Andrews, Smith, & Madubuike: Ravens Training Camp 7/20/24 Press Conferences

Training camp is officially underway. Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass podcast. It is Saturday, July twentieth, and the full Ravens team reported to Baltimore today for the start of training camp. After the players arrived, we had a chance to hear from a few of them, including veteran linebacker Roquan Smith.

Travels any good places since we last talked?

Oh yeah, I was fortunate enough to get over to Paris. Paris was really cool. Got to hang out with a good bit of my guys and other guys around the league. Did Spain as well. Spain is pretty cool. I've been before, just did Barcelona this time and then got over to Germany, which was a random spot for me, but I was over there in Europe, so I'm like, why not try something new?

So it was cool. It was interesting.

Bro.

What are your thoughts on the addition to Eddie Jackson.

And you played with?

Yeah, no, I'm very happy to have an here.

I think he'll be a great asset to our team.

Put a lot of playmaking ability.

He's proved it before, so I think with the group of guys that we already have here him coming along, I think it'll be really good for him and being really good for us as well.

Did you put in a good word with their did? He asked, Hey, would you would you think Eddie?

Oh?

Yeah, I like you know, I always tell the truth. I got great respect for Eddie. Been knowing Eddie since I came into the league, And like I said earlier, I think he's a great asset for our team. Obviously, been making plays in this league for a very long time, and with the guy with the pieces that we have here, and then with his talent and having him in his role, I think it'll go well for us.

Obviously, the defense have unbelievable year last year. The guys lost a few players on that side, brought in some guys. Can they be can you can the unit be as good as last year?

And it's so how.

I think we can be better, honestly, and I know we can not, just more so think, but yeah, have a great deal of respect for the guys that we're here before. Good luck to those guys and the places that they are. But I have the utmost respect for each and every guy that's in here, and I know the potential that each and every guy have, and so it's all about just going out and proving it week in and week out, and I think it starts in training camp, day in and day out. You know, it's

What do you think about that?

Because obviously whenever he changed coordinators, people are going to be like, how different is it going to be? I mean, you have a lot of the course in core players back, but you know, with Zach being here, how much different do you think this defense will walk?

I think the pieces are very similar that's here, and I have a great deal of respect for Zach. His mind's that he's been out there on the field, and believe it or not, Like obviously him and Mike are two totally different people and they're unique in their own way, but through the headset, they actually sound the same. It's like all these every voice I've heard through a headset all sound the same, and I'm like, is that Mike or something like?

Then?

I told Zeo one day during OTA, So it's pretty funny. But I'm excited for Zo, for him to showcase what he's able to do with the pieces that we have here and showcases to the world. And you know, we've all been doubted before things. Oh may not be as good as this or that or the third, but hey, that's what the game gives us.

An opportunity to prove that.

And I have a great deal of respect for Zo and that he'll prove it weekend and week out. And it's gonna start here in training come preparing for the year.

Mike didn't really blitz heavily out there. Do you think Zach might be a little bit more aggressive than than Mike.

Hey, I think we're all They're all unique in their own ways. So you know, come week one and you know throughout the season, we'll all see for ourselves and not just a word them out.

Look one, Trent and Simpson, you know we've heard you talk a lot about him. What have you seen out of him football wise, IQ wise, et cetera that he can, you know, can step into that role next to you again sort of you guys, maybe not miss a beat there.

Yeah, absolutely, Trent Man, the guy works his tail off like no other, always trying to find ways to get better, and you can see it day in and day out, his approach to the game, his extra meeting time, and the guy is probably one of the most athletic people on the team, if not, you know, jumps out the gym four to three speed, can do everything. And I think, you know, with more reps in him putting it all together, I think the guy really has a chance to be

At the end of Minnie Camp, you said he had plans to go with the Trent on a trip to that.

Was that able to work out and what was it like being with him if so?

With any stories of the checks.

No, we actually wasn't able to make it out.

We tried to make some last minute adjustments, but at the end of the day, you know, we all have lives outside, so he had some things he had to do, and you know, I still got me a few trips in, but I'm sure he got out on a trip as well, So I was excited for him, and I try to tell him, you know, it's about getting out and experiencing life, you know, outside of just American in a sense, and like you know, understanding other cultures and things that you know just bring you joy and it and you know

Now it's back time and the work.

How's the new music thing you got? Jatia don Oh?

It was pretty cool.

So it was just a little sneak peak weekend, the July sixteenth weekend, I think that was. Yeah, so it officially opened up in August, So excited about that.

Should be pretty cool.

