Speaker 1: Welcome by the Ratest Presspass Podcast. It is Wednesday, August seventh.
Speaker 1: Today after practice, we had a chance to hear from
Speaker 1: head coach John Harball.
Speaker 2: Appreciate everybody being here.
Speaker 3: A good day, busy day, last fast practice before the
Speaker 3: game Friday against the Eagles. So we'll start pointing towards that.
Speaker 3: Now we haven't really done any preparation for the Eagles,
Speaker 3: but we'll go out and run our plays and see
Speaker 3: how the guys do.
Speaker 2: What questions?
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 4: Play player who's playing non play as far as Mark
Speaker 4: he hasn't played the past tweet exact, couldn't be in compensated.
Speaker 5: As to do.
Speaker 2: Yes, the same.
Speaker 6: How about do you haven't that now good?
Speaker 3: With the other quarterbacks?
Speaker 6: You expect Josh to play it off?
Speaker 2: Yes, we're here, go through every guy, are we?
Speaker 6: That's good?
Speaker 2: Gotta figure it out John, to.
Speaker 5: Get engaged on the offensive line and that competition any.
Speaker 7: Pre season action at some point, do you want to
Speaker 7: ever in the starting offense when the guys looking for it.
Speaker 6: At all these pieces?
Speaker 3: And uh, well, we'll see most of those guys out there.
Speaker 3: I don't know about this game if everyone of those
Speaker 3: guys will be out there I'm not sure about the
Speaker 3: offensive line completely yet. Uh, but you know, they probably
Speaker 3: won't be out there with Lamar, but as far as
Speaker 3: the rest of most of the rest of the guys,
Speaker 3: they will be.
Speaker 2: We're pretty young. It's not like we'll have a ton
Speaker 2: of guys not playing.
Speaker 3: Over the course of the preseason. So we'll see all
Speaker 3: the guys we need to and it'll be quite a
Speaker 3: few guys.
Speaker 7: And you've been a laughing penalty full starts feel has
Speaker 7: produced the intended results of that over the last two weeks.
Speaker 3: I do, uh, I'm not enforcing it, just to be clear,
Speaker 3: the uh, the offense is enforcing it. They decided to
Speaker 3: do that, which I was I thought was pretty cool.
Speaker 1: I was.
Speaker 3: I was not disappointed to see that. But I think
Speaker 3: it's it's a good impact.
Speaker 2: It's been. It's been. Uh. Anything that makes you intentional.
Speaker 3: About what you're trying to do, I think get you
Speaker 3: focused on it. We always like will mark off the
Speaker 3: penalty always that's another way to get the attention of
Speaker 3: the guys and just realize that it's importance to be
Speaker 3: perfect as we can be, which you can be pretty
Speaker 3: darn perfect pre snap, so we're always chasing that kind
Speaker 3: of perfection. Litle more existing aspects the kickoff and terms
Speaker 3: and how those.
Speaker 7: Prison training and damn the questions the news in.
Speaker 5: The what is that question?
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, the way it's being format about and just
Speaker 2: reacting to help those teams handling.
Speaker 3: And the additions to the touchdown, how they what understanding
Speaker 3: the question?
Speaker 2: What's the question?
Speaker 8: Who's trying about?
Speaker 2: What is the question? The question was the.
Speaker 3: Aspect of the post and the officials and how they're
Speaker 3: handling the kickoff requires and experiencing in a real.
Speaker 2: Game situation for the first time.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we're looking forward to it, We really are. How
Speaker 3: much do I answer that question the aspect of it. Yeah,
Speaker 3: we are looking forward to it. It'll be a challenge.
Speaker 3: We'll see what it looks like.
Speaker 2: I hope.
Speaker 3: I hope we go down and smash their kickoff return,
Speaker 3: and I hope we break every every.
Speaker 2: Return for a touchdown. That's what I'm looking for. Is
Speaker 2: it a.
Speaker 5: Sort of situation where you guys might try different.
Speaker 4: Things related to it.
Speaker 3: I mean, I think it comes into play at some point.
