Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ravens Press Pass Podcast. The Ravens are
Speaker 1: getting ready to face the Houston Texans in the Divisional
Speaker 1: round of the playoffs coming up on Saturday, four thirty
Speaker 1: pm at M and T Bank Stadium. As the Ravens
Speaker 1: prepared for that game, we had a chance to hear
Speaker 1: from head coach Sean Harbaugh and some of the key
Speaker 1: players today. So let's kick things off with Coach Hardball.
Speaker 2: Okay, good to see everybody. Sure appreciate you being here.
Speaker 2: Good practice, spiriture high. I think we're all appreciative of
Speaker 2: the opportunity to play the game. I mean, you know,
Speaker 2: to get up today and be involved in something this exciting,
Speaker 2: something that guys have worked so hard for. By the
Speaker 2: grace of God, we're able to do that and we're
Speaker 2: looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity that's in
Speaker 2: front of us. What questions you have, John, with all
Speaker 2: the experience up More has had downy season, now, do
Speaker 2: you think we're more prepared for this postseason.
Speaker 3: That ever been doing.
Speaker 2: I think everybody's really prepared and excited to play. Lamar
Speaker 2: is ready to go. The guys are ready to go.
Speaker 2: They've worked hard for this opportunity to get to this point,
Speaker 2: and uh and competing in such a big game, you know,
Speaker 2: against such a worthy opponent, playing a very good football team,
Speaker 2: and we've got our hands full and we're hoping to
Speaker 2: put our best foot forward.
Speaker 3: On the elements.
Speaker 4: Certainly won't be like a couple of the games we
Speaker 4: saw this past weekend, but it is expected to be
Speaker 4: pretty cold.
Speaker 5: How do you prepare for that?
Speaker 4: He planning on getting outside it all this week, tomorrow, whatever,
Speaker 4: But how do you kind of prepare for that this week?
Speaker 2: Yeah, we'll practice it. We practiced it the last couple
Speaker 2: of weeks. You know, it was pretty cold the last
Speaker 2: couple of weeks. A lot of wins, so that's been
Speaker 2: good for us. I kind of feel good about that.
Speaker 2: We will get out there tomorrow. I really believe we'll
Speaker 2: be able to get out there tomorrow. The field was
Speaker 2: frozen today, so we weren't able to get out there today,
Speaker 2: But tomorrow looks like we should.
Speaker 6: Stands out to you about this Houston team that's.
Speaker 1: Different than so.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Houston team.
Speaker 2: You know, they're just seventeen weeks better. You know, I
Speaker 2: think they do a good job. Obviously, they've suddenly improved
Speaker 2: every single week. I thought they were very good football
Speaker 2: team week one. I think if you go back and
Speaker 2: check your record, you'll you'll find that. You know, so
Speaker 2: they've they haven't surprised me or they haven't surprised us.
Speaker 2: They've they've done pretty much what what I thought they
Speaker 2: were gonna do. They're very good football team. They're very talented.
Speaker 2: They played very hard. Uh they executed a high level
Speaker 2: the you know, CJ is just doing phenomenal job.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 2: Nico Collins Michigan guy, you know, man, he's he's a
Speaker 2: go to guy for him. A lot of a lot
Speaker 2: of skilled players, good offensive line, playing very physical defenses
Speaker 2: all over the field as you'd expect, you know, obviously,
Speaker 2: just a really good football team.
Speaker 7: And so you saw Mark Hans to take a nice
Speaker 7: grab their drills.
Speaker 8: But because of the left, what have.
Speaker 7: You seen from him just physically since he's been back
Speaker 7: practicing and is there hope he might be able to play?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 2: That was I think today was his best best showing
Speaker 2: so far. You know, he really took took a big step.
Speaker 2: Just what you saw today we saw as well. Uh
Speaker 2: So that's encouraging. Just have to see how it goes.
Speaker 9: Remember being as of your head coach, who were quarterback
Speaker 9: and getting into the playoffs? And what have you seen
Speaker 9: in Tamiko Ryan because he gets out there for years.
Speaker 10: I considering the.
Speaker 11: Calendar of getting in.
Speaker 2: It's a way back machine there. I mean, I remember
Speaker 2: that run. It was it was exciting. Who are we
Speaker 2: beat in the first game?
Speaker 3: Was that Dolphins?
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I remember, I remember now? And we were
Speaker 2: down to Miami. Didn't didn't Sugs have an interception? Or
Speaker 2: was it a reed read?
Speaker 5: See?
Speaker 2: I remember it so well. You know, you just you
Speaker 2: just you're just not thinking that way right now. You know,
Speaker 2: you're thinking about what's in front of you. But then
Speaker 2: we went to Tennessee and beat Tennessee, and then we
Speaker 2: went to Pittsburgh and didn't win.
Speaker 3: I remember that, John.
Speaker 8: What does change this week?
Speaker 1: I mean, obviously playoffs, the winner go home element is
Speaker 1: thrown in there, but are you preparing your team?
Speaker 8: Is anything drastically change the sence?
Speaker 2: And now you know, it's just the excitement of being
Speaker 2: in the playoffs. I mean, you understand it's a It's
Speaker 2: true we talk about being one to know and it.
Speaker 3: Comes into sharp focus in the playoffs.
