Speaker 1: Welcome in too the Ravens Press Pass Podcast. It is Wednesday,
Speaker 1: December twenty seventh, and the Ravens are getting ready to
Speaker 1: play the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at M ANDT Banks Stadium.
Speaker 1: This is a matchup between two of the best teams
Speaker 1: in the NFL. If the Ravens win this game, then
Speaker 1: they secure the top spot in the AFC, and that
Speaker 1: top seed comes with the first round by as well
Speaker 1: as home field advantage throughout the playoffs. So there's a
Speaker 1: lot at stake in this game. At today, we had
Speaker 1: a chance to hear from head coach John Harmone.
Speaker 2: Okay, good to see everybody, Really appreciate you being here.
Speaker 2: We're dug in deep in our preparations for a very
Speaker 2: good Miami Dolphins team, a great football team, a challenge
Speaker 2: in so many ways all three phases. Very talented team,
Speaker 2: a very tough team, a very physical team, a very
Speaker 2: fast team, very well coached team, and they execute the
Speaker 2: highest level. So we've got the biggest challenge we've had
Speaker 2: so far this year, and we're excited about it and
Speaker 2: we're looking forward to the game.
Speaker 3: Us into that, how much of a motivation the factors
Speaker 3: knowing that if you.
Speaker 4: Win, you get the US, you plitch that number one seed.
Speaker 2: Uh. Yeah, it's a it's an exciting situation to be
Speaker 2: and I think you get in this type time of
Speaker 2: the year. Uh, you play yourself into these kind of
Speaker 2: a games where we have an opportunity where the games
Speaker 2: mean so much. We're winning one game, Uh, brings such
Speaker 2: a big reward because of what you've done up until
Speaker 2: this point. That's a that's a that's a well earned
Speaker 2: that's an earned thing. And the Dolphins have earned the
Speaker 2: same thing. So it's that kind of a game.
Speaker 5: High power offense last week, so we're getting see I
Speaker 5: think this week are the kineatically Does it help you
Speaker 5: play in them?
Speaker 6: Or they different animals?
Speaker 1: Uh?
Speaker 2: You know, they're They're the same in some ways in
Speaker 2: different other ways. The passing game is is kind of
Speaker 2: a lot different in the way the structure and organize,
Speaker 2: the way the reads work, but the level is very
Speaker 2: similar and and a lot of the players are the same.
Speaker 2: I mean really across the NFL they are, but also
Speaker 2: within the system, there's a lot of similarities. I think
Speaker 2: the level of execution is very similar, the physicality is
Speaker 2: very similar, the timing is very similar.
Speaker 4: Is there anything that.
Speaker 3: You do in dractice is just similarly heightened.
Speaker 5: Bill speed ding out of this leak at.
Speaker 4: That entire offense.
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, I mean we got fast guys and they
Speaker 2: run as fast as they can, So that's kind of
Speaker 2: how we do it.
Speaker 1: John Kyle Hamilton, which names that opens.
Speaker 2: The player of the week, specifically on the second interception
Speaker 2: when he's got.
Speaker 1: Blocked that out.
Speaker 6: But what do you watch him see when you watch
Speaker 6: that play again?
Speaker 2: Yeah, well we just watched again this morning with the team.
Speaker 2: I noticed when he was down there, he kind of
Speaker 2: laid there for a minute, so you know, I don't
Speaker 2: know if he was playing possum or what. Maybe that
Speaker 2: was it. Maybe that's why I got the interception. But
Speaker 2: uh yeah, he came all out on a blitz. They
Speaker 2: high loaded him. Was a good call, got up and pursued.
Speaker 4: That's kind of what I make of it.
Speaker 2: I think the off the defense, he's playing at a
Speaker 2: really high level in terms of effort and and everybody's
Speaker 2: been running to the ball at really the highest level,
Speaker 2: and that's kind of how that happened.
Speaker 6: He was this years today, Kyle focus any updates.
Speaker 2: On his chances to play on Sunday, Yeah, you know,
Speaker 2: we're less than forty eight hours from the game, so
Speaker 2: we're just kind of working through all those kind of
Speaker 2: things right now, John, Uh.
Speaker 6: The last time you played the Dolphins year that fourth quard,
Speaker 6: But it seems like since that point, I mean, this
Speaker 6: is this defense seem like.
