Speaker 1: Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass Podcast. Today was day
Speaker 1: three of organized team activities here at the under Armour
Speaker 1: Performance Center, and after today's practice, we heard from the
Speaker 1: Ravens coordinators Todd Monkin, Zach Orr, and Chris Horton. First up,
Speaker 1: we'll start things off with offensive coordinator Todd Monkin.
Speaker 2: All right, I think it.
Speaker 3: Was no I went last year.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I've been on a lot a lot of times
Speaker 4: and donated, but I've never I haven't been there.
Speaker 3: You know, I'm certainly willing to donate. That's this year.
Speaker 4: Luckily didn't donate, so it felt a lot better. I
Speaker 4: don't know what it is about winning. It's some about
Speaker 4: winning makes everything feel better.
Speaker 3: All we got.
Speaker 5: Just here too.
Speaker 2: You know, we talked a little bit about what are
Speaker 2: some of the scheme changes that you want to make
Speaker 2: and how you want to see offense to evolve up.
Speaker 3: Well, I think we want to streamline.
Speaker 4: We want to make it better for all of our players,
Speaker 4: Lamar especially, and streamline it in a way that we
Speaker 4: become a more consistent offense. And everybody's striving for that.
Speaker 4: And I thought there was a lot of really good
Speaker 4: things we did last year, but we can certainly strive
Speaker 4: to be more consistent. Certainly start faster. We've got to
Speaker 4: work to start fast. I think that that's inevitable. But
Speaker 4: year two we should be able to do that.
Speaker 5: It's the first time we've had a chance to talk
Speaker 5: to you since the PFC Championship game.
Speaker 6: When you look back at that game, do you have.
Speaker 7: Any regrets about the way you guys went offensively?
Speaker 4: You know, obviously, I mean I try not to look back.
Speaker 4: I appreciate that, but it is what it is. We
Speaker 4: didn't play well enough, didn't coach well enough, didn't execute
Speaker 4: at a high level.
Speaker 3: And that starts with me. I mean, that's the way
Speaker 3: it goes.
Speaker 4: I mean, certainly we could have run the ball better,
Speaker 4: could execute it better, not turn the ball over.
Speaker 3: But that's what you do.
Speaker 4: The only way you look back is to learn and
Speaker 4: get better. What didn't we do well? What was the
Speaker 4: plan we initially went in with? Was it execution or
Speaker 4: did we not stick with the plan? That's part of it,
Speaker 4: Just like it would have been, just like it was
Speaker 4: the week before, just like it was the week before.
Speaker 4: That just happened to be then, And it's disappointed, But
Speaker 4: it's on to twenty twenty four to linger.
Speaker 7: On this a moment.
Speaker 6: But I think John said at the time that you know,
Speaker 6: a lot of folks looked at the rush attempts in
Speaker 6: the second half. I think there were six, and John said,
Speaker 6: somewhat dictated by the terms of the game. Is that
Speaker 6: is that kind of what you see looking back on.
Speaker 3: It, somewhat.
Speaker 4: I mean, if you said, well, the rushing attempts were
Speaker 4: by the backs, it wasn't just complete. I mean, say,
Speaker 4: Flowers had a couple and Lamar did. So I'm not
Speaker 4: trying to justify it, I promise you that I'm not.
Speaker 4: I'm just saying in general, we needed to run the
Speaker 4: ball better and we didn't. I mean that's a fact.
Speaker 4: I mean we didn't. You can't control the game if
Speaker 4: you can't run the football and then not execute at
Speaker 4: a high level when it presents itself. And there were
Speaker 4: moments in the game we did but not enough. And
Speaker 4: you know, in second half needed to run the ball better.
Speaker 4: But you know we did give ourselves an opportunity in
Speaker 4: the second half. That's looking at it that I don't
Speaker 4: regret because we did give ourselves a chance in the
Speaker 4: second half. We got down in the red zone, we
Speaker 4: did move it. But we got to run the ball better,
Speaker 4: we got to tack him the way we you know,
Speaker 4: plan to attack him, and I gotta do a better job.
Speaker 3: That's the way it is.
Speaker 4: I mean, that's what I'm paid to do, and that
Speaker 4: is do it against the best, you know, when it counts.
Speaker 4: That's that's it. No, it's okay.
Speaker 6: Just how does Derek Henry shift the equation for you?
Speaker 6: Is there something you look more at in your offense?
Speaker 4: I don't see it that way. I just see another
Speaker 4: good football player. I mean, Gus had a tremendous year
Speaker 4: for us, I mean in terms of yards, touchdowns, and
Speaker 4: we expect the same from Derek. You know, he's a
Speaker 4: tremendous football player. He's been great. He's been here a
Speaker 4: whole off season and doesn't really change anything per se
Speaker 4: because to me, he's a really versatile player. I mean
Speaker 4: not only running the ball, but get him the ball
Speaker 4: in space and throwing him the ball and getting him
Speaker 4: out on the perimeter and see if some of your
Speaker 4: defensive backs can tackle him. So that's why we're doing
Speaker 4: this now, that's why we're here out, you know, to
Speaker 4: work through that and see what we have, cause no
Speaker 4: one here has worked with him, So now we're just
Speaker 4: seeing what that is and giving him those opportunities.
Speaker 8: Thought, I know you're saying you don't think you have
Speaker 8: to change a lot, But Derek, do you in terms
Speaker 8: of formation wise, do you expect to maybe be more
Speaker 8: A lot of till it's been how he's been a
Speaker 8: lot in the A lot of a under center formation.
Speaker 8: Do you expect to do that.
Speaker 3: A lot more? I mean, we'll see.
Speaker 4: I mean it's uh, we were under centered some this
Speaker 4: year and we weren't gun some and I expect to
Speaker 4: be the same, I mean both depending on where we
Speaker 4: go from here. Do I think that's what they did? Yes,
Speaker 4: but we're not them, if that makes sense?
