Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ravens Presspass podcast. It is Wednesday, May
Speaker 1: twenty second. The Ravens hit the field this afternoon for
Speaker 1: organized team activities OTAs started earlier this week and today
Speaker 1: was the first chance for the local media to be
Speaker 1: out there watching practice, as well as talking with some
Speaker 1: of the players and head coach John Harbaugh after the
Speaker 1: practice session. Let's kick things off with coach Hardball.
Speaker 2: Okay, good to see everybody. Appreciate you guys all being here.
Speaker 2: Beautiful day, great day for football. Every day is a
Speaker 2: great day for football. This is also a great day
Speaker 2: for a lot of other things too, So it's fun
Speaker 2: to have the guys out. We worked hard, good tempo practice.
Speaker 2: We had at a big number of coaches here, not
Speaker 2: all the coaches that were here yesterday for the clinic,
Speaker 2: but most of them were here, got a chance to
Speaker 2: watch practice. They were in some meetings today with some
Speaker 2: of our coaches and that was really worthwhile as well.
Speaker 2: Of course, coming off yesterday, we had kind of a
Speaker 2: day of coaching clinic. So what questions you have about
Speaker 2: the Ravens.
Speaker 3: There's a lot of talk about Lamar when he said
Speaker 3: he's lost a lot of weight. This this off season.
Speaker 3: He said he's found to to something whatever.
Speaker 2: Uh can you down to two something or whatever as
Speaker 2: well something?
Speaker 3: Luckily I don't play quarterback, but we're all thankful. But
Speaker 3: with Lamar, I mean, can you see that? Can you
Speaker 3: see the weight lost one in? And what do you think?
Speaker 3: What do you think of that?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's fine. I don't I think that's Lamar.
Speaker 2: He's a pro. You know, he knows what he's doing,
Speaker 2: he knows where he wants to be with that. My
Speaker 2: concern is that he's in shape best shape of his life,
Speaker 2: and he's working toward that, and he's he's ready football wise,
Speaker 2: all the details that go with that and mentally, physically,
Speaker 2: spiritually ready to go. That's kind of what I think
Speaker 2: about I do. I know he's you know, he talks
Speaker 2: to the strength and conditioning people, He's got his own people.
Speaker 2: He talks to Sarah all the time. You know, he's
Speaker 2: a pro. He knows what he's doing. You encouraged by
Speaker 2: the guys get out here.
Speaker 4: It's work out that Inventum's getting out play.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I'm always encouraged by everybody that comes out.
Speaker 2: I just you know, to me, it's easy as a coach.
Speaker 2: You know, we're here. We want to be here, we
Speaker 2: want we want to we want to do football. We're excited.
Speaker 2: And we had a heck of a practice out there
Speaker 2: today and it was a lot of guys out there
Speaker 2: today and it was exciting. And a couple of guys
Speaker 2: were in, a couple of guys were here that weren't
Speaker 2: out there, a couple of guys aren't here. It it's
Speaker 2: all part of it. But it's uh, it's most of
Speaker 2: the team out there practicing, so very excited about that.
Speaker 5: Later doing joint protect with them.
Speaker 6: Can you is that it or practices or or you
Speaker 6: have another right?
Speaker 2: Uh? That that's it. At this point, it's gonna be
Speaker 2: one day up in up in Green Bay. We we
Speaker 2: don't have anything else playing with the other teams at
Speaker 2: this point. I don't think we will. But you know,
Speaker 2: that could change. We could decide and talk to somebody
Speaker 2: in Atlanta or Philly and do something. But right now,
Speaker 2: that's that's where.
Speaker 5: We're going Saturday game.
Speaker 2: John.
Speaker 7: There's obviously a lot of interest with the offensive line
Speaker 7: and what it's going to look like this time.
Speaker 2: You understand it. I have a lot of interest in
Speaker 2: it too. I think about it pretty much every day
Speaker 2: understanding OTAs and the structure that what are you really
Speaker 2: looking at right now in terms of evaluate just where
Speaker 2: these guys are. Yeah, you know, there's always competition for everything,
Speaker 2: but it's not always the obvious combat competition. You know,
Speaker 2: they're not fighting battles out here against each other during
Speaker 2: the play, but there's competition against assignment, footwork, timing, competition
Speaker 2: against conditioning, you know, football shape, that kind of thing,
Speaker 2: doing things the right way, technique, that's what guys are
Speaker 2: competing against themselves and convenient against the clock. So they're
Speaker 2: preparing for that. That combat competition is going to happen
Speaker 2: in practice going forward. But we want to see guys
Speaker 2: working together. We want to see them knowing what they're doing.
Speaker 2: We want to see technique. I want to see cohesiveness,
Speaker 2: all those things. This time last year we were out
Speaker 2: here and Brandon Stevens was playing safety, and then of
Speaker 2: course he gets juggling around, he ends up a cornerback
Speaker 2: where he had played in college. What most impressed you
Speaker 2: last year about the way he played cornerback and forth? Ye, Well,
Speaker 2: it's always interesting. I think the best way I could
Speaker 2: describe with Brandon is he's always been meticulous, detailed guy
Speaker 2: wants to do things exactly right. I would say, as
Speaker 2: you develop, when you when you never want to make
Speaker 2: a mistake, you want do things exactly right. You're so
Speaker 2: chances that way, it might slow your reaction time down
Speaker 2: a little bit because you want to be right. Well,
Speaker 2: his reaction time picked up. So through all that work
Speaker 2: of doing things right, I think he gained some confidence,
Speaker 2: he gained some suredness, maybe believed in his technique even
Speaker 2: more and more as he knew more, got more experience,
Speaker 2: and then he started playing faster, and he started playing faster.
