Welcome into Ravens Press Pass.
Today we'll hear from the Ravens coordinators, offensive coordinator Todd Mounkin, defensive coordinator Mike McDonald, and special teams coordinator Chris Horton.
Let's start with Monk overall.
A few weeks red Zone, you guys clicking past couple of weeks not so much. What have you seen as far as the difference of not having that consistency yet?
Well, as I always say, you would much rather be. I think overall stats are a way of I don't want to say this rationalizing that everything's okay. I think you'd rather be sixty percent to seventy percent touchdown every game than one hundred percent in some games and not as good as others. I think everybody would say that. The consistency of that. So it starts with how we gain planet right, how we call it, and then how
we execute It's really that. So we did an elite level early on in executing down there being able to run it in. We've just got to do a better job, like I said, of scheming it, do a better job of executing when we have those opportunities. I mean, it's it's pretty obvious I mean we've done a good job the last couple of weeks of moving the football. That
has not been the issue. We've solved some of those things in terms of being more explosive, creating on identity, having a better rhythm, but turnovers and execution at the wrong times have heard us. I mean, there's no way around it. You guys, you've seen it, and we got to be better, and we're capable of better. That's that's the way it is. We are capable of it.
Over All.
The lines run defense has been really stabbed this year. What are you seeing looking at them? They specifically do well stop the.
Run well, they do a good job. They do a good job schematically if their linebackers play downhill, their physical upfront. I mean, I know everybody says it they're stop the run mentality, but they for sure they play hard and they check the ball. I mean that's they've got good, good players, really good scheme. They play hard and they play downhill.
Being Week said, I don't want say do you expect the offensity where they are? But are you pleased with knowing as a.
New system, how it's all putting together up until this point.
I wouldn't say, pleased is the word I mean, because the expectation is to be efficient and score every week right and take advantage of your opportunities. In some ways we did that last week and others we did not, you know, same with the week before. And ultimately that's uh, that's what we're in charge of, is to score points and not turn it over. And when you don't do that, you're you're not you're not where you want to be. I mean, that's that's obvious, you know, But we are
certainly capable of that. I think getting our group back together healthy at a number of spots and then continue to do it better consistently obviously, then we'll see that we'll see that result more consistently, you know, then we're than we're seeing it now.
Touchdowns scoring in the red zone across the league is at its lowest rate since twenty eleven.
It's around the cool idly.
Over the film that you watched over the first you know, six seven weeks. Have you recognized any patterns that could account for a reason why that is or why is it becoming so difficult to score?
Not particularly, I haven't really studied anybody else other than you know, you know, early on, we did a good job of being able to run it in and when we had some third downs, we hit it. You know, I think about the Bengals, they did two as well. I mean we hit Nelson for a touchdown on third down, We hit Mark on a touchdown on third down. You know, those opportunities presented itself and we capitalize on them. Some other times we haven't done that. It hasn't come to fruition.
So obviously starts with me. We got to scheme it better, got to coach it better, got to give ourselves more tools when we have opportunities down there. It's hard to run the ball down there and score. So I haven't really seen that. I just know we certainly need to do it better.
Lamara mentioned, you know second half sort of scoring and so forth, not that it hasn't been in a second week of me.
Well, I know what you're getting that you don't have to ask a questions like halftime adjustments. I get it. I'll score in the second half. I mean, I'll finish it for you. I mean, if that's what you're getting at okay, I mean what.
Some of those adjustments teams that have made that have been.
Well again, I appreciate what Lamore says. Again, we have to do a better job coming out in the second half. You know, the bottom line is, you know, a couple of weeks ago at Pittsburgh, the first drive coming out, we had an explosive, we stalled the midfield. We hit another explosive on the second drive, had an opper opportunity down the field and didn't hit it. You know, so that I don't look at there. Then you know certain
things the way the game goes. We can certainly do a better job at half time and certainly do a better job in second half. I didn't see significant change in the second half other than we just got to do it better. I gotta coach it better, gotta call it better, got to execute better. You know, one as if we were consistently running the same things. We just got to do it better. I don't mean he's not wrong.
