Speaker 1: Welcome into the Ravens Press Past Podcast. It is Monday,
Speaker 1: December second. The Ravens fell to the Philadelphia Eagles on
Speaker 1: Sunday and it's now the team's bye week. The Ravens
Speaker 1: are sitting at eight and five going into the bye week.
Speaker 1: They've got four games left in the regular season, and
Speaker 1: head coach John Harbaugh today talked about the team's focus
Speaker 1: and approach during this bye week.
Speaker 2: All right, good to see everybody here. Appreciate it. I
Speaker 2: had a good day to day, met with the guys.
Speaker 2: They were in watching the tape and going through the game.
Speaker 2: They'll be coming back Monday for practice and for meetings,
Speaker 2: and we'll be focusing on the Giants in the meantime.
Speaker 2: Coaches will be here all week and we're gonna go
Speaker 2: through really every aspect. It's a little different, you know,
Speaker 2: with a late bye like this. I don't think it'll
Speaker 2: be so much geared toward mid season reviews and things
Speaker 2: like that, because we kind of pretty I think we
Speaker 2: have a good idea. I know we have a good idea,
Speaker 2: and where we're at, we're gonna be looking for ideas
Speaker 2: and adjustments and watching our opponents that we're gonna be
Speaker 2: playing the next three to four weeks and doing everything
Speaker 2: we can to be ready for those games and create
Speaker 2: as many you know, opportunities for our players, put them
Speaker 2: in position to make plays as we can. That's what
Speaker 2: we'll be searching out the next you know, five days. Well,
Speaker 2: questions you.
Speaker 3: Have, John I know we asked about the Anthony Johnson
Speaker 3: after the game. Is there any other clarification to give
Speaker 3: with that?
Speaker 2: Right at this time, I'm gonna have to wait just
Speaker 2: to clarify it. There's there's some moving parts there that
Speaker 2: that we're gonna have to figure out and explore and
Speaker 2: just see where we're at. I know it's not the
Speaker 2: question the answers you want, but it's the best I
Speaker 2: can do in fairness to everybody.
Speaker 4: Right now, I expecting to continue to be a team.
Speaker 2: I think, like I said, we'll just work it out,
Speaker 2: see where we're at over the next few days and this.
Speaker 5: Week with the buyer, we what are some of them?
Speaker 5: And what have you seen in this first part of
Speaker 5: the thason that and you are freezed with and what
Speaker 5: kind of adjustments would you want to see before or
Speaker 5: we just.
Speaker 4: Before a game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, such a big question and a good question, I
Speaker 2: think that's all encompassing the answer really because it includes
Speaker 2: every aspect of our team. I mean, there's certain things
Speaker 2: we want to look at, you know, special teams. There
Speaker 2: are things on offense and things on defense that we
Speaker 2: want to look at in terms of, you know, what
Speaker 2: we can create to be ready for what's in front
Speaker 2: of us. I mean, I'm happy with the first part
Speaker 2: of the season. It's not perfect. I like to have
Speaker 2: a few more wins, but I'm glad we have the
Speaker 2: wins that we have. You know, everything that we every
Speaker 2: goal that we have is in front of us, and
Speaker 2: we have the team to do it. So what can
Speaker 2: we do to Bill parselves had a great quote he said,
Speaker 2: the season starts after Thanksgiving. Wow, what a truth for
Speaker 2: the teams that you know are still in it. And
Speaker 2: we're one of those teams. So we have an opportunity
Speaker 2: now the season starts now. I think I'm proud of
Speaker 2: our guys. I feel like they've fought through a lot
Speaker 2: of things this year. It's been it's been thirteen straight weeks,
Speaker 2: had a lot of tough games, had a lot of travel.
Speaker 2: We've gone against teams kind of in situations where they
Speaker 2: were you know, they were hot they were at they
Speaker 2: were at their best, they were in good they were
Speaker 2: they were playing good football, they were healthy, and it's
Speaker 2: a challenge and I think our guys handled all those challenges,
Speaker 2: handled all those challenges really well. So that forges you
Speaker 2: for what's ahead. It's made us a team that we
Speaker 2: are and I think recognizing with some rest this week,
Speaker 2: their legs back under us, we'll have a chance to
Speaker 2: do really well going forward.
Speaker 5: Take us kind of you thought process as you figure
Speaker 5: out how to deal with a situation you probably didn't
Speaker 5: think you'd have to deal with right now, which is
Speaker 5: Justin Tucker.
Speaker 2: And the kicking issues. So what's the question though.