Speaker 2: He had already had mastered all the techniques in the assignments,
Speaker 2: and it showed up in the in the in the result, Donkie,
Speaker 2: you mentioned wanting you to see Andrew Orgy snack.
Speaker 8: Out here after you know, a long year off.
Speaker 2: Initial impressions in.
Speaker 5: Him getting some work in.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he looks good, looks real good and shorts, you know,
Speaker 2: and I think he's got a good chance to translate
Speaker 2: that once we put the pads on a training camp.
Speaker 2: Because he's strong. I mean, he's been in that weight
Speaker 2: room for a whole year. It's all he's been doing.
Speaker 2: He's been caged in the weight room, locked the doors
Speaker 2: behind him. He just leave him in the weight room,
Speaker 2: set him a meal, a couple of meals every now
Speaker 2: and then in a protein shake, you know, and lift
Speaker 2: another time. And there he is. You see him out there.
Speaker 7: He looks really good, speaking offensive line and saws the
Speaker 7: day in getting some Christine grips attack on Jones in Cleveland.
Speaker 7: At the guards spots, obviously.
Speaker 2: It's like you're charting when we're playing all these guys
Speaker 2: or something.
Speaker 7: Well, just we're lean in this process and kind of
Speaker 7: de part is it a is it kind of you
Speaker 7: sort of just look for the best combinations at this
Speaker 7: point in trying.
Speaker 4: To find you know, what would you like?
Speaker 2: It's a great question. I think it kind of goes
Speaker 2: a little bit back to the Brandon Stevens question. It's
Speaker 2: like you just don't know what's gonna happen. You don't
Speaker 2: know what guys are gonna look like. I always want
Speaker 2: to look at guys at different spots, unless they're established
Speaker 2: at that position, see where they see, where they look good,
Speaker 2: where they look the best. You never know what you
Speaker 2: might see, and then see where they're needed and also
Speaker 2: where they might be needed sometime during the season, god
Speaker 2: Lamar said that.
Speaker 3: The players are still talking. They still talk about that balls.
Speaker 3: They answer Championship King balls. As a coach, it's kind
Speaker 3: of like a coach Gecademy of question here. As a coach,
Speaker 3: do you like that that still motivates the players or
Speaker 3: would you prefer a let's let's.
Speaker 4: Move let's move past that.
Speaker 2: I think it's both, you know, I mean, you never forget, uh,
Speaker 2: you forgive, but don't forget. Well, we don't really forgive either,
Speaker 2: I guess, but we don't forget for or and try
Speaker 2: to improve. It's all. It's always gonna be part of it.
Speaker 2: I want them talking about everything. You know that what
Speaker 2: we're talking about is confronting everything. It has to do
Speaker 2: with us being the very best we can be as
Speaker 2: a football team and as an individual player. So if
Speaker 2: that's part of the confrontation of it, let's go, man,
Speaker 2: let's talk about it, let's get better, and then let's
Speaker 2: find a way to beat those guys.
Speaker 9: Any motivation for week one, but I mean Kansas City
Speaker 9: in the first game of the season, is that you
Speaker 9: do you expect with sort of that afftertase, that guys will.
Speaker 5: Be you know, hyper ready for the first time.
Speaker 2: Well, I mean yeah, I mean they gotta be ready.
Speaker 2: They would have been hyper ready. To use that term,
Speaker 2: which is your term, just for the record, hyper ready.
Speaker 2: I don't usually say hyper ready uber ready. Maybe that
Speaker 2: you might have used that term would be even cooler.
Speaker 2: You know, uber ready. We're gonna be uber ready, but
Speaker 2: we'll be ready and we'ld have been ready for any
Speaker 2: opening no matter who we're playing, you know, and uh
Speaker 2: looking forward to it.
Speaker 10: John, I know you have more a lack of going
Speaker 10: on throughout the off season and stuff like that that
Speaker 10: would kind of take your mind away from it. But
Speaker 10: does it stick around even for you?
Speaker 2: Everything sticks around? You know, everything sticks around, sure before
Speaker 2: you get to know it.
Speaker 9: Jeric, what are you learning about him as a player
Speaker 9: on an office field?
Speaker 2: You know one thing about Derek one of many things.
Speaker 2: I mean, he works. He is a worker, one hundred
Speaker 2: percent every day, locked in asked questions, Texas coach at night,
Speaker 2: ready to go with practice in the weight room, training room,
Speaker 2: Very impressed. This guy is a true pro, ultimate pro.
Speaker 6: Is Keith Mitchell making the progress or do you have
Speaker 6: a better idea when he might be out if.
Speaker 5: We saw him out there? Obviously just watch it.
Speaker 3: And if Marcus Williams was good, right, he didn't need any.
Speaker 5: For sin director.
Speaker 2: See, I don't think he had anything after the season.
Speaker 2: Marcus swims out, he's fine. Keith is you know, it's
Speaker 2: it's not it's not a comeback during training camp or
Speaker 2: or the first game type of thing. I think we
Speaker 2: all know that it's sometime during the season. So it's
Speaker 2: not like right around the corner. We shouldn't be, you know,
Speaker 2: biting our fingernails. Is he gonna back? But I will
Speaker 2: say he's on schedule, maybe ahead of schedule. He's doing
Speaker 2: really well. Uh so he's got a smile on his face.
Speaker 2: He's gonna start jogging on the Ultra g next week.
Speaker 2: So that's a positive thing. And see where it goes.
Speaker 2: Two more, there was the report of Jamal Adams coming
Speaker 2: in through visit yesterday. How did how did that go?
Speaker 2: And you know, what do you what could he potentially
Speaker 2: out of that? You know, we we he and I
Speaker 2: at the Pro Bowl like four years ago. When we
Speaker 2: were there. Uh, we rode the bus back and forth
Speaker 2: every day for whatever reason, you know, and uh we
Speaker 2: got to be kind of pals. You know, we had
Speaker 2: a we had a fun time and kind of carried
Speaker 2: that relationship forward. Then we came back and we met.