Speaker 2: But our guys understand that's not something we need to
Speaker 2: talk about. We just understand that the teams you know
Speaker 2: that are playing right now, there's eight teams left and
Speaker 2: it's the best eight teams, and so you're playing high level.
Speaker 2: We've been playing those kind of games pretty much for
Speaker 2: the last number of weeks, and our preparation remains the same.
Speaker 2: We were great today on point and I'm excited about that.
Speaker 11: You did have the hardest schedule coming out of here
Speaker 11: late by. You have the hardest schedule for about a
Speaker 11: five week run. And how much does that help as
Speaker 11: you're prepare for the playoffs.
Speaker 3: Well, it definitely helps.
Speaker 2: I mean it sharpens you, you know, it's it forges you,
Speaker 2: it makes you stronger.
Speaker 9: Donaha.
Speaker 11: The plan when you guys signed Odell was gonna have
Speaker 11: to kind of ramp up.
Speaker 9: But the way that we had and I know you
Speaker 9: weren't there that worked out in Arizona or whatever it was.
Speaker 9: But to see him kind of come along physically, have
Speaker 9: to see your football now being a guy who it
Speaker 9: has to be the years.
Speaker 11: What was, like I said, impressed your shot out to
Speaker 11: you a kind of way he's branded up.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I definitely definitely appreciate that question. I just think
Speaker 3: he's been through a lot.
Speaker 2: Odell's been through so much and uh, and he's worked
Speaker 2: so hard and it hasn't been easy.
Speaker 3: I mean, I think there's a lot of pain.
Speaker 2: Involved there over the over the course of the last
Speaker 2: two years and even throughout the course of the season
Speaker 2: in terms of working through the different challenges. And he's
Speaker 2: at his best right now. You know, you see him
Speaker 2: out there, he looks really good. He's moving around excellent fast,
Speaker 2: he's catching the ball, running great routes.
Speaker 3: So I think, you know, I'm looking forward to seeing
Speaker 3: what he does here.
Speaker 11: John didn't Williams haveing Williams weeks from a thing where
Speaker 11: he just wasn't.
Speaker 12: All the way back in this kind.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I don't the medical details of it,
Speaker 2: but it wasn't it wasn't there. It just wasn't there,
Speaker 2: you know, as far as being ready to to uh
Speaker 2: get out there and be safe and play at that level.
Speaker 2: So we looked at it, tried to get it there,
Speaker 2: and it just wasn't getting there. And that Paige did
Speaker 2: everything he could do and he'll be back, you know,
Speaker 2: next year.
Speaker 3: But I just wasn't there right now, I.
Speaker 8: Would say coach Sean Harbaugh.
Speaker 1: Next up is quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 13: Therefore practice throwing the ball left handed doing chest bumps
Speaker 13: out there.
Speaker 5: Uh, I mean it's the playoff weeks. Uh, it seems
Speaker 5: very very loose out there. That's kind of how you
Speaker 5: feel right now.
Speaker 14: Absolutely, you know, we had some time off to regroup
Speaker 14: lot back in hight Antsy Antsy Cordea, Lamar, how much
Speaker 14: did it change when you once you know, it came
Speaker 14: to the realization that you guys were playing the Texans
Speaker 14: hunch jobs.
Speaker 7: And picked out who your opponent was.
Speaker 3: Did did anything to change.
Speaker 7: When were times of stock I know you'dn't preparing, but mentally.
Speaker 12: Did any kind of coach?
Speaker 4: Uh?
Speaker 14: No, I just went right to film from uh the
Speaker 14: first time we paid them and just watched film from
Speaker 14: throughout the season who they you know, from other opponents
Speaker 14: in Texas have played.
Speaker 3: Just went right to it, you know, film study.
Speaker 8: How different do you feel they are from seven couple
Speaker 8: weeks to war?
Speaker 14: They I I believe they're more in sync as a team,
Speaker 14: you know, I I I believe they had new guys
Speaker 14: getting used to the coach.
Speaker 3: They're playing lights south ball right now.
Speaker 8: It war uh goa Charbo just said that he feels
Speaker 8: like Odell is at his best right now. It's kind
Speaker 8: of been a long road for him.
Speaker 3: Is that how you see it?
Speaker 8: And how how valuable would he be as a target
Speaker 8: for you with some trusted moments here in the first season.
Speaker 14: I believe throughout all all season he's been, you know,
Speaker 14: each and every week getting better and better to to
Speaker 14: being the player that he once was, you know, and
Speaker 14: he like I said, all, yeah, he's been. But yeah,
Speaker 14: as we as the playoffs keep start rolling, he's definitely
Speaker 14: gonna be one of the guys.
Speaker 11: OPJ was in the super Bowl just two years ago.
Speaker 11: How much do you guys lean on his experience and
Speaker 11: how much guidance does he provide on the path to
Speaker 11: the Super bowlers?
Speaker 1: Uh?
Speaker 14: We we we really don't lean on lean on anyone's experience,
Speaker 14: you know, because those are different teams. You know, we
Speaker 14: just try to pick their braind from you know, what
Speaker 14: they did to prepare for it, if anything, prepare for
Speaker 14: the game.
Speaker 3: But we pretty much as gold goal as one unit.