Speaker 3: Like, uh, with.
Speaker 4: Having Lamar, is that always advantageous to us to be
Speaker 4: inner center?
Speaker 3: Probably?
Speaker 9: Not?
Speaker 3: You know, is there something to that? Yes?
Speaker 4: So we'll we'll try to find do the best we
Speaker 4: can to balance the two, cause you're right, there is
Speaker 4: a lot of good looks at him playing at the dot,
Speaker 4: you know, under center.
Speaker 9: Fading out. Eric and John are very excited about getting
Speaker 9: test Walker. What are your early depressions of him.
Speaker 3: What are your hoops at him?
Speaker 9: What do you think from what you've.
Speaker 3: Seen of this quick learner. Okay, let's start with that.
Speaker 4: So that's impressive, you know, to show up and be
Speaker 4: able to play multiple spots and it's not just knowing
Speaker 4: your assignment. But I think he's done a great job
Speaker 4: of executing a technique that makes sense.
Speaker 3: Because there's nuances with routes.
Speaker 4: It's not just a drawing, there's other nuances with coverage
Speaker 4: and adjustments these. That was something I wasn't expecting. So
Speaker 4: that was what I'm excited about. And obviously his speed
Speaker 4: shows up in his length, so that's been exciting and
Speaker 4: I would just continue to work with him, and that's
Speaker 4: what you do with your young players.
Speaker 3: And this is a great time to develop.
Speaker 4: And that's what you love about this time of year
Speaker 4: is because once you get after a couple of weeks,
Speaker 4: even in the preseason, it's it's go time.
Speaker 3: Now it's who plays.
Speaker 4: But at this point, how do we develop them our
Speaker 4: skills and then how do we drill it to get
Speaker 4: the most out of our players and create the best
Speaker 4: version of them?
Speaker 8: Do you think as a go ahead at the end
Speaker 8: of the season, John Harbron talk about you guys have
Speaker 8: went back to the John for trying to you know,
Speaker 8: continue to advance this office. How much of this offseason
Speaker 8: was put into the trying to get them the most
Speaker 8: out of Isaiah Likely.
Speaker 4: And Mark and Well, everything was going back to the
Speaker 4: drawing board to say who we want to be moving
Speaker 4: forward offensively, and that is what you do every year,
Speaker 4: but even more importantly after your first year, because there's
Speaker 4: always things you look back and go, all right, we
Speaker 4: put that in and now that we look at it,
Speaker 4: hey let's go this direction, let's do this, let's move
Speaker 4: in these certain directions we want to go. But certainly,
Speaker 4: you know, with the way Isaiah Likely came on and
Speaker 4: having Mark Patricard, the white outs we have, we do
Speaker 4: have tremendous skills. So it's how do we utilize each
Speaker 4: player in their elite skill set? What is that? How
Speaker 4: can we utilize that? So that has been a big
Speaker 4: part of the off season with those guys and how
Speaker 4: do we get him when and how on the field.
Speaker 4: That allows us to be very consistent on offense and
Speaker 4: score touchdowns.
Speaker 3: I mean, that's it.
Speaker 9: Really.
Speaker 5: Do you feel like you guys as a whole need
Speaker 5: do a better job getting our shot made more involved?
Speaker 10: Oh?
Speaker 7: For sure.
Speaker 4: You know last year was interesting in the fact that,
Speaker 4: you know, we had Odell and at the beginning, you know,
Speaker 4: bait Ha missed off season, then he missed some of
Speaker 4: fall camp, so is he going to be healthy? So
Speaker 4: put O'Dell at X, you know, and then beginning of
Speaker 4: their Bateman gets kind of banged up.
Speaker 3: A little bit, so does Odell. So here you are
Speaker 3: beginning of the year, but you're already in the season.
Speaker 4: So now we certainly could have done a better job
Speaker 4: of moving them around, for sure. But as the year
Speaker 4: went on, I mean, our shot really came on and
Speaker 4: I've seen tremendous growth. But again growth is just because
Speaker 4: he didn't have an off season last year. In my mind,
Speaker 4: I didn't see that, but I expect a tremendous year
Speaker 4: on it, and we certainly could have found a way
Speaker 4: to give him the ball more. But you know that
Speaker 4: that's a good thing because last year we did have Mark,
Speaker 4: then we had Zay Likely, then we've got Jay Flowers
Speaker 4: and then you've got Odell and after a while and
Speaker 4: then you're winning games. So you're running the ball. So
Speaker 4: why does Gus Edwards have all those touchdowns? What are
Speaker 4: the rushing yards? We're winning games and that's part of it.
Speaker 4: So when that happens and you have a lot of
Speaker 4: skill players, it's gonna come that way, like why an
Speaker 4: Hegymore touches well because he touched it, and why do
Speaker 4: well Justice did.
Speaker 3: So that's a good problem to have, it really is.
Speaker 4: Or Lamar took off and ran, you know, all those
Speaker 4: things that are that were lucky to have, and we
Speaker 4: continue to have great skill players.
Speaker 6: There was a lot of experience up front from last year.
Speaker 6: And I know you guys rotated in Daniel and Ben
Speaker 6: a lot last year and obviously had some injuries to
Speaker 6: some of the guys who've left. But what do you
Speaker 6: kind of feel like is the biggest gap that you'll
Speaker 6: you'll need to cover from the guys you lost from
Speaker 6: last year and how well that that line play last year.
Speaker 4: Well, you're right, we did rotate those guys, which was
Speaker 4: invaluable experience, you know, because you have game tape, not
Speaker 4: just preseason tape, but against frontline starters of how they played,
Speaker 4: and it's easy to show them on tape where they
Speaker 4: need to improve.
Speaker 3: Where that is. It's not third quarter of the first
Speaker 3: preseason game.
