Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ravens Press Past podcast. It is Thursday,
Speaker 1: November two, and the Ravens are gearing up for a
Speaker 1: matchup coming up on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. As
Speaker 1: we get ready for that matchup, we had a chance
Speaker 1: to talk with the coordinators today, so let's kick things
Speaker 1: off with Special teams coordinator Chris Horton.
Speaker 2: Good to see everyone today. I thank for our guys, man,
Speaker 2: It's just been a it's been a really good two
Speaker 2: days of work. Outside. We're doing a good job, just
Speaker 2: really trying to execute so we can go out and
Speaker 2: really just play, continue to put together some some good football.
Speaker 2: We're doing a lot of good things. Every now and then,
Speaker 2: you know, there's like might be a little hiccup here
Speaker 2: or there, but for the most part, man, I'm really
Speaker 2: encouraged by what our guys are doing on Sundays.
Speaker 3: Questions, Chris, you go through the first one side kick
Speaker 3: and kind of what you guys were thinking was gonna happen,
Speaker 3: and when l wasn't executed, probably what you wanted.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, just just from that standpoint, you know,
Speaker 2: we got we got the guys out there. Uh, if
Speaker 2: you noticed before we took the time out, so we
Speaker 2: have a pretty good idea of probably what's about to happen.
Speaker 2: And then uh, and then from there, you know, it's
Speaker 2: just like anything else. You got to go out and
Speaker 2: you got to execute the play you saw. There's there
Speaker 2: was no different kick from the first one to the
Speaker 2: second one. We just uh are our end that's in
Speaker 2: that position. You just got to go attack the football.
Speaker 2: Other than that, Uh, there's there's nothing else behind that play.
Speaker 4: On Tucker's upright kick, which it feels like anytime in
Speaker 4: indoor is fifty yard.
Speaker 5: That feels like a chip shot on it. But to
Speaker 5: see play had a.
Speaker 4: Little a little draw on a little white to let,
Speaker 4: which is atypical for.
Speaker 5: The hamming straight or a little fade.
Speaker 4: Is that a plant field or just every once in
Speaker 4: a while gonna.
Speaker 5: Happen, you know.
Speaker 2: I think it's one of those things when you look
Speaker 2: at when you look at the play, and I think, uh,
Speaker 2: Tuck could probably answer it's better than better than I can.
Speaker 2: But uh, for him to miss a ball to his left, uh,
Speaker 2: maybe you got to maybe a little bit too tight
Speaker 2: to the ball something like that. But other than that,
Speaker 2: you know, the kicking part of the game, it's such
Speaker 2: a technical thing that if you if you plant one
Speaker 2: way or the other, or you you you may be overswing. Uh,
Speaker 2: those things won't happen. So that's why that's why the
Speaker 2: details of kicking, you know, are are very important. That's
Speaker 2: why they try to be as consistent as they can
Speaker 2: through each kick.
Speaker 6: Chris, what do you feel like is the biggest adjustment
Speaker 6: for Jordanstown?
Speaker 7: I mean, I'm probably the best game of his career.
Speaker 6: What do you attribute just you know, his him to
Speaker 6: lately and the form he's shown him?
Speaker 2: You know, Jeff, that's a good question, you know. I
Speaker 2: think what it comes down to is Jordan's one of
Speaker 2: those guys. Uh, when we watched him, we we understood
Speaker 2: what kind of talent he had coming out of coming
Speaker 2: into the draft and coming out of college. And I
Speaker 2: think it's just one of those things where he spending
Speaker 2: all this time with with Randy and with Sam and
Speaker 2: just being able to be that punter that he was
Speaker 2: in college. And I think what you guys are seeing
Speaker 2: is you're seeing the player that we saw.
Speaker 7: Uh.
Speaker 5: He's gained, he's got he's.
Speaker 2: Gaining a lot of confidence, right and last week, Man,
Speaker 2: he had a he had a really good game, you know,
Speaker 2: penning four punts inside the ten, which really flipped the field,
Speaker 2: had the offense backed up for us. You know, those
Speaker 2: things are huge, and I think just for him, it's
Speaker 2: just it's a lot of confidence. He's starting to he's
Speaker 2: starting to feel it. And then it's just understanding that
Speaker 2: every rep is going to be different, and because every
Speaker 2: rep is going to be different, you have to approach
Speaker 2: him that way, right, each kick is not going to
Speaker 2: be the same. So you execute, go through your fundamentals,
Speaker 2: you'll get the results you want. And I think that's
Speaker 2: what he's doing.
Speaker 1: That was special teams coordinator Chris Horton. We also had
Speaker 1: a chance to talk with offensive coordinator Todd Munkin. He
Speaker 1: discussed where the offense is kind of at the midpoint
Speaker 1: of the season as the Ravens are sitting at six
Speaker 1: and two right now, what he likes and what he
Speaker 1: thinks needs to improve over the course of the second
Speaker 1: half of the season.
Speaker 8: With Odell Packham, you know you've had him in Cleveland,
Speaker 8: you had him here. How close do you feel like,
Speaker 8: because he's obviously not hitting the expectation what he wants,
Speaker 8: how close do you think you guys are to trying
Speaker 8: to you know, get everything.