Speaker 2: He met with a lot of people, but he met
Speaker 2: in my office and we had another great conversation. Very impressed.
Speaker 2: Very impressed was his mindset. And we'll see what happens.
Speaker 2: I know, we'll get you one here too.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I know, congratz coach Harbor Academy was your to
Speaker 6: take from yesterday? Having Bill Doug.
Speaker 2: Taken that, it was incredible. And Tom Crean, I mean
Speaker 2: between Bill and my dad and Tom Crean, I was
Speaker 2: like on vacation man. It was like it was fun
Speaker 2: just listening to those guys and I know, the coaches
Speaker 2: at the clinic. It was like that was the price
Speaker 2: of admission right there. Not that they had to pay.
Speaker 2: It was free. And they had a free meal and
Speaker 2: they might have had a beer for him too along
Speaker 2: the way, you know, but they got to hear from
Speaker 2: those three guys. Was just it was really really awesome.
Speaker 2: Help of Jones, did Jed throw you off right there?
Speaker 2: He always he's always Johnny come lately with the questions,
Speaker 2: So we got.
Speaker 5: Ask me questions.
Speaker 7: John Marcy doesn't really have like a target wing for
Speaker 7: himself playing wise, and.
Speaker 9: Is there like a threshold that which you would feel
Speaker 9: comfortable with them, considering and everything he's kind of put himself.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I think that's a very good question. And
Speaker 2: the answers No, you know, we don't worry about it.
Speaker 2: Like I said, he's he's a pro. He knows what
Speaker 2: he's doing. I mean, I'm sure if you got crazy,
Speaker 2: you know, if he came in a two hundred fifty pounds,
Speaker 2: that might be a little concerned. If he came here
Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty pound, I'd probably be a little concerned.
Speaker 2: But he's going to be in there where he needs
Speaker 2: to be. He's going to be in great shape and
Speaker 2: ready to go.
Speaker 1: That was head coach John Harbaugh. We also heard from
Speaker 1: quarterback Lamar Jackson for the first time since the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty three season ended. He talked with reporters about shetting
Speaker 1: so wait this offseason, the motivation that he has going
Speaker 1: into this year and his mindset going into this season.
Speaker 3: Like to have you worked with Derrick Henry.
Speaker 4: H backfield looking explosive. I'll see that.
Speaker 11: I believe it'd be great, but it's still OTA's right now.
Speaker 11: You know, you can't tell them to the season company
Speaker 11: for you.
Speaker 10: How many pounds exactly have you lost and why do
Speaker 10: you feel like.
Speaker 11: That was important for you? I don't really know how
Speaker 11: how many pounds I lost night to something right now,
Speaker 11: but I'll just say it was the point of enough
Speaker 11: I can be able to move around a little bit extra,
Speaker 11: that's all.
Speaker 3: Did you share how you did it as a diet
Speaker 3: exercise Mediterranean?
Speaker 4: I'm a charge.
Speaker 11: I'm a charge for that, you know, because people be
Speaker 11: doing these little plans and stuff and they still be
Speaker 11: you know, having.
Speaker 4: They weight on 'em. No, not not to offend anyone,
Speaker 4: nothing like that, but uh yeah, you gonna have to
Speaker 4: pay for that. It was hard get wait for one
Speaker 4: uh just just under two thirty and it what what
Speaker 4: what's the main reason for for you know? Used that way?
Speaker 9: Uh?
Speaker 4: Just so I can be more agile, be able to
Speaker 4: move more so.
Speaker 5: A Tait the Lark. How was your off season?
Speaker 2: We saw you in Germany? How was that experience there?
Speaker 4: That was a dope experience for y'all.
Speaker 9: Uh?
Speaker 4: Never been to Germany, never been on that side of
Speaker 4: the country. Uh Man, great people, Uh different food. I
Speaker 4: was enjoying it. I was enjoying it.
Speaker 11: I was surprised about the fans we had over there.
Speaker 11: I was surprised about that, but it was a great experience.
Speaker 5: So you were skilled and talking art.
Speaker 11: Yeah, they you know, I had a little something going
Speaker 11: I think I tweeted about that too, like I had
Speaker 11: a little something going on. But you know, hopefully they
Speaker 11: try to draft me after I'm doing football.
Speaker 2: More to get be a more agile out of your
Speaker 2: mis guild.
Speaker 11: Heck, yeah, gee, I feel great, feel great to be
Speaker 11: back out here with my guys, man grinding, getting better.
Speaker 4: I feel great.
Speaker 5: Now.
Speaker 9: May you've lost some Wait, it's kind of weird with
Speaker 9: Derrick Henry in the backfield, as big as he is.
Speaker 5: As big as he might.
Speaker 4: Oh, I'll just get the balling go big gold Gold.
Speaker 4: You know, I'm cheering like the fans and.
Speaker 12: That's all like being seeing him on your side of
Speaker 12: the line. You're obviously you guys going back and forth
Speaker 12: so so many years against Derek. What what's it like
Speaker 12: kind of having him in the backfield as a resource.
Speaker 11: Well, I never had to go against Derek ever, so
Speaker 11: that's a plus for me. But it's great to have
Speaker 11: him in our backfield. Man got a great line to
Speaker 11: block for him and We know what type of player
Speaker 11: he is, you know, we know type of defense we have,
Speaker 11: know what type of skill players we have here.
Speaker 4: Man, I feel like we were getting there. You getting there?
Speaker 10: You said you feel more agile out there. Do you
Speaker 10: remember the last time he felt the way you feel
Speaker 10: right now moving around?
Speaker 5: Nah?
