Speaker 1: You're listening to the Ravens Press Pass podcast. It is Wednesday,
Speaker 1: January eighth. The Ravens are gearing up for a wildcard
Speaker 1: matchup at M ANDT Banks Stadium on Saturday against the
Speaker 1: Pittsburgh Steelers with an eight pm kickoff. As a gear
Speaker 1: up for that game, today we had a chance to
Speaker 1: hear from the coordinators. Let's kick it off with OC
Speaker 1: Todd Munket.
Speaker 2: With say, dealing with the injury.
Speaker 3: If you know he is unavailable, how much.
Speaker 2: Does that change the guys how you go about.
Speaker 3: Your game planning and how you go out just offensively operating.
Speaker 4: Well, he's been a big part of what we do.
Speaker 4: You know, he's a tremendous player. But we've got a
Speaker 4: lot of really good players, so it'll be divided up,
Speaker 4: you know, if he's not able to go. Hopefully he's
Speaker 4: able to go, but I look forward to, you know,
Speaker 4: seeing the other guys play if that's not the case.
Speaker 5: Todd, Jacksonville officially announced that they've put in request to
Speaker 5: interview you for or their head coaching job. How how
Speaker 5: does how does any of that play into your you know,
Speaker 5: your frame of mind right now?
Speaker 6: None. I mean, everything's about the Steelers.
Speaker 4: I mean, first of all, when anybody puts in a request,
Speaker 4: it's really a compliment to the organization, our staff, and
Speaker 4: our players.
Speaker 6: And that's really what it is.
Speaker 4: You can't do it, you know, without really good players,
Speaker 4: really good staff, and a great organization and unbelievable head coach.
Speaker 4: So but there's nothing about that that factors in right
Speaker 4: now other than being the Steelers.
Speaker 7: That's not How much are you looking forward to get
Speaker 7: Justice Hill back in terms.
Speaker 3: Of what to pick up?
Speaker 7: And also you know some of what he can give
Speaker 7: you on the perimitter that you may or may not
Speaker 7: have goold say.
Speaker 6: You know, you would be great.
Speaker 4: We thought we were going to get him last week
Speaker 4: and you know, he got sick and then that kind
Speaker 4: of you know, stop disability to make it through concussion protocols.
Speaker 6: So it'd be great to m back.
Speaker 8: You see a game ball after the team about harb
Speaker 8: on theory plays?
Speaker 7: How many of those have you received in your career
Speaker 7: with the first.
Speaker 3: And don't kind of stand out for you?
Speaker 4: Oh, I don't know, game ball wise, I mean, I
Speaker 4: I don't know. It's I don't know when it's ever
Speaker 4: been about the individual person.
Speaker 6: I really don't know. I really don't.
Speaker 4: It's always about the staff, the coaches and the players.
Speaker 4: That's really what it's about. It doesn't matter. I shouldn't
Speaker 4: say that doesn't matter. I mean, you know, I appreciate
Speaker 4: that that that's not what I mean. I just mean
Speaker 4: that I don't really even think about it. I really
Speaker 4: couldn't even tell you some of the times where the
Speaker 4: game balls are in my eyes, I really don't know.
Speaker 4: It's really about the players, the people, the relationships that
Speaker 4: you have, and it's on to the next one.
Speaker 6: Really, you know, what do we do this week? That's
Speaker 6: really what matters.
Speaker 4: Can't carry over carry can't carry over points or yards,
Speaker 4: So we got to do it this week.
Speaker 6: I mean, that's fact.
Speaker 9: Lamar said yesterday when he was asked about what he's
Speaker 9: learned about the playoffs, that he has got to look
Speaker 9: antsy in the past, a little excitable. Is that something
Speaker 9: as a play caller that you have to be cognizant
Speaker 9: of how amped up he is, especially early in the game.
Speaker 6: I don't know.
Speaker 4: I haven't seen that, so it's very difficult for me
Speaker 4: to to comment on that. I haven't seen that, you know,
Speaker 4: in the playoff games last year, I thought he started
Speaker 4: off fine. You know, I thought we started off fine
Speaker 4: in some ways. So we're gonna do everything we can
Speaker 4: for all of us to get comfortable and start fast.
Speaker 6: I mean, that's the key to any game.
Speaker 4: So whatever we can do from a from a player's standpoint,
Speaker 4: from a coaching standpoint to get us start fast as
Speaker 4: the ultimate goal.