Speaker 4: A turning point for that defense. And we're gonna say,
Speaker 4: does that game.
Speaker 6: Does that have any kind of ramifications for for this
Speaker 6: that you know, just because that was the last time you.
Speaker 2: Played the Dolphins, right well, I mean schematically it's true,
Speaker 2: does you have to study it? I mean, they did
Speaker 2: some great things against us, uh in the passing game,
Speaker 2: made some huge plays as a massive comeback. Obviously, it
Speaker 2: was a tough pill to swallow for us, you know,
Speaker 2: and all credit to them for the way they executed
Speaker 2: and made those plays, and we learned a lot. We
Speaker 2: learned a lot about ourselves, our coverages. We weren't anywhere
Speaker 2: close to where we needed to be execution wise at
Speaker 2: the time, and and they're capable of doing that to
Speaker 2: anybody at any time. So you know, that's why we've got
Speaker 2: to prepare at the highest level and try to be
Speaker 2: at our best.
Speaker 3: Done were against Dons, Mark Gats adding not necessarily prefer
Speaker 3: the building provis public.
Speaker 2: So far, Yeah, I've heard of no setbacks. I think
Speaker 2: he's on schedule as far as i've heard, maybe maybe
Speaker 2: a little head of schedule. I don't know really if
Speaker 2: that's accurate to say, but I've seen him in there
Speaker 2: working and he's in great spirits, and you know.
Speaker 1: We're we're hopeful. You know.
Speaker 2: Our our job is to get to that point. You know,
Speaker 2: that's what we have to do, is get to the
Speaker 2: point where we're still playing when he comes out, and
Speaker 2: it's gonna take everything when he comes back, and it's
Speaker 2: gonna take everything we've got.
Speaker 6: Mike McDonald, I mean, obviously the way the defense played.
Speaker 6: His name is in a lot of places this week,
Speaker 6: is it. It's sort of fun to see the wider
Speaker 6: world recognize what you've recognized in him, you know, back
Speaker 6: when he was a you know, assistant.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I mean, I'm excited for all of our care.
Speaker 2: I think we have a great coaching staff. I said
Speaker 2: that many times. I'm really proud of the guys. I
Speaker 2: love the way they work, the way they work together.
Speaker 2: I think they're all very very good coaches, very smart,
Speaker 2: very dedicated coaches. Mike since you brought him up. Is
Speaker 2: doing great, Todd's doing great, Anthony Weaver does a great job.
Speaker 2: Chris Horton does a great job. I mean, I can
Speaker 2: name so many guys that I think are worthy of respect,
Speaker 2: really every single coach, Guys like Willie Taggart on the
Speaker 2: staff that are amazing, Numerous young guys that are going
Speaker 2: to be head coaches in this league. So yeah, I
Speaker 2: think it's it's really cool.
Speaker 4: Most of the guys the obviously they in their attack.
Speaker 4: He was talking about him and he's kind of like.
Speaker 6: A lake nim in his career, was put be good
Speaker 6: like the bets back in the league.
Speaker 2: No, Doug Cliff, you know, we had him here, we
Speaker 2: had him here. Unfortunately he got off the hook. You know,
Speaker 2: we let him get away, you know, let him off
Speaker 2: the hook. That was one of the great all time
Speaker 2: press conferences. Remember they let him off the hook. Danny
Speaker 2: Green Monday Night Football, Cardinals Bears. But we digress. But
Speaker 2: you know, I think I think their backs, and you
Speaker 2: talk about Raheem Moster, their backs are He's he's the
Speaker 2: belt the league guy. But they'd use all three guys
Speaker 2: and they're all three very similar. They're all very fast,
Speaker 2: they're very physical, they run downhill, they can get the edge.
Speaker 2: They're all good in the passing game. That's probably why
Speaker 2: they're there. That's why coaches got him there, and they
Speaker 2: all do a great job and kind of seeing his success,
Speaker 2: Rahem's success after having been here for that period of
Speaker 2: time he was here is really is really neat to
Speaker 2: see John.
Speaker 3: Given the communication and leadership aspect of the center position, you.
Speaker 4: Know how they're gonna have to you.