Look, one, this team has done so well in the regular season, you know, and put yourselves in great positions for the season. You guys haven't gotten to where you want to be that what do you think in your mind it has to be, you know, to get this team just over that one extra hurdle to get.

To that super Bowt.

Yeah, I think I think it starts right now.

I think it just honestly starts with each and every person looking themselves in the mirror day in and day out, and when times get tough and taking that extra step saying, hey, this is what gonna get us over the hump, and every person raising their standard, even myself, there's things I can do better, There's things every single person on the team can do better, And it's about if you hold yourself to that high standard, which I know each and every guys felt the pain last year, and having that

On the game that game field as well.

When you talk about your belief that you feel like the defense can be better this year than it.

Even once last year, is it because of that mentality?

What do you feel like.

Feeds into that?

Yeah, I think that mentality is definitely part of it. But I think also with the guys, you know, more experience playing with each other. You know, there are a couple pieces that are gone, but I think the most more time that we've had together understanding each other, this bunning throughout camp and I think willing to put everything on the line just a bit more for one another and knowing that what the ultimate goal is to get to where we want to go and we all know

Requin just individually, is there anything in training camp that you're looking to accomplish, or any particular area that you.

Want to focus on.

Yeah, there's a lot of a lot of things honestly that I want to focus on. But talking with coach de Leon, which I think is a great asset for us as well, Like there's something that where we're gonna do as linebackers, like you know, each and every day, where it's writing things down where it's like, Okay, these are things that I want to focus on and getting better.

We also heard from veterans tight end Mark Andrews.

Yeah, you're seven.

I mean how different does it feel? I mean, does it feel like you're seven?

For you?

You know, time flies when you're having fun.

It doesn't feel like you're seven.

It feels like just yesterday coming here as rookie, and but you know, so excited, a lot of work has been put in and excited to see where this team goes during training camp.

Mark, you said you're feeling pretty good as you broke for the off season. Just puts your healths out aside right now?

What are you feeling great? Yeah? I feel awesome. I see.

Like I said, I spent a lot of work in the off season to work on myself and again after as you know, just put in that work and excited to go out there and help this team and continue to grow in this offense and get better together. And I feel hundred percent, you know, if not better than I ever have.

How does it feel going from working out and training as a rehabilitation versus working and training gets stronger and improving and not having to get back to where you were, but growing.

I think it's a delicate balance.

And I think, you know, that's one of those things when your body knows, it knows, you know, And there's a point this off season, you know where I was. You know, it's like you go to bed one one day and you wake up the next day and then you start going. You start, you know, you work on your strength to start working on the football stuff instead of the the rehab stuff. And you know, thankfully, pretty early on in my my training, you know, sessions of the off season.

You know that happened.

I think you last time, you know this, you mentioned you did some things differently maybe in the off season that it liud the you know, coming back from injury and so forth, as an example of maybe something different you did. You know, you're seven versus year two or whatever.

You know.

I think for me, you know a lot of balancing a little different muscles and started doing a little bit of Pilate's stuff like that.

You know.

But I ran a ton this offseason, you know, I think everybody knows, you know, I like to work hard, to like to the only way to get better at football is playing football. So we spent the time, you know, me and my family and everybody involved to run a lot of routes, catch a lot of balls and excited to show that.

Off Who was covering you this year and who was throwing the ball in your family?

My brother, my brother was covering me, my dad.

We have the ball machine, so he's he's the quarterback gun thing that he's a sniper on it.

Mark last year, you all are learning todd marketing confidence. Having the year under your belt.

Now, how has that changed this training camp for you and.

The rest of the off It's great, you know, it's it's only going to evolve more and more. I think as guys get more comfortable as always in year two after having an offense and learning it, things are new.

You're trying to figure out who you are and as an identity.

And I think right now we've got a really clear picture of what we want to be, how we want to operate and be efficient and give the tools to Lamar and coach Monk to to being the best player at all times. And yeah, it's gonna evolved. It's gonna look little bit different, but I think it's gonna be really well polished.

I know it's probably hard to remember a year ago, but does it feel like you're.

Starting from a much higher platform this year's you kick off training camp as opposed to.

The last year with one hundred percent.

You know, I think just the knowledge and understanding of you know, of what we know of the offense, terminology, all that stuff.

But you know, having a year in the offense, you're.

Able to see, you know what kind of works, you know, where dangerous at you know, mostly in what plays, you know in certain instances, and so we're taking all the information you know, applying it and uh and growing off that.

How good do you think this is?

This secondary We went up against some training camps.

