Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ravens Press Pass Podcast. The Ravens were
Speaker 1: back on the practice field today preparing for an AFC
Speaker 1: North matchup on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was
Speaker 1: a bonus day of media availability and we had a
Speaker 1: chance to talk with a handful of players in the
Speaker 1: locker room. Here is running back Keith Mitchell.
Speaker 2: Did the feel to be activated and play a game again?
Speaker 3: It felt good. That was my first time putting on
Speaker 3: shoulder pads since December last year, so it felt good,
Speaker 3: just like a warm up game, So now it felt good.
Speaker 3: I was blessed.
Speaker 2: Was there emotional at all? Just knowing all you've gone
Speaker 2: through over the past year to get back to this point.
Speaker 3: For sure, for sure knowing that it was a career
Speaker 3: end the injury, So just me being blessed to be
Speaker 3: able to run and play the game that I love.
Speaker 2: Yes, it was an emotional The coach Arball talking about
Speaker 2: the potential of a three headed monster with you guys
Speaker 2: in the backfield, what are your thoughts on that three
Speaker 2: headed mind?
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, say them boys already warmed up going, so
Speaker 3: I'm gonna just warm up by kick return and whatever
Speaker 3: touches I get don't want to step on they toe
Speaker 3: because they're doing a great job with the duo right now.
Speaker 3: So but once I get goings three, it's gonna be
Speaker 3: a dangerous backfield.
Speaker 2: Justly got you great speed and the ability to take.
Speaker 1: To the house.
Speaker 2: We saw that last year. I know, in terms of
Speaker 2: the volume at touches may not be either compared to
Speaker 2: what you had a year ago. But what you're one said,
Speaker 2: just knowing that anytime you get it, you could make
Speaker 2: something happen.
Speaker 3: Yes, sir, just the same mindset as last year. Whatever
Speaker 3: I get, I gotta make them go. So uh, just
Speaker 3: having that same mindset, be.
Speaker 4: Patient to get back. But now do you feel like
Speaker 4: you have to be patient to kind of get up
Speaker 4: speed for sure?
Speaker 3: Yeah? Yeah, just be patient, take advantage of every opportunity
Speaker 3: that I get. Just hopefully I can get going fast.
Speaker 4: So what have you heard this week of Belt Deal
Speaker 4: week and just how big this game always is, especially
Speaker 4: for Sunday.
Speaker 3: Yeah, just uh whatever, whatever UH plans they got in
Speaker 3: the game plan running the UH Special team. Just whenever
Speaker 3: I'm out there on the UH field, just just know
Speaker 3: that I had the game took it away for me
Speaker 3: for ten months. So whatever I get out there, just
Speaker 3: be blessed and uh make something happen.
Speaker 2: What was the process like behind the scenes over these
Speaker 2: last seven months.
Speaker 3: Ooh, the process from learning how to walk again, trying
Speaker 3: to get all my infliction back like it it was
Speaker 3: a long process. Everybody come up me, come up to
Speaker 3: me and say that went by fast, But to me,
Speaker 3: it didn't go by fast. It seemed like it took forever.
Speaker 3: But now the process was it was just grind every day.
Speaker 3: I didn't go home, probably went home like two weeks. Uh,
Speaker 3: just been uh up here trying to get back to
Speaker 3: my last year self. So when I come back that
Speaker 3: I'm not really missing nothing. So it was a long process.
Speaker 5: You feel like being able to get close to the
Speaker 5: speed that you have for.
Speaker 3: Shirt, for sure, I didn't. I didn't hit faster than
Speaker 3: what I hit last year. So just being able to
Speaker 3: do that is just blessed for another opportunity.
Speaker 2: That was that in the training session or what did
Speaker 2: you hit that speed?
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was just doing speed work with the strength
Speaker 3: and conditioning staff just uh yeah, just the speed days.
Speaker 3: It was getting faster.
Speaker 2: So so when you when you hit that, was that
Speaker 2: kind of a milestone to you that Hey, you can give.
Speaker 1: Me back to your own self.
Speaker 3: Yep, yeah, yeah, I knew. Once I hit my speed,
Speaker 3: I was like, okay, now that I got that, now
Speaker 3: it's time to get the football portion of my ability back.