Speaker 4: It's against the best in the world, and so you
Speaker 4: do have some tape to go back and look, and
Speaker 4: again we're in the development business. That's why you draft players,
Speaker 4: That's why they keep coming up and developing. You know,
Speaker 4: when you look at the left guard situation here, we
Speaker 4: end up with I think his name is Powers, who
Speaker 4: is here and developed and he went on and then
Speaker 4: you get John Simpson and you develop him and then
Speaker 4: you feel good enough that they went on to make
Speaker 4: money somewhere else because you developed them. So that's what
Speaker 4: we're in the development business right now with Ben, you know,
Speaker 4: and you've got some of the young guys that we
Speaker 4: drafted a year ago, you know, like big solid Maurice,
Speaker 4: and you've got you know, Daniel. All those guys are
Speaker 4: getting in valuable reps now and obviously once we put
Speaker 4: the pads on for them where it'll really be critical.
Speaker 3: Right we put the pads on, we get a chance.
Speaker 4: To play in the preseason, and then you have then
Speaker 4: you can assess, hey, you know, as they keep developing,
Speaker 4: what are their strengths, what do we need to continue
Speaker 4: to work on. And they're doing a great job now
Speaker 4: and I expect them to play a really high level,
Speaker 4: I really do.
Speaker 11: Are you looking just to follow up on that a
Speaker 11: little bit, are you looking for maybe more a little
Speaker 11: more athletic of an offensive line. Of me, you always
Speaker 11: want physicality, you want to run football, but you know,
Speaker 11: with more zone, maybe you know the natural progression from
Speaker 11: what these guys did a couple of years ago offensively
Speaker 11: to where you are now.
Speaker 3: Oh, I don't know.
Speaker 4: I mean, it's so hard to say that because everybody's
Speaker 4: looking for the same guys, right, big, smart, physical, athletic
Speaker 4: like okay, and then at that point when you're drafting,
Speaker 4: it's like, well, let's just take the best player. Like
Speaker 4: it's football. If we have to run more gap schemes,
Speaker 4: we run gaps, run outsides on inside zone. Hey, it's
Speaker 4: like tight end, like all right, if we don't have
Speaker 4: this guy, we have that guy. Let's try to fit
Speaker 4: the pieces where they may. But certainly, would you like
Speaker 4: to have athletic climban for sure. But when you have
Speaker 4: like Ben and you have like Daniel, have some bigger guys,
Speaker 4: well then we might have to run more power, we
Speaker 4: might have to be more gap schemes and then play
Speaker 4: to whoever.
Speaker 3: Our strengths are the players that we have.
Speaker 5: With Derek Henry, I mean when he's helping, he's a
Speaker 5: guy that gets pretty much batt three hundred cars per season.
Speaker 5: With him getting it in that age at three year,
Speaker 5: do you think you have to manage his work load
Speaker 5: or do you kind of expect him to take a
Speaker 5: jusual for a.
Speaker 4: Way to prove well, I know this, If he carries
Speaker 4: it three hundred times, we're having a hell of a year.
Speaker 3: I can tell you that.
Speaker 4: It means we're running in a lot, right, It means
Speaker 4: that's that's we're up in games.
Speaker 3: Right. We want him to finish.
Speaker 4: We want him to be the closer right first and foremost,
Speaker 4: like every player, we want him to make it through
Speaker 4: the season.
Speaker 3: It's a long season. Seventeen games.
Speaker 4: You know, you've got a buye weekend there and you know,
Speaker 4: and then you go from there. So we'll we'll see
Speaker 4: how that goes. I mean, he's been so durable. But
Speaker 4: I thought we did a good job last year of
Speaker 4: rotating the backs. I mean, Gus was powerful, but we
Speaker 4: split the reps. Now we had Keaton hu k mo
Speaker 4: On and we had justice in those guys. But I
Speaker 4: still anticipate the same of you know, using all of
Speaker 4: our backs, try to put him in the best position
Speaker 4: to be successful.
Speaker 1: Last one, Tom yesterday Lamar he was to talk to.
Speaker 5: He said he lost way.
Speaker 8: To be more than agile.
Speaker 1: Have you seen that agility?
Speaker 5: Seeing any differences in his movement?
Speaker 8: And how do you think that how can go hist.
Speaker 4: Well, I can't comment maybe to where he was a
Speaker 4: few years ago and compared to last year. But I
Speaker 4: always thought he was agile. I always thought he was
Speaker 4: fast and hard to bring down. So does he look great? Yes,
Speaker 4: he looks great. You know, has he worked hard? I
Speaker 4: assumed that he worked hard to get that. I'm sure
Speaker 4: he didn't go on a hunger strike to lose the
Speaker 4: twenty pounds, so he's probably worked hard at it, you know,
Speaker 4: to get to that point. So I'm excited, you know,
Speaker 4: for him. He's motivated. He looks great. We're all motivated.
Speaker 3: You know. It is what it is.
Speaker 4: I mean, it's it was disappointing, but it's on the
Speaker 4: twenty twenty four, and you know, I'm jacked. I'm fired
Speaker 4: up for where we're headed. We've had a great off
Speaker 4: season and every day we get to come out here
Speaker 4: with them.
Speaker 3: Guys. Man, it's it's awesome.
Speaker 1: You're listening to Ravens Press Past podcast. You just heard
Speaker 1: from O. C. Todd Monkin and next up we have
Speaker 1: new defensive coordinator, Zach Orr.
Speaker 7: How's it going. How y'all doing alrighty man?
Speaker 9: Good players walking by us? How does it feel to
Speaker 9: be the one speaking?
Speaker 7: That's pretty crazy? It's pretty crazy.