Speaker 3: Right now, we just want to get out there and
Speaker 3: line up and understand the rules and try to execute
Speaker 3: the schemes as best we can and just see how
Speaker 3: we look. You know, we're we don't know exactly how
Speaker 3: it's gonna play out, timing wise and all that. So
Speaker 3: it very is very very is very much the very
Speaker 3: first time doing it. So that's kind of maybe that's
Speaker 3: the answer to the question.
Speaker 2: So we want to we want to kick it in
Speaker 2: the landing zone start with that.
Speaker 6: John, do you have.
Speaker 8: Any update on our foe other than what you knew
Speaker 8: yesterday the testing, the back or anything we do.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's gonna have a scope surgery and uh a
Speaker 3: clean up type of a situation and uh, it'll it'll
Speaker 3: keep him out for a little while, but not long
Speaker 3: term by any stretch. So we can revisit it when
Speaker 3: Whens were close to the start of the season and
Speaker 3: talk about John.
Speaker 8: We haven't I haven't seen Ben Cleveland that right guard
Speaker 8: as much during County. Does that say anything about where
Speaker 8: he might? And the players 're just sort of wanting
Speaker 8: to see.
Speaker 2: Different guys in different goals. I mean, I think it's
Speaker 2: a little bit of both.
Speaker 3: But Ben has done such a good job at center,
Speaker 3: and now we have Tyler out for a while, I think
Speaker 3: you're going to see him at center quite a bit
Speaker 3: here for the next two weeks.
Speaker 1: We also heard from some of the guys competing for
Speaker 1: spots along that offensive line, including second round rookie Roger Rosegard,
Speaker 1: who's competing for a starting job at right tackle.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 9: No, nine times met him, oh man, Absolutely, absolutely, especially
Speaker 9: for Big Ben, so no doubt.
Speaker 5: Roger, You're getting your first taste of NFL preseason action
Speaker 5: on Friday. How does it feel to just finally be
Speaker 5: able to be out there on an NFL field?
Speaker 6: Yeah, man, it feels great.
Speaker 9: It feels amazing, you know, kind of just go and
Speaker 9: through rookie mini camp OTAs and just the spring practices
Speaker 9: to now you finally get to training camp. I mean,
Speaker 9: it's super exciting. It's uh a feeling that I've dreamt
Speaker 9: since i was a little kid. And now I'm gonna
Speaker 9: play my first NFL game here coming up. So all
Speaker 9: good angst. You know, I'm super excited and I can't wait.
Speaker 6: You know, it's a different physicality.
Speaker 9: Yeah, there's definitely level changes to everything, especially in physicality, strength, speed,
Speaker 9: you name it.
Speaker 6: Uh, when he gets to this kind of level.
Speaker 9: But you know, my my transition from college to the
Speaker 9: pros is uh, super smooth. In my opinion, so you know,
Speaker 9: I'm picking picking it up every single day, and you know,
Speaker 9: I'm my whole main focus is just getting better and better. Yeah,
Speaker 9: you know, first, second or third team, It didn't matter
Speaker 9: for me. You know, my whole goal is just uh,
Speaker 9: you know, be the best offensive lineman I can to
Speaker 9: help protect the quarterback and open up running lanes and
Speaker 9: just be the best offense we can. And that's my
Speaker 9: whole job as an offensive lineman. It didn't really matter
Speaker 9: what team I was running with because I knew if
Speaker 9: I played well and did what I wanted to do,
Speaker 9: you know, we'd be in a good spot as an offense.
Speaker 7: Part of your game, do you think you made the
Speaker 7: most progress and can take buck up camp.
Speaker 9: To Yeah, I definitely. I definitely would just say probably
Speaker 9: my hands. You know, I think, especially when you get
Speaker 9: to this level, hands or everything, whether that's hand placement
Speaker 9: on a power move, a speed move, hands in.
Speaker 6: The run game. You know, you name it a to Z.
Speaker 9: You know, I'm just trying to get better and better,
Speaker 9: and I feel like I've really made a big stride
Speaker 9: in that department.
Speaker 8: On the flip side, where do you want to still
Speaker 8: see the most growth?
Speaker 2: You know, what part of your game. Do you still
Speaker 2: feel the Union games for the.
Speaker 9: Most Yeah, I mean, you name it. I I got
Speaker 9: to improve on a lot of things as an offensive lineman.