Speaker 3: Know, have to look forward the quarterback and make some
Speaker 3: calls at the line. How much do you look into
Speaker 3: when you're scouting centers, how much do you look into
Speaker 3: a player personality, leadership qualities and what has Tyler been
Speaker 3: like in that area when it comes to kind of
Speaker 3: being local and just as leadership.
Speaker 2: All right, well, yeah, that's it's an interesting dilemma with
Speaker 2: centers because you know, a lot of times guys who
Speaker 2: play center in the NFL don't always play center in college.
Speaker 2: Tyler was one of the rare guys that played center
Speaker 2: in college. You knew he was going to be a
Speaker 2: center in the NFL. Probably because there's such good players
Speaker 2: in college they don't put them at center. You know,
Speaker 2: it's a different position in the NFL because it's it's
Speaker 2: it's more demanded of them athletically. But the other part
Speaker 2: of it, you can definitely measure it from a guy
Speaker 2: when he's a center in college and he had all
Speaker 2: those traits obviously, and you do look at it and
Speaker 2: it really is important. I think we have the best.
Speaker 1: That was head coach John Harbaw. We also had a
Speaker 1: chance to hear from the quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is
Speaker 1: currently leading the way in the NFL's MVP conversation.
Speaker 6: More so, when you get the number one seed, how
Speaker 6: much motivation would you think that it's this team right now?
Speaker 4: A lot of motivation, But.
Speaker 7: I believe we we was already motivated, you know, like
Speaker 7: I always say, you know we're chasing right now.
Speaker 4: I I believe we are locked in.
Speaker 1: How do you describe the confidence of this team and
Speaker 1: whether the victory on the road on Christmas can steps
Speaker 1: to just go? Does it elevate that confidence at all?
Speaker 7: Nah, I don't believe our confidence. I can't tell you
Speaker 7: where we are right now. I say we're very confident,
Speaker 7: but I don't believe it elevated or like increased to
Speaker 7: our confident. You know, we just keeping a level head. No,
Speaker 7: I believe, we know we're capable of you. Just gotta
Speaker 7: keep showing the day and day out, just keep getting
Speaker 7: better each and every practice.
Speaker 8: Uh.
Speaker 5: Earlier in the in the off season, Jalen Ramsey said
Speaker 5: that I think you're the hardest player in the NFL
Speaker 5: to Just been just curious your take on that.
Speaker 9: And when do you have any relationship with with Jalen?
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's my god.
Speaker 7: You know. Oh oh what we said, phutther like c cool.
Speaker 7: Somebody would say, hey, f for 'em, like that's my boy,
Speaker 7: you know, but mess with him.
Speaker 4: That's my god.
Speaker 7: Man, A great, a great corner feature, Hall of Fame cornerback. Nah,
Speaker 7: I's up that that's you. No respect Now, I respect
Speaker 7: his game as well. I appreciate that coming mom.
Speaker 6: Something we talks about, uh all season.
Speaker 10: That's there, being locked in and staying locked in.
Speaker 5: That's just the boy.
Speaker 4: You describe what.
Speaker 9: That is to you and what that is is too
Speaker 9: many U continue in.
Speaker 10: Back right post?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 7: Uh lock then just just trying to get better each
Speaker 7: and every day, just taking taking practice as a game,
Speaker 7: you know, just everything we do we treated as a game. Uh,
Speaker 7: and then we get out get out on the field,
Speaker 7: try not to make no mistakes, even though it's kind
Speaker 7: of possible sometimes in the NFL game, but try to
Speaker 7: be mistake free.
Speaker 4: And that's pretty much how we were showing. We're locked in.
Speaker 1: Mistakes.
Speaker 9: You had, you know early in the year, I think
Speaker 9: seven bumbles in the first five.
Speaker 8: Weeks, but there's a button the last the last six
Speaker 8: uh one to your to your point about locked in
Speaker 8: fall security so forth, how did you how what have
Speaker 8: you done to sort of improve that in terms of
Speaker 8: whatever it is focused communication just literally uh awareness, whatever
Speaker 8: it's been, why has that been really very good?
Speaker 4: A lot of shit coots s.