Speaker 9: And think with him in the mark, it's always going
Speaker 9: to be a work in progress, just because he's been
Speaker 9: in and out of practice, been out of the lineup.
Speaker 9: You know, you have a limited off season together, so
Speaker 9: you're constantly trying to work that chemistry. So it doesn't
Speaker 9: matter who it is. It's you know, Bates beIN out
Speaker 9: for a little bit and then working back. Say he's
Speaker 9: a rookie, so you know, the player that's got the
Speaker 9: most banked reps together, that's continue to practice. You can
Speaker 9: see because that's that's Mark. You can see that consistently.
Speaker 7: You guys are more on the first down.
Speaker 10: You guys are studying that I've been work compared to
Speaker 10: what gofense is in the past.
Speaker 7: How do you think that's.
Speaker 10: Allowed Lamar to showcase elements of his game that maybe
Speaker 10: even get the show to pass most.
Speaker 9: Well, that's more fun when it works, I can tell
Speaker 9: you that. Other than being second and ten, you know,
Speaker 9: I don't I don't know that. I don't know in
Speaker 9: the past what they did per se, I mean and
Speaker 9: outside of just looking at it, you know, Lamar has
Speaker 9: been diligent and working in terms of you know, his
Speaker 9: drop where his eyes are, you know, in terms of
Speaker 9: the past game, and it shows, you know, it's credit
Speaker 9: to him and Tea and Carry the guys that work
Speaker 9: with him, and and our guys, and it's still still
Speaker 9: got to be more consistent there. There's there's moments where
Speaker 9: you you really like what we're doing, and there's moments
Speaker 9: we certainly need to be better.
Speaker 11: When you have a gifted young player like Bateman as
Speaker 11: a coordinator, what can you do to help him get
Speaker 11: from a great play every once in a while to
Speaker 11: sort of pull on breakdown.
Speaker 5: I think with him it's more being healthy, you know.
Speaker 9: I think that's the biggest thing any player, the development well,
Speaker 9: I shouldn't say it's a player. It's all of us
Speaker 9: improve with the amount of time we're able to spend
Speaker 9: on our craft. That's just the way it is. It
Speaker 9: doesn't matter. The more he's able to get out there
Speaker 9: and practice and then get in the games, he's able
Speaker 9: to sustain that, he's only going to continue to get better.
Speaker 9: That's he's no different than a coach. You know, any
Speaker 9: job that you've got is just consistently staying healthy. And
Speaker 9: when he does, you can see that. You can see
Speaker 9: that on the field.
Speaker 11: Do you have a game plan to get it specifically
Speaker 11: get a guy more opportunities or is.
Speaker 5: That not really the way you look at it sometimes?
Speaker 9: I mean, sometimes you have in your call sheet like
Speaker 9: where you think there's opportunities for a player, but sometimes
Speaker 9: a defense takes that away, you know, other than a screen,
Speaker 9: you know, other than when you know the ball is
Speaker 9: going to a specific player. A number of times coverage
Speaker 9: could dictate that, you know, and then you've got to
Speaker 9: go somewhere else with the football, and then you know,
Speaker 9: being able to move players around can help that when
Speaker 9: you're expecting certain coverages. So that's why it's certainly more
Speaker 9: advantageous the more weapons that you have, because when the
Speaker 9: ball finds them, you have more playmakers.
Speaker 5: That's just the way it is.
Speaker 9: It's harder to take certain guys away or at least
Speaker 9: scheme up where they might be, so you're constantly trying
Speaker 9: to move guys around when when that's possible, it's not
Speaker 9: always possible because you've got to practice, got to be
Speaker 9: able to rep things, to be able to carry it
Speaker 9: over to games.
Speaker 6: Here, they've more embraced the running back by committee approach.
Speaker 8: Are you partial to that approach as well, or do
Speaker 8: you like the.
Speaker 7: Idea of kind of one guy getting twenty plus carries
Speaker 7: or so in that range.
Speaker 9: Well, sometimes I don't even know. I mean, I'll be
Speaker 9: real honest, Like you, you're subbing guys in and out.
Speaker 9: You have certain packages that you like guys in the game.
Speaker 9: Like most teams, certainly, I think with the way the
Speaker 9: game has gone, I think it's I don't think any
Speaker 9: team I should not say that.
Speaker 5: I don't know that specifically, but I think if you.
Speaker 9: Look across the league over the last few years, it's
Speaker 9: it's been more with a lot of teams running back
Speaker 9: by committee because it's a position of extreme contact, you know,
Speaker 9: in terms of.
Speaker 5: The volatility of the position.
Speaker 9: So I think you're it's in your best interest to
Speaker 9: consistently develop and have a number of running backs that
Speaker 9: can touch the ball and take the load off of
Speaker 9: just one player.
Speaker 5: Specifically.
Speaker 8: Have you seen because Lamar is kind of he has
Speaker 8: a unique solid play when you play teams, maybe it's
Speaker 8: like not outside maybe outside of the divisions that it's
Speaker 8: there is some of adjustment period for those opposing defenses because.