We got an incredible defense and that's and that's you know, with iron sharpens iron, and you know, we're gonna have our hands full with with going against those guys and excited about those competitions. It's gonna make us better, you know, Let's make our receivers better and make the tight ends better and we're gonna be flying around. We're gonna be competitive. But at the same time, you know, it's it's, uh, you know, we love each other.

A little bit different edge training camp when you know it's the Chiefs week one.

You know, I think that's a. It's it's fun to be able to look forward to that. You know, it's a big game. It's it's the first game of the year. You know, I'm some of that. You know, I take one game at a time, so right now it's you know, it's one practice at the time, and I'm.

Focused on that right now.

Obviously, it's an exciting thing and if it gets it going, it gets you going. But for me, it's just day by day getting better, you know, helping this team get better and you know, taking each practice to work on something, to to make us as well rounded as we can be.

Adding a guy like Derek Henry, just how excited her here for what he can bring to this offense.

It's incredible.

Man.

You know, you have a guy like like Derek, and then you got number eight in the backfield. It's you know, we've been against you know, Derek so many times, you know, in the last you know, seven years I've been you know, playing here. So you know, just knowing that the type of type of player that he is, you know, how tough he is, and the type of game plans you have to have for a guy like Derek is it's gonna be all eyes on him and eight, you know, and so for us, you know, being around those guys,

And Mark, I mean, you did so much to get back to just even the AFC Championship game, and you know, everything you did in the spring I think probably exceed the expectations here. When did you kind of feel for yourself that you like you said you feel one hundred percent.

When did you kind of feel like.

Yeah, I'm one hundred percent, and and how did I feel?

What should you got there?

Yeah?

It was probably you know about you know, March April, about a month after the season ended. You know, I put in some work stabilization stuff, but it felt incredible, you know, be able to go out there, you know, run her out. You know, I know I know what it had felt. You know, we worked really hard, you know, right after I got the surgery because it was a quick turnaround, so you know, the pain.

Thresholds and all that stuff had to go through a lot.

So for me to be able to go through the off season and go through a training session and feel incredible, you know, be flying around and have the next day and be able to do it again.

That was a great, a great feeling.

And with Lamar and now I mean again you know seventy and with Lamar too, With you guys, is there anything that you have seen that maybe if in his progression that has really impressed you the most, maybe if it's even over the past, like just this past year.

Being with one, Yeah, I think he's just I think Lamar is just like everybody else, you know one. He's the most special player in the world. You know, there's no one else like him. He's the best quarterback in the NFL. And he continues to show you know why he's labeled that, you know, and and for me in my head, it's just constantly making the big plays, constantly making the right decisions and leading us guys. You know, he's our he's our captain, our leader, and we all

Just year after year he's impressive.

He grows and that's not easy to said because he's already at the very top.

And how is that?

I mean, because obviously as a team. You guys have been very successful, and he has been very successful, but you haven't been to where you want to be. A lot of that criticism gets placed on Lamar. How has he been able to kind of handle when it seems like, you know, obviously, as a team you win and lose, but he sometimes kind of gets the brunt of it.

Yeah, you know, I think that's a part of the position and part of being Lamar. He's grown up and had to had to, you know, deal with things like this his whole life. And you know, the thing that stands out about him is he's got an incredible faith and belief in God and in himself and and his teammates. And uh, when you have belief in something else, it's it's easy to get through things. It's easy to you know,

Defensive tackle Justin Madabike also talk with the media. He's expected to have a big season after signing that contract this offseason. He discussed his goals and expectations going into this year.

So, how'd you spend your time away past two weeks, I was here majority of the time. Other than that, I was in Atlanta training, uh, getting better, polishing up, getting ready for the season. But usually I just was chilling, hanging out, working out, and it's trying to stay cool, getting ready for the season. So yeah, any training from that later I would I would Jabo dathe t rob

But uh, yeah, now I'm going with Zach is the defensive coordinator. Yeah, A lot of people until they get to see you guys playing games. How different it's gonna be. You know you spend here in the spring. I mean, how different do you think this defense will.

Be on under Zach?

Uh?

I think it'd be great under Zach. You know, Zach is a defensive mastermind. He knows where UH put us some positions to be successful. You know, you know it's our weaknesses, you knows, he knows our strengths. He knows how he can utilize us to play great on defense. You know, I feel like our defense gonna be even better than uh last year.

You know.

I just feel like guys are being accustomed to each other and just growing as just not only players, just as brothers. And I think we just create uh strength and growth and trusting each other. I think it's gonna be a testament to how good we're gonna be this year.

That's at every year of your career, you've gotten better.

