Speaker 1: Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass Podcast. It is Thursday,
Speaker 1: January second. The Ravens are gearing up for the regular
Speaker 1: season finale against the Cleveland Browns Saturday at MT Bank
Speaker 1: Stadium at four thirty pm. As Ravens get ready for
Speaker 1: that matchup, we heard from head coach John Harball.
Speaker 2: Okay, good seeing everybody. Sure appreciate you being here. Good day,
Speaker 2: good workday. Guys are locked in and we are all
Speaker 2: hands on deck pointing toward Saturday night at the at
Speaker 2: the Bank. And I can't wait to see how our
Speaker 2: guys play. I can't wait to take the field with them,
Speaker 2: proud of them. It's the last game of the regular season,
Speaker 2: and we want to play our best game. That's what
Speaker 2: we'll be trying to do, and that's what we've been
Speaker 2: focused on. So what questions you have, John, do you
Speaker 2: think with every my I mean everyone knowing AMC North
Speaker 2: titles them. I mean, is that something you've even had
Speaker 2: to mention at all this week to them?
Speaker 3: Well?
Speaker 2: I haven't had to, but I have, you know, And
Speaker 2: obviously we have so much to play for. We try
Speaker 2: to we try to take it one game at a time,
Speaker 2: one series at a time. On play at a time,
Speaker 2: and that's what we'll be trying to do in this game. Again.
Speaker 2: But this game, because of all the other games behind, it,
Speaker 2: is an opportunity to put a banner up here, you know,
Speaker 2: and that means a lot, especially in the AFC North.
Speaker 2: You know, it's tough division, and so winning the AFC
Speaker 2: North is is even even a greater accomplishment. That's the
Speaker 2: opportunity we have this week, and that's what we're going
Speaker 2: to be fighting for. John. Temperature is gonna be close
Speaker 2: to freezing. I think gus over thirty miles per hour.
Speaker 2: I guess.
Speaker 3: Is it useful to have a kind of potential primer
Speaker 3: for a playoff weather going forward?
Speaker 2: Sure? I mean it's January, you know, so whatever weather
Speaker 2: you get, you get. That's how it works. So we
Speaker 2: had a chance to get out there this week today
Speaker 2: obviously it was very cold and windy, and we were
Speaker 2: out there in it, and the guys were on point
Speaker 2: and they were sharp, and it was good.
Speaker 4: At great representation and for the Pro Bowl nine players,
Speaker 4: most many teams, including Z eight Flowers, the first wide
Speaker 4: receiver ever for a Raven to be Yeah, So to
Speaker 4: have that, you know, I know, you focus on Saturday night.
Speaker 2: But when you know that's those athletes come in, what
Speaker 2: does that mean to you? Well, I mean it's it's
Speaker 2: uh you know, the individual awards are are our it's
Speaker 2: our team awards. You know, that's how we look at
Speaker 2: It's a team. You know, football is the ultimate team sport,
Speaker 2: and uh so the awards are the ultimate team awards.
Speaker 2: And uh to see guys accomplish that, you know, as
Speaker 2: a coach and fulfilled dreams and those kinds of things,
Speaker 2: and to be a part of that, you know, we
Speaker 2: all take great pride in that. So so many guys
Speaker 2: I think were at nine guys or something like that,
Speaker 2: and uh also a number of alternates. Uh, it's just
Speaker 2: a it's a great it's a great thing, and it
Speaker 2: means a lot. And it's something that I mean, my
Speaker 2: brother was a pro bowler, you know, and uh, once
Speaker 2: a Pro Bowler, always a Pro Bowl. You're a Pro
Speaker 2: Bowl player and you earned that. And it's just how
Speaker 2: many people in the world can say that, you know.
Speaker 2: If it's just a pretty incredible things. So proud of
Speaker 2: those guys, happy for him, and it means a lot
Speaker 2: to us.
Speaker 5: John Vicos Donover as an organization of.
Speaker 2: The fifty sacks the third time ever, but second year
Speaker 2: in a row. What is it about truck Smith and
Speaker 2: what that passwatch.