Speaker 7: They're not used to.
Speaker 8: Kind of, you know, a quarterback kind of like him at.
Speaker 9: All some, But you know, I think over the years
Speaker 9: there's they're not Lamar, but there's quarterbacks that skill set
Speaker 9: wise that you know might might resemble that. Like you
Speaker 9: play the Giants and you're playing Daniel Jones, there's going
Speaker 9: to be some aspect of his game that they would
Speaker 9: have to prepare for with his ability with his legs.
Speaker 9: I think any quarterback when you go against that, it's
Speaker 9: still how they're gonna play Lamar and the type of
Speaker 9: plays that you may run can vary.
Speaker 5: But and then he's played for a number of years.
Speaker 5: You can go.
Speaker 9: Back and see how they thought they would play, or
Speaker 9: you know, try to scheme up against style of play
Speaker 9: that you're at and we're a little bit different than
Speaker 9: they've been in the past, so you know, you try
Speaker 9: to dissect a little bit early on what you're getting.
Speaker 6: I think Lamar is a more drop eid on Sunday
Speaker 6: than he probably had an any game this year. And
Speaker 6: are you grateful without the opportunities and maybe some of
Speaker 6: ups and down the bad experience and came in to
Speaker 6: win and Kana loat and.
Speaker 5: Would he kind of take away from sure, No, it's no.
Speaker 9: You certainly what saved us on Sunday was we were
Speaker 9: outstanding in the red zone. I mean, that's what saved
Speaker 9: us is that when we got down there, we scored touchdowns.
Speaker 9: I mean, so with the we had other opportunities, we
Speaker 9: just we didn't take advantage of them. But when we
Speaker 9: did get down there, I mean, that's certainly saved us.
Speaker 9: And certainly we saw a little bit more drop eight
Speaker 9: than when when what we have seen when we went
Speaker 9: five man pro that's when it came up you released
Speaker 9: a back or we went five man protection, So it
Speaker 9: came up, you know, a couple of handfuls of time,
Speaker 9: so when we were throwing it. So again, I think
Speaker 9: any time you're able to see something and still come
Speaker 9: out of it with a wind, still have some things
Speaker 9: that you felt like you did well and a lot
Speaker 9: of things that you certainly can continue to build on.
Speaker 5: The consistency and execution when you.
Speaker 4: Look at you want you want to build kind of
Speaker 4: each week on something, but felt like a little bit
Speaker 4: execution wise, a little step back is that part of
Speaker 4: last week is that relative to you know, four out
Speaker 4: of five on the road, just that particular scheme or
Speaker 4: what do you what do you attribute.
Speaker 9: That most of the time it's, uh, there's a combination
Speaker 9: of that, you know, I don't.
Speaker 5: I don't know four and a five on the road
Speaker 5: and the travel and all of that. I don't.
Speaker 9: Did that have anything to do with certain aspects of
Speaker 9: us not getting lined up, you know, not functioning at
Speaker 9: a high level at times? No, no, no, but heck no,
Speaker 9: you know. I mean we went to London and we
Speaker 9: stayed over there a week. I mean to me, that's
Speaker 9: that's not the issue. The issue is the consistency, you know.
Speaker 9: It's the reverse of that is, did you expect against
Speaker 9: the Lions that everything would go so well at the beginning? Well,
Speaker 9: of course not, you know, and you're playing against the
Speaker 9: best players in the world and the best coaches in
Speaker 9: the world, and they've played better at home. I mean,
Speaker 9: obviously the Dallas Cowboys are a good team and they
Speaker 9: beat them at home. So it's those things are a
Speaker 9: part of it. Certain opportunities that you had that you
Speaker 9: didn't take advantage of that you certainly could have coached better,
Speaker 9: certainly could have played better. But luckily, like I said,
Speaker 9: when we did get down the red zone, we did
Speaker 9: score touchdowns, which again, when you do that, you really
Speaker 9: was I wouldn't say it was. There were some similarities
Speaker 9: to that game in the in the Cincinnati game in
Speaker 9: some ways where the opportunities that we get we did
Speaker 9: get we score touchdowns.
Speaker 5: That gives you a chance.
Speaker 9: Then you're in the twenties, twenty eight, you're close to thirty.
Speaker 9: You know you're you're at least gonna put don't score touchdowns.
Speaker 9: It doesn't nearly fear feel as well. So that's that's
Speaker 9: the biggest part of it. Is when you are a
Speaker 9: little bit choppy and you're not taking advantage of some
Speaker 9: opportunities that that you had, then you better score touchdowns.
Speaker 7: I think there's a.
Speaker 6: Lot of excitement over what this offense would look like,
Speaker 6: this rushing offense would look like.
Speaker 7: When you guys spread teams out.
Speaker 6: I think, you know, when the love of personnel, you
Speaker 6: guys are much more passing client than running client. I
Speaker 6: know some of that's probably situational, but I guess what
Speaker 6: kind of has gone into the decision making.
Speaker 5: Process of you know, that's what personnel does that you
Speaker 5: know some of it is you know who you have
Speaker 5: in the game.