Speaker 5: Just kind of your thought processes you try to figure
Speaker 5: out how to fix this, you know, Tougher's issues or
Speaker 5: however you kind of approach.
Speaker 2: It right now. Yeah, you do. You rack your brain,
Speaker 2: you think about every thing because that's a big deal,
Speaker 2: you know obviously, and we all know it. Justin knows
Speaker 2: it too. I mean points, we're at a premium in
Speaker 2: the game. They have been a few of these games
Speaker 2: and sometimes we haven't made the most or opportunity to
Speaker 2: score points because you know, you're making kicks and so
Speaker 2: and Justin expects to make every kick, no matter how
Speaker 2: far it is or what the situation is, and those
Speaker 2: are makable kicks for him. So yeah, we're racking our brains,
Speaker 2: talking to Justin, talking to looking at every looking at
Speaker 2: what we're doing. I'm very confident that it's going to
Speaker 2: get fixed. I believe it will. It has to, you know,
Speaker 2: and he's he's the guy to get it fixed. So
Speaker 2: you know, sometimes you respect the player and you respect
Speaker 2: his ability to get it worked out. And with help
Speaker 2: from the coaching from Randy and from Chris, I feel
Speaker 2: confident that I will get done.
Speaker 6: I feel like, is it a physical thing or a
Speaker 6: mental thing, or maybe a combination of both, or maybe
Speaker 6: missing an extra point maybe that leads into.
Speaker 3: The next kick.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean all those things are I think, Oh,
Speaker 2: he's a part of it. Sure, it's like not simple.
Speaker 2: It's not a comp it's not a it's not it's
Speaker 2: not like a one. If it was a one fixed thing,
Speaker 2: it would be easy. You know, it's definitely not. He's
Speaker 2: kicking really well in practice. You know, he's kicking really
Speaker 2: well in practice. He's kicking really well in pregame, so
Speaker 2: you know that the physical ability is there. It's just
Speaker 2: a matter of doing it. It's just that's that's what
Speaker 2: he said to me this morning. I know what I
Speaker 2: have to do. I just have to do it in
Speaker 2: those situations. So that's what it really boils down to.
Speaker 4: You've continued to send him out there for longer kicks.
Speaker 4: Would you say that your decision making process and when
Speaker 4: to use Justin has a coach games?
Speaker 2: Well, I wouldn't say it hasn't really changed. I mean
Speaker 2: when he was hitting the you know, the you know,
Speaker 2: three or four years ago, hitting the bombs, we were
Speaker 2: we were going, you know, fifty seven, fifty eight, fifty
Speaker 2: six pretty regularly. That's tightened up a little bit, you know,
Speaker 2: circumstances and games field conditions too, But fifty two to fifty,
Speaker 2: you know, those are kicks he's very capable of making.
Speaker 3: You you've mentioned your your approach with Justin that you
Speaker 3: believe it's wise to sit with him. Do you believe
Speaker 3: there's any merits to bringing in another kicker, at least
Speaker 3: to have him on the practice squad, maybe to work
Speaker 3: out guys, and you know, because you guys haven't had
Speaker 3: to look at kickers.
Speaker 2: On one time, right, Yeah, I don't think of anything
Speaker 2: wrong with that, you know, it wouldn't. I wouldn't want
Speaker 2: to be a message or anything like that, other than
Speaker 2: the fact that you want to turn over every stone
Speaker 2: and make sure you've seen all the guys at every position.
Speaker 2: If there were guys out there that Randy looked at
Speaker 2: and our scouts looked at and said that was something
Speaker 2: that that you know we should do, we would do it.
Speaker 2: But I don't think that's the answer, knowing you know,
Speaker 2: from what I've talked, I've talked to Randy in the scouts.
Speaker 2: Knowing who's out there right now. It's not to say
Speaker 2: the darn guys capable, but there's nobody nearly as good
Speaker 2: as Justin Tucker out there with Justin.
Speaker 7: As a video and giving him a hug after gingness,
Speaker 7: I think his star king.
Speaker 3: Did you feel like it was important for him to
Speaker 3: feel supported in their moment?
Speaker 5: What was your mind that there?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I did see a picture of that. To me,
Speaker 2: I just said, hey, you know you're gonna make the
Speaker 2: game winner. Get ready to make the game winner. That
Speaker 2: was the conversation, so and I was confident that he
Speaker 2: would do that.