Speaker 8: Did you watch the weekend's games live?
Speaker 5: And if so, what do you think is CJ?
Speaker 10: Stroud?
Speaker 8: And then secondarily how tough is it the playoffs?
Speaker 9: Rookie quarterback.
Speaker 8: You were there as a rookie, you know, since that
Speaker 8: a tough assignment.
Speaker 3: What do you remember from the nah I didn't watch
Speaker 3: it live.
Speaker 14: I I didn't watch the game live, but from my experience, Uh,
Speaker 14: he played better than I did from my my rookie game,
Speaker 14: I'd say that definitely.
Speaker 12: Uh.
Speaker 3: He was throwing the ball all over the field, making
Speaker 3: things happen. He did great. He did great.
Speaker 7: Right, talked about how much Houston has changed since we'd
Speaker 7: gone and shooting your team has changed since that first
Speaker 7: game in September.
Speaker 14: We we changed a lot as well, just getting better
Speaker 14: and better, you know, with our scheme and just being
Speaker 14: one unit. You know, we had a bunch of new
Speaker 14: pieces as well on offense. Uh, but we we definitely
Speaker 14: getting scene.
Speaker 12: Now.
Speaker 2: Come, well, I know you say you don't you don't
Speaker 2: play against the other quarterback and you you study the.
Speaker 5: Other team's defense. But how much have you seen secres Dott?
Speaker 3: What most impressions he was? About him?
Speaker 14: I like, like you just answered it, uh a little bit.
Speaker 14: You know, I don't really watch the games, but when
Speaker 14: I when I do, catch glimpses of other quarterbacks. But him,
Speaker 14: he's just been none to talk on TV. You know
Speaker 14: that's a guy who you gonna see day in day out.
Speaker 12: You know.
Speaker 14: Seven he's been throwing the ball all over the field,
Speaker 14: even though one of his star receivers Taint that went down,
Speaker 14: still been making things happen with the guys you.
Speaker 2: Have, Lamar, I know you like to play better and
Speaker 2: everybody would have over the years in the in the postseason.
Speaker 5: Do you feel you're, after everything you've.
Speaker 7: Been through, that you're more prepared at entering this postseason
Speaker 7: than ever before.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I believe so. I believe so.
Speaker 11: Why not meaningful with a game, but to get away
Speaker 11: the guy right now, to go to as.
Speaker 14: To get to things which kind in your freend h,
Speaker 14: it'd be great, it'd be great, but we gonna we
Speaker 14: gonna just handle everything a day at a time.
Speaker 10: Lamar.
Speaker 8: You talking a lot of season about not wanting to
Speaker 8: so you feel.
Speaker 10: Like you guys started to play with basketball.
Speaker 3: Going into the phone games.
Speaker 14: Yeah, that that's the Uh, Yeah, I believe we we
Speaker 14: was you know, uh, especially against the opponents we had,
Speaker 14: you know, playoff opponents, and uh that's the that's the
Speaker 14: thing about that bye wee. I was like, dang, we
Speaker 14: got a bowie. I believe we was getting into a groove.
Speaker 14: You know, we was getting more and more doubt then,
Speaker 14: but it is what it is because you know, coach
Speaker 14: Harbat still made us practice like we was preparing for.
Speaker 3: A game, so I believe we'll still be ready.
Speaker 13: Jonason, guess will that you felt like it was a
Speaker 13: lot of value in stating in practice and.
Speaker 5: Just driving to the venue at Did you take that time.
Speaker 6: To visualize and kind of imagine what this weekends in
Speaker 6: your life?
Speaker 10: Nah?
Speaker 14: You know, I pretty much just let last week be
Speaker 14: last week and this would be, you know, a different week.
Speaker 14: We actually playing this time, We're not practicing against each other,
Speaker 14: so it was different for me.
Speaker 4: You kind of mentioned that you felt forward the end
Speaker 4: of the season, you're getting into the groove, and then
Speaker 4: the bye week happens. How do you kind of stay
Speaker 4: in that groove like this week toward the end of
Speaker 4: the week and into the game. How do you make
Speaker 4: sure that you guys are still in that group?
Speaker 13: Uh?
Speaker 14: Just prepare for preparing practice, you know, treating practices like
Speaker 14: re preparing for a game. And that's pretty much what
Speaker 14: we did last week, and then just follow over for
Speaker 14: this week, cause you know, actually we got the game Saturday,
Speaker 14: so it helps us out.
Speaker 11: Well, you're you're ready for uh twenty degrees.
Speaker 3: I'm ready for whatever right now.
Speaker 10: When people talk about all this time off between playing,
Speaker 10: I mean the preseason.
Speaker 11: If you didn't play at all and then you hear
Speaker 11: it up and it started from moek one, can you
Speaker 11: make that comparison at all?
Speaker 10: Is a totally different when.
Speaker 5: We're talking about postseason.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I believe I can make it. You know I don't.
Speaker 3: I don't have no other choice. You know, I sat
Speaker 3: out uh for the boy week and now we you
Speaker 3: know we're here. That's U Beate's a.
Speaker 7: Guy who's flashed at at times to if you guys
Speaker 7: are you know, connecteds up, haven't connected on other players?