Speaker 9: You know, whether it's utilizing pat ricard, utilizing your tight ends,
Speaker 9: the run game that you can have when you're in
Speaker 9: you know, spread out personnel, how much you want to
Speaker 9: run lamar. I mean that that becomes part of that.
Speaker 9: As you continue to build and try to scheme other defenses,
Speaker 9: certain teams give you different fronts that might not be
Speaker 9: you know, as much of an advantage to be in
Speaker 9: the spread set. So we certainly are trying to be,
Speaker 9: you know, as best as we can be, as balanced
Speaker 9: as we can per personal set. But it doesn't always
Speaker 9: work out that way. But that's a good point, I mean,
Speaker 9: in terms of being spread and being able to still
Speaker 9: be able to run it for sure in your.
Speaker 10: Experience, does being a first year play color? Is that
Speaker 10: different from maybe if you're at a place where they're
Speaker 10: a fourth year, where maybe you're adding layers in the
Speaker 10: offense rather than figuring out what you're good at holding
Speaker 10: on that.
Speaker 9: Say last team, Oh, I think for sure, And I
Speaker 9: wouldn't I wouldn't say, I wouldn't even say play color
Speaker 9: as much as our first year together. And you don't
Speaker 9: want that to be an excuse, because there are none. Right,
Speaker 9: We're already into playing eight games, and I do think
Speaker 9: we're starting to play better. There's a lot of things
Speaker 9: we can improve on. But over the last few weeks
Speaker 9: we've moved the ballmork consistently. I like where we're headed again,
Speaker 9: We're not there yet. We need to get there. That's
Speaker 9: part of what you do. But as a new staff
Speaker 9: players system, you're always, even two or three years from now,
Speaker 9: will be still right striving to be lead and everything
Speaker 9: we do right, how we meet, how we teach, the
Speaker 9: notes we take, how we practice, how we take care
Speaker 9: of our bodies right, how we carry that over to
Speaker 9: the field, how we get lined up right, how we
Speaker 9: execute a high level. All those things are a big
Speaker 9: part of that that falls under that umbrella. And no
Speaker 9: one really, to be honest, I mean they really don't,
Speaker 9: and we shouldn't.
Speaker 5: We don't care.
Speaker 9: I mean, ultimately, it's what you show on Sunday that matters.
Speaker 9: That's what we're paid to do, and that's what we're
Speaker 9: always striving to do, is to have a high level
Speaker 9: of high level of execution, and it starts with how
Speaker 9: we gain planet prepared during the week and then execute
Speaker 9: against the best in the world because they're paid to
Speaker 9: do everything to stop us. That's the one thing that
Speaker 9: I think we forget at times is that we've got
Speaker 9: good players and coaches too, and then how are we
Speaker 9: going to do it better? Text you to the high level,
Speaker 9: especially the most critical situations in the game.
Speaker 12: Overall the way games are you pretty pleased with how
Speaker 12: you guys have run the ball overall? And you know
Speaker 12: sometimes the running game late the season takes all more
Speaker 12: me and a just do you feel as another level
Speaker 12: to get to or I.
Speaker 5: Just will I was pleased.
Speaker 9: I have been relatively pleased in terms of how we've
Speaker 9: run the football. Certain times we could be better. We
Speaker 9: certainly Sunday felt better. We ran the ball better in
Speaker 9: the second half, called it better in.
Speaker 5: The second half.
Speaker 9: We had a few more RPOs early in the game
Speaker 9: that got thrown when we had opportunities to run it,
Speaker 9: and that really you know when it the drive that
Speaker 9: got it to twenty four and the drive that got
Speaker 9: it to thirty one. Really, if you said throughout the
Speaker 9: game outside of the first time we scored, made you
Speaker 9: feel good about we wanted to end the game on
Speaker 9: our terms and we didn't end it then. But the
Speaker 9: last time we got in the field and we're able
Speaker 9: to run the football, and I like the way we
Speaker 9: scheme it. I like our guys. I think we are
Speaker 9: certainly capable of that and we need to continue that.
Speaker 9: I mean, you can't control the game if you can't
Speaker 9: run the football. I mean if you just can't, you
Speaker 9: can't control the game. Your play action games, not not
Speaker 9: at speed, your short yardage, your goal line. We've been
Speaker 9: good in the red zone because we've been able to
Speaker 9: run it. I mean that's a fact. I mean when
Speaker 9: we've been able to run it, well, we've scored running
Speaker 9: the football and that adds to a lot of areas
Speaker 9: short yardage, converting third downs, if you get into four minute.
Speaker 5: Right goal line, red zone.
Speaker 9: Those are all things that lead into situational football that
Speaker 9: helps you win and it gives your defense a blow.
Speaker 9: You're able to take time off the clock. And like
Speaker 9: I said, everything starts with that, and Lamar is a
Speaker 9: part of that. Whether it's schemed up or he takes
Speaker 9: off and runs that ends up on rushing yards.
Speaker 7: You know.
Speaker 5: So he is certainly even though we haven't used him
Speaker 5: as much.
Speaker 9: Maybe in the quarterback driven stuff, his ability to get
Speaker 9: outside the pocket and run or even on short gartage
Speaker 9: has added to that.