Speaker 3: Just yeah, just being able to play football, not just
Speaker 3: using my speed, because I can't really use my speed
Speaker 3: all the time in football. So, Brian, last, at.
Speaker 5: What point did you sort of feel like, Okay, yeah,
Speaker 5: I'm turning the corner with this and you felt.
Speaker 3: Sort of back to so, I say, a couple of
Speaker 3: weeks ago, but I know I still got some stuff
Speaker 3: to improve in. So just day by day, game by game,
Speaker 3: I'm just gonna be working on that.
Speaker 2: And so.
Speaker 1: Next is wide receiver or shot batement?
Speaker 4: What makes these matchups so tough?
Speaker 6: Though?
Speaker 4: I know you haven't been here for all of them,
Speaker 4: but a lot of them are one score games and
Speaker 4: kind of doesn't really matter what the team is like
Speaker 4: entering the contest, record.
Speaker 5: Was, Oh, I just know that it means a lot
Speaker 5: to the organization, to the division, to the conference. We
Speaker 5: also know that you know it's a rivalry. You know
Speaker 5: it means something to the fans. So it's a lot
Speaker 5: to play for. You know what is division? You know,
Speaker 5: whether it's for the fans or you know, our community.
Speaker 5: So there's definitely a lot.
Speaker 4: To play for this game to be played for first
Speaker 4: on Sunday.
Speaker 1: What does that mean to you?
Speaker 5: It means a lot. You know, we've been here before,
Speaker 5: we know the task of hands, and we just gotta
Speaker 5: go our job.
Speaker 2: We'd like Deontay. It's obviously hard to make a transition
Speaker 2: mid season. How have you seen him kind of get
Speaker 2: settled in and get up to speed with things?
Speaker 5: He's awsomes. I mean, it's been a it's been amazing.
Speaker 5: Deontay's a you know, phenomena football player. You know, we're
Speaker 5: glad to have him and definitely give us more weapons,
Speaker 5: you know, be more creative with our offense. So definitely
Speaker 5: excited to see what we do with him and you
Speaker 5: know you do with this offense.
Speaker 2: Just what what's the challenge of the Steelers defense presents?
Speaker 2: You know, you've seen him a number of times over
Speaker 2: the year. Has been talents in a group? What kind
Speaker 2: of challenge probably gonna throw at you?
Speaker 5: I was gonna say everywhere, you know, respect to them,
Speaker 5: you know they're good in all areas and in the
Speaker 5: back end, linebackers, in up front, but you know, like
Speaker 5: we always say we can and recal. I think we
Speaker 5: just gotta come out and you know, do our job
Speaker 5: and you know, see what happens.
Speaker 7: Then.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I know you're asked about this does as rivalry
Speaker 2: in general? Is there anything since you've been here that
Speaker 2: like first comes to mind when you think of a
Speaker 2: rare Steelers trying to.
Speaker 5: The last one we had and we didn't win, so
Speaker 5: we need to just go win this one.
Speaker 4: Yeah, they've won seven of the last eight. And again
Speaker 4: I know every season stiff and every game is differ
Speaker 4: because that sit well with you guys knowing how much
Speaker 4: of a rivalry it is. And they've taken seven of
Speaker 4: the last year. Were aware.
Speaker 5: I wasn't aware of that at all, all our noise
Speaker 5: that we we lost the ones that we should have won.
Speaker 5: So I think we're all looking forward to, you know,
Speaker 5: go out and you know, redeem ourself from the past.
Speaker 5: You know, get the doubt.
Speaker 4: Is it safe to say this Steelers defense that talks
Speaker 4: so much and leads this team has not seen a
Speaker 4: Ravens offense like this.
Speaker 5: You know, they got the right to speak, you know,
Speaker 5: they you know they're winning games and they should be confident.
Speaker 5: But you know, no, I don't think that, you know,
Speaker 5: if they're facing opponent, you know, like us with Mark
Speaker 5: Jackson and all the weapons that we have, So you know,
Speaker 5: it's definitely a good bottom and I'm society to play with.
Speaker 1: Next up is wide receiver Deontay Johnson.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 7: I mean, you know, they working me in that slowly,
Speaker 7: but you know, I'm just I just go out there,
Speaker 7: you know, whenever they call my number, going to going
Speaker 7: to uh you know, like I said, I don't know,
Speaker 7: I don't can't go in there, just expecting a lot,
Speaker 7: you know, just putting a lot of pressure on myself.