Speaker 4: Lamar May mentioned that the conversation ever with his mom
Speaker 4: that she was saying they were running lady for him,
Speaker 4: and he was kind of agree. In retrospect, have you
Speaker 4: said seen anything from film that shows Lamar and is
Speaker 4: passing on an official run that maybe he should take.
Speaker 2: No, I wouldn't generalize it like that. I mean, I
Speaker 2: think every place stands on sowing. Lamar is such a
Speaker 2: creative player. You know, he'll scramble out there and he'll
Speaker 2: he made a couple of throws too, didn't he. You
Speaker 2: know where he hit Zay once or twice, hit some guys,
Speaker 2: so hit Mark for the touchdown, you know, instead of running.
Speaker 2: So I really trust Lamar. I trust his mom too.
Speaker 2: This mom is a good judge. She's she's seen more
Speaker 2: of Lamar ball than anybody, you know, so I'm sure
Speaker 2: she has a great handlot. So let Lamar and his mom,
Speaker 2: you know, talk through all that stuff. But I trust
Speaker 2: Lamar to make good decisions. I mean, he's he's too good.
Speaker 2: He's he's he's just too productive, move around the pocket.
Speaker 2: He's too much of a problem for defenses, and I
Speaker 2: think he makes a lot of good decisions doing that.
Speaker 3: John Keith Mitchell was in active history. Is he is
Speaker 3: he dealing with any unexpected physical challenges as he kind
Speaker 3: of works his way back in or kind.
Speaker 2: Of where is he right now? Great question. No one
Speaker 2: expected physical challenges, but there's definitely physical challenges with what
Speaker 2: he's gone through. It was a very serious knee injury,
Speaker 2: and he came back quick as you possibly could from it.
Speaker 2: I also wanted to give Rashid a chance. You know,
Speaker 2: he's been working hard and you saw it on the
Speaker 2: kickoff returns, how explosive he looked on that. So it
Speaker 2: just made sense to kind of, you know, give give
Speaker 2: Keaton a little rest, give a rasheta chance, and I
Speaker 2: like those two guys, you know, so we'll just kind
Speaker 2: of they'll both be in the mixic going forward.
Speaker 7: They always napcount was quite low.
Speaker 8: Was it a physical thing?
Speaker 6: Was a matter of being playing with the personnel?
Speaker 2: Well, it was a run game, a run defense game
Speaker 2: for sure, and you know, t Rob's been doing such
Speaker 2: a good job and those kind of personnel groups where
Speaker 2: we're defended against the run, and it kind of it
Speaker 2: came up a lot in the game, and that's that's
Speaker 2: why we did that. It was more of a run
Speaker 2: game decision.
Speaker 4: Also among the Swims and Only Scratch today is there
Speaker 4: a way word for him to find a.
Speaker 2: Way up for the season. There is, there is. You
Speaker 2: know right now he's the third safety. In terms of
Speaker 2: filling in, you have to make a decision in a
Speaker 2: game based on personnel and who's up with special teams.
Speaker 2: So you know, we got the young guys who play
Speaker 2: special teams. He's not really a special teams guy. Marcus
Speaker 2: is a starting safety type guy for sure. And like
Speaker 2: I said before, I feel like when Marcus gets back
Speaker 2: out there, and you got to assume over the course
Speaker 2: of these games, he's going to get back out there,
Speaker 2: he'll be ready to play. He and I had a
Speaker 2: great conversation this week. He's a pro. He worked hard,
Speaker 2: he's he's ready for when his opportunity comes back to
Speaker 2: get out there to play his best football. And that's
Speaker 2: why he's valuable to our football team in that in
Speaker 2: that type of a role, John, could you.
Speaker 3: Buy you I'm sure you'll review everything. Is it but
Speaker 3: impossible that you may make some changes on the offensive
Speaker 3: line or is that Is that one of the areas
Speaker 3: you're going to look at, maybe to get some guys,
Speaker 3: fresh guys in there and keep them an opportunity.
Speaker 2: You know, I think we're pretty well set there not
Speaker 2: I think those guys could come in the other guys
Speaker 2: that are working hard could come in and help us.
Speaker 2: But I'm not down on anybody in the offensive line.
Speaker 2: That's a really good front we played against. I think
Speaker 2: we could have played better, especially in pass protection. Those
Speaker 2: guys would tell you that it could have been better.