Speaker 9: You know, if I was the perfect offensive lineman, you know,
Speaker 9: I don't know who i'd be, but I'm not that yet.
Speaker 6: So I got a to z to work on.
Speaker 9: So you know, whether that's stuff not even on the field, uh,
Speaker 9: working on in the meeting rooms, that's I really couldn't
Speaker 9: give you one answer there.
Speaker 8: I mean, you see, the preseason game is me and
Speaker 8: very different things to different players, but it doesn't feel.
Speaker 2: Like a big deal for you.
Speaker 8: I mean not just your first stand, but I mean,
Speaker 8: you know, a chance to prove yourself, get real, you know,
Speaker 8: game reps, all that stuff.
Speaker 6: Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 9: You know, anytime there's a game, you know there's got
Speaker 9: to be that much level intensity and focus going into it.
Speaker 6: So you know, this Friday, I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 5: I feel like these preced games or a chance for
Speaker 5: you to potentially man.
Speaker 1: Start your job.
Speaker 6: Yeah, you know, absolutely.
Speaker 9: I you know, I come into practice games, meeting rooms
Speaker 9: with that mentality just compete and be the best off
Speaker 9: in slimming I can. So you know that's my whole
Speaker 9: main goal is just a day and day stack days
Speaker 9: and make sure I'm doing my absolute best and good
Speaker 9: results are come out from there.
Speaker 1: A lot of rookies talk about kind of the off
Speaker 1: the field stuff, you know, it's diet, nutrition and training.
Speaker 1: How much of that is gonna focus really, and.
Speaker 6: It's been huge.
Speaker 9: You know, we have a great Sarah and heard Sarah
Speaker 9: and Rachel do a great job with their staff and
Speaker 9: the whole cafeteria. It's it's always a great time going
Speaker 9: in there for meals, and we're super dialed from the
Speaker 9: new nutrition, from the hydration to the strength, all the
Speaker 9: aspects outside of the on practice and on game stuff.
Speaker 9: I've been super dialed in with everybody. So yeah, it's been,
Speaker 9: it's been. It's been awesome.
Speaker 5: Roger Ravels prioritized positional versatility for their offensive lineman. We
Speaker 5: saw you hop in for Ronnie Stanley on one snap
Speaker 5: that you've been mostly playing on the right side. Is
Speaker 5: that something you've been working on working on both sides?
Speaker 5: Are you really strict the right side?
Speaker 9: Yeah, I mean ever since rookie Minnie Camp, I've been
Speaker 9: wrapping both sides of the line, and coach Jody and
Speaker 9: I think coach Harve's really want to make an emphasis,
Speaker 9: especially coach Mounkin on being versatile, not just myself too.
Speaker 9: It could be Ronnie, pat Tyler, you name it. So
Speaker 9: it's anyone could play any position, especially in this league.
Speaker 6: So, yeah, you've.
Speaker 7: Noticed strength wise going to college to the NFL, both
Speaker 7: for yourself and obviously some of the guys you're going to.
Speaker 3: Get to see it.
Speaker 9: Yeah, I'd say the transition between the get off off
Speaker 9: the line of the snap and you know that that
Speaker 9: instant moment where you know a lot of strength is
Speaker 9: going to be applied, whether it's a power move, uh,
Speaker 9: speed to power, power to speed, uh, you name it.
Speaker 9: And there's there's a lot of transition to the college
Speaker 9: at the NFL level, especially, but especially off the off
Speaker 9: the snap. I think that's where I saw the biggest
Speaker 9: jump when it came to that.
Speaker 8: I think you've seen guys taking a lap jumping off
Speaker 8: side of How much of an incentive is that to
Speaker 8: stay off of at And do you think that's going
Speaker 8: to carry over your game as.
Speaker 9: Far as opening guys, Oh, absolutely, as soon as as
Speaker 9: soon as the play is called, you know that's definitely
Speaker 9: you have the whole play that you gotta know what
Speaker 9: you're getting down, you gotta know your assignment, and then
Speaker 9: most importantly got into the snapcount at the end of
Speaker 9: the play call. So if the running and lap wasn't
Speaker 9: big enough incentive to not jump off sides, man, I
Speaker 9: don't know what. So, yeah, that's definitely a big part
Speaker 9: of the game, especially as an offensive lineman.