Speaker 7: How how dangerous I guess can he be if if
Speaker 7: if rhythm is there and you guys can hit on on.
Speaker 14: Some of these plays, Uh, I believe very dangerous, you know,
Speaker 14: But we got so many guys, great receivers and great
Speaker 14: tight ends and great running backs.
Speaker 3: Everyone can't shine at once. You know, it's everyone gonna
Speaker 3: shine it all together.
Speaker 14: So you know, he can't really get all the flowers
Speaker 14: he deserves, you know, but to us, he definitely get
Speaker 14: his flowers.
Speaker 3: Cause he's one of the ones.
Speaker 4: We were talking about rookies to the improves since week one?
Speaker 8: How have you seen Save Flowers improve? And what do
Speaker 8: you see from him in order to his vibes entering
Speaker 8: his first playoffs?
Speaker 3: I mean, I don't I really don't think he has
Speaker 3: to improve.
Speaker 14: He just got to keep doing what he's doing, you know,
Speaker 14: just then himself and playing how he's playing, whatever mode
Speaker 14: he's in before the game. Just stay in that mold,
Speaker 14: because he go out there and just ball out.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I mean, how has he improved since week one?
Speaker 3: He's been playing the same, He's been playing the same.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 3: She would just keep doing it, you know, just level
Speaker 3: up a little bit more of anything, you know.
Speaker 6: Market well, any better on this team looks away to
Speaker 6: see him, uh, you know, run some routes and then
Speaker 6: kind of come along in that progress from the something because.
Speaker 14: It's great to see one of our guys back, you know,
Speaker 14: one of our main guys are back.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 14: But if you just need him, keep it paying and
Speaker 14: keep getting better day at a time. But we waiting
Speaker 14: on him.
Speaker 11: In your four previous playoff games, the offense didn't score
Speaker 11: more than twenty points. How much more confidence do you
Speaker 11: feel that this year's offense has the ability to put
Speaker 11: up the points you even win in the playoffs.
Speaker 3: Very confident, very very confident, extremely confident.
Speaker 4: And then you were treating each game like with the
Speaker 4: championship game. Cause back to that point, how do you
Speaker 4: make that mindset? He help you keep this far?
Speaker 13: How it would pair you forward about?
Speaker 2: Uh?
Speaker 14: Just you know, just keeping my mind focused on the assignment,
Speaker 14: you know, not letting anything into into my mind. You
Speaker 14: know that I'm mess up, my mess up, my my
Speaker 14: thoughts for the game and stuff like that, and it
Speaker 14: it's great.
Speaker 1: That was quarterback Lamar Jackson. We also heard from defensive
Speaker 1: leader Rokwan Smith at the podium today.
Speaker 8: It's rule. How would you, uh you describe the mentality
Speaker 8: of the team going into playoffs?
Speaker 5: Oh, next game on the schedule. We all know what's
Speaker 5: at stake. Is that all go home?
Speaker 13: I mean it's go home or keep going, you know,
Speaker 13: and we know our mission and we know how we
Speaker 13: feel about each other, and we know it's not gonna
Speaker 13: end this week.
Speaker 5: So we're gonna do everything in our power and play
Speaker 5: all style. We do that. Everything else, I'll take care
Speaker 5: of yourself.
Speaker 6: Saturday, And how are you feeling ahead of your first
Speaker 6: playoff game.
Speaker 13: That, oh, it was pretty I thought we had we
Speaker 13: got a lot of it. It was kind of funny
Speaker 13: you asked that because the head security, uh, one of
Speaker 13: the head security's Craig, he asked me.
Speaker 5: He was like, bro, man, you came in.
Speaker 13: You didn't really uh, you didn't really speak much. You
Speaker 13: just had the straight face like you it was a
Speaker 13: real game. I'm trying to tell you to relax in
Speaker 13: a sense. So it was just in that mindset, you know,
Speaker 13: when I get to the stadium, man, I'm thinking like, hey,
Speaker 13: it's time to go to war.
Speaker 5: So it was definitely good.
Speaker 13: And then it was also good from the standpoint of
Speaker 13: guys with families and stuff being able to hang out, kids,
Speaker 13: being able to enjoy the stadium, enjoy foods and just
Speaker 13: break bread amongst each other.
Speaker 5: So it was pretty sweet.
Speaker 4: You're a pretty intense guy during the regular season. I
Speaker 4: think that's a fair comment. How much more intense do
Speaker 4: you get for a playoff game?
Speaker 13: I think you'll be there Saturday at what time? Four
Speaker 13: thirty and then and we'll see how about that. Well,
Speaker 13: you know, I think it's always up a notch. But hey,
Speaker 13: your life depends on it every single game throughout the
Speaker 13: season and then playoffs. Man, it's just I don't think
Speaker 13: personally you try to, but just I think instincts just
Speaker 13: raise that raise our standard.
Speaker 5: But at the end of the day, I'll see there
Speaker 5: Saturday and we'll see when you look at affections from
Speaker 5: week one c J.
Speaker 2: Strap in week one to now, what stands out about
Speaker 2: where they've come.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I think they're definitely have approved, but hey, so
Speaker 13: have we when you look at it, and yeah, they
Speaker 13: do a lot of good things. Twenty six is running
Speaker 13: the ball well. Seven he's very accurate, and then twelve
Speaker 13: the receiver, he's definitely coming on. So the offense is
Speaker 13: definitely clicking. But hey, we wouldn't want it any other way.