Speaker 11: Nah, it's been so long. You know, we had COVID
Speaker 11: and stuff happened to us. You know, it slowed us
Speaker 11: down a little. But I feel great right now.
Speaker 4: Feel great.
Speaker 7: Do you feel like you're sacrifice saying anything in terms
Speaker 7: of protecting yourself because a block of passer back taking this.
Speaker 5: Weight off of fright now?
Speaker 11: N I I believe, you know, we sacrificing our body
Speaker 11: each and every game, you know practices.
Speaker 4: So yeah, I I believe it really don't matter about
Speaker 4: the wait what more?
Speaker 2: How long.
Speaker 5: From power last season? And you know that.
Speaker 4: Now, you know that's I believe.
Speaker 5: I believe it.
Speaker 11: It hurt more went losing before the Super Bowl than
Speaker 11: actually like being a part of it, you know, cause
Speaker 11: it was like, we don't work so hard seventeen weeks
Speaker 11: plus the little playoff games and we get to a
Speaker 11: game away and lose, you know, and we didn't put
Speaker 11: really we really didn't put any any points on the board,
Speaker 11: and we were just scoring like thirty some points against
Speaker 11: crazy team cr great defenses, Don't get me wrong, that's
Speaker 11: a great defense as well, but like you know, the
Speaker 11: top ranked defenses and stuff like that. But you know,
Speaker 11: we just gotta finish, man, We gotta find a way
Speaker 11: to move the ball and in the right direction and
Speaker 11: put points on the board.
Speaker 4: Cause our defense did they think the whole night if
Speaker 4: you watched the.
Speaker 7: Did you watch the f on that game as you
Speaker 7: what did you kind of take away? Did you sort
Speaker 7: of learn whatever how you wanna put it, you know
Speaker 7: that you bring it to this season to kind of
Speaker 7: your past the stuff.
Speaker 4: Got what I took away from it? Put points on
Speaker 4: the board.
Speaker 11: You know we I I believe we were driving the
Speaker 11: ball down the field, you know, not how we wanted to,
Speaker 11: but we drove the ball down the field. We just
Speaker 11: got to put points on the board. You know, we
Speaker 11: had two costly turnovers in the rams On. You know
Speaker 11: that the game would have been different at twenty one seventeen,
Speaker 11: right though, you know, so it is what it.
Speaker 10: Is, man, John Horba tem It's a lot about getting
Speaker 10: Rishon Dateman more involved in this is how did you
Speaker 10: feel coming out of the season in terms of wanting
Speaker 10: to get him make him a bigger part of this offense.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 5: Man.
Speaker 11: He he's a lusive receiver man, great out the ball,
Speaker 11: you know, great separation. We just gotta give him the ball.
Speaker 11: That's all toward you know, point blank period.
Speaker 13: Is there any specific focus for you this offseason in
Speaker 13: year two on the Todd's offense? And how do you
Speaker 13: feel entering this offense compared to last year at this
Speaker 13: time and this year one of your.
Speaker 4: Sh man you say, how set again? How I feel entering?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 13: Entering you Does it feel different this year this offseason
Speaker 13: now that you've had a year under your belt with
Speaker 13: Todd and and.
Speaker 5: What's your specific focus this year in.
Speaker 7: Year or two under Hid?
Speaker 11: Yeah, I'm a lot more comfortable with everything. You know,
Speaker 11: how he pl how he call him the plays, and
Speaker 11: you know what he's expecting us to do and stuff
Speaker 11: like that. But I'm just looking forward to just do
Speaker 11: what we gotta do though, put us in great situations
Speaker 11: this season?
Speaker 2: Or uh was your reaction when.
Speaker 4: We saw it because we would be part of the
Speaker 4: opening game.
Speaker 5: In Kansas City this year?
Speaker 4: Let's go shit, look go to football.
Speaker 9: Maybe it on that note, I mean, is it the
Speaker 9: way that last season ended. I know that the stakes
Speaker 9: of this game are different. Is it nice to have
Speaker 9: Kansas City just right back around again?
Speaker 2: Kind of tackle that head on.
Speaker 11: I mean, I really don't care who he played, you know,
Speaker 11: everything didn't matter. You know, at the end of the day,
Speaker 11: our goal is to make it to the super Bowl.
Speaker 11: We lost to them in the playoffs. Just us beating
Speaker 11: them in the regular season really don't do anything, you know,
Speaker 11: it just helps us, you know, just keep stacking up
Speaker 11: wins to m hopefully.
Speaker 4: Make it to the playoffs.
Speaker 11: If anything, though, try to get in that same position
Speaker 11: again and hopefully, you know, be successful. But it really
Speaker 11: don't matter who we play. First game, obviously it's the Chiefs.
Speaker 11: But I really didn't care a ton of success.
Speaker 2: Last year under the body was all be but.
Speaker 9: Cause do you think there's even another love?
Speaker 1: Too much defense in the second season.
Speaker 4: Them, I believe so.
Speaker 11: I believe the Scots a limit, you know, that's my
Speaker 11: I always say that. But I believe the Scots a
Speaker 11: limit for us. We got n we doing new things
Speaker 11: out here with the offense and you know, more verbal,
Speaker 11: more verbis from me if anything, but uh, it's looking
Speaker 11: good for it's all.
Speaker 4: A little more.
Speaker 5: You much roach this offseason any different ways than previous forms,
Speaker 5: but no last of year.
Speaker 6: Most seasons a little different from con projects, like if
Speaker 6: you've done anything.
Speaker 3: Differently to get ready for the season, work with anybody,
Speaker 3: difference like that.
Speaker 5: You have, Oh I hear.
Speaker 10: Just lost weight or I know Johnny Purvosa is that
Speaker 10: you guys talk a lot and has the draft about
Speaker 10: your thoughts.