Speaker 5: I much had been said about in the before the
Speaker 5: last Steelers came about Lamar Jackson's previous struggles against the Steelers,
Speaker 5: and then that was by far his best performance against
Speaker 5: the Steelers specifically, what what did you see from him
Speaker 5: that he did well in that game?
Speaker 4: Well, first off, I think it's unfair to pin it
Speaker 4: all on him. I think that's and I'm not saying you,
Speaker 4: I'm just saying in general, I've been here two years
Speaker 4: and he's played three of them. And there were things
Speaker 4: I didn't do well in the first game a year
Speaker 4: ago and we had a bunch of drops, and then
Speaker 4: the first game we had this year, we had turnovers
Speaker 4: in a bunch of penalties. And that's a team issue.
Speaker 4: That's not a Lamar issue, that's a team issue. And
Speaker 4: so and he played really well this last time we
Speaker 4: played him, and we played well as a team, and
Speaker 4: that's what it's going to take Saturday.
Speaker 7: Do you keep a playoff week just like a normal week?
Speaker 7: That is that how you look at it? Or do
Speaker 7: you He sort of addressed the magnitude of things at all.
Speaker 6: I mean, how do you really?
Speaker 4: I mean, we've been ascending. I mean this isn't a
Speaker 4: new season, this isn't starting over.
Speaker 6: This is building.
Speaker 4: I mean where we've come and where we start and
Speaker 4: where we've come. I mean, we're ascending. That's what you
Speaker 4: talk about, is we're gonna point. We're playing our best
Speaker 4: football and both sides of the ball, and that's where
Speaker 4: you want to be. That's where're at right now. Now
Speaker 4: we got to carry that over to Saturday.
Speaker 10: How important is it to get the run game going?
Speaker 10: Kind of right at the start of the last time
Speaker 10: you guys played Pittsburgh, the run game obviously a big day.
Speaker 11: On the ground.
Speaker 10: How important is it to hit the ground running from
Speaker 10: the start for sure?
Speaker 6: I mean it's I think we talked about it last time.
Speaker 4: Is there's nothing like being able to turn around comfortably
Speaker 4: hand the ball off. I mean, that's that's the start
Speaker 4: of everything you do. It's hard to control the game
Speaker 4: if you can't run the football. Let's just say that
Speaker 4: you control the game with physicality. You control the game
Speaker 4: with being able to run the football, especially in weather conditions.
Speaker 4: I mean it sets everything else up that you do.
Speaker 4: So I mean that's critical. That's not just us, that's everybody.
Speaker 4: But so looking forward to Saturday.
Speaker 3: You talk about ascending.
Speaker 12: Do you feel like this year compared to last year,
Speaker 12: that you're more able if an opponent comes in and
Speaker 12: says I want to take away X part of their
Speaker 12: game plan, that you're in a better position to be
Speaker 12: able to pivot off of that.
Speaker 4: I think we're in a better place as a team
Speaker 4: and a staff in your second year, more than last year.
Speaker 4: We ran the ball well, and we threw the ball well.
Speaker 4: I wouldn't say we were as efficient as a staff,
Speaker 4: as a team, comfort level with each other, how we
Speaker 4: do things, how we prepare. I would say we're better
Speaker 4: there than we were last year and more consistent. We
Speaker 4: were certainly able to do that last year, maybe not
Speaker 4: as proficient and maybe not as efficient.
Speaker 7: I know your focus is you know, one of the
Speaker 7: fields obviously this week, but you have big visualais for
Speaker 7: your career.
Speaker 3: I mean, how interested would you be? I know you
Speaker 3: had that little sting with the Bucks at that point.
Speaker 2: But to have another chance to be, you know, a
Speaker 2: head coach in the NFL.
Speaker 4: Now, well it's flattering, but again, like I said, it's
Speaker 4: a it's a compliment to the other coaches that are
Speaker 4: a big part of how we gained plan as a
Speaker 4: collaboration to the Organization's why I wanted to be a
Speaker 4: Baltimore Raven. I mean, from top to bottom, first class,
Speaker 4: you know, head coaching in the NFL. You know, we
Speaker 4: got tremendous players and tremendous haff that. That's that's what
Speaker 4: it says. It doesn't say anything about me. It says
Speaker 4: about who we have, who we haven't signed, the building,
Speaker 4: and what matters most is Saturday.
Speaker 6: I promise you that.
Speaker 1: Next is defensive coordinator Zach K.
Speaker 3: Todd.