Speaker 7: You know, however the game goes, you know, I'm I'm
Speaker 7: all for it.
Speaker 4: Is it weird being on the other side, That's what.
Speaker 7: Yeah, it is. Uh just like being back in that
Speaker 7: stadium where it all started. You know, Uh, it's gonna
Speaker 7: be different. I actually never been in that way locker room,
Speaker 7: so it's that's gonna be.
Speaker 4: Different for me.
Speaker 7: But like I'm ready to get back there just to
Speaker 7: meet see the gre good people that you know, made
Speaker 7: relationships with and stuff like that. But other than that, uh,
Speaker 7: it's it's a uh a big moment for me. So
Speaker 7: do you talk to your old teammates all the time,
Speaker 7: all the time. This week, Uh, I talked to George
Speaker 7: a lot, Calvin pretty much the officer of guys or
Speaker 7: the DEEPENSI of guys. You know that I was close with, uh,
Speaker 7: that I keep in touch with from here and there.
Speaker 2: So how do you feel about this batch?
Speaker 1: Wait time the other day?
Speaker 2: What what you guys do you specifically?
Speaker 4: So?
Speaker 7: Uh? I talked to T J. Watt a little bit,
Speaker 7: Cam Heyward, uh, George Pickens, Calvin all to nadge you
Speaker 7: a little bit, Cam Sutton pretty much the guys that
Speaker 7: I was that was there with. So you know, we
Speaker 7: kind of got a good relationship. So I kind of
Speaker 7: keep in touch with it.
Speaker 4: But do you have a favorite moment of this rivalry
Speaker 4: even though that you were on the opposing side for
Speaker 4: the majority of it?
Speaker 7: Mm ah, one game when we played I came Braveness
Speaker 7: came to us twenty twenty one. I had a good
Speaker 7: game that that game. I had two touchdowns. But yeah,
Speaker 7: that's why I remember.
Speaker 2: Yeah, just for you, as you've been here for a
Speaker 2: few weeks now, how has it been kind of getting
Speaker 2: up the speed and getting the offense down and all
Speaker 2: all of the stuff. That goes along with changing teams.
Speaker 7: It's cool. It's just really the terminology. You just gotta
Speaker 7: really pay attention to know what you're doing when you
Speaker 7: get in there. Uh, just to show them that you
Speaker 7: retaining everything, you putting the right stuff on film.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 7: I'm just taking it one day at a time. So
Speaker 7: it's it's really just learning the formations and stuff like that.
Speaker 7: And then, like I said, I'm just My job is
Speaker 7: to go out there and be me, and that's what
Speaker 7: I'm trying to do.
Speaker 2: We also heard from cornerbacker Davis White. The Ravens traded
Speaker 2: for him last week and a deal with the Rams.
Speaker 2: He talked about that deal and his thoughts on joining
Speaker 2: this team. What was your reaction to the move here
Speaker 2: and how's it been over the past a few days.
Speaker 6: It's exciting. Anytime you know someone traced for you, that
Speaker 6: means that they want you and they see some potential
Speaker 6: in you. So for that, I'm grateful and I'm thankful.
Speaker 6: I'm just ready to get on the field and play
Speaker 6: some football. You know, I've been in acting for a while,
Speaker 6: so it's excited to be able to get the opportunity
Speaker 6: to go out there and showcase the Tens.
Speaker 2: What was your first job when you knew it was
Speaker 2: the Ravens who were trading for you. And how you
Speaker 2: contentially feel on this team.
Speaker 6: Uh, you know, for a long time, I always respected
Speaker 6: you know, but this team has always been about the
Speaker 6: culture of it. So many great players in the past,
Speaker 6: so from Afar, I always respected the grid, the hunger
Speaker 6: and the tenacity. This group always played with an attitude.
Speaker 6: So anytime I can come in and add, you know,
Speaker 6: be a part of it, I'm all for it.
Speaker 4: What's your realistic expectation for yourself when you do excuse me,
Speaker 4: when you do come in?
Speaker 7: Uh, come, I come in.
Speaker 6: Play football, you know, Uh, line up, get the call,
Speaker 6: try to look at the offense and try to eliminate things,
Speaker 6: look at formations and try to go go in and
Speaker 6: make make plays. I'm come in and you know pretty
Speaker 6: much play sound football and play raven football to eleven
Speaker 6: guys to the ball, and you play team total defense.