Speaker 2: And everything, or really those conversations like what has it
Speaker 2: been like so you see the guys.
Speaker 10: That you guys draft?
Speaker 4: Yet Uh, you know he was just t uh t
Speaker 4: aksing me like gods who I recommend and stuff like that.
Speaker 4: You know, I send him over. But if God still
Speaker 4: 'em can't do anything about it, you know, God's pick
Speaker 4: 'em first. We can't do anything about that. But I
Speaker 4: I I believe that's good. It's good.
Speaker 11: Have you know you're head coaching, you QB talking the ball,
Speaker 11: you know all season and stuff like that.
Speaker 4: I mean, you know, I'm a vet.
Speaker 11: They're like rookies, so it's really they probably already got
Speaker 11: they people who they've been with, who they entered the
Speaker 11: lead with, and we are already who you are.
Speaker 4: So but they'll come around.
Speaker 5: Two years ago you got you bubbled your first book.
Speaker 6: You have another one coming up.
Speaker 4: Oh man, just he called me.
Speaker 11: Okay, okay, but yeah, man, I just I just love kids,
Speaker 11: you know, I believe you know, they're they're the face
Speaker 11: of the roal. You know, each and every generation is
Speaker 11: always the kids up next to kids. I mean it's
Speaker 11: not us, you know, So me just being who I am,
Speaker 11: I want to set a great example for them, you know,
Speaker 11: just show them it's not.
Speaker 4: About just football with me.
Speaker 11: You know I can show you guy, I can write,
Speaker 11: you know, stuff like that because I passed my f
Speaker 11: cat rights.
Speaker 3: You know, how much do you think that the way
Speaker 3: the season did and will be a motivation for this
Speaker 3: entire team for the season. How it ended last year
Speaker 3: after lost in the playoffs, being too close to the
Speaker 3: row and not getting there, how much do you think
Speaker 3: that will service motivation for the entire team this year?
Speaker 11: I mean, we we got them. I believe that just
Speaker 11: motivated us throughout the whole all season. You know, every
Speaker 11: people still talking about it, you know, us players still
Speaker 11: talk about it. So it it definitely left for benitation
Speaker 11: in our mouth just being that closed. Like I said,
Speaker 11: we worked so hard and get there and then and
Speaker 11: didn't do what we wanted to do, didn't fulfill our dream.
Speaker 11: Definitely a little chip on our shoulder.
Speaker 1: We also heard from wide receivers A Flowers who talked
Speaker 1: about his second year in the NFL.
Speaker 5: So, could you tell us how about your off season?
Speaker 13: It all?
Speaker 2: Over all?
Speaker 14: I had a good all season, spending a lot of
Speaker 14: time with family, friends, and just to myself, just think
Speaker 14: about football and being a better, better person and getting
Speaker 14: ready for this season.
Speaker 13: They allowed to talk about Lamar's weight and how he's dropped.
Speaker 5: How does he look to you?
Speaker 9: Does he look faster than you?
Speaker 14: Just your I mean he look he looked good to me,
Speaker 14: but he looked different when he first showed it up.
Speaker 14: It I couldn't really tell cause he was so skinny,
Speaker 14: but he looked good.
Speaker 15: Did you did you have a particular goal athletically in
Speaker 15: terms of what you wanted to improve in him.
Speaker 14: To improve on this year? It probably everything. Just get
Speaker 14: better in every phase and just try to be more
Speaker 14: of a leader this year. And we got a young
Speaker 14: receiver room, so try to help lead them too.
Speaker 5: A lot of.
Speaker 10: Success in your rookie year individually and team wise, Like,
Speaker 10: how does that change maybe the way your mindset is
Speaker 10: coming into year two?
Speaker 14: Like I said, I just wann I wanna get better
Speaker 14: this year, every phase and being the leader and trying
Speaker 14: to help lead us to what the ultimate goal and
Speaker 14: what we y'all want.
Speaker 13: Is the feeling a little bit different now with Theodelle
Speaker 13: going and you and year two of stepping into.
Speaker 14: More of that leadership rop uh a little bit because
Speaker 14: he he he had so much experience that he knew
Speaker 14: how it was gonna go and knew how the process
Speaker 14: was gonna play out. And now I could just figure
Speaker 14: out my own way, take my own path and kind
Speaker 14: of like do my own thing and make my own
Speaker 14: career my own way.
Speaker 7: Said, you kind of talk about the city the locker
Speaker 7: fleet out, but how long does it kind of take
Speaker 7: you to get over that and the loss of you know,
Speaker 7: ahty championship and forget how close you guys were to
Speaker 7: the Super Bowl.
Speaker 14: Uh, honestly, I still ain't get over it. I still
Speaker 14: think about it, but I know next year we got
Speaker 14: we got a chance to do get back there and
Speaker 14: try to make it to the super Bowl. So that's
Speaker 14: why I'm working every day, going hard every day to
Speaker 14: get back to that moment.
Speaker 9: You talk about having a young receiver room.
Speaker 10: Is there anyone who's been able to gravitate towards.
Speaker 9: Or how to still pretty early?
Speaker 14: Uh, honestly, I I gravitate every time. I gravitate to
Speaker 14: younger players, Like no matter where I was college, NFL,
Speaker 14: I always gravit, gravitated towards the younger players and try
Speaker 14: to help, like showing what I went through is just
Speaker 14: give 'em a better route so they can understand.
Speaker 9: Oh yeah, you invite me to them and they make
Speaker 9: agent to come out your virtual year.
Speaker 14: Just go It's gonna happen fast. So just go understand
Speaker 14: and have a plan. But everything you do is.
Speaker 1: It what do you think it's the next step in
Speaker 1: this offense?