Speaker 6: You're get off.
Speaker 7: Did you have any pretty game hoardles or anything.
Speaker 6: Nah.
Speaker 9: You know, I think I'm just gonna do the same
Speaker 9: thing I did in college. Really, you know, I think
Speaker 9: some of the logistics will be a little bit different now,
Speaker 9: but I think everything for myself pregames just gonna be
Speaker 9: to stay the same, and you know, I'm looking forward
Speaker 9: to Friday.
Speaker 1: We also heard from bank Cleveland. He's competing for snaps
Speaker 1: at right guard, but lately he's been taking snaps at center.
Speaker 1: Tyler Linnenbaum is currently sidelined with an injury, but bank
Speaker 1: Cleveland has stepped into that starting center job in practice
Speaker 1: this week and he's performed well. He talked about the
Speaker 1: opportunity in front of him in these preseason games and
Speaker 1: while Linderbaum is sidelined.
Speaker 4: Uh, you know, I'll see myself really fitting in wherever,
Speaker 4: wherever I'm needed. I mean, you know, this this week,
Speaker 4: I've been playing a little bit more center than other places,
Speaker 4: and you know, I'm I'm here to you know, earn
Speaker 4: a spot on this team and wherever they need me
Speaker 4: at to do that. That's that's what I'm gonna do.
Speaker 4: How would you describe it?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 4: No, I'm I feel perfectly fine at center. You know,
Speaker 4: they started working me in there last year, so I
Speaker 4: mean it's it's not like they just threw me into
Speaker 4: the fire this week. So I mean, I'm I'm definitely
Speaker 4: extremely comfortable there.
Speaker 2: People will talk about it nacer brick season for a guy.
Speaker 2: Do you do you see it that way?
Speaker 6: I mean, your your your four year I.
Speaker 2: Mean, what are the stakes to your mind of the
Speaker 2: next month?
Speaker 4: I mean I say that the stakes are definitely higher,
Speaker 4: I feel like, but you know, at the end of
Speaker 4: the day, it's the same thing I've been doing for
Speaker 4: the last three years, just showing up to work every
Speaker 4: day and giving it everything I got to, you know,
Speaker 4: be the best player that I can for this team
Speaker 4: and for myself, and you know, let the chips.
Speaker 6: Layn wherever they then.
Speaker 5: The Ravens have often turned to you and they've needed
Speaker 5: a spot starter or someone to come in to build
Speaker 5: a game at card. Have those experiences in the past
Speaker 5: given you more confidence to go out there trying to way
Speaker 5: a starting job this year.
Speaker 2: Oh absolutely.
Speaker 4: I mean people don't realize how hard it is to
Speaker 4: come off the sideline cold, you know, in the middle
Speaker 4: of the third quarter and step up and expect to
Speaker 4: take over and you know, perform at the highest level possible. So,
Speaker 4: you know, being in that position before and plenty of
Speaker 4: times in the past, you know, it just gives me
Speaker 4: a lot of confidence knowing that no matter what, I
Speaker 4: can step up and do whatever they need me to.
Speaker 1: Do in my life.
Speaker 6: Uh No, not really.
Speaker 4: Whenever I first started last year, uh snapping a little bit,
Speaker 4: you know, I always had to make sure the quarterbacks
Speaker 4: knew they had a left handed center, just because the
Speaker 4: path of the ball is just a little bit different
Speaker 4: than what they're used to. But you know, I've worked
Speaker 4: with everybody enough to where they they they all got
Speaker 4: it down.
Speaker 1: Now, how exeter are you for that your preseason game, the.
Speaker 4: Opportunity you have to show this, oh man, I mean
Speaker 4: the preseason is kind of our first look at you know,
Speaker 4: who we who we're gonna be as a team and
Speaker 4: who we're going to be as an offense, and you know,
Speaker 4: you're gonna we're gonna have a lot of different guys
Speaker 4: playing a lot of different spots, and uh, you know,
Speaker 4: it's it's gonna be fun to go out there and
Speaker 4: play different spots for myself and you know, see how
Speaker 4: we all kind of fit into one another and you know,
Speaker 4: make this offense work.