Speaker 13: Mulkin just mentioned that he feels like the team is ascending.
Speaker 13: Obviously on the defensive side. You guys are playing your
Speaker 13: best side of the football, best football of the season.
Speaker 13: Clinch always goes the team that gets the hottest of
Speaker 13: the playoffs usually is the one that wins.
Speaker 3: How how how does that boost your confidence going in?
Speaker 14: I think it's I think it boosts the confidence a lot,
Speaker 14: but it all goes into the preparation and I think that,
Speaker 14: like we said, coming from the bye week after we
Speaker 14: lost to Philly, the players, man, they came in, locked in,
Speaker 14: ready to roll, and they took their preparation to the
Speaker 14: to the next level. And I think we just got
Speaker 14: to continue that and that's what that's what we'll continue
Speaker 14: the success that we've been having. So you know, I'm
Speaker 14: confident it because I know how our guys prepared, great
Speaker 14: weeks of practice, great meetings so far this week, and
Speaker 14: we got to continue with these next couple of days
Speaker 14: leading in a Saturday.
Speaker 7: I mean, when you think back over the season, is
Speaker 7: can you pinpoint when you felt like the worm kind
Speaker 7: of turned and you started to see real progress reached
Speaker 7: after with the defense. I mean, we talked about the
Speaker 7: meeting after Cincinnati, but there is there something that you
Speaker 7: think of.
Speaker 14: Yeah, I could really just think of just the week
Speaker 14: leading into the leading to the Pittsburgh game that was
Speaker 14: our next game, and just the level of focus, intensity
Speaker 14: and then seeing that carry over to the game. Even
Speaker 14: though we lost, it was the best we felt like
Speaker 14: we've played and it was the style of play that
Speaker 14: we wanted to play. Man, physical, max effort to gather
Speaker 14: this guys, you know, not looking to point the finger
Speaker 14: or anything like that.
Speaker 2: So you know, I think that's when it really started to.
Speaker 14: Turn and we realized that we can build on that
Speaker 14: and continue to keep it going if we stay locked
Speaker 14: in with the preparation and stay focused.
Speaker 2: Are expecting to see both quarterbacks in this game.
Speaker 14: I'm definitely expecting it, just because you know, I think
Speaker 14: they got two starting quarterbacks to two starting caliber quarterbacks
Speaker 14: on their squad. They both they won games with both
Speaker 14: of them, and you know, Justin fields is weapons, so
Speaker 14: you got to be prepared for You see it in
Speaker 14: the first game, even though he didn't start against us,
Speaker 14: he came in and made some critical plays that ultimate
Speaker 14: in our eyes, cost us the game. So we have
Speaker 14: to be prepared to see both of them, not just
Speaker 14: not even just Justin as a runner, but him as
Speaker 14: a thrower as well, because he is a quarterback. So
Speaker 14: you know, we prepare for both, and the game plan
Speaker 14: really doesn't change much from either one. We gotta do
Speaker 14: what we gotta do, play sound discipline football, and we
Speaker 14: like our chances.
Speaker 10: Back from your perspective, what are some of the pros
Speaker 10: and cons of playing the same team three times.
Speaker 14: Honestly, it was funny we were talking about this. We
Speaker 14: had a chance, you know, I had a chance to
Speaker 14: play in this type of situation, and a couple of
Speaker 14: years ago coaching this type of situation when we played
Speaker 14: Cincinnati three times. And I think every game it's it's
Speaker 14: its own story. So you can't get get too much,
Speaker 14: can't get caught up too much and what happened in
Speaker 14: the previous games, because each game is different, and I
Speaker 14: think just the pros, you just kind of understand how
Speaker 14: how certain guys play. But I don't think it's it's
Speaker 14: that big of a deal. Honestly, I think every game
Speaker 14: is his own game.
Speaker 11: Zach Good, Brandon Stevens, this guy, he's obviously taking some
Speaker 11: blumps when you guys worked do as well early in
Speaker 11: the year, and in that first game against Pittsburgh, they
Speaker 11: used the pick ends and probably moved to kind of
Speaker 11: match up with size against him. When it comes to
Speaker 11: Brandon and how he's performed as the defense has gotten
Speaker 11: better in these last few leaks, where do you kind
Speaker 11: of see his mentality and how prepared is he can
Speaker 11: kind of.
Speaker 2: Go against them?