Speaker 1: That was oc Todd walkin. We also talk with defensive
Speaker 1: coordinator Mike McDonald, who discussed the upcoming matchup against the
Speaker 1: Seattle offense that features some big time wide receivers.
Speaker 13: All right, good to see everybody. I thought we'd be
Speaker 13: outside today, but.
Speaker 7: Here we are. What do you got?
Speaker 14: You guys are going to playing the Lions offense, the
Speaker 14: Cardinals offense, which is a little more spread out RPO's
Speaker 14: college style, almost back to playing Seattle, which then they're
Speaker 14: more like zone running, not necessarily like Detroit. Is that
Speaker 14: why you tend to have a defense?
Speaker 7: I can kind of shape shift every week and you guys,
Speaker 7: you guys play a bunch of different coveries, a bunch
Speaker 7: of different fronts.
Speaker 6: Is that the idea behind that?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 15: I definitely think that goes goes into you know, how
Speaker 15: we set up a game plan for sure, as you're
Speaker 15: always watching it through the lens of what you feel
Speaker 15: like their offense does really well, and then what puts
Speaker 15: you in a.
Speaker 13: Position to stop those types of plays.
Speaker 15: So I think that, you know, just goes back to
Speaker 15: how you how you build it from the get going,
Speaker 15: how you practiced it in the off season. So when
Speaker 15: you you know, when you do some different offenses throughout
Speaker 15: the year, you feel feel like you're well equipped to
Speaker 15: do things that the guys know how to do, and
Speaker 15: h can tailor it to that team.
Speaker 11: Like I know, Uh, Michael Pierce deservedly got a lot
Speaker 11: of attention on Sunday. But Travis Jones, do you lee
Speaker 11: You're seeing him put his imprint on games much more
Speaker 11: consistently than he did as a rookie.
Speaker 13: Yeah, Travis has improved a lot.
Speaker 15: It's always been a You've always seen it on tape,
Speaker 15: and it's become more consistent, you know, as we go,
Speaker 15: and the challenge is just keep on putting together in consistency.
Speaker 13: But uh, he's he's doing a great job.
Speaker 15: He's doing a great job with him and uh, like
Speaker 15: you said, i mean, Pierce just had it a really
Speaker 15: really great i mean just dominated the game. And uh,
Speaker 15: but Trav's right there right behind him, and and he's
Speaker 15: on his way Like.
Speaker 16: Not many players go from running back to cornerback like
Speaker 16: Brandon Stevens has over his career. You know, just how
Speaker 16: high level is he playing at right now? And what
Speaker 16: do you think he's done that's enabled him to make
Speaker 16: that transition.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I'm I'm really excited for be Steve.
Speaker 15: I mean, he's, uh, he's putting in a lot of work,
Speaker 15: and he's been moved around a lot, and it's been
Speaker 15: it's great to find him a home of where he
Speaker 15: can feel like he can dedicate, you know, his craft
Speaker 15: and his skills.
Speaker 13: Got an awesome skill set. We've always done that about him.
Speaker 15: But it's not easy moving around, especially I mean just
Speaker 15: going from the beginning of his football career, you know,
Speaker 15: and then all of a sudden you're you know, in
Speaker 15: the NFL and you're asked to play defensive back. Then
Speaker 15: there's a lot of stuff going on back there, and
Speaker 15: he's handled it and tremendously, So definitely shout out to him,
Speaker 15: Shout out to the coaches for getting him ready to roll,
Speaker 15: but putting a ton of work, does it every day.
Speaker 15: I mean, it seems like everyone you ask me about
Speaker 15: every week the common denominator is their daily approach. And
Speaker 15: he's right there with the rest of those guys. So,
Speaker 15: you know, excited for him obviously. You know we're halfway
Speaker 15: through the years, so there's a lot of work to
Speaker 15: be done, but he's on his way for sure.
Speaker 16: In your opinion, is cornerback is forever whom at this
Speaker 16: point is he's kind of proving it.
Speaker 15: I get I mean it's hard for you know, me,
Speaker 15: it's hard for me to you know, go jumping headfirst
Speaker 15: on that one.
Speaker 13: But there's probably a pretty good chance that he's going
Speaker 13: to stay there.
Speaker 7: Do you like players that have that?
Speaker 6: You've mentioned the challenges of it, but then you kind
Speaker 6: of think about global understanding of the game that helps
Speaker 6: players in a big picture since.
Speaker 15: When yeah, I moved around, Yeah, absolutely, Yeah, I mean
Speaker 15: you think about guys that used to play quarterback and
Speaker 15: how they see the field and things like that. Absolutely,
Speaker 15: I'm sure you understanding you know, distributions and stems and
Speaker 15: things like that from a safety perspective. Absolutely, I'm sure.
Speaker 13: I'm sure he'd tell you that that would be helpful.
Speaker 6: I think when Wink was here, you mean, he would
Speaker 6: talk about how, in a lot of ways, basketball kind
Speaker 6: of informed the way you thought about interchangeability on defense.