I mean, I'm not critiquing Lamar like I mean. The bottom line is, we've done a good job in the first half of executing and we've got to do a better john the second half. Some in the early in the year we weren't that so much. We were actually better at Houston the second half. We were better, you know, against the Bengals in the second half. So again, it's a long year. We got to do it better coming
out in the second half, that's for sure. Sometimes it turns out you get the ball to start the game and you get one less possession, you know the way it turns out. But that hasn't been the case. We just got to do it better. There is no magic for me. Let's you got to scheme it better, coach it better, execute better, and let your talent shine not have so much drag.
I thought Odell kind of suggested that it feels late us helping to keep your foot on the gas, not you personally, just a team in general, and keep your foot.
On the gas.
Are there times where you look back where you felt like there could have been opportunities to be a little more aggressive in the second half.
Sure, you know, but I look back at the Steelers, like if you go back and look at those first two drives, like might've been the first play, the second play, we hit Zay Flowers on a banana out right and for our twenty yards got to midfield. Okay, Then we had the next drive. We hit Nelson Aguilar on a fade, they challenged it right on the sideline, and then we had another fade later, So we were still aggressive there. What takes you away from being aggressive lost shortage plays,
You get behind the sticks a little bit. We started last week, open up the second half of the screen. We lost three yards, right, try to get the ball on the perimeter.
Didn't.
Then we had a third down right, next drive we throw a pick. Right, So all that is true, you certainly do want to keep your foot on the pedal and keep whatever that's keep your foot on the gas and keep driving. Of course, not turning it over. Being explosive, converting on third downs, scoring touchdowns in the red zone are all a big part of what makes an offense successful and all the ways why a defense is successful.
Right they create turnovers, they don't all those things courtly, and we're close.
We just got toe.
We got to do it better, you know, and I'm in charge of But we got to continue to strive and I think getting some guys back, getting guys healthy, I think we'll add to that that consistency and the trust of all of a sudden, the quarterback as.
Far as lamar as a just as purely running when he runs the ball, let's have pressed you the most because I'm sure you've watched him far before this of him run the ball, but now actually game planning and using let's have pressed to you much the most about him.
When he gets the ball in sands, it takes.
Off his vision. I think he's got vision of a tailback. You know what he sees and when he decides to take off and run. That's what's been impressive. You know when you ask him to run the ball up inside, he's got toughness and vision. I think that's probably the biggest thing. Toughness and vision, oh that some guys don't have. They may be athletic, but they don't have a great feel for rush or running lanes, and he does have that. It's unique.
You guys have been great in the first quarter. I think forty one to six, out scoring opponents likewise Detroy thirty eight to ten. So I feel like a race to get out first is this week that you both have broke really Obviously you don't worry about their offense, but they're both teams are really good at that just mentality of knowing got a trinking space early.
Yeah, crazy enough, I mean we've we've started fast. I mean we've we've given ourselves opportunities and wasted some, you know, So obviously that's obviously your ability to start fast and then finish right. I mean that's that's we all know that, right, Our ability to start fast, but then your ability to finish right, your ability to consistently do things at a
high level. Again, coaching calling it playing all of the above that leads to how you want it to look, right, I mean, that's that's that's what that's what you're striving for.
Do you feel like it is just kind of a matter of time in terms of like getting big scores. You guys have have mainly scored touchdowns.
It's not the right.
Yeah, they've all been in the red zone. You know, we've had some other opportunities, whether it was didn't turn out to be the look, or we had it and win it with a sack, right, or we had you know Nelson you know at Steelers like it just like I said, and I'm just pointing out one or two right, whether it's just and we got to call it better. It's all of us, right, all all of it's a
part of it, starting with me. Players execution, giving our guys opportunities down the field, right, so we don't have to work so hard once we get down there, and it's hard in the NFL to get those, but we certainly have to do a better job of that.
You know, we just do.
Next up.
Defensive coordinator Mike McDonald Mike Jod's offense.