Speaker 2: Even in the run blocking sometimes for sure. But I
Speaker 2: don't think it merits any any drastic changes right now,
Speaker 2: other than the fact that you know, Josh goes in
Speaker 2: there sometimes in the extra line. He could be he
Speaker 2: could give a chance, you know, Ben, I think he
Speaker 2: goes in there extra line. You know, I think he'd
Speaker 2: played well if he went in there. But I like
Speaker 2: the way the offensive line has played over the last
Speaker 2: number of weeks.
Speaker 5: Is taking a step forward in the past few weeks.
Speaker 5: How much of it goes.
Speaker 2: Back to that chemistry and players executing, and how much
Speaker 2: of it is maybe this new coaching staff where it
Speaker 2: occurs starting to chart them. Well, Uh, it's it's I
Speaker 2: think we've just locked in on some things and we're playing.
Speaker 2: We're playing. Our deep coverage is better, bottom line, you know. Uh,
Speaker 2: there's all those things that you mentioned probably factor in
Speaker 2: one way or another. But uh, at the end, you
Speaker 2: look at it and you say, Okay, you watch the coverage,
Speaker 2: you watch the guys spacing, positioning eyes, the communication, the
Speaker 2: checks that get made, and you just keep chasing doing
Speaker 2: the right things. It's not it's it's not. We haven't
Speaker 2: change the defense. You know, we're just playing it a
Speaker 2: lot better.
Speaker 5: John, I don't know if you haven't any a lady
Speaker 5: book for Sean Batan.
Speaker 8: An An.
Speaker 2: Got sore in the game. You know, he had treatment today.
Speaker 2: It's not a long term thing, so it's something he
Speaker 2: he like all the guys have these kind of things.
Speaker 2: I think a lot of guys have these kind of
Speaker 2: things late in the season. The bye week will really
Speaker 2: help them. I do believe that you have enough us.
Speaker 1: He came as well.
Speaker 2: Let Yeah, he's got a hamstring. It's it's not a
Speaker 2: major hamstring. So he'll be working through that and we'll
Speaker 2: see how he is for the next game.
Speaker 6: And we've seen over the last couple of weeks more
Speaker 6: used out of Chris Ward. What goes into that decision
Speaker 6: and what have you.
Speaker 4: Seen from him?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean Chris is as a veteran player. You know,
Speaker 2: he's played been a special team's top special teams player,
Speaker 2: and he's been a solid linebacker whenever he's played. I
Speaker 2: think he started in Detroit. Uh, so he's played well.
Speaker 2: You know, he had a couple hill a couple plays
Speaker 2: he wanted back in the past game, I think in
Speaker 2: some of the one or two of the zone coverage situations.
Speaker 2: But he's solid force, takes a little pressure off Trent.
Speaker 2: I think Malik also saw it in the Chargers game.
Speaker 2: Same way. We've got to find uh, you know, just
Speaker 2: give those guys a chance to play and and use
Speaker 2: all of our guys.
Speaker 4: John for just BI week have pretty exceptional stretch where
Speaker 4: he played three games and I think eleven ays and
Speaker 4: you know, two short weeks following that giant game. Is
Speaker 4: the bye lead a chance to prev a head for
Speaker 4: any of that stuffing in You just lead more into
Speaker 4: this time for that stretch.
Speaker 2: It is for the coaches, absolutely, We'll definitely be looking
Speaker 2: at all three of those games in the bye week,
Speaker 2: and then you look for plays that apply to all
Speaker 2: three teams. Opportunities to make the reps count for all
Speaker 2: three games as much as you can. That's definitely something
Speaker 2: we're thinking about.
Speaker 3: John, Is we didn't get a chance to ask you.
Speaker 3: If I'm Malette, I know you can come back twice
Speaker 3: from I R is there an is he a season
Speaker 3: ending now or no? He just feels still lectors hope
Speaker 3: for him.
Speaker 2: It remains to be seen. I think there's hope remains
Speaker 2: to be seen. So that's one of those ones up
Speaker 2: in the.
Speaker 6: Air, coach, when you say all the goals are still
Speaker 6: incarning to do, and they are. Is it maybe a
Speaker 6: different path though of it from previous seasons where you
Speaker 6: might not be you know, at home to start off with,
Speaker 6: or something of that nage or maybe is that too
Speaker 6: far ahead to look down.
Speaker 2: Too far ahead to look around? You know, that'll be determined,
Speaker 2: you know, the next four games for sure. But we're
Speaker 2: right there. We can do it. We can win the division.
Speaker 2: You know, we can make it as a wild card.
Speaker 2: We could be out. You know, it's up to us
Speaker 2: that I feel like. I feel like if we win
Speaker 2: the games, we'll be in real good shape.