Speaker 14: Yeah, be Steve prepared, man. He prepares hard just as
Speaker 14: just as anybody on our team. And the thing I
Speaker 14: love about be Steve is he has mentality that you
Speaker 14: want to have as just a professional athlete, and especially.
Speaker 2: As a dB in this league. I mean, he's a he's.
Speaker 14: A one play, next play. Whatever happened is a good
Speaker 14: play or bad play, moving on. So we were happy
Speaker 14: with be Steve. We love that, you know, teams are
Speaker 14: trying to challenge him, and we know he's up for
Speaker 14: the challenge and he's been prepared, he's been locked in.
Speaker 14: It was funny me and Ko Tarbar was just talking
Speaker 14: earlier during practice about how locked in and how good
Speaker 14: he's looked. So we confident, we excited. I'm ready to
Speaker 14: go see him all out Saturday.
Speaker 15: You say how good he's looked, do you mean you
Speaker 15: practice this week?
Speaker 2: Yeah? And practice this week yeah. And he's been looking
Speaker 2: good for us honestly the whole year in my opinion.
Speaker 8: Similarly, about Brandon Stevens, do you anticipate in him having
Speaker 8: the same amount of role and involvement in the defense
Speaker 8: or is that position more fluid with the Davius White,
Speaker 8: Nate Wiggins and rotating those players in.
Speaker 3: On that site as well.
Speaker 14: Yeah, I think all those guys are are very key.
Speaker 14: You see, we play them all together at times. You see,
Speaker 14: we can interchange those guys depending on matchups. So I
Speaker 14: think everything's up in the air. We feel like Marlin, Nate,
Speaker 14: b Steve and Trey, we feel like those guys are
Speaker 14: all starters in the secondary man, So you know, we'll
Speaker 14: use those guys depending on the game, depending on the
Speaker 14: game plan.
Speaker 7: Accordingly, zach Cue, you alluded to the fact that you
Speaker 7: you played in that game when you guys beat the
Speaker 7: Steelers in the playoffs back in twenty fourteen. We know
Speaker 7: every player gave his life and death, but I mean,
Speaker 7: is it was there an extra layer of satisfaction in
Speaker 7: beating your rival to take that next step?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think it was.
Speaker 14: You know, when you look back at it, like after
Speaker 14: the season, at the at the time, you know, just
Speaker 14: you know, my personal mentality and I think the mentality
Speaker 14: organization has, which why I love it so much, is it.
Speaker 2: Doesn't really matter who the opponent is.
Speaker 14: It's like, we gotta line up, we got a game
Speaker 14: to win on Saturday, and we gotta go do what
Speaker 14: we gotta do to win that game. So yeah, when
Speaker 14: you when you're in the off season and you look
Speaker 14: back at it, Yeah, it makes it a little bit sweeter.
Speaker 14: But at the end of the day, we're gonna be
Speaker 14: happy to get a win because we get to advance
Speaker 14: of the decks round, regardless of what was playing.
Speaker 8: Whoever, Zach, how happy were you to see oh Way
Speaker 8: hit double digit sacks in the finale?
Speaker 11: And where have you seen him grow the most over
Speaker 11: the last year?
Speaker 8: Now?
Speaker 2: I was happy, man.
Speaker 14: Just anytime anybody reaches a milestone, we're gonna celebrate, just
Speaker 14: because you understand the work that you have to put in,
Speaker 14: you know, silencing the doubters and all that stuff. So
Speaker 14: I can't imagine, you know, the pressure that he has
Speaker 14: on him as a first round pick.
Speaker 2: I don't you know.
Speaker 14: I would know a lot of people don't know that.
Speaker 14: But I've seen him really just grow and just his
Speaker 14: his preparation.
Speaker 2: Man.
Speaker 14: From a standpoint, he always worked hard physically, studied mentally,
Speaker 14: But I think the game is slowing down for him
Speaker 14: and he's really taking the next step in his film study.
Speaker 14: And I see that how he's attacking offensive lineman, how
Speaker 14: he's understanding protection schemes, and how that fits in with
Speaker 14: his God given abilities and how it fits in with
Speaker 14: our scheme. And I think him just messing that together.
Speaker 14: You know, Matt, Chuck and Dennis do a great job
Speaker 14: with him. I think just a combination all that is
Speaker 14: really where you see in his game rise.
Speaker 15: NFLPA released their choices for Helpro and Kyle and Rocom
Speaker 15: made it from your defense? Do you kinda how do
Speaker 15: you view sort of how the players vote on that
Speaker 15: stuff and what does that mean.