That's is this your first question, Mike Man, it's a lot, you know. They the first thing that pops off. I guess the first word that I would say is multiple and balanced. You know, able to get to a lot of things easily with their personnel, being able to move guys around using all their pieces. I think their run game uh mixes all the you know, the zone in the in the gap world, uh mixed with under center. You know, they're very explosive with the under center play
action pass and uh. You know, then you couple that with the drop back game and being able to get guys in space and find matchups and things like that. Those are the things you know, definitely have to account for. And then they do a great job of obviously running the ball and then protecting the quarterback you know, where he can any can operate back there and obviously he
knows where to go with the ball. So overall just to you know, and I think the numbers obviously support it, but a very good offense, Mike.
Obviously you want to try to stop the run every week, but you mentioned it how good of a play action team they are. Is that even more of an emplasist to take that run game away, to try to limit try to best eliminate that part of the passing game.
Uh, I don't.
I don't. I see them as two kind of independent type plays. So whatever kind of world we're living in, front structure with coverage concepts we're playing, you know, you want to best marry your chance to win the play if it's a run with with the set they're creating. And then also you know the play action concepts that they're building off of it, so to play by pay, you know, type of idea, and on on how we're trying to defend it.
Like you guys have eleven different players with at least one sack. You're just getting direction across the board that we're watching your defense. You know, you have stunts and games for just about everybody. It seems like Mike Pierce, you know you're opening up lanes for Michael Pierce to get sacks. What's your theory on kind of getting everybody involved into the pass rush.
And how you see that.
I don't know if I have a theory about it, you know. I I think as a staff that the first lens you're looking at is what puts us in the best position to win the down and ultimately get them stopped, you know, to win the game. And I think, as you're you're building a system and a game plan, like I had mentioned a question a few weeks ago, you're trying to have the ability, you know, to bring it from any side at any given point in time. And I think then when we were able to do that,
it's kind of like an offense. It says like, hey, you got to defend the width of the entire field, you know, well defensively, it's like, well you have to be able to account for everyone in the in the blitz game, and then you know, in the pressure game. So I think that's the idea. And then obviously, you know, you're trying to attack things that perceive weaknesses and exploit
strengths on our end. So I think that I think those are the lenses that you're that you go into a week and making a game plan.
Mike.
We saw last year when Brokwon joined at the deadline, he kind of picked up this defense really fast. Saw it again with Clowney and fat Noi and letting those guys.
What about this game do.
You feel like makes it so player friendly for guys to kind of just jump in and get going.
Well, this is the only system that I've coached in, so it's hard for me to compare to other systems. But you know, listen to your question. I think first the credit goes to the types of guys that we're bringing in here, and the and the players obviously smart players, and they love football, and they've done a lot of different things, so maybe a lot of those concepts will kind of coincide. Next thing is, you know it's not me sitting with those guys running through the details every week.
You know, I'm doing other things, and the coaches just do a great job of getting them up to speed so they can go play fast and be comfortable out there. And I think just as a general philosophy, I mean, we have rules and we have different things that you know, we emphasize on how we want to play, but it's not a rigid system and how you have to do this all the time.
You have to do that.
Now, we want your eyes right and your technique and all that, but we want guys to you know, feel like they can go play football at the end of the day. And that's that's ultimately how you have to play, you know, in order to be effective in this league. It's what we believe, Mike.
What what makes an inside linebacker a really good pass rusper. I mean, it's obviously not the first thing that people probably pick up with that position, but we see Queen do it week after week.
Well, something we saw when he was coming out of college. I think with a peak. I mean, everyone has a different traits, like like a blie. Harrison is a great off the ball blitzer a little bit different with his foot freeze. He's got more power and you know, speed to power game is different than PQ. But I think, you know, Patrick's side to side movement and his explosiveness is probably what makes him, you know, an elite blitzer.
But I think I think the answer to your question is you probably go, you know, just like any other rusher, you're looking at what they do best and their and their skills and how we develop those types of things. But uh, you know, Peak's right up there with the best of them.