Speaker 6: Group has done the last few year was pretty much
Speaker 6: sustain success.
Speaker 2: Well yeah, I mean, I just think it's another thing.
Speaker 2: It's another group effort. Obviously the people involved with deserve
Speaker 2: so much credit. Hats off to the guys. I mean,
Speaker 2: it's just it's it's it's certainly the past rushers, you know,
Speaker 2: and it's certainly the past rush coaches, and you know,
Speaker 2: Chuck and Matt and Dennis are a big part of
Speaker 2: that and all the coaches. But it's also the you know,
Speaker 2: the coverage. You know, the coverage lends itself to sacks,
Speaker 2: and the linebackers are blitzing and doing things like that.
Speaker 2: So it's a team effort and proud of those guys.
Speaker 2: But see how we can get on Saturday. That's the
Speaker 2: that's the next one, next challenge.
Speaker 5: Back to the approval. How good you feel for Daniel
Speaker 5: followay La. It's a there being the alternate and you
Speaker 5: know what he's going through this year. We play for
Speaker 5: sure started all day.
Speaker 2: I feel great for him. He had to take a
Speaker 2: lot of a lot of criticism from some you know,
Speaker 2: some standing around. It's very circle right here. You know,
Speaker 2: what are you going to replace Daniel Filele? You know,
Speaker 2: and uh, we didn't, we didn't bite, you know, and
Speaker 2: I think I think get paid off. So but his
Speaker 2: best football, you know, this is not this is just
Speaker 2: the beginning for Daniel, you know, and expect me to
Speaker 2: go play his best game on Saturday night. So but
Speaker 2: I think it's also a confidence boost for him. You
Speaker 2: know that people he gets to see that. He doesn't
Speaker 2: just have to read that you know what people think
Speaker 2: he's not. He gets a chance to realize that players
Speaker 2: and coaches around the league and what they think he
Speaker 2: is and uh, proven by when they vote for you
Speaker 2: to be in the Pro Bowl. So heck, yeah, for Daniel,
Speaker 2: it's a it's a great thing. And I'm really happy
Speaker 2: for him and excited for him. But I'm more excited
Speaker 2: for the player he's going to become. John Hell's Justice
Speaker 2: Hill is the more the illness or is he still
Speaker 2: on the product? Who's Justice Hill? Illness? Illness? Some me
Speaker 2: still in the protocol because he's got to come out
Speaker 2: in practice. Uh, but the illness is what's keeping him
Speaker 2: off the field right now. It's not the concussion concussion
Speaker 2: is gone. Does that make a challenging for Saturday for him?
Speaker 4: He to clear the protocol?
Speaker 2: I can say he has a big here. It's challenging, sure, yeah,
Speaker 2: a lot of challenges, challenges everywhere, challenging, challenging, sport, challenging everything, challenges,
Speaker 2: challenges left and right, challenges everywhere. All right, A little
Speaker 2: way I asked the question cracks me up. So I
Speaker 2: got to. I had to. I had to had to.
Speaker 2: I had to call it out. I had to call
Speaker 2: it out. Anything else, all right?
Speaker 1: In the locker room today, we also heard from some
Speaker 1: of the guys who are recognized with the Pro Bowl selections.
Speaker 1: The Ravens have nine Pro Bowlers this year, and one
Speaker 1: of them is safety Kyle Hamilton, who was selected for
Speaker 1: his second straight Pro Bowl. Here's what he had to
Speaker 1: say in his time with the media.
Speaker 3: Super thankful, super just blessed to being in the position
Speaker 3: that I'm in and I can't take it for granted.
Speaker 3: And family just reminds me every day. You know you're
Speaker 3: you're as special kid, and I appreciate them because I
Speaker 3: want to be here without them for.
Speaker 1: You when you make it another time to Pro Bowls.
Speaker 1: Is there a significance of it that comes with being
Speaker 1: a multi time guy, that this is now something that
Speaker 1: he's done, you know, two years in a row. What
Speaker 1: does the.