Speaker 3: To you and the guys on the defense.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it means a lot.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 14: Like I said, anybody, anytime anybody gets to accolade, we
Speaker 14: celebrated or milestone because we understand, yes, it's an individual war,
Speaker 14: but we are all the guys will tell you that
Speaker 14: they couldn't do without their teammates, and so we celebrated.
Speaker 2: Means a lot.
Speaker 14: It means a lot to me, means a lot to
Speaker 14: the players, uh, a lot to everybody in the organization.
Speaker 2: And then I think the I think it's great that.
Speaker 14: The players do all Pro team just because shoot, just
Speaker 14: be real, it's different. The guys they know because they're guys.
Speaker 14: They're the guys that's lining up across from you out
Speaker 14: there on their field. So I think that holds a
Speaker 14: lot of weight and making the Pro and making the
Speaker 14: All Pro team, that's voted on by your peers.
Speaker 5: Who gets credit for designing a play to Michael Pierce
Speaker 5: dropped the coverage.
Speaker 14: I don't know, man, that play been around a long time.
Speaker 14: I just I just carried it over. But man, Mike,
Speaker 14: Mike p that was That's That's one.
Speaker 2: I'm still shocked by that play. That was crazy.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 14: That's one of the best plays that I think I'll
Speaker 14: probably ever witness. I don't think it's gonna get too
Speaker 14: much better than that. And then just the whole deal
Speaker 14: of him sliding and going down like that. I was like, man,
Speaker 14: but uh, it was athletic, man, it was a great uh.
Speaker 14: And it's a play that we it's a play that
Speaker 14: we've run him before. I mean, you know, my friend
Speaker 14: was joking with me.
Speaker 2: He saw it.
Speaker 14: We did it against the Chiefs, and you know, it
Speaker 14: didn't work out too well, and he was like, what
Speaker 14: are you doing dropping his big gun courage.
Speaker 2: Like, bro, it's just the play, don't worry about it.
Speaker 2: And then.
Speaker 14: And then you know, he ended up getting an interception
Speaker 14: this time, and he texted me back and I was like Okay,
Speaker 14: I see, I see the play work this time. So
Speaker 14: that's a heck of a play by Mike p We
Speaker 14: tell those guys all the time.
Speaker 2: You just keep doing your job.
Speaker 14: You do your job, and you never know when the
Speaker 14: ball might come your way and you gotta make the
Speaker 14: most of it. And it just happened that he did
Speaker 14: to close it out, and uh, that's that's great for him,
Speaker 14: great for us.
Speaker 11: Were you happy he went down?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 2: Yes, I was happy he was getting down. Happy.
Speaker 14: I was like, please, let's get down, Let's get out
Speaker 14: of here, nice, safe and sound. So I think it
Speaker 14: was a real good, smart decision and we're gonna need
Speaker 14: him fully rested like he is now for for Pittsburgh
Speaker 14: on Saturday.
Speaker 2: Technique that was Puri instice.
Speaker 14: We gotta work on the technique though that technique was
Speaker 14: it was a little shaky right there.
Speaker 2: I gotta be honest.
Speaker 16: In the middle of the season when things weren't going well,
Speaker 16: And how did make you feel when so many guys
Speaker 16: were saying, it's not it's not exact thing, it's it's
Speaker 16: fars if we need to fix it, and then they
Speaker 16: basically had your back.
Speaker 14: Yeah, man, I appreciate that. Man Like honestly, you know,
Speaker 14: they didn't have to, they didn't have to do that publicly.
Speaker 14: Just for guys doing that, it just made me want
Speaker 14: to go harder for them.
Speaker 2: And I think that just kind of shows.
Speaker 14: The unity and the bond and the family type atmosphere
Speaker 14: that we have here because we say it's a family,
Speaker 14: but a lot of times when things start going bad,
Speaker 14: you get tested, guys start turning their back on each other,
Speaker 14: and we never did that. So that's what honestly gave
Speaker 14: me the confidence that we will be able to get
Speaker 14: this thing going in the right direction, is because we
Speaker 14: we did stick together and we did have each other's back.
Speaker 14: But those guys doing that, I can't thank them enough, man,
Speaker 14: because you know, I'm human too, so you know hearing
Speaker 14: that I need a boost as well at times and
Speaker 14: that that definitely gave me a boost.
Speaker 1: X up A Special teams coordator Chris.
Speaker 2: Horton, Good to see you, guys.