Mike, the way the play that Ropeline made tracking down that running back screen all the way down the field, because your thoughts on that play and what that kind of play says to other guys on these.
Yeah, that's a great question. Uh, that was something that was a point of emphasis for us as as our defense is finishing games out and closing games out on our terms. And uh, you know, we were in that situation where the offense, their offense is up against the clock a little bit. You know, if we had stopped them at a certain time, they were going to be on site kicking it. And I think at that point they would have had to on side kick it anyways, but you know, you obviously want to get the stop.
So when the ball spit and it hit, you know, I'm just like, hey, get it down. And I had seen Roe go down or excuse me, I did not see him go down. We're trying to get him, and then I see him get tackled and I saw that it was I thought it was Row ended up being Row in Marlin, and upon watching the review, I had seen that ro get knocked down, so I'm like, Okay, he got knocked down and he made the play, So
now is this just an all time great play? And uh, you know again, when guys like Marlon and Row your best players play with the highest effort day in and day out, I mean, that's just tell you what type of guys they are and what type of football players there are, speaks to their character. So definitely shout out to.
Those guys for Clownie.
He obviously we see the stats.
Who've seen your praises yesterday? What is he bringing to the meetings, like his energies, personalities, experience of what are we not seeing that?
Crownie?
You think it's his biggest attribute and assets.
To his team. I'd spoken to this sooner, but just getting to know him, his enthusiasm is love for the game. I think that's what makes him fit in here so well. And uh, just his overall energy, you know to what you said, it's just uh, it's you know, it's contagious. And you got a bunch of guys in that room that love football and it's their fun to coach.
Mighta bekase he was like, he gets better every year, what step have you seen him make?
Yes, Well, I think he's gotten a lot more opportunities this year. I think he ended up with like six and something last year, and you know, with not as many opportunities. So we knew, or we didn't know, we had a great feeling that it was that was there. So I'm just excited that he's got the opportunity to go out there and he's taking advantage of his opportunities. But you think about a guy like Justin he's extremely explosive,
he plays incredibly hard, he's incredibly physical. Uh, he's a violent tackler and uh, he's just got a relentless motor. So if he's not gonna win right now in his one on one, there's a good chance he's gonna win on a second and third effort. And I think that's what makes him a great player.
I think, you know, we in the media look at sometimes at matchups like, you know, who's gonna stop him on Rosney Brown, Who's gonna stop or to Does it does it matter as much like who's matching up with them at the last nammage or is it more important just you know, in the past, defense in general, just kind of how you guys.
Excuse uh, yeah, I think that's that's very situational base, you know, like the first intend's gonna be a lot different than third and three. Uh, and then where you're in the field is going to matter as well. So they do a good job of moving both those guys around. So whatever world room, we definitely have to account for them.
Some of the calls you know, could or could not be forwarded towards those guys in mind, but again it's gonna be situation based, and obviously our personnel and how we deploy them, you know, well, you know is at our disposal. You know, those are options that we can we can do on any given down.
You're golf doing so well, it really turned around his career.
Yeah, I don't remember when he turned around. He's always been really good. I mean I remember when those guys came out here, I think it was an eighteen and we practiced against them and it was an impressive operation. And uh, what spook what I remember was was is he's extremely accurate. And so you watch him now and and that definitely is consistent, but uh, total control of their offense, and it seems like his eyes are always right, always knows where he wants to go with the football.
So it's going to be a point of emphasis to try to, you know, make him not as comfortable as he's been last few weeks.
Now you hear from special teams coordinator Chris Horton.
I'll tell you this about Devin. You know, we stressed to him really about decision making and uh, you know, just across the league, we watch a lot of plays. Uh there's not there's not a lot of guys making a lot of good decisions. And he's still a young returner to us. He hasn't returned a lot of balls, and we just try to put him in positions to
where he could have success. Not only him that you know, the guys in front are blocking their tails off of giving them space and giving them lanes that he can run through.
And he's doing a great job of it.
I think that Justin Tucker's Lyons dominance.