Speaker 9: But if I'm Mounking in his second year.
Speaker 13: Kind of look the offensive type this year?
Speaker 14: Uh, just having it cleaner, more, execute everything on better
Speaker 14: and just putting up points.
Speaker 3: What do you think of the addition of Derrick Henry,
Speaker 3: I mean the big I mean y you've you've probably
Speaker 3: seen Derrick Henry tract. Is it different when you actually
Speaker 3: see him in in the size of Derrick.
Speaker 14: Henry yeah, Nah, it's way different. Like one play, I
Speaker 14: think he had like a scratches on. It was in
Speaker 14: practice a couple of days ago, and he he was
Speaker 14: running and I turned around and he was right in
Speaker 14: front of me, and I was like oh, and it
Speaker 14: kind of like jumped out the way and then he
Speaker 14: ran back up to me. Here he was like, I
Speaker 14: heard you go, I heard you scream over. I was like, yeah,
Speaker 14: I gotta get out of the way. So it's way
Speaker 14: different seeing him in person.
Speaker 15: Do you feel like Baateman is set up to fuss
Speaker 15: out this year? Maybe obviously signing your sension and he
Speaker 15: has to come and you know, fully healthy till the
Speaker 15: summer all all that stuff.
Speaker 14: Absolutely, Babman go to work every day he ever since
Speaker 14: I've been here, I see him putting nothing but working,
Speaker 14: and even this year just coming back early and trying
Speaker 14: to get to getting rhythm with the quarterbacks. But I
Speaker 14: feel like Bateman gonna have a great year this year.
Speaker 9: Is they with a y with the off the field
Speaker 9: stuff that happened at the couple months after the season,
Speaker 9: How I guess did you navigate that situation off the field?
Speaker 5: Uh?
Speaker 3: You and whoever you leaned on that?
Speaker 14: I mean, it was a it was a process that
Speaker 14: me and my team had to go through, and you know,
Speaker 14: like I respect the question, but it's really nothing else
Speaker 14: I could add. I'm just looking forward to the season
Speaker 14: and getting better and building my reputation and showing the
Speaker 14: Ravens community and the younger generation that I'm here and
Speaker 14: I'm ready to go and be a.
Speaker 4: Better person, be a good person.
Speaker 9: There are you looking for?
Speaker 4: Uh the chiefs being me?
Speaker 9: One?
Speaker 5: What does that which kind of bring to your mentality up?
Speaker 5: Or you said that if you haven't really got over
Speaker 5: the uh Longs.
Speaker 14: Honestly, I'm not. I'm not really worry about them. I'm
Speaker 14: worried about getting better every day and making sure we
Speaker 14: ready when that time come. So it's just been about us.
Speaker 4: Really do two more?
Speaker 5: Say?
Speaker 9: Really, you you were saying you wanna, you know, show
Speaker 9: the Rivers communities that that's you're a good person.
Speaker 5: What's that game, Flann, what's like your game?
Speaker 14: I mean, I already do it. I'm already. I'm already
Speaker 14: in the community. I'm already I'm always with the kids,
Speaker 14: and it's just who I am. I'm not a person
Speaker 14: that get into things, so I.
Speaker 5: Just do what I do.
Speaker 4: Help the community.
Speaker 14: I have fun with my people, have fun with the kids,
Speaker 14: and just go about what I do, play football and
Speaker 14: focus on the future.
Speaker 6: So I want to say, uh, how much more comfortable
Speaker 6: do you feel in this offense?
Speaker 5: He or two compared to what you doing last year?
Speaker 4: Way more comfortable, Way more comfortable.
Speaker 1: It was.
Speaker 14: It happened so fast. Then I had to learn the
Speaker 14: new playbook so fast that in.
Speaker 4: My head I always was rushed.
Speaker 14: So this year I got I'm more patient and just
Speaker 14: learned everything to the to the lives detail.
Speaker 1: And last year we had a chance to talk with
Speaker 1: All Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, he's coming off a terrific
Speaker 1: season and discuss building on that going into his third year.
Speaker 8: As my opinion of Drake changed the past couple of months. No,
Speaker 8: you know, it was a tough, tough summer for us,
Speaker 8: but I mean it's all it's part of it. It's
Speaker 8: part of the rap game, and it's cool to see,
Speaker 8: you know, two of the best going at it. But
Speaker 8: uh yeah, a lot of people have their opinions about
Speaker 8: Drake now, But you know, I'm still Drake fan.
Speaker 4: For your second year, been able to have I've got
Speaker 4: the NFL ship quickly.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 8: I think with this league you have your ups and downs,
Speaker 8: and I have both of those my rookie year. It's
Speaker 8: just like anything else, like any other job, you get
Speaker 8: used to it. You know how to attack certain things,
Speaker 8: and you know your strengths and your weaknesses, and I
Speaker 8: think I just try to minimize my weaknesses last year
Speaker 8: and maximize my strengths, and I think I did a
Speaker 8: good job of that.
Speaker 9: Based on your last year, Do you feel like a
Speaker 9: different ownership defense?
Speaker 3: Do you feel those.
Speaker 8: Different leadership for a Yeah, for sure, and whether that's
Speaker 8: vocal or actually doing stuff on the field, being vocal
Speaker 8: on the field off the field and stuff like that.
Speaker 8: And that's something that the coaches have challenged me doing
Speaker 8: this year because I'm still a young guy relatively. But
Speaker 8: you know, the power comes responsibility, and you know, Heavy's
Speaker 8: had the worst crown.
Speaker 5: I think I've said that before. My mom says it
Speaker 5: all the time, so it's her fault.
Speaker 8: But yeah, you know, you play well, you're expected to
Speaker 8: lead a little more, and I think I'm trying to
Speaker 8: get a little better at that and get used to it.