You double with your sack tails.

Every year, and then that would be lofty for this year if you doubled it, But how do you get better this year?

I just stay present. I just stay in the moment.

I always have to understand that I always had to put the work in to get the results that I wanna get, and I try to stay uh true to that, and uh just focus on the little things like you know, sleep, diet, nutrition, you know, just little things that I can just j ju j just as little pub just as little pebbles that just add up over time. I try to focus on those things. I know, uh, putting in the work,

It is your very exact cool but this year higher than it was last year.

How what you couldn't for last year?

Uh, it might be, it might not be, you know, uh, but it's definitely it's d d uh definitely double dig just for sure.

I know I can.

I'm that type of player. I know I expect highly of myself and uh, I have to hold myself to that standard. But I just take one day at a time, stay present and put the work in just.

A whole along those lines.

And did see someone like Aaron Donald, you know, just be an All Pro last year and still only finished with like seven or eight sacks? I mean, does that kind of help you caliber your expectations of what a successful season can be on an individual level?

Yeah? For sure.

You know, he's one of the greats, w one of the greats of all time to play. And you know, I honestly when I came in as a rookie year and I wanna be like, not like him, but play like him in a sense of just being great and just being a known player in this league. And you know, I just out of that focus and I guess you could say year after year after year, I've gotten better,

Just didn't know. Yeah, we talked to you obviously in the side the extension and talking about how flash do you were for that? I'm curious is that also come with pressure that you feel added pressure when you sign something like that.

And so do.

I wanna say pressure? I would say, uh, expectations from uh people. You know, teams are definitely gonna be you know, maybe blocking me different uh uh expecting d uh different ways that they're gonna try to swow me down. So I guess you could say pressure intls of ruh. Pressure myself to uh stay polished and stay focused and stay better than I was last year. So that's the only pressure I feel. Outside of that, it's just expectations and just the world to keep working.

So this one's been like working with new Uh, that's like Frish Dennis Johnson.

Uh, just going through everything.

Yeah, Dennis is great. You know, d Uh, Dennis is cool. He he he he.

He kept protects in Baylor. I'm protected, so we had that connection. But outside of that, you know, he's just a good guy. Uh, somebody that you know has very good insight about the game and tryna find ways to get better and brings a good end.

You too. I like that and it's good. You know, you prepare in.

Any different way or try to use try to perfect any different moves when you're expecting to get more double teased.

Yeah.

Uh, but overall, I think the uh most important thing for me is just staying in shape, staying you know, in great shape, having a high motor and uh, just focusing on waste and I get tired. And that's why I was talking about earlier about the nutrition and just uh sleeping, all those little things to add up it will help me standpoint and in those things.

So what's your biggest focus of you know, from a technique standpoint, on something you want to improve on or goal or so forth.

Uh man, I mean this is obviously I worked on everything strength, uh, technique, pass, rush moves. So I'll just say everything is getting better in at at everything, every aspect of the game just be you know, a whole where well rounded, uh player, I think would just be great for our defensive Yeah.

Did you feel like you ended last.

Year maybe playing the best you ever did? I mean that Texas game is came was incredible.

Chiefs game incredible that you feel like you're almost disappointed to see the season in short, as you were almost.

Reaching new heights every single week.

Yeah, you know, I always feel like I can do better.

I just feel like, uh, you know, after those performances, even though I played well, I just in my head, I'm like, no, they haven't seen nothing yet. You know, I I c I I can even be better. I can even be stronger, I can be faster. So that's just the mentality I I come into work with. And you know, I just try to put into fruition through the hard work and just staying focused and you know, the let the chips fall, oh where they may, you know, the one more for justee and this seems you.

Know, one division champion titles, the fag the number one seed in the playoffs. Obviously you haven't gotten to the point where you want as a team. What what do you think it?

You know, it won't happen.

What will have to do this team have to do to get to that next world of good tat you before.

Everybody's just being dialed in, focused and locked in you know every every day, you know, control what you can control. I mean that's really all you can do. And just put in you know, your heart we're gonna have every single day and just leave it out, leave it all out there on the field. And I mean that's all you can do. If everybody does that, from from coaches, just strain, staffs and players to everybody, I think we're going to get to where we want to get to and win.

You're listening to the Ravens Press Past podcast. The first practice of training camp is coming up on Sunday, and then the Ravens are off and running. We're going to be bringing you these press Past podcasts just about every single day over the course of the next several weeks of the Ravens go through this training camp period, So make sure that you subscribe and stay tuned. Also, head over to the Lounge podcast feed to have all the