Speaker 12: I mean I used to always, you know, just like
Speaker 12: you said, as a player, walk through, go to the
Speaker 12: locker room, exiting the practice fields, and now you know,
Speaker 12: being up here talking to you guys, you know more frequently,
Speaker 12: it's it's gonna be fun.
Speaker 7: So I gotta know you're focused on it.
Speaker 11: Exciting to see the incoming name to Dallas.
Speaker 7: As for schedule, that didn't dur oh Man, Yeah, it
Speaker 7: was exciting. It was exciting. I mean, just just for
Speaker 7: opportunity for I got a lot of.
Speaker 12: Family and friends who are big Baltimore Ravens fans for
Speaker 12: the last what ten eleven years, So just an opportunity
Speaker 12: for those guys to come to the game and get
Speaker 12: a chance to go back home and see them. I
Speaker 12: don't get a chance to see a lot of family
Speaker 12: a lot, especially during the season. So uh, y'alls are
Speaker 12: definitely excited that it is gonna happen.
Speaker 7: A little early.
Speaker 4: Talking about how a different relationship with your position coaching, y'alls,
Speaker 4: it helps you think it's a coordinatorship.
Speaker 3: See much transition to coaching this guy.
Speaker 12: Uh, it definitely helps, man. I think I think just
Speaker 12: the coaching culture that we have here. Man, like every
Speaker 12: coach coaches everybody. Now obviously when you position coach, you
Speaker 12: focus on your guys, but I mean we're a family here,
Speaker 12: so I've always as a linebacker coach.
Speaker 7: I know the D line, the the safeties, the corners, Uh,
Speaker 7: the offensive guys.
Speaker 12: We all got a great relationship. We move on one accord.
Speaker 12: So that's definitely easier. Once you have that relationship, they
Speaker 12: know what type of man you are, what type of
Speaker 12: coach you are, it's easier for that transition to happen.
Speaker 8: You'll look at the defense and just even terms of
Speaker 8: the scheme or even term of knowledge. And when you
Speaker 8: have so many guys lead and some of these guys
Speaker 8: staying in the division coaches have gone to teams that
Speaker 8: you guys may have on your schedule. How much do
Speaker 8: you feel like you have to change and how much
Speaker 8: can you can you keep this seeing?
Speaker 7: Man, I don't think you have to change the language
Speaker 7: much at all.
Speaker 12: I mean, like I said, we've been building this system
Speaker 12: for a long long time.
Speaker 7: I mean since two thousand eighteen.
Speaker 12: And the people that that are that we're here, that
Speaker 12: are are at other places, they'll tell they'll tell you
Speaker 12: it's like the the game plan gonna change week to week.
Speaker 12: So based off what you do is basically how we're
Speaker 12: gonna play you. So I don't really think that's a
Speaker 12: advantage or something something that we think about a lot.
Speaker 7: We just gonna do what we do and uh play
Speaker 7: how we play?
Speaker 2: Is that with the play calling? How how comfortable do
Speaker 2: you feel a few practices in now call and plays
Speaker 2: and and how did you practice before practices started.
Speaker 13: At cong plays?
Speaker 12: Uh, it's it's it's a it taking the day by day,
Speaker 12: you definitely get more comfortable.
Speaker 7: I think coach does a great job. Coach Harbor does
Speaker 7: a great job.
Speaker 12: Of putting us in these game like situations, even as
Speaker 12: play callers and as coaches. I mean we always d
Speaker 12: do move the ball, we do st uh call it
Speaker 12: periods where there is no script. You have to call
Speaker 12: it and you have to think on the fly and
Speaker 12: use your your play calling sheet and uh just how
Speaker 12: I prepare, Man, just go back and when I'm watching,
Speaker 12: when I'm watching the film or watching games from last year,
Speaker 12: just looking how I would call it, looking at the situation,
Speaker 12: trying to put myself in those shoes, and then just
Speaker 12: before practice, just reviewing my play call sheet and just
Speaker 12: trying to play out scenarios in my head that could
Speaker 12: possibly come up.
Speaker 6: Do you remember as a player, if you ever got
Speaker 6: a play call from your coordinator and you're like, man,
Speaker 6: I wish I could well play right now.
Speaker 7: Definitely.
Speaker 12: I mean, when you're a player, you think that you
Speaker 12: know a lot of times, you think you got all
Speaker 12: the answers.
Speaker 7: You're like, man, we could do this, we could do that.
Speaker 7: But when you when you step back and you.
Speaker 12: Become a coach and you become a play caller, you
Speaker 12: kind of see the bigger picture of things. You're not
Speaker 12: just thinking about just your one particular area or position
Speaker 12: that you're playing. You take a step back and think
Speaker 12: about the whole game.
Speaker 6: Kyle Hamilton, he was the first team All Pro year ago.
Speaker 5: He did so many things.
Speaker 10: What is his next step? Do you have him do more?
Speaker 7: Do you have him more deep this year?
Speaker 10: How do you deploy him?
Speaker 7: I mean, man, Kyle Hamilton the ultimate chess piece.
Speaker 9: Man.
Speaker 7: I think he's one of the top players in the league.
Speaker 12: My goal for him is to, you know, one day
Speaker 12: win a defensive MVP here the league.
Speaker 7: I think he's that type.
Speaker 12: Of talent, he has that type of work ethic, he's
Speaker 12: that type of person, and like I said, the thing
Speaker 12: about him being the ultimate chess piece, depending on what
Speaker 12: the offense does, he could play it anywhere.
Speaker 7: He could play safety, deep safety, box safety.
Speaker 12: He could play corner, he could play nickel, he could
Speaker 12: play backer. He can even play outside linebacker two and
Speaker 12: you guys know he could rust the passers. So the
Speaker 12: thing that you appreciate about Kyle Hamilton is is.
Speaker 7: He works at it.
Speaker 12: He's a smart player, so he can handle all the
Speaker 12: different volume that you get him. And I think he's
Speaker 12: eager going into a third year to do more.