Speaker 13: So we're prepared for it and we're ready to go
Speaker 13: to war regardless of who is against. And they're the
Speaker 13: team that's coming in here. So business is business handled.
Speaker 3: If somebody from another.
Speaker 5: Kid clause you, it says, you know, you've been with
Speaker 5: the partbof year and a half.
Speaker 3: Now, what what's it like to play for both Flord
Speaker 3: be your antipas?
Speaker 13: Yeah, I say a really first or a really good coach,
Speaker 13: you know. Uh, listen to his players, and I would say,
Speaker 13: just gonna get that work. Demand demand the most out
Speaker 13: of you and want you to maximize yourself day in
Speaker 13: and day out, and if you do that, feel like
Speaker 13: you get rewarded. And I'm a hum a witness of
Speaker 13: it in a sense. So I love playing for and
Speaker 13: I'm you know, grateful to be here. So we definitely
Speaker 13: gotta get it for ourselves as well as him.
Speaker 6: You think that's the wins you guys had, especially that
Speaker 6: stretch against the Jaguars, the Niners, Dolphins. How much confidence
Speaker 6: does the success to your game plans and your ability
Speaker 6: to execute those.
Speaker 11: Game plans to give you in a game where you've.
Speaker 8: Had so much time to prepare.
Speaker 5: Honestly, what happened in the regular season happened in the
Speaker 5: regular season. We passed that.
Speaker 13: We're onto the postseason and we don't need any extra
Speaker 13: confidence at all. We know who exactly who we are
Speaker 13: well a bunch of dolls at the end of the day,
Speaker 13: and a nicer way of saying, and guys that you
Speaker 13: know or do anything for each other and try to,
Speaker 13: you know, knock off anybody that's trying to stop that
Speaker 13: coming in between us. In a sense, so we don't
Speaker 13: need confidence by any means. We know exactly who we are,
Speaker 13: So we just got to come out and show that
Speaker 13: to the world who'll be watching and versus a really
Speaker 13: good team in Houston, Oka Lines.
Speaker 1: How much do you guys as a defense feel like,
Speaker 1: you know, it's either whether it's pressure or responsibility is
Speaker 1: on you guys, just with how well you play this
Speaker 1: year to continue that into the playoffs.
Speaker 5: Pressure.
Speaker 13: Hell, I don't feel pressure at all, but some do
Speaker 13: say pressure burst pipes will make diamonds, and hey, you know,
Speaker 13: I know a lot of guys in there like diamonds,
Speaker 13: So I would say we're in a diamond making business
Speaker 13: at the end of the day. But at the end
Speaker 13: of the day, we just got to come out and
Speaker 13: be who we are. And that's going to start from
Speaker 13: the first play to the last play. Send a message
Speaker 13: exactly who we are and what we've been all year.
Speaker 13: And this is a new year right here. So everybody
Speaker 13: is zero and zero going into each and every game,
Speaker 13: and it's about winning the game at hand, and that's
Speaker 13: that's our focus. And I know if we do everything
Speaker 13: to the standard that we know, everything to work out
Speaker 13: for usself.
Speaker 15: For us.
Speaker 1: Is there a different edge, you know when you had
Speaker 1: to have to buy week and of some guys that
Speaker 1: play against the Steelers, is there a different edge this defense?
Speaker 13: Getting the time off though, I think there's an edge
Speaker 13: anytime you go out there and put everything on the
Speaker 13: line with your guys, regardless of who the opponent is.
Speaker 13: It can be Pop Warner team, it can be you know,
Speaker 13: maybe say your parents want to come out there and
Speaker 13: play against you guys.
Speaker 5: They gotta get it.
Speaker 13: So I don't think it's anything extra regardless of like
Speaker 13: with the time off of stuff. But I definitely know
Speaker 13: we are ready to go to war and whoever's on
Speaker 13: that battlefield first of us have to get dealt with accordingly.
Speaker 1: That was ro Kwan Smith And in the locker room
Speaker 1: today we talked with somebody who knows what it takes
Speaker 1: to win a Super Bowl. That's Odell Beckham Junior.
Speaker 8: It's been a long road for him working.
Speaker 1: His way back from the knee injury that he actually
Speaker 1: suffered in the Super Bowl when the Rams won it
Speaker 1: two years ago. He talked about that journey and his
Speaker 1: mindset going into this postseason.
Speaker 11: Hopey, Jay, you're one of the you guys on this
Speaker 11: team with Super Bowl experience. How many guys have come
Speaker 11: to you or leaning on you for the the the
Speaker 11: pathway to that game again.
Speaker 5: And again.
Speaker 10: Like I've been saying the whole year, I feel like
Speaker 10: everybody knows, uh what's at stake and just being down
Speaker 10: that road and you know, remembering all the feelings of
Speaker 10: how things win and how the games go. It's just
Speaker 10: it's just about dolling that to all the things that
Speaker 10: coach Hobs talks about small fundamentals of football. Everybody doing
Speaker 10: the assignment, and uh, there's no teams that are here
Speaker 10: by a stake or accident or every Every team here
Speaker 10: is the best of the best of the business. So
Speaker 10: reapproach it like that and or whatever I could do
Speaker 10: to to help.