Speaker 4: Significance of do with that?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I don't think it's something I'll really
Speaker 3: realize right now. You know, when I'm done playing football
Speaker 3: and just see the culmination of everything that I've done,
Speaker 3: I think it's it'll be a little more satisfactory then
Speaker 3: a little cooler look back on it and have my
Speaker 3: kids say, like, my dad was a multi.
Speaker 5: Time pro bowler.
Speaker 3: But you know, at the same time, we got bigger
Speaker 3: things to accomplish. We're trying to hopefully not be in
Speaker 3: the Super Bowl and go or be in the Pro
Speaker 3: Bowl and being the Super Bowl. So but still thankful,
Speaker 3: still honored, still blessed tea team.
Speaker 1: Why you have nine guys that end up making and
Speaker 1: then a whole bunch of alternate What does that say
Speaker 1: about the quality of this team, this roster.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's just top to bottom, one of,
Speaker 3: if not the strongest roster in the league. And we've
Speaker 3: got a bunch of talent, a bunch of guys around
Speaker 3: here making each other better, and we're all focused on
Speaker 3: one goal and when you got a lot of people
Speaker 3: that are are like minded and work hard, and harm
Speaker 3: said yesterday, people getting individual awards just proves that we're
Speaker 3: having team success. So we're all blessed and thankful to
Speaker 3: be in the position that we're in, and you know,
Speaker 3: it's something that we don't take for granted.
Speaker 6: Kyle, is there something you like about being the first
Speaker 6: game this weekend where you don't have to worry about anything.
Speaker 5: No scoreboard washing, just you guys knowing that if you
Speaker 5: take care of business, you'll be where you want to be.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's a it's a little bittersweet kind
Speaker 3: of through our weekly schedule and kind of for for
Speaker 3: a turn there, we got back and I think they
Speaker 3: changed it what like late Sunday night or something like that,
Speaker 3: But you know, it just goes to show like everybody's
Speaker 3: locked in kind of the same schedule that we had
Speaker 3: last few weeks. You know, it's not a usual conventional
Speaker 3: schedule and I feel like we've had very minimal of
Speaker 3: those this year and.
Speaker 5: Guys have adapted really well and hopefully goes showcase set
Speaker 5: on Saturday.
Speaker 2: You know, you know, if you win, you get the
Speaker 2: AFC North title.
Speaker 6: Is that something as a team, as players do you
Speaker 6: talk about amongst each other?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean we're second goals in the off season.
Speaker 3: It's win the division when the AFC. Actually rewind that
Speaker 3: when the next game, when the division, when the AFC win.
Speaker 5: Super Bowl, And.
Speaker 3: You kind of gotta take it one step at a time.
Speaker 5: So like we're on our roupon our way to win.
Speaker 3: The AFC North right now, and that'll put us on
Speaker 3: a good track to go win the AFC and then
Speaker 3: win the Super Bowl. So looking at it from that perspective,
Speaker 3: we're we're we got a big opportunity this weekend to
Speaker 3: accomlis one of those steps.
Speaker 4: Any payback from the weekend bet on your mind at
Speaker 4: all to going into this game, which is solely simply
Speaker 4: you win, you win.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think a little bit.
Speaker 3: You know, we still have this hour takes to our
Speaker 3: mouths from that game and a lot of opportunities to
Speaker 3: win that one and obviously didn't come out with a win.
Speaker 5: So I think we're gonna play with a little bit
Speaker 5: of a chip on our shoulder.
Speaker 3: And really prove ourselves right more than anything that we're
Speaker 3: gonna go out and doesn't matter the implications.
Speaker 5: Whatever that we need to go out and playing a
Speaker 5: football game.
Speaker 3: If we do, then we'll be as you champs put, guys.
Speaker 1: Don't make the problem all each year.
Speaker 3: Three.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean I wish our Cutty could get in, but.
Speaker 3: That doesn't go to say that their seasons aren't recognized.
Speaker 3: And a bunch of dudes, and uh, I'm trying to
Speaker 3: think who else.
Speaker 2: Who else got.