Speaker 6: I mean, did any of that kind of wrap off
Speaker 6: on YouTube? Was like wanting guys to be able to
Speaker 6: kind of guard one through five and basketball parlance.
Speaker 15: I don't remember him saying anything about basketball. I understand
Speaker 15: the spirit of the question. I'm just I'm messing with you,
Speaker 15: But yeah, I think, you know, we talk about interchangeable
Speaker 15: parts a lot.
Speaker 13: I think those are things that.
Speaker 15: Go great when you're in the off season and you
Speaker 15: can start moving things around. Obviously as you get into
Speaker 15: the season, you know, I think having consistency and you know,
Speaker 15: from a week to week basis, so guys are used
Speaker 15: to playing next to one another is important, so you
Speaker 15: don't want to move it too much. But having the
Speaker 15: ability to do that, especially when guys go down or
Speaker 15: different matchups and things like that.
Speaker 13: Absolutely, I think that's really important.
Speaker 15: And you know how you know, Eric and Harves have
Speaker 15: built the roster to you know, to generate those different
Speaker 15: types of skill sets. Definitely gives us flexibility on a
Speaker 15: week to week basis, Like you think.
Speaker 16: That Marcus returning to the practice field. A question that
Speaker 16: everybody's asking this week is goat the interceptions leader in genostone.
Speaker 16: You have Marcus returning. Does your use of three safeties
Speaker 16: last year and even this year, does that make it a
Speaker 16: lot easier? Say, hey, we've got a lot of good
Speaker 16: players here that.
Speaker 13: We can get in their snaps for Yeah.
Speaker 15: Absolutely, it's a great problem to have to find you know,
Speaker 15: where to put great players.
Speaker 13: So I think we mentioned it last week.
Speaker 15: You know, you'll start to see some guys moving around
Speaker 15: probably and you know, again alluding to the to the
Speaker 15: matchups and things like that. You know, those are definitely
Speaker 15: things we're considering for sure.
Speaker 6: How much does not a Deka's emergence as a pass
Speaker 6: prushuer just make make it more stressful for the offense
Speaker 6: defensive line, so to worry about what you guys do
Speaker 6: before U snap. Just now there's something to worry about
Speaker 6: inside outside slot wherever.
Speaker 15: It's great, I mean, it's awesome, he's you know, when
Speaker 15: the closer I think Gadaf said it last last year,
Speaker 15: just happens faster, you know, and you can make the
Speaker 15: you can get you know, affect the quarterback quicker in there.
Speaker 15: So definitely there's a time element for sure. And you know,
Speaker 15: I just it's a it's a tef you if the
Speaker 15: guys outside of where beaks of lines can't do the
Speaker 15: things that they're doing, it doesn't allow him to give
Speaker 15: have those opportunities and vice versa.
Speaker 13: If Justin's not playing at the level he is.
Speaker 15: Then that doesn't free up the single blocks you know,
Speaker 15: on how we scheme up the rest of the stuff.
Speaker 13: So it all works hand to hand.
Speaker 15: But having an asset like that and a guy playing
Speaker 15: at that level is especially inside where it gets to
Speaker 15: the quarterback quicker definitely makes it is a big, big
Speaker 15: difference make for us.
Speaker 11: You guys have traditionally rotated like a lot on the interior,
Speaker 11: less so.
Speaker 5: With the starters in the secondary.
Speaker 11: With the secondary guys, is there are a worry that
Speaker 11: you lose something in communication if you're rotating guys in
Speaker 11: constantly or kind of what's what's the reason for you
Speaker 11: do it a lot with one group and not with another.
Speaker 15: Well, I think with the guys up front, to your point,
Speaker 15: I don't think that having the the consistency from week
Speaker 15: to week and from play to play necessarily is important
Speaker 15: as a little les communication Going back there obviously a
Speaker 15: lot less space, and we have a lot of guys
Speaker 15: that we want to keep going and you want us
Speaker 15: to keep them fresh throughout the game as well. So
Speaker 15: there's some things going on with that and the back end.
Speaker 15: You know, we're definitely open to playing multiple eyes. I
Speaker 15: think the ways that are who's been available and when
Speaker 15: has definitely factored into how we've played the guys back there,
Speaker 15: And you know, I think it's a tribute to Brandon
Speaker 15: and when and when Marlin's coming back. You know, they
Speaker 15: playing at a level where you really don't want to
Speaker 15: take them off the field. So you know, multiple things
Speaker 15: to that To answer your question, like, I know he's still.
Speaker 6: Dealing with the ankle a little bit, has been on
Speaker 6: and off those field, But what.
Speaker 10: Do you see it from Olway since coming back from
Speaker 10: you know, missing about a month.
Speaker 15: Well, you know, I know's he's battled, he's battled back
Speaker 15: to get back there, but you know, you don't see
Speaker 15: a drop off from when he came back. I mean,
Speaker 15: you're seeing the explosiveness, you know, having the sack the
Speaker 15: one game and really just I say it every time,
Speaker 15: but you know, if he gets a great get off
Speaker 15: and he gets his feet in the ground, he's a
Speaker 15: hard tut and he's a hard guy of block man
Speaker 15: and skill sets there and it's just about doing it
Speaker 15: over and over again. And I think, you know, as
Speaker 15: he gets the more opportunities, I think you'll see those,
Speaker 15: you know, his productions continue to spike.