Speaker 7: I can't call it just protecting the ball. I think
Speaker 7: I said that like a couple of weeks ago, Like
Speaker 7: our number one job on the office is to protect
Speaker 7: the ball. You know, we can't move on with drives
Speaker 7: without the football. You know, we can't score touchdowns without
Speaker 7: the ball in our possession. So the biggest thing for
Speaker 7: me was just protecting the ball. And I believe I've
Speaker 7: been doing a pretty good job better tomorrow.
Speaker 5: Obviously made a lot of players over your whole life
Speaker 5: with your legs, but your ability to extend plays at
Speaker 5: at on a throw this year, do you do you
Speaker 5: feel more comfortable in the pocket kind of escaping pressure
Speaker 5: and throwing this year as supposed to previously, or how
Speaker 5: do you feel under pressure this year?
Speaker 7: I'm I'm comfortable, but uh I I I coultique myself
Speaker 7: more than anybody else who would. So I pretty much
Speaker 7: go back and watch old games of games we lost,
Speaker 7: not the games won, and see like mistakes I I
Speaker 7: might've had, uh things I may not have seen during
Speaker 7: the game, and pretty much just get a feel for
Speaker 7: the game when I'm inute now. And that's just how
Speaker 7: I go go about things.
Speaker 3: The more to what said today that I guess from
Speaker 3: the EXIGI, I will baman you know, out to him
Speaker 3: to talk about I don't know if it's a phone.
Speaker 4: Called DM or whatever. Yeah, I d yeah, what do
Speaker 4: you like?
Speaker 8: What do you are?
Speaker 3: Why did you inspect him so much? And what what
Speaker 3: kind of.
Speaker 7: Prompted you to do that towards a phenomenal player? I
Speaker 7: believe you know I seen him. I I think it
Speaker 7: was I don't know who. They were playing Georgia in
Speaker 7: a in a UH national championship game when I think
Speaker 7: they took one quarterback out and put him in. He
Speaker 7: threw the game win a touchdown. After that, I was like, bruh,
Speaker 7: he's like, he's amazing, you know. I just fell in
Speaker 7: love his game then, and like his poise in the
Speaker 7: games and stuff like that in situations. And I believe
Speaker 7: he was gonna Waring Hosman one year and I I DM,
Speaker 7: I'm like, bro, you need to win a Hosma like
Speaker 7: I voted for you, you know, stuff like that. But his
Speaker 7: game is great, you know, phenomenal quarterback. Uh, he just
Speaker 7: gotta keep keep doing doing, just not this week?
Speaker 1: What if?
Speaker 6: What if anything stands out in your mind from your
Speaker 6: game against him last year where you felt the big
Speaker 6: way and then gets away in the quarter.
Speaker 4: That's it.
Speaker 7: You had the big lead and it just went away.
Speaker 7: But that's pretty much what I took away from the game,
Speaker 7: was it?
Speaker 4: Yeah? You know, so hopefully this shar would be UH
Speaker 4: a lot different.
Speaker 10: When more the game, you were walking down to town
Speaker 10: on mentioning UH a critic who I remain nameless that you.
Speaker 4: Address UH addressed him?
Speaker 5: Uh?
Speaker 10: How much of the outside noise did you guys actually
Speaker 10: look at or listen to UH in the locker?
Speaker 7: Though I really I really don't pay attention to it.
Speaker 7: It was just it was the how how how he
Speaker 7: presented it. You know That's what made me like the
Speaker 7: ain't like you really feel this way? Like you know,
Speaker 7: we're a NFL team as well. You know we're not
Speaker 7: the high school team going against an NFL team, Like
Speaker 7: beat the dog out of 'em. I'm like, damn Like
Speaker 7: so I just felt somewhere about that. Not n not
Speaker 7: a taking anything away from him. You know, he's just
Speaker 7: doing his job. That's his opinion. I just meem like
Speaker 7: you said it.
Speaker 4: That's all.
Speaker 9: You're used to operating off script and done it throughout
Speaker 9: your career. What what's been the difference this year when
Speaker 9: you think back to parly part of the season versus
Speaker 9: now in terms of the comfort level of communication and
Speaker 9: so cool.
Speaker 7: Cause you guys that have, uh, just our our chemistry
Speaker 7: just building. Uh just been in the system a lot more,
Speaker 7: making me a lot comfortable seeing different defenses, Uh, making
Speaker 7: our job a lot easier.
