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Below is a look at what Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz had to say after Thursday's practice. (Quotes provided by the Lions.)
On stopping the Ravens' deep ball: "I think that any week you want to stop deep passes. They are near the top of the NFL in 40-yard passes. We're going to have to play over the top. Torrey Smith is a really good wide receiver when it comes to that and (Joe) Flacco has enough arm to be able to put it anywhere on the field. That's certainly one of our objectives in this game."
On his use of sports analogies to describe the last three games and playoffs: "There are a lot of sport analogies that you can use. I think a better one is that you got three holes to win the U.S. Open. However you put, you have to hit a three-pointer to win the game. You're on the free throw line with, I mean you just got fouled and you're two points down, two to tie and three to win that kind of stuff. There is a lot of it. The analogy is that every game is urgent. There is very little margin of error when it comes to the finish like this. We have to relish that opportunity. We will."
On the importance of veteran leadership this late in the season: "I think we have a little bit of experience with this. A couple of years ago we had to do the same thing, we had a game against San Diego that we needed to win to be able to get in. We have some guys on our team that have been through that also, but the more experience there is the better that is. It doesn't take much. You have to be resilient through this League. There are going to be highs and there are going to be lows. We have talked about that a lot of times. I don't think there is a better example than the Baltimore Ravens. Last year, they went on a couple of four game winning streaks, but at the end of the year they lost four out of five. Then turned around and won four in a row in the playoffs. I don't know what people were saying when they lost four or five at the end of the year. They're, whatever the opposite of peaking at the right time and all they did was go out and go start winning games. They persevered through that. There are a million examples of that. I like our team's attitude that way. I think you can't look back and you have to look forward. That starts with the Ravens. There is certainly enough to get your attention there."
On the Ravens rushing offense: "They came out this year and have done just about everything. They have used their two back sets. They have used pistol. They've used no huddle. They've used a lot of it. (Ray) Rice is averaging I think three yards a carry. (Bernard) Pierce is averaging I think 2.7, but with that being said they still carry it 28 times a game on average. It's really not the yards average that's making a difference for them. They want to control the clock and they want to free up the deep ball and stuff like that. I don't think they're not getting as many yards as they have in the past, but it's still a very key part of their offense."
On S Louis Delmas' ability to stay active: "You have a hard time judging anything on just the Philadelphia game. I'd be very careful about any player on the field judging them on that game because of the conditions the game was played under. I think Lou has settled in to that routine and he's probably coming off his best game of the year on Thanksgiving. He did a great job in coverage. Tackled really well. Got a sack in that game. I think he's still trending up. He's done a very good job with managing his physical condition and balancing that with getting mental reps and all those things. I think it's been a fruitful plan."
On WR Jeremy Ross being a legitimate returner: "We wouldn't have put him in there if we didn't think he was. He's strong. He's played a role on offense. He's played a role on our coverage units. He's done a good job returning the ball when he's been there. It's not just upside. I think he can be effective now and he has been."
On Ross being more physically bigger than the prototypical returner: "Yeah, I don't know. There are a lot of kinds of return guys, but he is built a little bit more like a running back. He is a little stockier than a corner or a wide receiver or somebody like that. He's strong. He can run through some tackles. I think that helps him in a lot of different ways. Like I said, it's not just special teams. He's had a nice role on offense and he's made a contribution to our team."
On Ravens WR/RS Jacoby Jones being a weapon: "Oh no question. I mean, you go back to the Super Bowl and I think that game might have been changed by his return in that game. Minnesota was trying to kick it away from him last week and they kicked it up to about the 20-yard line or so. He ran up, got it and scored a touchdown. He's very good on punt returns, on kick returns. He's a guy that can change the game. We have had a lot of those guys that we have had to face this year, both on kickoff return and punt return. We're going to have to be up for that challenge again. They are very good in that phase. They're very good on special teams. They have a good corps, good scheme, a good specialist, a good place kicker and good returners. We'll have our work cut out for us there."
On limiting Ross' snaps on offense because of his importance in the return game: "No. Last week it was a little bit different. I think every week there is going to be a role in there somewhere. That's been because he's been productive. We also have Nate Burleson back. I think a guy like Theo Riddick showed some good things. It's hard to read too much in to the game when there is eight inches of snow on the ground, but at some point you have a hard time. You have Joique (Bell) and Reggie (Bush) and Calvin (Johnson) and (Brandon) Pettigrew and (Kris) Durham and Burleson and you start running out of touches for players. That doesn't mean that we're not confident in any of those guys that go in to the game. I think that a guy like Jeremy fits that role. The only thing you can do as a player is be ready when your number is called and he's done that."
On blocking out the pressure: "We have games to play. There is pressure every single week in the NFL. I don't think this is any different. It comes along with the territory. To go back to our golf analogy, if you're on 16 with the U.S. Open in front of you, you got to hit the drive. You're going back to your technique and back to all your repetition on the driving range and everything else. You have a six-foot putt to win it. You can't be nervous and you can't be worried about anything else. I think there is some, I don't know what the word would be, example there."
On WR Cody Wilson: "Well we had a need for a wide receiver. Our numbers were down there a little bit. He had done a nice job in training camp for us. He made plays in the preseason game. He didn't get a lot of playing time, but he made an impact when he was here in training camp. Was really good in the red zone and was quick. We didn't have very many opportunities for him, but he was a guy that we kept on our list and we had an opportunity and he was able to come in. He's probably getting an IV right now because we worked him pretty good today. Our numbers were down a little bit, so he got a lot of work today. He was able to step right in and go and pick up right where he left off."
