Steve Wilks Talks Preparations for ‘MNF’ Against the Ravens | Press Pass

With practice. Think the guys are progressing and moving in the right direction.

Uh.

Got another difficult task this week in the uh Ravens. Uh. That offense is high, UH, high volume, UH, very explosive.

Uh.

Lamar Jackson is playing at that uh MVP level as he did a couple of years ago.

Uh.

All the weapons around him are exceeding.

UH. Odell is still playing high and you know, I love uh just watching flowers uh an the things that he can do. It's gonna be a difficult task. And with that, I take your questions.

See you wanna makes Lamar Jackson different and perhaps more difficult to defend than the other mobile quarterbacks you've seen the last couple of weeks.

I I think just his ability uh to make guys missing space.

Uh. He's very elusive and UH to be.

Honest, I think you know uh h he's he's p He's playing so much better from a standpoint of uh. Uh the passing game as well, which I think creates other elements of his ability to be able to scramble when things aren't there.

UH.

So he's really playing good football, not turning the ball over, uh, which is the key for them. And UH again we gotta do a much better job than we did last week from a standpoint of tracking the ball carrier and most importantly, you know, tackling.

When you said the refer to your own team, the guys are progressing, Like what areas do you do? You wanna see them continue to get better? Uh?

Most definitely from what we did last week. You know, I felt like we had too many missed tackles. Uh, just what I just alluded to. I I think it was more us and and and not executing our technique, not understanding where our help was coming from. You had a couple of times we had a situation where it could have been you know, really fourth and nine and I and all of a sudden, now we missed a tackle cause we we're not tracking the right way. It's

To improve on. And that's the progression that I'm seeing this week.

I think we asked you about your various every week basically, but going back to when you got here, what was your assessment of what his skill set was and in what ways has he.

Maybe even exceeded that? Well?

I think it was it was high from what I saw, and that was the reason why John and Kyle you know, brought him over. I think he's now playing at that probo all pro excuse me, calber level. And you saw that, and I seen it all all year, and you saw it definitely last week with his two picks. And the one thing that I pointed out this week, and I believe it was yesterday with the defense, I took that exact same clip that we had in practice, the exact

And so he got that rep early.

He made that play in practice and it was just routine when it happened in the game.

Working with Sam Donald and catching tamp Donald and catching balls from him.

Was that something he came to on his own?

It was suggested to him.

Uh, yeah, most definitely.

That's another area of his growth where you know he he gets you know, extra work in after practice. Uh it was something that he went to Donald, uh on his own to be able to get that assistance. So, Uh, Sam did a great job last week and preparing him.

When you talk about that clip from practice salas in per preparation to face the Cardinals, Yes, something like that happens exactly like that.

Uh it is and and in a lot of times, you know, in our teaching progression, we will always try to you know, show that for as plays back to back, and uh, it was just very fortunate that we're able to get that exact clip.

I was saying, uh yesterday that there are two linebackers Smith and Queen are pretty similar to what you've got in in Warner in Green Lawn, I.

Would ask you to speak to their linebackers.

But when you have two like you do, they can cover.

That much ground sideline to sideline and be that athletic.

What does that do for your defense in terms of what you can.

Call that sort of thing, Well, it it It makes our defense so much better when you when you have suh that kind of speed. And I think you know that's really where the game is now. You know, you play so much out in space where offenses try to spread you out and get you in those different looks. That's why the old school traditional mic linebacker is not the case anymore. You know, we look for three wheels that can play Mike and and Sam.

So uh their ability allows.

Not only you know me, but everybody around them to play better.

Does it? Kind of an example of four modern linebackers there too.

And you two, I mean that what it's what the position is involved to.

Uh. I I think it's gonna you know, it's gonna showcase a lot of speed and talent on that field on Monday night. And you know, a lot of respect for those guys, you know, I I know of them coming out of the draft and just watching them, you know and cross uh you know tape. But I definitely love the guys that we have and and I think, you know, our guys gonna go out and perform well.

Game so efficient? What's the kids slowing it down?

Uh?

Just really uh all the gap scheme you know.

Uh then his own read uh Lamar with his ability to be able to pull it at any time, you know. So, Uh, this is gonna be a very discipline uh football game.

You know.

Uh A lot of times you see talent on both sides of the ball, but it's a team that's real disciplined in their assignments. You know, when you take the dive, take the dive. When you have quarterback, have the quarterback vice versa. You know, so we gotta m uh do a great job communicating on on uh every snap and uh, as we did today and yesterday, I'll be very detailed in our assignments.

Particularly tricky is that for for the nickelback, whether he's watching the quarterback and also has a pretty good slot receiver to chase around.

Uh.

Uh It it's definitely, ah uh a difficult task and uh, I think Demo is up for it. Uh, And we can't put everything on him. That's why based off the call, you always have different assignments and uh putting him in a situation to where you know, I if he's part of the run game, he gotta execute that, and then there's times where he's not a part of it, he has to play pass first. So uh again, I think it just goes back to being disciplined and executing your assignment.

You encourage might what you saw or a great today.

Uh yes, you know, it definitely encourage, but you know it's still you know, wait and see kind of thing. So uh, but I'm definitely encouraged about what I saw today.

How's k how's j uh Jason Wrtt coming along?

Uh, he's looking well each and every day, So uh, we'll see rather or not he's gonna have the opportunity to be up and and if so, how many reps he'll get?

I just w made away the wide receivers here. You know block at other teams.

I mean, is it unique or do you see other teams that have the same commitment to all of them to be partner to run well? I think it's extremely unique. And in in uh how a guy's block. I was very impressed with that when I first got here. You know, we get a lot of good work going against those guys in OTAs and training camp. And you know, I talked to Debo uh one time and I aks 'em about that and his his uh answer to me was if we don't block, we don't get the ball.

You know.

So uh, I think, you know, there's a certain culture that Kyle has created that it's not just about catching the football. It's you know, you can see it throughout this team, very unselfish individuals.

And uh you go back to.

IU, you know on that play against Seat, don't I believe it was where you know, h he went down there and made that block inside the fire, So just very unselfish play. And those guys prepare us for every every every every game and every week.

Thank you, guys, appreciate you. Merry Christmas to your group.