Speaker 7: So we'll see with.
Speaker 11: That in mind, identifying a number three or a third
Speaker 11: safety to go with Zach or with Kyle and with
Speaker 11: Marcus Williams that you can deploy Kyle in different ways.
Speaker 11: Is that a priority for you right now in terms
Speaker 11: of your internal options, senor who can maybe emerge to
Speaker 11: replace that Gino Stone role in the very.
Speaker 7: Least, Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 12: I mean, obviously, with Kyle being the ultimate chess piece,
Speaker 12: like the third safety position is important. I feel like
Speaker 12: we've got some great in house candidates that are working their.
Speaker 7: Butts off since day one. Man, So we're excited.
Speaker 12: They had a good first three days of practice and
Speaker 12: so we're excited to see where it goes.
Speaker 7: But yeah, that that that position is important.
Speaker 6: Exactly the first four weeks of schedule we got mahomes Prescott.
Speaker 6: Now on how does that feel, as you know, first
Speaker 6: year coordinator, are you sort of does it just kind
Speaker 6: of like make you alert? How do you feel going
Speaker 6: into that part of the schedule.
Speaker 12: Man, It was funny because coach was talking about this
Speaker 12: the other day and he said, everybody in this league
Speaker 12: is good and if you're not, if you're not prepared
Speaker 12: and you're not doing things the right way, you'll get
Speaker 12: what you'll lose and get your butt kicked.
Speaker 7: By anybody in this league.
Speaker 12: So yeah, you respect that, You respect the guys, well,
Speaker 12: understand respect the team, the quarterbacks, the coordinators that we're
Speaker 12: going to.
Speaker 7: Face as the defense. But we honestly.
Speaker 12: Believe if we prepare the right way, we do, we
Speaker 12: play how we're supposed to play, it's not gonna really matter,
Speaker 12: you know, who we're playing or when we're playing them.
Speaker 2: There's a number of former NFL linebackers who went on
Speaker 2: to the great coaches, right get Ryan Rabel, John Tenny
Speaker 2: of Fears. What is it do you take any inspiration
Speaker 2: and tips and what is.
Speaker 13: It about being a NFL linebackers that helps.
Speaker 2: You g you didn't coach.
Speaker 12: I definitely take uh inspiration from that just playing a position.
Speaker 12: I mean all those guys you named, uh, Demiko Ryans,
Speaker 12: Mike Vrabel, Tonio Pierce, those guys are great players. I
Speaker 12: grew up watching those guys, and I just think the
Speaker 12: linebacker position, you're in the middle of the defense. You
Speaker 12: have to be able to understand what's going on up front,
Speaker 12: understand what's going on behind you, understand what's going on
Speaker 12: beside you, in the run game and in the past game.
Speaker 12: So you have to be you and all those meetings
Speaker 12: they say run game meeting linebackers in there, we say
Speaker 12: past game beating linebackers in there. Okay, protection meeting, blitz
Speaker 12: meeting linebackers in there. So you everywhere you gotta you
Speaker 12: have to have a grasp with the whole.
Speaker 7: Defense and how it fits together. Because you're in the
Speaker 7: middle of it. You have to execute a.
Speaker 12: Lot of jobs, and uh, you also have to get
Speaker 12: everybody lined up, because what people wanna know the call,
Speaker 12: the people wanna know where they're, where they gotta go.
Speaker 12: They gonna look at you just like how they look
Speaker 12: at Rocn Smith.
Speaker 13: Now kind of.
Speaker 9: Going off of that Rocn canon to governership with the
Speaker 9: defense pretty much just to use the came here. Now
Speaker 9: that you're out here with players, how much easier as
Speaker 9: are things that you already have that relationship with them,
Speaker 9: as he has that.
Speaker 7: Connection with the attorney.
Speaker 12: Man, it's good, I mean, being Roll, we built a
Speaker 12: great relationship since he since he got here, we continue
Speaker 12: to build on it.
Speaker 7: I know he knows how role, I know how he rolled.
Speaker 12: We're comfortable talking to each other, sharing ideas, sharing thoughts
Speaker 12: with one another. We respect one another, and so it's
Speaker 12: easier man, for real. And when you have a guy
Speaker 12: like Rokwan Smith in your building, like like everybody has
Speaker 12: preached time and time again, I mean, he's one of
Speaker 12: the best players in the league, one of the best
Speaker 12: humans walking his earth. And then when you have one
Speaker 12: of your best players being one of your best workers,
Speaker 12: I mean, everybody else looks at that and gets inspired,
Speaker 12: not just players, just coaches and everybody in the building.
Speaker 7: So you know, him being him, still being here is
Speaker 7: a blessing for all.
Speaker 2: Of us the last few years on the sideline. You know,
Speaker 2: you're a really animated, passionate coach and just looking at
Speaker 2: you two practices. It's a little bit different when you're
Speaker 2: the coordinator.
Speaker 13: Was that a conscious decision or what?
Speaker 9: Yeah?
Speaker 12: I got I gotta calm myself down a little bit
Speaker 12: because you know, now after the play, I celebrate. Now
Speaker 12: I gotta get ready to get the next call. I
Speaker 12: can't celebrate too hard that like previous years. I'm just
Speaker 12: listening waiting to hear the call. But now everybody's looking
Speaker 12: at me like, what's the call?
Speaker 3: What's the call?
Speaker 7: So I got to have to keep it, you know,
Speaker 7: mild tone. Now.
Speaker 12: I'm still gonna express my excitement when when the time
Speaker 12: is right, but I definitely have to be aware of
Speaker 12: that because things get moving quick and you have to
Speaker 12: be you have to be planning ahead. Or you got
Speaker 12: the call, what's the what's the next call? You're thinking, Okay,
Speaker 12: what's the down? Just what situation? What have you done before?