Speaker 4: That's right.
Speaker 9: You see any similarities between the defensive base every day
Speaker 9: you back every day packteer life with uh.
Speaker 7: The thing you know in the Dolphins difference, uh defensive
Speaker 7: line is phenomenal. Obviously for the Dolphins secondary's phenomenal as
Speaker 7: well linebackers.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I see similarities, you know.
Speaker 7: And then even though I'm not playing against the offense,
Speaker 7: but their offense is explosive, you know.
Speaker 4: So yeah, I said, definitely see similarities.
Speaker 3: Well, more like you've established where you stand on the NVDA.
Speaker 3: You're honor, but you're you're can you your your.
Speaker 4: Eyes are bigger things.
Speaker 3: But do you find the weekly obsession with it and
Speaker 3: this guy's in the lead, and this guy's the favorite,
Speaker 3: and this guy fell out of the right you find
Speaker 3: it to be a little ridiculous.
Speaker 7: I mean, people, you know, they gotta do their job,
Speaker 7: you know, they gotta have something to talk about on
Speaker 7: the on the talk shows.
Speaker 4: So I really don't know what to call it.
Speaker 7: I'm just focusing on trying to win, So I really
Speaker 7: don't pay much, too pretty much attention to it.
Speaker 1: That Well, one of your defense you know, they're they're
Speaker 1: the brash, the confident. You know, they carry themselves with
Speaker 1: with the swagger. How does that kind of translate to
Speaker 1: the rest of the team when they operate with that
Speaker 1: level of uh in the bravado?
Speaker 7: Yeah, cause they talk trash all day to us, you know,
Speaker 7: even when we going against each other. In practice, so
Speaker 7: we pretty much feel how those guys feel on offense
Speaker 7: for the opposing team sometimes, you know, so we get
Speaker 7: it with for that, and we was like, yeah, we
Speaker 7: gotta talk trash back. You know, we gotta start beating
Speaker 7: them at the bunch, you know, beating them at their
Speaker 7: own game.
Speaker 4: So our defense is phenomenal, you know.
Speaker 7: Uh, but I like I like the confidence and our
Speaker 7: our defense, you know it that it definitely give us
Speaker 7: a confidence, you know, to go out there and make
Speaker 7: plays and stuff like that happen. Especially if we have
Speaker 7: a big play against them, it's like, oh yeah, we
Speaker 7: can do this weekend and week out. Uh but keeping
Speaker 7: the levelhead is the most important thing for us right now,
Speaker 7: you know, uh cause now it's the narrative is changing.
Speaker 4: You know. It was just you know, this team is
Speaker 4: the Ravers. We don't know about the Rayvens now. It's old.
Speaker 7: They're a no more team. So we not we not
Speaker 7: playing no mind in that and to that, you know,
Speaker 7: I feel like that's bait. You know, that's clip bait.
Speaker 7: And like I said, we tryna make it the February,
Speaker 7: So we gonna take take it a game at a
Speaker 7: time or after the game, you.
Speaker 5: Said, do you feel like this team performs its best
Speaker 5: when it's under pressure, when the stakes are high? What
Speaker 5: is it about this team? Why do you feel like
Speaker 5: it does that?
Speaker 7: Because I believe we're around a guy, a bunch of
Speaker 7: guys who who's been doubted, a a bunch of guys
Speaker 7: who got things to prove on our team on both
Speaker 7: sides of the ball. So so I believe in any
Speaker 7: time where where the underdogs, we gonna always rose rose
Speaker 7: to the occasion.
Speaker 4: But we gotta stay locked in to do that.
Speaker 10: You yourself, it's one of those guys.
Speaker 4: To myself, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 9: And what about when you're not the underdogs?
Speaker 5: You know this week you know you have best record
Speaker 5: in the underdogs?
Speaker 4: Do you feel that way because we do underdogs?
Speaker 1: That was quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will hit
Speaker 1: the field on Sunday at one o'clock against the Dolphins.
Speaker 1: If you want to be there in the house, you
Speaker 1: can check out Sea Geek and I'll tell you this
Speaker 1: is a hot ticket like you would expect. If you
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Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. We'll talk with you again later this week.