Speaker 1: That was defensive coordinator Mike McDonald, And in the locker
Speaker 1: room we also talk with some of the players, including
Speaker 1: veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Junior. Now the start of
Speaker 1: the season has been a little slow out of the.
Speaker 13: Gate for Odell.
Speaker 1: He talked about that, how he's handled that mentally, and
Speaker 1: also what he expects over the course of the rest
Speaker 1: of this season.
Speaker 6: Eight weeks in the season, How would you just describe
Speaker 6: your season?
Speaker 7: So fart at this point obviously don't not where I
Speaker 7: wanna be.
Speaker 17: But when I signed the hair shit, I wanna come here,
Speaker 17: win the Super Bowl and win and we're six and
Speaker 17: two and on the way to that.
Speaker 7: So you gotta keep going long season.
Speaker 15: But you say you're not real What does that mean?
Speaker 5: Like, I don't know how.
Speaker 7: To explain it. Just I got higher expectations, high standards.
Speaker 17: But ultimately there's a team game, and you know, a
Speaker 17: receiver is as much as a bad rappers. Receivers get
Speaker 17: the actually the most self list.
Speaker 7: People on the field.
Speaker 17: You know, you gotta wait for the offensive line, the block.
Speaker 17: You gotta wait for a pass play to be called.
Speaker 17: You gotta wait for blitzes to be picked up. You
Speaker 17: gotta wait for, uh, you know, a good ball to
Speaker 17: be thrown off of just one opportunity in the game.
Speaker 17: So uh, you know, I think a lot of receivers
Speaker 17: get a bad rap for wanting the ball. But you know,
Speaker 17: sixty players out of a game.
Speaker 7: And you're running around all sixty you know it it
Speaker 7: it's it's not the easiest a position.
Speaker 18: So if it don't look like you were a little
Speaker 18: frustrated all after that second PI, is that just the
Speaker 18: product that you're just talking about.
Speaker 17: Yeah, I mean at the end of the day, we're
Speaker 17: six and two. We keep it pushing and keep it rolling.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 17: I didn't come here with the expectations that I'd be
Speaker 17: going for two thousand yards.
Speaker 7: Uh.
Speaker 17: You know, we're trying to win the Super Bowl. So
Speaker 17: it is what it is at this point. Uh, just
Speaker 17: walking that fine line of being grateful to be back
Speaker 17: on the field, but m definitely not being content with
Speaker 17: uh you know where I'm at or or how I
Speaker 17: feel internally about what's going on.
Speaker 7: So she gotta keep pushing.
Speaker 12: How do you know?
Speaker 1: That's a job on a number of those guys this year,
Speaker 1: including UH on Sunday. I mean, I obviously, who's do
Speaker 1: you take pride in those? Do you not?
Speaker 7: Really?
Speaker 17: I wish it the numbers went to the to the stats,
Speaker 17: but they don't. So yeah, I mean it's good for us.
Speaker 17: We keep it moving, keep the chains going and get
Speaker 17: a new set of downs and then.
Speaker 7: Uh go from earth.
Speaker 16: Why do you think you're getting held so much?
Speaker 1: And what do you do about it?
Speaker 7: Love it?
Speaker 17: Man, Just get over and catch the ball. That's all
Speaker 17: I can do, and just do a better job at that.
Speaker 8: Do you feel like you're getting close though, to coming
Speaker 8: having that breakout?
Speaker 7: We are? So.
Speaker 17: Uh, it was very hard early in the season with
Speaker 17: you know, what I had going on, just kind of unexpectedly,
Speaker 17: and it just was very hard to have that initial burst,
Speaker 17: you know. And this is a national football league. Everybody's good,
Speaker 17: everybody's skilled, everybody's there's.
Speaker 7: A reason they're here.
Speaker 17: And when you go out there and you don't feel
Speaker 17: like you're you know, a hundred, it's very hard, you know,
Speaker 17: with with the things that are going on, Uh, just
Speaker 17: to be who I know I am.
Speaker 7: So it feels good to just be able to consistently,
Speaker 7: you know, over time it gets better and better and better.
Speaker 7: And again it's a long season, you know, it's what
Speaker 7: nine games left?
Speaker 17: Uh god willing you know ten uh at least, so, uh,
Speaker 17: you just gotta prepare for that.
Speaker 7: How do you feel healthwise to that pass? How do
Speaker 7: you feel like your body is held out.
Speaker 15: Uh.
Speaker 17: I mean, like like I said, early in the season,
Speaker 17: it was tough. Uh with what I had going on.
Speaker 17: You just kind of gotta push through and uh, you know,
Speaker 17: find ways for us to all work together.
Speaker 7: And you know, you need a day here, you need
Speaker 7: a day there. Then that's what it is. You know,
Speaker 7: we're we're here to play on Sundays. You just gotta
Speaker 7: do your best reward for that.
