the other teams are doing the same thing. And that's what makes it so compelling. That's why these games are so interesting. It's why everybody watches football. It's high-level drama, and we'll be right in the middle of it. We'll be fighting every step of the way.
Q: Just to follow that, John, I think a lot of football people, even Jameis last night, I think, described losing a starting quarterback as a gut punch. Can you overcome that kind of hit to your team within a week? Is that a realistic proposition to be able to overcome a loss like that this quickly?
JOHN HARBAUGH: I don't really want to get into the hypothetical conversation about that because that's not fair. When the decision gets made, then we'll talk. We'll talk about that conversation. But I can tell you this. If you get punched in the gut, are you going down? Are you going down? Are you going to crumple to the ground, as Jack Harbaugh would say, like a sack of sour apples and just fall to the ground and just rot away and wither away into the dust. Is that what you're going to do?
Ian O'Connor: No.
JOHN HARBAUGH: I don't think so. I don't think so. (Laughs)
Q: We're not supposed to do that.
JOHN HARBAUGH: (Laughs) That's right. So, a gut punch. I mean, how many people face gut punches every single day? Every single day?
Q: Hey, John. What's your overall message, coach, in terms of just dealing with adversity and next man up mentality? And how does that come to the fore starting this week?
JOHN HARBAUGH: Well, you probably just heard a lot of it. That was probably the basic message. But we've got a game to play. We've got a really good football team. We've got a football team that's going to be way better than it is right now. And that's what we're going to be attacking. So, looking forward to it. Can't wait to get on the practice field tomorrow.