Speaker 17: I think as we as we approach this week, for us,
Speaker 17: you know, our main focus has been, uh, let's just
Speaker 17: get ourselves, continue to get ourselves ready to go play
Speaker 17: our best football game. Here it is we were playing
Speaker 17: these guys for the third time, so the thing we've
Speaker 17: really just been trying to dial in on and focus
Speaker 17: on is our fundamentals and kind of really just preparing
Speaker 17: for how we want to go out there and execute questions.
Speaker 15: Christy kind of cycle through returners with health and other
Speaker 15: various things throughout the season.
Speaker 3: We had guys getting healthy again, finally got the year.
Speaker 2: Turn out this week.
Speaker 17: You know, I think for us is it's kind of
Speaker 17: like it's kind of like you said, right, We've had
Speaker 17: a variety of different guys back there, a number of
Speaker 17: different guys, and every guy we've put back there we
Speaker 17: felt like have done a really good job for us.
Speaker 17: And I think for us is we're going to continue
Speaker 17: to work work through that. And Sims has done a
Speaker 17: great job, and if you know, if he's back there,
Speaker 17: we're going to count him to continue to do the
Speaker 17: things in which we asked him to do. We put
Speaker 17: Tiel in back there. He's done a good job for us.
Speaker 17: So we do have options for guys that could go
Speaker 17: be part returners. And if you guys have seen us
Speaker 17: roll through the kick returners back there, right, We've we've
Speaker 17: had Keaton back there, We've had a lead back there,
Speaker 17: We've had Justice back there. You know, we've had Dad's
Speaker 17: back there, so there's there's options for us. And and
Speaker 17: I've said this before, I believe that if we take
Speaker 17: care of our business up front in our blocking game, we'll.
Speaker 2: Get the yards that we're supposed to get.
Speaker 7: Well, it was last christ we saw Deantrek party back
Speaker 7: out there yesterday. I mean, how did he look just
Speaker 7: physically after being away for so long?
Speaker 17: You know, I think for him it was just good,
Speaker 17: just good to get back out there and and get
Speaker 17: himself going again. It's it's it's another guy that that
Speaker 17: in the return game has done a lot of good
Speaker 17: things and it was good.
Speaker 2: It's good to really just see him back out there.
Speaker 5: We've seen justin Tucker after those struggles, seems to be.
Speaker 3: Back in rhythm.
Speaker 5: You might say, have you has there been anything substantive
Speaker 5: to it or just a matter of he's gonna make
Speaker 5: the kicks just a hiccup he went through.
Speaker 17: I think it's just something that he went through. I mean,
Speaker 17: I think you'd have to ask him. I think what
Speaker 17: we want to see from him, we're seeing and I
Speaker 17: think we've we've been seeing and U for us, we're
Speaker 17: just not worried about it.
Speaker 2: We put him out there. H he knows his job is.
Speaker 17: He wants to go out there, and he wants to
Speaker 17: make kicks, and I think he's in he's in a
Speaker 17: good place right now.
Speaker 3: Jordan Stout taking kickoffs in the second half of games.
Speaker 8: There's a least you would disicipate that to continue in
Speaker 8: the playoffs.
Speaker 17: I do anticipate that those things to continue to happen.
Speaker 17: We've said this again around here, right with the weather
Speaker 17: change in and you know, and in the win, we're
Speaker 17: just we're just trying to get the ball as deep
Speaker 17: as far as we can, and you know, and sometimes
Speaker 17: those those those wing condition changes and h you know,
Speaker 17: the kid's got a strong leg like and we've put
Speaker 17: him out there and he's done a great job for us.
Speaker 1: In the locker room today, we've heard from a handful
Speaker 1: of players, including safety Kyle Hamilton.
Speaker 11: Kyle Zach spoke to us earlier just saying about how
Speaker 11: this defense is going to come together and you talk
Speaker 11: about it being a family and how when things work
Speaker 11: going well, nobody kind of turned their back.
Speaker 4: Do you have any comments or go off of that
Speaker 4: and the confidence it gave you.
Speaker 3: As a unit.
Speaker 12: Yeah, I think it's it's something that we all knew
Speaker 12: we could do, and we're proud of we finished season strong.
Speaker 12: But at the same time, we're about to go in
Speaker 12: the playoffs now, and what it really cares about that anymore.
Speaker 12: It's one week life that we're living right now, so
Speaker 12: it's focused on doing against stealers this week.