Speaker 5: Then center's obviously position that requires a lot of communication.
Speaker 5: Is that aspect of your game? You tried to step
Speaker 5: up since working on center more? Is it more difficult
Speaker 5: with a lot of pieces moving around you?
Speaker 4: It was definitely more difficult. I ain't no doubt about that.
Speaker 4: But uh no, I mean I feel like I'm I'm
Speaker 4: extremely football smart and uh you know, center, the biggest
Speaker 4: thing at center is just being able to, you know,
Speaker 4: keep a cool head and do things on the fly.
Speaker 4: And you know, first day was a little bit of
Speaker 4: a struggle with it, but now you know, three days
Speaker 4: into it, you know everything's flowing smooth, and you know
Speaker 4: feel good about it.
Speaker 7: You know Tyler Linderbahn and what's the communication with him
Speaker 7: as a fourteen center?
Speaker 4: You know, it's it's been nice, you know, playing beside
Speaker 4: him and all that in the past, So I really,
Speaker 4: you know, we we keep the same terminology and everything
Speaker 4: like that. It's just a matter of you know, the
Speaker 4: perspective in which you see the defensive fronts and things
Speaker 4: like that is different. And you know, every day after practice,
Speaker 4: I mean, he's in there watching film. We're going over
Speaker 4: you know, how I can step better or do this
Speaker 4: better and whatnot. So I mean it's it's been nice
Speaker 4: oving somebody who's obviously as good as he is at
Speaker 4: that position to you know, help me better myself.
Speaker 6: You broke kids, it's great. It's an opportunity to show
Speaker 6: them what else I can do.
Speaker 9: Or is there an element of look, I'm not getting
Speaker 9: rights that right guard, whether it's the problem.
Speaker 4: No, I mean I don't think of it as you know,
Speaker 4: taking reps away from other spots. I mean, you know,
Speaker 4: they say the more you can do, you know, the
Speaker 4: better off you're going to be. And you know, if
Speaker 4: I have to be in that role of a backup
Speaker 4: center at some point this year, then you know, I
Speaker 4: want to be fully prayer to go in and do that.
Speaker 4: So I love, you know that the fact that I'm
Speaker 4: getting to play center and going to go out there
Speaker 4: and get some wild game reps, you know, in that spot.
Speaker 8: This summer has felt different for the offensive line overall,
Speaker 8: in the sense that you have researching jobs up the grabs,
Speaker 8: you have guys may betraying slightly less familiar roles.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's it been a different.
Speaker 6: Year, you know.
Speaker 4: I wouldn't say a different year by any means, because
Speaker 4: I mean every year you've got guys coming in, fighting
Speaker 4: for spots, playing different spots, rolling in different locations and
Speaker 4: things like that. So I don't think it's any different.
Speaker 4: You know, you just got to make the most out
Speaker 4: of the reps that you get where you get them,
Speaker 4: you know, to try and secure that role as a
Speaker 4: starter from week one. You know, I think the biggest
Speaker 4: thing for me is when I'm you know, not in
Speaker 4: not in with the with the group, kind of standing
Speaker 4: around the back, I want to hear the play call.
Speaker 4: I want to the defensive fronts, you know, I want
Speaker 4: to you know, make my calls as if I were
Speaker 4: in there right now. And I think that's, you know,
Speaker 4: been the biggest difference for me. You know, even last
Speaker 4: year when I started playing a little bit of center
Speaker 4: here and there, was just being more attentive to the
Speaker 4: defense and the way things are working, you know, from
Speaker 4: a defensive stamp to the backfield and everything like that,
Speaker 4: just you know, because I mean, it is a big
Speaker 4: difference and it takes a lot of getting used to
Speaker 4: and I think me taking those steps has really helped
Speaker 4: me adjust to it quickly.
Speaker 7: You've played center, college, high school, experience at it.
Speaker 4: I played a little bit in high school, didn't play
Speaker 4: in college, but you know, like I said earlier, i
Speaker 4: mean they started rolling in at center last year, so
Speaker 4: I've I've taken plenty of snaps, you know, and I'm
Speaker 4: I'm good to go.
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Speaker 1: so much for listening. We'll be back with you later
Speaker 1: this week.