Speaker 5: That's what I'm gonna do.
Speaker 3: Odell.
Speaker 4: Now you're through an entire regular season, and you're through
Speaker 4: the bye week of the postseason. Now you're into actual
Speaker 4: game prep game week.
Speaker 3: What changes?
Speaker 10: I mean?
Speaker 3: Is the intensity greater?
Speaker 4: Is the mindset different? How would you describe it?
Speaker 10: I can't say. Personally for myself, I don't know if
Speaker 10: it's it's any different. You know, I been looking forward
Speaker 10: to it since, you know, the win against Miami. You know,
Speaker 10: it's been a long time that you've had off. I'm
Speaker 10: always intense when.
Speaker 5: It comes to this, and I'm always thinking about it.
Speaker 10: So I don't know if there's anything different for me personally. Uh,
Speaker 10: but I think everybody has a a sense of agency.
Speaker 10: We're aw you know, anxious to take it to day
Speaker 10: at a time, but like everybody's excited about the opportunity
Speaker 10: of Yeah.
Speaker 8: But uh, you I those you been a long road
Speaker 8: for you to get back to this point. Do you
Speaker 8: feel like everything's kind of been building for for this
Speaker 8: playoff run for you?
Speaker 10: Or Yeah, it's been a long road since November tenth
Speaker 10: or eleventh, two thousand twenty, you know when it first
Speaker 10: started with the hill, and then you trained for fourteen
Speaker 10: months and uh, you know, unfortunately everybody knows what happened
Speaker 10: in the super Bowl, and you train another nineteen months,
Speaker 10: like it's been along. It's been a long two two
Speaker 10: and a half years. So kind of all boils down
Speaker 10: to this. You know, you only have four or five
Speaker 10: days guaranteed left. Everything else you earn after that, everything
Speaker 10: else after that you've earned, and then I I don't
Speaker 10: think anybody in this building takes it lightly. Such a
Speaker 10: long journey and you're getting towards the end, it's like
Speaker 10: you might as well re the be the benefits of,
Speaker 10: you know, all the hard work you put in. So uh,
Speaker 10: we're all fighting for the opportunity to to earn the
Speaker 10: opportunity to be able to practice again for another week.
Speaker 10: And it starts with, you know, beating a very good
Speaker 10: team in the Houston Texas who you know they they
Speaker 10: they've got everything rolling and clicking or it's not gonna
Speaker 10: be a easy task.
Speaker 5: But I I think this team is up for the champion.
Speaker 8: You you talked about energy either since you've signed here,
Speaker 8: how would you describe the energy on the team.
Speaker 10: Doing us for you?
Speaker 4: Uh?
Speaker 10: I mean it's just it's alecterc You know, you have
Speaker 10: guys in every single position special teams, offense, defense, quarterback,
Speaker 10: but ironbackers, the dvs or receivers. I mean it it's
Speaker 10: it's definitely just you know it. I it's one of
Speaker 10: those teams it's very hard to beat. And when you
Speaker 10: have such a tight knit group everybody playing for each other,
Speaker 10: you know, your brothers, it it makes things a lot
Speaker 10: more fun when you know you come out Victoria's So
Speaker 10: I know that, like I said, everybody knows the tasks
Speaker 10: at end, she gotta take it to day and someone.
Speaker 7: Uh, y'all, have you know the same thing differently from
Speaker 7: morehow cause do you know you he's been focused on
Speaker 7: that one more?
Speaker 5: Now that's full seasons sign? Have you done the same
Speaker 5: thing yet past the ones before that?
Speaker 15: Same?
Speaker 5: You know?
Speaker 10: Same since the minute we stepped in here. You know
Speaker 10: his eyes are on that prize, his approach. If anything,
Speaker 10: he looks even more focused and locked in than ever.
Speaker 10: So it's been an exciting season for all of us. Uh,
Speaker 10: it's been a historical season for himself. I don't know
Speaker 10: if you want the MVP already on the season names,
Speaker 10: but you know he he's the leader of the hard
Speaker 10: and souls of this team and we're just trying to
Speaker 10: find a.
Speaker 5: Way to scratch a car for another victory.
Speaker 7: Odell, you said some very complimentary things about for involved
Speaker 7: inform the season. Now that you've had a full season
Speaker 7: played for him, what would you kind of say about
Speaker 7: that experience?
Speaker 15: Then?
Speaker 10: I change my money. Yeah about all the I'm terrible,
Speaker 10: terrible everything about it. It's just the like, like I've
Speaker 10: a I've told you you know, the way he runs
Speaker 10: this place, that you. You know, when people care for you,
Speaker 10: it's not like, you know, just a pot take.
Speaker 5: So it's just this is your job to have this way.
Speaker 10: This is a genuine life that he has, and I
Speaker 10: feel like it kind of reflects to this building and
Speaker 10: it definitely reflects on any values and things.
Speaker 5: That I stand for, love, you know, and on all
Speaker 5: of those things. Uh, he's ever absolutely Truman.
Speaker 11: Look, he's been everything that's fun.
Speaker 5: He goes on my you know, my host move coaches.
Speaker 15: That a h for sure.