Speaker 12: What do you what do you want to do next?
Speaker 12: So you definitely have to be more conscious so it
Speaker 12: won't be as much animations on the sideline as as previous.
Speaker 7: But you know, it's it's all good.
Speaker 6: Was like to forget for Wes' that's your introductive presser.
Speaker 8: But do you have an idea where you'll be calm plays.
Speaker 5: During the season.
Speaker 7: H Yeah, I'm gonna be on the sideline, be on
Speaker 7: the sideline.
Speaker 13: Trent Simpson is a player that you know young is
Speaker 13: now stepping in for a big role from one point
Speaker 13: you had to do something similar to that. Just what
Speaker 13: are your first impressions of him and what's it been
Speaker 13: like coaching and working.
Speaker 12: On Man, It's been great, man. Trent been great since
Speaker 12: day one and nothing has changed. Like the thing I
Speaker 12: loved about Trent when he first got here, and we
Speaker 12: kind of knew talking you know to the people at
Speaker 12: Clemson and people close to him through the draft process,
Speaker 12: that this dude's a hard worker, he's competitive, he's gonna
Speaker 12: do whatever he needs to do to get continue to
Speaker 12: get better every single day.
Speaker 7: And he did that. Man, even last year when.
Speaker 12: He knew the situation he was in probably won't gonna
Speaker 12: play a lot, uh.
Speaker 7: Which he didn't. He came in every day, every day
Speaker 7: prepared like a starter. All right.
Speaker 12: So now you look at the situation where he's in
Speaker 12: a role now where he got a chance to compete
Speaker 12: for the starting job. Man, he's even working even harder,
Speaker 12: which is which is crazy because he was already going
Speaker 12: one hundred percent. So I've been really impressed with him.
Speaker 12: He's looked good these first three days. He's been here
Speaker 12: the whole offseason program. You know, you could tell you
Speaker 12: could see the difference in him. Guys like him, Tavius Robinson,
Speaker 12: Malie Ham, all these second year players that you know
Speaker 12: from their rookie year. They they starting to take that jump,
Speaker 12: which is exciting to see as a coach.
Speaker 5: Whether it's guys you've played with, guys you played under,
Speaker 5: or guys.
Speaker 7: You coached with him.
Speaker 5: You've reached out to any of your former defensive coordinators
Speaker 5: to pick their brain a little bit about kind of
Speaker 5: making the jump and play calling and and just kind
Speaker 5: of how they break down their week.
Speaker 3: And all that.
Speaker 7: Not n not necessarily.
Speaker 12: I mean, we've had those conversations before. Honestly, we haven't
Speaker 12: really had much time really just sit down. Now, some
Speaker 12: of the casual conversations have happened maybe at like the combine,
Speaker 12: but not nothing too in depth.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 12: Like I said, I think the good thing about it
Speaker 12: is is just relationship that we've had that I've had
Speaker 12: with obviously Mike McDonald uh wink when he was here
Speaker 12: when I was working, and even DMPs I got a
Speaker 12: inside look or see like how they broke the game
Speaker 12: down all in all in their own different way, you know,
Speaker 12: how they saw the game, how they thought about calling
Speaker 12: it an and and the how they broke down their
Speaker 12: call sheet. So just took those nuggets from those guys
Speaker 12: and try to mix it in with with my thoughts,
Speaker 12: Cause what's been.
Speaker 8: Your observations of made now that you had an opportunity.
Speaker 2: To work with him a little bit.
Speaker 12: Man, I'm excited about Nate man. Nate's Nate's a hard worker.
Speaker 12: He's great in the classroom. He's a real smart football player.
Speaker 12: And then the athletic ability speaks for itself. Like obviously
Speaker 12: he's still young, he still got a lot to learn
Speaker 12: and a lot to work on. But if he continues
Speaker 12: to work hard like how he's working in the classroom
Speaker 12: around the field, I'm really excited about what he's gonna.
Speaker 7: Be able to do for us this year.
Speaker 1: That was defensive coordinator Zach Orr after today's third OTA practice.
Speaker 1: Last up today we have Special Teams coordinator Chris Horton.
Speaker 10: Good to see you guys today.
Speaker 14: Man, I'll tell you what, Man, it's exciting being back
Speaker 14: up here. We've had three really good days of OTAs
Speaker 14: with our with our veteran guys and our young guys,
Speaker 14: and really, guys, we're just getting back into the swing
Speaker 14: of this thing.
Speaker 10: We're just you know, we're we're figuring out some new things.
Speaker 14: Obviously with the kickoff and kickoff return, and then we're
Speaker 14: trying to really just evaluate our players, uh, the rookies
Speaker 14: and then our veteran guys. I use this time as
Speaker 14: a lot of just skills and drills, uh, to set
Speaker 14: the foundation for when we move further down the line.
Speaker 10: Can do a couple more things.
Speaker 5: Questions, do you have to do more reps with kickoffs
Speaker 5: and stuff and you normally do in a uh practice,
Speaker 5: Just kind of get used to it because it's a
Speaker 5: new play.
Speaker 10: Uh yeah.
Speaker 14: I think the the way the play is set up, honestly,
Speaker 14: when they when they designed it, they've taken out a
Speaker 14: lot of the running right from from from the thirty
Speaker 14: five yard line. So it honestly allows you to get
Speaker 14: more reps. Uh, and then you get an idea of
Speaker 14: kind of what the play, what the play looks like.
Speaker 14: I mean, you're really excellent guys to run anywhere from
Speaker 14: twenty to twenty five yards, you know, before they actually
Speaker 14: make contact with a returner. So those are some things
Speaker 14: that we're still we're still figuring out and you guys
Speaker 14: know us and then we're gonna we're gonna practice fast,
Speaker 14: and the more reps we can get of the play,
Speaker 14: the more understanding we get of you know, how we're
Speaker 14: gonna build this thing and kind of how we're gonna
Speaker 14: put it together.