Speaker 3: Snub Mark Ronnie? Yeah, I see, like all those guys
Speaker 3: are like, well, I know, like what they did, and
Speaker 3: obviously not everybody can be in it, but I think
Speaker 3: it's still it's still a blessing that we have all
Speaker 3: these people on our team who were able to make
Speaker 3: the Pro Bowl and then a bunch of people who
Speaker 3: quote unquote snow for the Pro bole means you.
Speaker 5: Got a pretty good team. So we're just gonna keep
Speaker 5: that rolling going in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: And did you grow up the play games or dreaming
Speaker 1: about the Pro bank player? And when did you At
Speaker 1: what point of your career did you think, Hey, I
Speaker 1: think I'm good enough to get there?
Speaker 3: Uh yeah, I mean I always wanted to be in
Speaker 3: the NFL. Won Pro Bowl would have been a plus
Speaker 3: for sure, but yeah, grown up just seeing like Sean
Speaker 3: Taylor hit that punter in the Pro Bowl. That was
Speaker 3: pretty cool, and I was like, yeah, I want to
Speaker 3: do that someday. Obviously can't do that now, but yeah,
Speaker 3: it's always been a dream of mine. And you know,
Speaker 3: that's why I'm kind of saying, you gotta take a
Speaker 3: step back and just see where you're at and just
Speaker 3: be thankful for everything that's to come to Fruith.
Speaker 1: Another player highlighted in the Pro Bowl selections was offensive
Speaker 1: guard Daniel He was selected as a Pro Bowl Alternate,
Speaker 1: which is a tremendous honor for a guy who's in
Speaker 1: his first year as a starter, came under fire earlier
Speaker 1: this year, and really has developed into a quality player
Speaker 1: for the Ravens. He talked about what it meant to
Speaker 1: be named as an alternate to the Pro Bowl.
Speaker 2: What does it mean to you?
Speaker 4: I mean, you first year starting inside and certainly some
Speaker 4: struggles early grew throughout now and to be named Pro
Speaker 4: Bowl alternate, what.
Speaker 2: Does that mean?
Speaker 6: It means a lot of just gives me more fencing myself,
Speaker 6: and yeah, just knowing that I belong it's just uh yeah,
Speaker 6: it's good achievement. Next year I want to be in
Speaker 6: the Probo though, So.
Speaker 4: Going through that journey, do you feel like it's almost
Speaker 4: you had to like that forged you into becoming the
Speaker 4: player you are.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I feel like everything happens for a reason, and
Speaker 6: I was able to just learn from my losses and
Speaker 6: just get better each week and just trust my closer.
Speaker 6: You can trust each other and that's supply it each week.
Speaker 2: How'd you find out.
Speaker 6: ADC told me yes two days ago or yesterday?
Speaker 1: And what was the reaction in telling you it is?
Speaker 5: For me?
Speaker 6: I was like completely shocked. Yeah, I was just shocked.
Speaker 6: I was not expecting that at all, but great news.
Speaker 2: And then what was your what did you tell first?
Speaker 2: Or first of all?
Speaker 6: After that, I told my mom she was going crazy voting,
Speaker 6: so I had to tell her.
Speaker 2: I appreciated that.
Speaker 5: And so where do you feel like you've grown the
Speaker 5: most over the course of the season.
Speaker 2: I feel like just learning the position overall. Just I'm just.
Speaker 6: Anywhere I got to be a body position wise, and yeah,
Speaker 6: just elevating my game each week a fix.
Speaker 3: And obviously there's a lot of outside noise, you know,
Speaker 3: and kind of tribulations there.
Speaker 1: How did you handle all that?
Speaker 5: For me?
Speaker 6: I just don't listen to any outside noise. I just
Speaker 6: all like care about as my coaches and my teammates
Speaker 6: on what they think of for me and where I
Speaker 6: can get better to help them kind of us win games.
Speaker 1: You're listening to the Ravens Press Past podcast, also make
Speaker 1: sure you head over to the Lounge podcast feed for
Speaker 1: a full breakdown on the Pro Bowl selections. That's it
Speaker 1: for us, Thanks for listening. We'll be back with you
Speaker 1: again after that game on Saturday against the Browns.