Speaker 6: You know, everything's always gonna pay off when you play together.
Speaker 4: And they grew up in in late But what's your
Speaker 4: sense of this secondary They've been honest about not playing
Speaker 4: to their standard and allowing too much, especially in the past.
Speaker 4: Defense what is your take on the group that's here
Speaker 4: and the work that they're getting done to correct u U.
Speaker 6: It's it's a lot of guys in the secondary that
Speaker 6: uh I respect it for a long period of time.
Speaker 6: Uh yeah, Eddie Marlin, you know B Steve's uh you
Speaker 6: know Marcus. You know Marcus and I actually trained to
Speaker 6: par to during the come by coming out, So I
Speaker 6: always got a lot of respect for those guys.
Speaker 7: So any time I can come in.
Speaker 6: And add my add my what I can do to it, Uh,
Speaker 6: I feel like, you know, this group is great. You know,
Speaker 6: it's just you know, we putting it all together. You know,
Speaker 6: NFL is a a week two week league, so uh,
Speaker 6: you don't never get to never get too high and
Speaker 6: never get too low. So I feel like, you know,
Speaker 6: if the group can keep confidence in themselves and then
Speaker 6: the the players speak for yourself, cause there been.
Speaker 5: A conversation about your potential role in when you could
Speaker 5: see the field.
Speaker 7: Uh, you know, this team is all about earning it.
Speaker 6: So if I go out there, wow, uh and practice
Speaker 6: and and practice well, you know, uh, communicate well and
Speaker 6: learn to playbook and then go out there and you know,
Speaker 6: and the coaches are confident in.
Speaker 7: What I can do.
Speaker 6: Uh, you know that's all I am about. If I
Speaker 6: can go out there and earn it, then that's the
Speaker 6: way I want it to be.
Speaker 2: Previous that, I know, earlier in your career, you know,
Speaker 2: you were playing like one of the top corners in
Speaker 2: the league. And I know injuries have been an issue recently.
Speaker 2: What do you what do you think it's gonna take for.
Speaker 1: You to kind of get back to that level.
Speaker 6: Uh, just playing consistent football, just continue to let the
Speaker 6: letting the reps stack up, and getting comfortable in the
Speaker 6: defense and learning my teammates, learning what my help is
Speaker 6: it on the field, so I can pretty much play
Speaker 6: to my strengths. So I feel like, you know, if
Speaker 6: I get back and just play play football, you know
Speaker 6: what I mean, getting around guys, it's you know, it
Speaker 6: gonna pump me up, just like i'm'a pump them up.
Speaker 6: And I feel like in this locker room, that's what
Speaker 6: we have.
Speaker 2: What would you think your first real practice out there today?
Speaker 6: Oh it's pretty good, you know. Uh, just to get around,
Speaker 6: you know, we d get around the football. Uh, just
Speaker 6: communicate with the guys, learn the defense, and actually when
Speaker 6: the bullets are flying and be able to uh pretty
Speaker 6: much execute the defense on the fly. You know, that's
Speaker 6: the that's the most important thing. So I feel like,
Speaker 6: you know, today was a step in the right direction.
Speaker 5: I know you just gotta here.
Speaker 4: But what's the kind of obvious thing you see with
Speaker 4: the Steelers offense with the change to Russell's.
Speaker 6: And I d I haven't got to watch the Stillers
Speaker 6: too much when they was with Justin Fields t and
Speaker 6: and so I don't know what's the difference between he
Speaker 6: and Russell Wilson in the offering. But I what I
Speaker 6: do know is the still there is a hard nosed
Speaker 6: group that's always been a historic u uh, that's the
Speaker 6: history with 'em.
Speaker 1: So uh.
Speaker 6: I I had a opportunity to play I'm a couple
Speaker 6: times when I was in Buffalo, so uh, I already
Speaker 6: know what the stiller is about there, about playing tough defense,
Speaker 6: running the ball and then making big plays on the outside.
Speaker 7: So uh, you know you limit, you limit.
Speaker 6: That's with any team on defense. If you limit big
Speaker 6: time plays and limit an explosive, you'll have a chance.
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Speaker 1: again tomorrow