Speaker 5: Is it kind of a game changer?
Speaker 2: I mean, do you do you in a way start
Speaker 2: from scratch and devising how you wanna.
Speaker 7: To play it?
Speaker 9: It? It?
Speaker 10: It really is.
Speaker 14: You know, it's a it's a it's something new to
Speaker 14: our league and uh, and I talked to the players
Speaker 14: about this, is we're gonna build this thing together because
Speaker 14: we don't we don't really know what it's gonna look like.
Speaker 10: We've seen video from the XFL and we understand what
Speaker 10: that looks like, but.
Speaker 14: We actually gotta get out here and we gotta practice
Speaker 14: it ourselves to kind of see what those angles look
Speaker 14: like and see what we can run and what we
Speaker 14: can't run. So as we go through it, man, this
Speaker 14: off season, we're gonna be putting stuff in, We're gonna
Speaker 14: be taking stuff out, and then and then when it's
Speaker 14: all said and done, it's put together. I do believe
Speaker 14: it's gonna be an exciting play and hopefully we're on
Speaker 14: then we're on the exciting end of it having a
Speaker 14: lot of success.
Speaker 6: Do you see the similarities to it being like a
Speaker 6: one play in ways?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 9: I do.
Speaker 10: I see the I could see that.
Speaker 14: You know, it is a lot of close quarters, uh
Speaker 14: combat type type things.
Speaker 10: But I think all in all the play is.
Speaker 14: Set up, it's still gonna be a you know, it's
Speaker 14: still gonna be a physical play. It's still gonna be
Speaker 14: a guy whooping the guy's butt across from him right
Speaker 14: and getting to the football. So I do see that
Speaker 14: being able. You know, like, are we hitting more downhill?
Speaker 14: You know, honestly, we don't. We don't know yet, but
Speaker 14: we're gonna practice a lot of different things this offseason
Speaker 14: and into training camp.
Speaker 6: Oh, I was gonna say, it sounds like you're still experimenting.
Speaker 6: But based on the film you've seen, is there sort
Speaker 6: of a standard school of thought for for how this
Speaker 6: play should operate or is it still very in an
Speaker 6: experimental stage where nobody has a best practice.
Speaker 14: I think it's I think it's still kind of a
Speaker 14: kind of an experiment because you know, you really, you
Speaker 14: really don't know what you're getting until you get out
Speaker 14: there and you actually you put the guys in those situations. Right,
Speaker 14: Yesterday was the first time we're able to get eleven
Speaker 14: on eleven just because of the way the rules are
Speaker 14: set up, right, so we could work all the drills
Speaker 14: in the football schools and the kickoff coverage drills, But
Speaker 14: until you can get eleven guys out there against eleven
Speaker 14: on eleven and really see and fill the play and
Speaker 14: being out there, and then you ask the players, right, uh,
Speaker 14: how do how do you feel?
Speaker 10: How does that feel? If we want you to do this?
Speaker 10: Can you do that? And they're like, ah, coach, well,
Speaker 10: then we keep working those things.
Speaker 9: Good new kickoff rules.
Speaker 8: I know.
Speaker 6: Jump.
Speaker 9: We'll ask a ton of questions, what was what were
Speaker 9: the conversations like during that time between you two and
Speaker 9: how much has you been jumping in.
Speaker 8: Now that you guys are work shopping stuff.
Speaker 14: Uh, you know, I th I think the the conversations
Speaker 14: once we once we realized this thing was it was
Speaker 14: gonna it was gonna happen. And I and I think
Speaker 14: as the as the year went on last year, uh,
Speaker 14: it was more. Man, it was like, we need to
Speaker 14: make this play exciting again. And uh and and there's
Speaker 14: there's ways of just looking at how this play is
Speaker 14: gonna uh evolve. There's ways that make the play exciting
Speaker 14: and get the r the ball in your returner's hands
Speaker 14: and let those guys work. But you know, our conversations
Speaker 14: were we gotta we just gotta adjust, and we gotta
Speaker 14: adapt to whatever the standards are and whatever the rules
Speaker 14: are gonna be. Because uh or now I know our
Speaker 14: guys are feel pretty good about Man, we get the
Speaker 14: cover kicks, we get to return the ball again.
Speaker 10: Those are some things that were lost over the last
Speaker 10: couple of years.
Speaker 5: Chris, We've do you feel like it's more might be
Speaker 5: more conducive covering kicks for linebackers or dbs like smaller DB's.
Speaker 5: It's a different body type. You kind of have to
Speaker 5: emphasize now on on on kick coverage.
Speaker 14: Yeah, I think the Jeff, the guys that originally you
Speaker 14: wouldn't probably necessarily put out there because of the long
Speaker 14: speed running. Uh you know that stuff's that stuff's kind
Speaker 14: of dead now, right, It's it's a little bit closer.
Speaker 14: So again we're asking guys to really that's like, when
Speaker 14: you think about it's like almost like a defense and
Speaker 14: offensive play.
Speaker 10: Right. They're in there within five yards apart from each other,
Speaker 10: So I could see us. I could see us using.
Speaker 14: Them more of a lot of our bigger outside linebackers
Speaker 14: on this face, because they're good with hand to hand combat.
Speaker 10: They're physical players.
Speaker 14: So we're gonna again, we're gonna experiment with all these
Speaker 14: different things as we move forward this offseason.
Speaker 6: The wisdom time candidates for that spot that's with return
Speaker 6: experience or.
Speaker 7: Put their recent surprise, guys who.
Speaker 13: Have that open field ability that maybe wouldn't want to associate.