Speaker 7: He's you sit next to Zay Flowers.
Speaker 5: Uh, you sit next to Zay?
Speaker 11: How ad you seen him mature this season.
Speaker 10: And become a herd player? I think.
Speaker 5: Experience is always the best teacher.
Speaker 10: You know that there's really nothing better than that, you know,
Speaker 10: be able to see those things and just just the
Speaker 10: maturity to to whstand the storm. And he knows the
Speaker 10: idea of the rookie wall and all those things. And
Speaker 10: he kind of hit the ground run at full speed
Speaker 10: and then he kind of just kept going and I
Speaker 10: could see that he's, you know, gearing up, and I
Speaker 10: just try and have a conversations with him. It's still
Speaker 10: confidence conversations. If there's anything needed, Hey, what'd you.
Speaker 5: Work on today?
Speaker 3: What'd you get better? Is it that you want to
Speaker 3: people to?
Speaker 5: How's your body? You know? Just kind of try and
Speaker 5: stay there for him, And.
Speaker 10: I told him, you know this, this is where you
Speaker 10: you start your legacy, but that that was all fun
Speaker 10: and cool, rookie year behind us.
Speaker 5: But this is where you where you submit yourself the
Speaker 5: stone and that's where your legacy truly be in it.
Speaker 10: So I know that he's excited for it. I know
Speaker 10: everybody here is excited for it, and it's just an
Speaker 10: amazing opportunity.
Speaker 1: To be have. That was Odell Beckham Junior. We also
Speaker 1: talked for somebody else who knows what it takes to
Speaker 1: hoist the Marty Trophy, and that's veteran outside linebacker Kyle
Speaker 1: van Noyt. He has two super under his belts, won
Speaker 1: it twice, and he talked about that today.
Speaker 4: You know what this is all about, postseason winning championships.
Speaker 4: Do you try to impart that knowledge on your teammates
Speaker 4: or do they seek it out? What changes in the postseason?
Speaker 12: Well, I mean right away it's winner go home. You know,
Speaker 12: I'm here if guys need me and if they would
Speaker 12: need to lean on me. But at the end of
Speaker 12: the day, I just don't think playoff experience matters. Every
Speaker 12: year is new new challenges, new team, new teammates. Wherever
Speaker 12: you are, if you've been somewhere for ten years, twenty years,
Speaker 12: or a year, everything's different. So, you know, I just
Speaker 12: think it comes down to the simple fundamentals of football, catching, running, tackling,
Speaker 12: hiking the ball. Simple stuff like that of being on
Speaker 12: point every single play and doing it for sixty minutes.
Speaker 4: So when you look around the room at your teammates
Speaker 4: this year, when your tool postseason, how ready is this
Speaker 4: particular group?
Speaker 12: You know, I'm not one to sit here and say
Speaker 12: we're we're ready or not ready. I just think at
Speaker 12: the end of the day, as a group, we know
Speaker 12: the task at hand, and we're gonna play Saturday Saturday
Speaker 12: night at four thirty.
Speaker 4: What do you what do you see out of this
Speaker 4: Texans OFFENSEJ Stroud and his weapons?
Speaker 12: Yeah, I think something that not many people have talked
Speaker 12: about is their O line play and how really how
Speaker 12: well they've performed. Former teammate over there, Shaq Mason's playing
Speaker 12: really really good football as well as Tunsul indeed, or
Speaker 12: their center. They're just doing a really good job as
Speaker 12: a group playing and then obviously you gotta if you
Speaker 12: haven't watched or you know anything about the Texans. CJ.
Speaker 12: Stroud's played tremendous forum, Nico Collins done a really good job,
Speaker 12: and then Singletary running the ball. So I think collectively,
Speaker 12: you know, CJ. Stroud's kind of overshadow some of the
Speaker 12: guys that have been playing really really well, but they've
Speaker 12: been a really complete offense and you know, they've done
Speaker 12: a really good job of attacking downfield and running the ball.
Speaker 12: So we're excited for the challenge. We just got to
Speaker 12: play Ravens football.
Speaker 2: Do you remember what you were doing week one?
Speaker 1: I do.
Speaker 12: I was watching watching everybody in the league, thinking I
Speaker 12: can still play football. So it's exciting. I won't forget it.
Speaker 12: And you know, I keep that chip on my shoulder
Speaker 12: that I wasn't wanted by a lot of teams, and
Speaker 12: you know, I'm grateful for the Ravens reaching out and
Speaker 12: believing in me and then throwing me in. It only
Speaker 12: took a couple of days for them to be like, oh,
Speaker 12: this dude's ready to play, and then I've been hitting
Speaker 12: the ground running and it's awesome and I just appreciate
Speaker 12: the guys embracing me here, and I'm excited to playing
Speaker 12: another playoff environment. This will be my tenth season and
Speaker 12: I've gone to the playoffs eight out of my ten season,
Speaker 12: so I'm really excited about that and another opportunity to
Speaker 12: showcase my skills and then as well as play with
Speaker 12: this team. Very excited that the team we've had in
Speaker 12: the type of dudes that are here, we really like
Speaker 12: each other and we hope to perform at a high
Speaker 12: level on Saturday Night.