Speaker 17: So definitely feeling better, definitely, you know, I I think
Speaker 17: people tend to forget, you know, a new coordinator comes in,
Speaker 17: the new offense, new players, everything is you know, all
Speaker 17: new teams usually around this time of the year, start
Speaker 17: to really know exactly.
Speaker 7: Who they are. They find their groove, they find the
Speaker 7: players that.
Speaker 17: Work for them, they find out what they're gonna use
Speaker 17: going forward into the big games. What is it that
Speaker 17: you know, it's kind of like trialing error early on
Speaker 17: in the season, and it's been a great trialing error
Speaker 17: for us, you know, And I still think that, I
Speaker 17: still think that there's only been a few games for
Speaker 17: we really put it all together. Other than that, just
Speaker 17: just been finding ways to win, being a resilient team,
Speaker 17: next man stepping up, and uh, I it's just a
Speaker 17: big testament to this team that.
Speaker 16: Up you think that all is it a difficult considering
Speaker 16: you know, you had the year away, you came, you
Speaker 16: had a great training camp, everything was really great, and
Speaker 16: then for it to not you know, get the the
Speaker 16: initial results a n great away that that's another been
Speaker 16: another hurdle, that's been tough.
Speaker 17: Uh. I mean yea, if you want me to answer honestly,
Speaker 17: of course, like you you you wanna come here and
Speaker 17: jump off the bat. You know, you feel like you've
Speaker 17: worked hard, you said out a long time. But again,
Speaker 17: I don't think many of us are sitting around in
Speaker 17: our lives and expected to be exactly where we're at
Speaker 17: and things to go exactly how they went. And you know,
Speaker 17: it's just it's a matter of understanding life is life,
Speaker 17: and it's gonna continue to do that. It doesn't stop,
Speaker 17: it's gonna keep rolling. It's like surfing. You know, some
Speaker 17: waves you crash, some waves you ride all the way in.
Speaker 17: You just gotta get back up on the board. Continue
Speaker 17: to do that, stay resilient, and and that's really that.
Speaker 17: You know, Other than that, you can only control you know,
Speaker 17: your emotion's energy. You know, you can't control what what
Speaker 17: God has played for you. He's he's bigger than all
Speaker 17: of us. So just gotta stay in the light six
Speaker 17: and two, like you know, at the top of the league.
Speaker 17: And this is a team in here that's like I
Speaker 17: said earlier, I feel like we haven't put it all
Speaker 17: together and lost two games that we feel like we
Speaker 17: shouldn't have lost and it would be eight and oh.
Speaker 17: And I still don't know if everyone in here would
Speaker 17: be content with what we have going on. So that's
Speaker 17: a great characteristic of this team that we have. You know,
Speaker 17: nobody's content or happy with you know, where we're at,
Speaker 17: like we're always searching for more. And that's you know,
Speaker 17: that's a big quality.
Speaker 18: Get at what ye'll just in terms of the the
Speaker 18: process of communication and chemistry with Lamar, where do you
Speaker 18: feel like you're at with that? Is that still one
Speaker 18: of those work in progress things or is it you know,
Speaker 18: where where do you kind of feel like you're at?
Speaker 17: I guess I mean again, it's just if I mean,
Speaker 17: I can count on two hands how many people in
Speaker 17: this locker room you need to get the ball.
Speaker 7: One of them needs to get to his locker right now.
Speaker 17: There's there's a lot of guys like, you know, there's
Speaker 17: only one football.
Speaker 7: There's seven eight.
Speaker 17: Guys that are that are looking to get it, and
Speaker 17: we're all hungry and we're all you know, happy.
Speaker 7: For each other when the next man gives it.
Speaker 17: So it's just all the processes again, like I said,
Speaker 17: you're trying to figure out exactly what stuff's gonna work
Speaker 17: for you going forward. You know, like I said, I
Speaker 17: didn't sign your thinking that I was gonna be a
Speaker 17: you know it clips in two thousand yards and or
Speaker 17: having a thousand yards in week eight.
Speaker 7: I think there's only one that you will to receive
Speaker 7: what you do. So it's just it's just.
Speaker 17: About finding ways to win at this point, honestly, you know,
Speaker 17: trying to get rings on your finger like that's that's
Speaker 17: that's a lot of fun, I can tell you that much.
Speaker 7: So that's the goal.
Speaker 1: That was wide receiver Odell Beckham Junior. You're listening to
Speaker 1: the Ravens Press Pass podcast. Also make sure you're head
Speaker 1: over to the Lounge podcast feed. We sat down with
Speaker 1: tight end Mark Andrews. Really interesting interview with him talking
Speaker 1: about his success and his mindset, his approach, how he
Speaker 1: looks at the game. Just really interesting stuff from Mark
Speaker 1: so go ahead over to the Lounge podcast feed and
Speaker 1: check that out. You can also watch that video interview
Speaker 1: as well on our YouTube channel. Make sure you leave
Speaker 1: a rating in a review here on this feed and
Speaker 1: the Lounge feed as well, and hit that subscribe button
Speaker 1: if you haven't done so already. Thanks for listening. We'll
Speaker 1: talk with you again tomorrow