Speaker 2: You're obviously Mike McDonald. What's hired away and what's your
Speaker 2: repression of xactly work.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean I'm super happy for Mike.
Speaker 8: Uh, super deserving, smart dude, and he's a big reason
Speaker 8: why we were in the position we were in last year,
Speaker 8: big reason why a bunch of guys on the defense
Speaker 8: played well as well. But Zeo, you know, it's been
Speaker 8: my guy the past two years. I feel like everybody
Speaker 8: in the building would say that as well.
Speaker 5: You know, he's a great dude.
Speaker 8: He's been here obviously, been a raven for a while,
Speaker 8: player and coach, and it's somebody that was a seamless transition,
Speaker 8: and he's got a great grass with the defense as well,
Speaker 8: and he's gonna put us in the right spots, help
Speaker 8: us make plays, help us maximize our abilities.
Speaker 2: Exactly. You're got me.
Speaker 15: Obviously, wasn't your position coach? Right, as you said, everybody
Speaker 15: in the building ships have a relationship with them. How
Speaker 15: did you guys kind of form your bond?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean just talking to him.
Speaker 8: You know, as a rookie, uh, coming in every day,
Speaker 8: you don't know what to expect, and Zeo is always
Speaker 8: that guy. That was a little touch point for me, like, hey,
Speaker 8: I've been through it, I know what's going on, Like
Speaker 8: you know, dog days of camp. I know what you're
Speaker 8: thinking right now, just keeping me up and stuff like that.
Speaker 8: And it's it's cool to see both of us have
Speaker 8: grown these past couple of years. You know, he's probably
Speaker 8: nobody here was even thinking of him as DC two
Speaker 8: years ago and now look at him, and I think
Speaker 8: he's super deserving of it.
Speaker 5: He's gonna make the best of the opportunity.
Speaker 13: Did Gina stand and Patrick Queen get cut out of
Speaker 13: the group chat or no?
Speaker 8: I mean uh, I still talk to Gino a lot.
Speaker 8: I talked to pe Q a little bit. But I
Speaker 8: mean those guys super happy for him.
Speaker 5: Obviously.
Speaker 8: The teams are a little weird where they went to,
Speaker 8: but no super happy for and they both got paid
Speaker 8: and at the end of the day, they get the
Speaker 8: opportunity to take care of their family in ways that
Speaker 8: they couldn't have before. And you know, rivalries are big
Speaker 8: around here, big in the NFL, but then they were
Speaker 8: all str having to provide for our families and create
Speaker 8: a better life for ourselves and those around those that
Speaker 8: have brought us up.
Speaker 5: So for them to have that opportunity, I don't fault them.
Speaker 6: How much of an opportunity have you had to talk
Speaker 6: to Nate Wiggins and just from being a number one
Speaker 6: pick and the dB, what kind of advice would you
Speaker 6: kind of give him about settling in here and being
Speaker 6: ready to go and week four?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I think it's And I've talked to Night. I
Speaker 8: was actually on the plane coming up here when he
Speaker 8: got drafted. Just so happened we were born at the
Speaker 8: same time, so I met him then. You know, being
Speaker 8: a first round defensive pick in Baltimore, there's a lot
Speaker 8: of pressure on you know, there's a defensive held to
Speaker 8: a high standard here by the coaches, by players, by
Speaker 8: you guys.
Speaker 5: By the fans, all that stuff.
Speaker 8: So it's a blessing and a curse, you know, to
Speaker 8: have that focus on in an offensive league, on a
Speaker 8: defensive player, it's great. At the same time, it comes
Speaker 8: a lot of responsibility's responsibility and critique with that. And
Speaker 8: you know, I went through, everybody's gone through. I've been
Speaker 8: I've talked to Marlin about it, and so it's gonna
Speaker 8: be tough. But I mean he's got a great head
Speaker 8: on the shoulders, chill guy, a great football player, and
Speaker 8: I think you guys will see that soon.
Speaker 5: But you know, he's still super young.
Speaker 8: Is he twenty? I think it's twenty years old. Yeah,
Speaker 8: it's crazy. He can't even drink yet. So I mean,
Speaker 8: if he gives up a bad play, you gotta have
Speaker 8: that in.
Speaker 5: The back of your mind. You can't have a MIC's
Speaker 5: hardliminade or something.
Speaker 9: Do you guys have games on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday,
Speaker 9: Thursday and Saturday this year?
Speaker 2: Curios a Monkey players?
Speaker 9: Is there any concerned about how the league since.
Speaker 15: To continue to add new league games in.
Speaker 9: Short leaks for teams?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I think I don't know if it's as much
Speaker 8: concern as it's just more of a shock factor. Uh,
Speaker 8: you know, I think there's you gotta be a tough
Speaker 8: guy to play in this league, and you know everybody
Speaker 8: will just accordingly. And I'm sure ten years from now
Speaker 8: that might be the norm. And I feel like they
Speaker 8: were doing the same They're probably doing the same thing
Speaker 8: when they introduced Thursday games stuff like that, Monday games.
Speaker 8: Probably the same conversation. Now it's the norm. So maybe
Speaker 8: we're just at the beginning stages of that. But yeah,
Speaker 8: it's gonna be a challenge just to reset. But at
Speaker 8: the same time, I was talking to coach Harvest about
Speaker 8: it earlier, like, we're not the only teams doing that,
Speaker 8: So it's a matter of who's better at playing three
Speaker 8: games in ten days. So it's just it starts now,
Speaker 8: starts with your mental and physical stability and uh capacity,
Speaker 8: and that's a situation.
Speaker 5: But I think it's a it's gonna be a challenge
Speaker 5: for sure.