Speaker 9: I know this is your first year with Lamar, but
Speaker 9: have you gotten a sense for how meaningful a playoff
Speaker 9: breakthrough would be for him?
Speaker 12: You know, I think it's meaningful for everybody, but I
Speaker 12: think for him. You know, he's said it all year,
Speaker 12: and I think you know the three words that he's said,
Speaker 12: I'm locked in, and he means it.
Speaker 1: You've experienced playoff football, the cliches that intensity ramps up.
Speaker 9: What do you think about that?
Speaker 1: Does it?
Speaker 4: How do you view it?
Speaker 12: Yeah? I mean to sit here and blow that off
Speaker 12: and say intensity doesn't ramp up. I think they're full
Speaker 12: of you know what? And it does. It means a
Speaker 12: lot more because it's you know, win or go home.
Speaker 12: It's either you move to the next round and you're
Speaker 12: the last team. You know, you're one of four teams,
Speaker 12: or you're getting a trash bag and clearing out your
Speaker 12: locker room. And so it means a lot, and so
Speaker 12: the intensity and urgency needs to be up there. But
Speaker 12: at the same time, we're gonna continue to do what
Speaker 12: we do best, which is have fun, play our keys,
Speaker 12: read our keys, and play play football.
Speaker 3: With that being said, how much does patients get tested?
Speaker 8: With last week the unknown? And now are you just
Speaker 8: waiting and Saturday can't get her soon enough?
Speaker 12: You know, I don't think it's necessarily you know, testing
Speaker 12: patients because we earned the right to have that week.
Speaker 12: We were the number one seed and so it wasn't
Speaker 12: of about patients, but it was just coming in with
Speaker 12: the right mindset each and every day to get better.
Speaker 12: And I think we did as a group. I think
Speaker 12: we got well rested as a group. And I'm excited
Speaker 12: to get out on the field. I'm sure you guys
Speaker 12: are excited to report a game. So we're all excited
Speaker 12: as a group that Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 9: Played for a defensive legend and Bill Belichier, you played
Speaker 9: for a defensive legend in New England and Bill Belichick
Speaker 9: obviously a rising start here in Baltimore and Mike MacDonald.
Speaker 9: Are there certain similarities to you see in terms of
Speaker 9: how they approach the game or how they see the game.
Speaker 12: Yeah, they are very intentional and detailed oriented. You know,
Speaker 12: they come up with great grant game plans and you
Speaker 12: know they do a really good job. I don't ever
Speaker 12: want to compare two people because they're their own people.
Speaker 12: Mike is completely different than Bill, and Bill is completely
Speaker 12: different than Mike. So Mike's done a really good job
Speaker 12: with the group we have. I mean we had in
Speaker 12: the regular season career years at numerous spots as well
Speaker 12: as defensively, you know, the number one turnover and all
Speaker 12: the other stuff that doesn't matter anymore because the postseason
Speaker 12: starts and it's a new chapter and Mike's gonna have
Speaker 12: us ready to go, and we're excited to execute his plan.
Speaker 15: As that was.
Speaker 8: Kyle van Noy. We also talked with running back Gus
Speaker 8: Edwards back in here today.
Speaker 1: You're focused on you actually know who your opponent is
Speaker 1: and you're focused on them.
Speaker 5: Oh, it's football.
Speaker 15: I mean, this is a team that we we kind
Speaker 15: of expected that we was gonna end up playing anyway,
Speaker 15: so we have been preparing for them, and in our advantage,
Speaker 15: we seen them already. So I mean, I know it's
Speaker 15: a whole year ago, but we seen him already. We
Speaker 15: got some film to watch and we'll be ready.
Speaker 5: You know, we're ready.
Speaker 15: I love the energy that's in the building right now
Speaker 15: with the team, with the offense on. Everybody got the
Speaker 15: great uh great mindset.
Speaker 12: Tell me about that energy.
Speaker 1: What is it that you like about it?
Speaker 15: Everybody locked him on the same page. Know what's at stake,
Speaker 15: and we all hungry, we all want it back.
Speaker 9: That's what you've been rolling with, Lamarin Kurker, basically your
Speaker 9: entract entire career. What would it mean for you to
Speaker 9: kind of see his town dedication.
Speaker 11: Hardware working that way off breakthrough like you guys could get.
Speaker 3: Outside of the well, I will.
Speaker 15: I would love to see it all come together for him.
Speaker 15: You know, he put up a performance. I know there's
Speaker 15: a lot of dowters and he just keeps smooving them wrong.
Speaker 15: Game Saturday's not gonna be a difference.
Speaker 1: That was running back Gus Edwards. You're listening to the
Speaker 1: Ravens Press Past podcast. If you want more of a
Speaker 1: rundown of what to expect is the Ravens face off
Speaker 1: with the Texans, head over to the Lounge podcast feed
Speaker 1: we break it all down for you. Also, I want
Speaker 1: to make sure you know that we are hosting a
Speaker 1: live episode of the Lounge Podcast coming up on Thursday
Speaker 1: night at high Tops backstage Grill. That's going to be
Speaker 1: at seven pm. Come out join us for the party.
Speaker 1: Should be a great time again. That's Thursday at seven
Speaker 1: pm at high Tops. Thanks for listening to the Press
Speaker 1: Past podcast. We'll be back with you tomorrow