Speaker 7: You were in the under court industry. Is that something
Speaker 7: you've been dealing with this or anything that wouldn't give
Speaker 7: it you.
Speaker 3: At all the time? Nah, I'll be all good.
Speaker 7: When you're going against Steelers, you know, I'm guessing there's
Speaker 7: a possibility they might use justin guild little more.
Speaker 2: How much do you prepare for two quarterbacks heading into
Speaker 2: this game? Where do you just focusing on Russell?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 12: I think our coach has done good jobs this week,
Speaker 12: just kind of sprinkling in different personnel and.
Speaker 3: Having the right people for those looks.
Speaker 12: Scouting has been doing a great jobs giving us what
Speaker 12: we need, whatever that may be. They've been done a
Speaker 12: good job all year at preparing us and no different
Speaker 12: this week. It's obviously something that you got a game
Speaker 12: plan for because you know Justin is a threat when
Speaker 12: he comes in the game with its legs and UH
Speaker 12: also can throw the ball to soil the quarterback at
Speaker 12: the end of the day, So I think, yeah, like
Speaker 12: you said, practicing that a little bit will help us
Speaker 12: if it does happen in the game.
Speaker 13: Did you think your team as the hottest team going
Speaker 13: into the playoffs?
Speaker 12: Uh?
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 12: I feel like that's more so for the outsiders to
Speaker 12: kind of judge on. I. I really don't care what
Speaker 12: we did in the regular season at this point. You know,
Speaker 12: it's the playoffs now. Everybody else it's zero zero record,
Speaker 12: So you know, whatever you did in the playoffs or
Speaker 12: whatever you did in the regular season doesn't matter anymore.
Speaker 3: We're all in the dancing kind of like March Madis, how.
Speaker 7: Do you feel about playing your team, you know, in
Speaker 7: the playoffs?
Speaker 3: Reason? Is there any roll upside or downside to him?
Speaker 3: I think it's us upside.
Speaker 12: I think it's it's cool to go against the rival,
Speaker 12: arbably one of the better rivalries in the league, and
Speaker 12: on the biggest stage right now, you know, the playoffs
Speaker 12: when or go home, and just raising the stakes that
Speaker 12: much more. I'm sure both sides will be playing their
Speaker 12: hearts out, and both sides give me super sore after
Speaker 12: the game to make sure of the game. But you know,
Speaker 12: it's a blessing to go out there and be able
Speaker 12: to play in front of our fans against the Steelers.
Speaker 3: Gonna really draw it up any better or though, I mean,
Speaker 3: do you think the rival really can be pretty Yeah?
Speaker 12: I think Nate is super super talented, one more talented
Speaker 12: people that I think I've seen on a football field.
Speaker 12: Got good size, good hands, He super fast obviously, I
Speaker 12: think just mentally he's grown a lot this year, not
Speaker 12: even just football wise, just coming in.
Speaker 3: Communications and stuff like that.
Speaker 12: It's it's it's cool to see him kind of grow up,
Speaker 12: and I think his career is just on the right
Speaker 12: or for directory right now. I want to be surprised
Speaker 12: if pieces top cornerback in the league, So for the
Speaker 12: next few years.
Speaker 3: I really think it's that talented Brown.
Speaker 2: You mentioned about how this really hardably one of the
Speaker 2: best ride works.
Speaker 3: I mean, do you think the intensity the hitting could
Speaker 3: even be ratcheted up more because.
Speaker 6: It's a playoff game.
Speaker 3: Maybe? I don't know.
Speaker 12: I mean, I feel like those games are pretty physical
Speaker 12: as it is. Maybe a few guys out there with
Speaker 12: bumps and bruises who might have not played in the
Speaker 12: regular season.
Speaker 3: You kind of just gotta rub some dirt on it.
Speaker 12: At this point, you know, it's just wanna go home
Speaker 12: and definitely don't want to be on the back end
Speaker 12: of that statement. So everybody's gonna go out there and
Speaker 12: do what they need to do and it's gonna be fun,
Speaker 12: fun getting.
Speaker 6: To watch in the playoffs plenty.
Speaker 2: Does this feel any different.
Speaker 10: Going into this postseason? Right said sort you've been in
Speaker 10: the obviously, you've been in the playoffs multiple times. Now
Speaker 10: does this feel any different going into starting this playoff run?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 12: I mean last year we had to buy that was
Speaker 12: kind of nice. But obviously we gotta come out and
Speaker 12: win this first game and the game after that game
Speaker 12: after that. But we're not really worried about the next week.