Speaker 9: You tweet about the three games in ten days. Yeah,
Speaker 9: obviously you can, you know, rationalize the kind of prepare
Speaker 9: for it. It sounds like you guys are gonna prepare
Speaker 9: for it. But when that first hit, what that feel like?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 8: I was like, I mean, I haven't graduated yet, but
Speaker 8: I was trying to do some math, like, alright, so
Speaker 8: we play, I think it's December fifteenth, and then twenty first,
Speaker 8: twenty fifth. I'm like, alright, twenty five minus fifteen. That's
Speaker 8: ten in number, three games and ten days. And that
Speaker 8: came up with the result. It's like, oh, we have
Speaker 8: three games ten days. So I mean, but like I said,
Speaker 8: we're not the only people doing that, and you know,
Speaker 8: it's it's it's another obstacle in the way that we
Speaker 8: just have to overcome.
Speaker 5: And I think we have the right people do that.
Speaker 9: The scheme as how much of a change has the
Speaker 9: scheme been going for McDonald to or what's that transition to.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's there's been a lot of similarities that.
Speaker 8: Again, it's still May, so we'll see how that looks
Speaker 8: in August September, Greening ready for the season. I'm sure
Speaker 8: we'll add more layers to that, but I can already
Speaker 8: see there's different wrinkles and stuff like that same family.
Speaker 8: But I feel like, you know, Zeo's got his own
Speaker 8: own flavor. He's gonna put on it, and I'm excited
Speaker 8: to see what he does.
Speaker 10: Success for you individually all pro and for the team
Speaker 10: as well, get into the NFC Championship. What did you
Speaker 10: take from the run you guys had last year and
Speaker 10: you know, and what are you using to come into
Speaker 10: this season as well?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think it's it's something to look back on
Speaker 5: and be proud of.
Speaker 8: Obviously we didn't have the result that we had but
Speaker 8: or that we wanted, but I mean getting that close
Speaker 8: and knowing that you have the capability to do it.
Speaker 8: We're uh, two three plays away from going to the
Speaker 8: super Bowl, and who knows what happened in that game,
Speaker 8: but I think you gotta cherish those seasons stuff like
Speaker 8: that and build on them, because, like we were just
Speaker 8: talking about Geno PQ, all these guys that we at
Speaker 8: the time didn't really realize We're not gonna be playing
Speaker 8: together anymore. It's not the same team. So I think
Speaker 8: you take seasons like that that are rare for a
Speaker 8: team to go to AC Championship and you chairship. But
Speaker 8: at the same time, we all have that bitter taste
Speaker 8: in our mouth and we want to right our wrongs
Speaker 8: and ultimately win a Super Bowl. So I think going
Speaker 8: on this path and having that experience is going to
Speaker 8: help us.
Speaker 13: You talk about the legacy here, and with all this
Speaker 13: free agency losses and Mike leaving and other coaches leaving.
Speaker 13: As a defensive leader, how do you kind of look
Speaker 13: at all, right, you know, how do we get build.
Speaker 5: Ourselves back up to be that Baltimore defense again?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I think it all starts at the top, you know,
Speaker 8: with Harves hiring a guy like Zo and us. You know,
Speaker 8: we lot of lost a good amount of coaches, but
Speaker 8: we retained a lot at the same time, So it's
Speaker 8: not like the culture shift or anything.
Speaker 5: It's just same names in different positions.
Speaker 8: So you know, we still got zero, still got Chris Hooters,
Speaker 8: our dB coach, still got Harves, all that good stuff.
Speaker 8: And you know, we got to strip down last season
Speaker 8: excepted for what it was, improve on what we can
Speaker 8: and come back into this season with some new faces,
Speaker 8: guys who haven't played as much, but you know it's
Speaker 8: ring for them, exciting for the defense to see what
Speaker 8: they have and you know, in the season, preseason leading
Speaker 8: up to it, so who can perform.
Speaker 6: Kind of family go for Mike to Zach.
Speaker 5: I mean, you know, might have so much credit for
Speaker 5: content way that he taught defense. And however, you think
Speaker 5: team together, do you feel like it's more similar than
Speaker 5: it is different with Zach coming in. I know it's
Speaker 5: kind of early for you and just how fourth is
Speaker 5: Zephyr the guy's kind of coming in having.
Speaker 12: To learn this thing of it if you didn't.
Speaker 8: Yeah, it's definitely convenient for me. You know, I didn't
Speaker 8: have to learn a completely new playbook, so that was awesome.
Speaker 8: But uh, you know, like I said, he's adding his
Speaker 8: own flavors and it's easier for us, like guys who
Speaker 8: have been in the defense to maybe help younger guys
Speaker 8: out because we're not as so much as learning the
Speaker 8: playbook in terms of just like sharpening tools and stuff
Speaker 8: like that. So if somebody has a question about something,
Speaker 8: we know exactly how it's supposed to be played. If
Speaker 8: somebody does something wrong, we know what they did wrong
Speaker 8: how to improve on it. So I think it just
Speaker 8: keeps continuity within the defense, within the team, and it
Speaker 8: allows us just to play a faster.
Speaker 1: You're listening to the Rams Press Pass podcast, also head
Speaker 1: over to the Lounge podcast feed. We had a chance
Speaker 1: this week to sit down with head coach John Harball
Speaker 1: for an in depth interview some really great insight into
Speaker 1: this team and the mindset going into this season. You
Speaker 1: can check that out on video on our app, our website,
Speaker 1: on our YouTube channel, as we debuted our new studio
Speaker 1: for the Lounge to go ahead and watch that. You
Speaker 1: can also listen to it wherever you get that podcast,
Speaker 1: so make sure you subscribe here to this feed as
Speaker 1: well as a Lounge feed. Thank you so much for listening,
Speaker 1: and we will talk with you again tomorrow as Ravens
Speaker 1: have another open session of OTAs