Speaker 4: Last night, there was you know, Za Flowers looked a
Speaker 4: couple of times, came up with Field looking visibly agitated
Speaker 4: and was opened.
Speaker 2: Didn't see them.
Speaker 9: Whatever had no catch In the second half of fact,
Speaker 9: the wide receivers collectively only having one was there sign other.
Speaker 6: Pressure was one issue. But what what what do you
Speaker 6: think broke down there from physically getting involved receivers.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's all. That's everything happens.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 2: It's a tough game against a really good defense, a
Speaker 2: really good front. Uh, you know, in a in a
Speaker 2: hard fought ball game, you know. So you know, everybody
Speaker 2: wants to contribute and and wants to make the plays.
Speaker 2: That's what I love about our guys. You know, they compete.
Speaker 2: Nobody ever points the finger. You know, nobody's mad. It's
Speaker 2: just not easy. It's not Things don't just fall in
Speaker 2: place because they fall in place. I mean, you're going
Speaker 2: against a tough team and uh and competing out there
Speaker 2: and and we you know, we just we didn't get
Speaker 2: the points we needed in the second half. We were
Speaker 2: capable of it. We didn't get him. Uh we got
Speaker 2: we had good plays and we had we had plays
Speaker 2: that didn't work, you know, and we had opportunities that
Speaker 2: we didn't cash in on. So that's National Football League Week,
Speaker 2: the week disappointed. Where can we get better? And what
Speaker 2: do we need to do next? Next game we play?
Speaker 2: In the next four games, that's really what we're looking at.
Speaker 4: John.
Speaker 9: I think Patrick McCarey is now over his career high
Speaker 9: for for snaps played in the season. We know at
Speaker 9: times earliest career, you guys had to kind of manage
Speaker 9: his workload. How do you see him just handling this
Speaker 9: this kind of season stretch, beating somewhat on charted life.
Speaker 2: Yeah, great question. I feel like great accomplishment by him.
Speaker 2: You know, thirteen straight weeks, you know, he's played pretty
Speaker 2: much every snap, right, Uh, that's that's that's the accomplishment
Speaker 2: because that had been a challenge for him in the past.
Speaker 2: So I think he deserves a lot of credit for that.
Speaker 2: He's played very good football. Big play us John.
Speaker 8: Against the Eagles, Nix Yerani essentially said that the Ravens
Speaker 8: had to match their physicality intensity. Do you feel that
Speaker 8: your team hasn't played with the physicality that you expect
Speaker 8: in these more challenging games that you faced this season?
Speaker 2: Of course, of course, I mean every coach says that.
Speaker 2: That's what coaches say.
Speaker 4: John.
Speaker 7: You mentioned just how impressive the Eagles pass push was.
Speaker 7: They didn't need a lot of blizzards to kind of
Speaker 7: knock them are off as spots of how do you
Speaker 7: think their ability to get into the pocket maybe impact
Speaker 7: what you guys wanted to do in the passing game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's going to always if you're not you know,
Speaker 2: have clean protection, you have a clean pocket every single snap,
Speaker 2: It's going to be an issue for sure. I mean
Speaker 2: the Eagles are good. They got a good front, a
Speaker 2: bunch of talented guys. They did a good job. That's
Speaker 2: part of what I was just talking about. That's the
Speaker 2: challenge of the That's the challenge of football in this
Speaker 2: league when you play that, when you play the good teams,
Speaker 2: And just to be clear, you know that's not the
Speaker 2: only good team we played. Remember all the good teams
Speaker 2: we played. Are you down the stretch? You're going back?
Speaker 2: So I'm not down in our guys at all. I'm
Speaker 2: not disappointed. I'm not worried. I'm excited. We've got a
Speaker 2: bunch of tough, competitive fighters that want to be the
Speaker 2: best they can be, you know. So that's how I
Speaker 2: look at it.
Speaker 1: You're listening to the Rayvens pres Pass podcast, make sure
Speaker 1: you hit that subscribe button. Also head over to the
Speaker 1: Lounge podcast feed and subscribe there as well. Tomorrow we'll
Speaker 1: get a chance to hear from the coordinators as the
Speaker 1: players have a few days off over the course of
Speaker 1: this buy, and the coaches, as John Harbaugh mentioned, are
Speaker 1: going to be working a way over the course of
Speaker 1: this week finding ways to improve this team coming out
Speaker 1: of the bye week. Thank you so much for listening.
Speaker 1: We'll be back with you again tomorrow