Speaker 12: We're worried about Saturday right now. And to answer your question, no,
Speaker 12: not really. Uh, playoffs is the playoffs you kind of
Speaker 12: getting that mode once once this season comes around, and
Speaker 12: you know, it's not a surprise to us. It's where
Speaker 12: we see ourselves starting ota. So we're blessed enough to
Speaker 12: be at the point now where we get the opportunit
Speaker 12: going to Super Bowl.
Speaker 1: And we also heard from tight end Isaiah.
Speaker 15: Likely the Junk that this offense has taken, like do
Speaker 15: you see it under him in the development of year.
Speaker 3: Two with his offense? For sure.
Speaker 18: I mean that's just everybody buying into the product. I mean,
Speaker 18: is everybody, you know, getting with each other, you know,
Speaker 18: trying to really just understand everybody where everybody's trying to
Speaker 18: come from a point of view and the offense and
Speaker 18: really just trying to play everybody's talent.
Speaker 3: Shoan. Thank you. Yeah. How you feeling though, I say,
Speaker 3: about playing to Take for the third time this season,
Speaker 3: I feel good.
Speaker 18: I mean, you know, in the visional arrival, you always
Speaker 18: want to go in, you know, understand what you're good at,
Speaker 18: what they're good at, and at that moment.
Speaker 3: You just let your talents to a lot of people
Speaker 3: are expecting for the Bank to be rockets this weekend. Yeah, sure,
Speaker 3: the fans up there for sure.
Speaker 18: I mean, you know, I love playing the Bank because
Speaker 18: I mean I felt like that's a stame like no other.
Speaker 18: I mean, and when you get the crowd into it,
Speaker 18: I mean I charged up the sideline and then when
Speaker 18: they charge the poison field, I mean, it's got the
Speaker 18: woman you.
Speaker 12: Believe him momentum, you know, leave the playoffs, you know,
Speaker 12: obviously riding the four game winning street.
Speaker 3: They're on the four game in losing street. How much
Speaker 3: does this momentum matter, do you think?
Speaker 18: I mean, that's the reason you wanna win as much
Speaker 18: game as possible, to play at your home field. And
Speaker 18: I feel like when you have a home field at
Speaker 18: the Bank, you know, when you get momentum at the Bank,
Speaker 18: when you have everybody charged up, I mean, I feel
Speaker 18: like we're scared teen to be all times of that.
Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson spoke.
Speaker 9: Yesterday about how like going into the playoffs, you kind
Speaker 9: of have to control your car breating sometimes you got
Speaker 9: a little bit too excited.
Speaker 1: What's the prep like for that?
Speaker 3: Uh? Really just breathing.
Speaker 18: I mean good play, bad player playing like just you know,
Speaker 18: no mem momentum play. You just gotta breed take it
Speaker 18: in cause you know you'll never win the game one
Speaker 18: like that.
Speaker 3: One snap.
Speaker 18: I mean every snap matters, but you'll never win to
Speaker 18: play in the first quarter off the first night you take,
Speaker 18: so just breathing, whether it's a good play, bad play,
Speaker 18: and just knowing that it's gonna take a full sixteen minutes.
Speaker 8: Do they feel bigger in the game each play, whether
Speaker 8: it's good or bad or does it go away when
Speaker 8: you start feeling it?
Speaker 1: Uh?
Speaker 18: I say, you know, at least from you know me
Speaker 18: playing like as a young guy in the playoffs at first,
Speaker 18: it was like every play I felt like was big,
Speaker 18: every moment, you know, having you know, vets like lamar,
Speaker 18: like mark in my ear top mom, man, just breathe,
Speaker 18: Just stay in the moment, stay in gaze hearing that.
Speaker 18: I mean, just let you know, like, okay, as long
Speaker 18: as I take it one play at a time, one
Speaker 18: play at time, I mean, we're gonna be a scary
Speaker 18: team to be and not just really just drolling on
Speaker 18: the fact whether it's a good play a bad play,
Speaker 18: and just playing your game.
Speaker 1: Isaiah was actually a guest on the Lounge podcast this week,
Speaker 1: so make sure you head over to the Lounge feed
Speaker 1: and check that out. Subscribe to that feed and this
Speaker 1: one here in the Ravens Press Pass podcast feed. Thanks
Speaker 1: for listening. We'll see you again tomorrow.