Speaker 14: With that that's by I think we'll see the same
Speaker 14: guys that return in this league. Obviously, it's gonna be
Speaker 14: first and foremost many you guys I talk about all
Speaker 14: the time, like ball security and great decisions. But I
Speaker 14: do think it's gonna be you know, some teams are
Speaker 14: gonna only have. I mean, at the end of the day,
Speaker 14: we're only gonna get where we can get personnel wise.
Speaker 10: Right throughout the league.
Speaker 14: And so whoever that whoever that player is, and how
Speaker 14: we feel about him returning the ball, I think our
Speaker 14: schemes will match that returner skill set, just like we've
Speaker 14: done in the past.
Speaker 10: I can't I could almost guarantee those those guys. You
Speaker 10: know what I'm saying.
Speaker 11: Along those lines, You guys did bring in Hardy Hardy
Speaker 11: this offseason. We haven't seen him this week, but what
Speaker 11: did you like about him and what do you think
Speaker 11: he can bring? Especially no one replacing Dubernet back there.
Speaker 10: You know, I think this guy, man, he's a he's electric.
Speaker 9: Right.
Speaker 14: Uh, he's he's been a he's been a Pro Bowl player,
Speaker 14: he's been an All Pro player. And uh, when he
Speaker 14: was sitting there and his name came up, it's just like,
Speaker 14: oh man, this is like we lost we lost our guy.
Speaker 14: We need a guy to fill this, to fill these shoes,
Speaker 14: a guy with some experience. You'd like to have a
Speaker 14: guy with some experience, so you're not really relying on
Speaker 14: young guys, especially in the punt return game, right, And
Speaker 14: then it just allows us to do a little bit
Speaker 14: more back there.
Speaker 10: I'm excited about him. I know, the coaches are, the players.
Speaker 14: Are you know when I talk to the guy, some
Speaker 14: of the veteran guys like, hey, we got we got
Speaker 14: Hardy coming in and you know those guys.
Speaker 10: The guy from the Saints, the guy should be in
Speaker 10: the Saint cycle.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 14: Man, that's a little returner from the Saints. And so
Speaker 14: he's a he's a well known respective returner in this
Speaker 14: league and we love him.
Speaker 10: Chris.
Speaker 6: I mean, obviously these new rules have given you a
Speaker 6: lot of work to do, but in some ways, does
Speaker 6: it feel just like, man, my job has more value.
Speaker 6: I'm actually scheming how to get yards, not just to
Speaker 6: kneel down out of some of these plays.
Speaker 10: That's it's that's funny. I mean, it's like it's a
Speaker 10: play we get the coach, right, uh.
Speaker 14: I think that, Like we spent a lot of time
Speaker 14: out here on Wednesday's working kickoff return and I'm screaming.
Speaker 10: And then you get in the game and.
Speaker 14: Then the fair catch rules in right, or the the
Speaker 14: bass have kicked in the end zone and there's not
Speaker 14: being returned.
Speaker 10: So you come back in the meeting and you're grade
Speaker 10: in seventh place.
Speaker 14: Four punts and three part returns, and you're just like, man,
Speaker 14: I really want to coach this face.
Speaker 10: So it does give us a little bit more life.
Speaker 14: And I think our players, our players want more football,
Speaker 14: right and our players, our players, I said this last year. Man,
Speaker 14: our players live for covering kicks. And I think we'll
Speaker 14: cover kicks and we'll return kicks and we'll be we'll
Speaker 14: be pretty good at But I am fired up.
Speaker 9: Man.
Speaker 10: I told these guys that I was walking up. If
Speaker 10: you don't adapt, you die. So I love my job.
Speaker 10: I love coaching special teams. So I want to make
Speaker 10: sure we keep this going.
Speaker 13: There's a guy that pulls. Harbaugh and Across said they
Speaker 13: wanted to fly around on special teams with Sinuessa Kine.
Speaker 13: Just what are your first impressions of him?
Speaker 7: What have you seen?
Speaker 3: How good?
Speaker 9: Uh?
Speaker 10: Just a just a young guy right now.
Speaker 14: Uh, you know, just trying to figure out our trying
Speaker 14: to figure out our process.
Speaker 9: Right.
Speaker 14: We do a lot, We demand a lot. The standard
Speaker 14: is high. And uh, he's he's working his way, just
Speaker 14: like just like a lot of these young guys. He's
Speaker 14: drafted players, undrafted players. Man, they're just trying to find
Speaker 14: their role and then uh, they sit down on us
Speaker 14: and we kind of help them identify. Okay, here's where
Speaker 14: you're gonna play, here's what we need to see from you. Uh,
Speaker 14: and and let's get this done. But I love his mindset.
Speaker 14: He is a guy that's very ten of the meetings.
Speaker 14: That's the one thing I can tell you about this
Speaker 14: whole rookie class. And these guys are they're active in meetings,
Speaker 14: they communicate, and then when they come on the field,
Speaker 14: you see those things displayed.
Speaker 10: So I'm excited for you have loss conversations.
Speaker 9: With Justin Tucker after your kickoff with his reactions.
Speaker 14: We're we're still going through that process with with Justin,
Speaker 14: you know. And then as we get into our our kickoff,
Speaker 14: our kickoff part of it, which we'll start again next week. Well,
Speaker 14: you know, we'll just keep talking and trying to do
Speaker 14: a bunch of different things. See what benefits him. He's
Speaker 14: a skilled kicker, right, So I think kickers with skill
Speaker 14: will be able to place the ball in certain spots
Speaker 14: and maybe give you an advantage.
Speaker 10: So we're gonna be working on those things.
Speaker 1: That's all we have from today's press conferences. As the
Speaker 1: first week of OTA practices comes to an end. Thank
Speaker 1: you for listening to Raven's Press Past podcast, and don't
Speaker 1: forget to rate and subscribe to all of your favorite
Speaker 1: Ravens podcasts. Have a great holiday weekend, and we'll be
Speaker 1: back with you next week