Three downs with J.P. Losman
1. On his progression: “I just think it’s a natural process that most quarterbacks go through, the more that you’re in the offense. Obviously, going through this year I would have liked to have been in the same offense for the third straight year, but that wasn’t the case. I feel that as the season went on, obviously, the more comfortable I got with the offense, the better we were as an offense.â€
2. On having ‘nothing to lose’: “You try to play loose and like you have nothing to lose even when things are on the line. You don’t want to be tight in those situations. Everyone still has goals we want to achieve that we set with the coaching staff. We still have things to prove. I think everyone still definitely feels that they want to end the season on a good note."
3. On if there’s a physical and mental toll from being sacked 44 times this season: “I don’t really think so. You kind of just play the game. You can evaluate it when the season is over or when things change and say next year we’re not getting sacked as much.
“Maybe I’ll have something to compare it to, but as of right now, it’s all I know. So, it’s not really something I’m really thinking about."
Three downs with Trevor Pryce
1. On his first season in Baltimore: “I was telling Brian Billick that this is the most fun I’ve had playing football in a long time. When you’re winning, that cures a lot of things, but there’s also more to being a professional athlete than winning. We all get paid a lot of money and we all are in the spotlight; but there’s more to it than that. How do you interact with your teammates, how do you and the coaches get along, just what is the most important thing? I think I’ve figured that out this season."
2. On the defense forcing so many turnovers: “I want to say it’s a product of the system or that the system only works as good as the players in the system. I think you’re able to do the things that Rex Ryan can put in if you have the right guys. I think it’s an aggressive mentality.’ I’ve never been around a team that has been quite this aggressive about it."
3. On the value of generating so much pressure: “It helps, but, again, when the ball is thrown they have to go up and get it. You know what I mean?
“It helps, but more than likely us four, we want to get the guy on the ground before he throws the ball. You know, when he throws the ball then they can do whatever they want."
INSIDE SLANT
Quarterback Steve McNair is only 25 passing yards shy of hitting the 30,000 mark, which would make him the third player in league history to rush for 3,500 yards and pass for 30,000, joining Hall of Fame passers Fran Tarkenton and Steve Young. With 2,834 yards, McNair ranks second in the team’s single-season history behind Vinny Testaverde (4,177 in 1996). His 62.8 accuracy is the highest in team history.
Aaron Wilson covers the Baltimore Ravens for the Carroll County Times in Westminster, Maryland