That transfer the games also, you know, I think I think anytime you put Justin out there, man, he's he's gonna try to dominate the football game. Right if you let him line up and say, hey, you go out there, you know, field goal time, he's fired up, he's gonna be ready. Hopefully that will stay you know, at our house as wellform.
Though, and anyway, he's got sixty one and sixty six game yard people, the game winners.
I mean, that's I just think you know that you're gonna have You're gonna have to ask him if he fills a certain type of way. I just think for him, he'll tell you it's the next kick. Uh, he goes out there, I'm just gonna make the next kick. Doesn't matter who the opponent is.
It's is there was there something about Jordan's punt that has made it especially difficult to catch in that instance, or or what was it?
Uh, you know, I don't know that Jordan did hit a great ball. Though the punt was great. It was a high ball and we had the gunners. We had guys in this in his face, right, any little distraction in that in that situation, Uh, if the returner is not fully locked in, that ball could be on the ground.
And it was.
It was a huge, huge, huge turnover for our for our team, for our guys.
But the fast and fastest pointer of the scene, that.
Is definitely the fastest punter I've seen. That was that I tell I told du that was not in the scout of report because you know, I joke with him all the time, and there are no once you get past the first wave, there's no one catching you. That kid was rolling credit to him. What happened on the blocked extra point, you know, it just came. It just comes back to us executing fundamentally. Uh, you know we got a little high in that a gap. That's that's
really what it came down to. And you when things like that happen, it's a it's probably a direct result of us not executing fundamentally.
Once we take care of that, we'll be we'll be fine.
Back to back. It makes where you had a block fund or block whatever the A gap.
Specifically, is there something spacendicuts causing turmoil and what gives you confidence that it can be fixed and read?
Oh, it's a it's an easy fix when you when you watch the play.
Uh, going back to the Pittsburgh play, Uh, you know we had a guy we step in step up in that a gap.
We just got to finish the block.
Uh.
You know, we made contact and we just didn't finish the block. And it was a really good rush. Credit to kill aber on that. But we we got to do our jobs and we have to finish those blocks. And the same thing really applied to the Tennessee game this week. We got a little bit high, we had a guy in the a gap.
We do our job, we take care of our responsibility. Those things won't happen. I don't.
I don't think those are big issues that we can't get fixed. That's that should be fixed right away. Shouldn't happen. Honestly, I.
Send people look to be a return, And you ever thought about taking that seriously?
I have not thought about taking that seriously. He told you that. I don't know. That's probably why he didn't come tell me that.
You know.
So, But now that he said that, I'm gonna ask him next time I see him.
That was send it into the Ravens locker room.
Yeah, you've been on the road for three games straight, so it'll be good to get back tore fans.
You know.
I know the guys are excited and looking forward to another opportunity to play a really great Detroit Lions team.
So it's gonna be fun.
Just uh, you know, this team is maybe the best team in the NFC.
What kind of challenge.
Uh, you guys are relish the challenge to go up against one of the one of the league's best.
Yeah, you know, I think, I mean, you're we're in the NFL, so every team is gonna be good. These guys certainly, you know, have the pieces, you know, play well as a team and definitely bring some challenges. So you know, we're looking for the for the opportunity, you know, to you know, to play Baltimore Raven football, and I know the are gonna want to come into our place and do that. So it's gonna be a good challenge.
But I know guys are looking forward to it, and you know, you can't wait to get to Sunday.
How have you seen the transition coming back from London to sleep all that stuff, just getting back acclimated to the East Coast time.
Yeah, that's not fine.
I think it was harder.
It was harder going there and transitioning, But now that we're kind of back, you know, it hasn't been too bad. I know, guys definitely got some sleep when we got back here on Monday. But you know everyone should be good now to uh to put it out.
What is like the mindset we're making corrections and we're gonna get it fixed, though I am.
I am so concerned and looking at this Lion's defense at how good they are.
How do you guys make sure that you're still be able to be two dimensional trunk pass in run game against the front like things. So's preparation film room were watching their looks, uh, getting familiar with a lot of things that.
They do know will be prepared this week.
It's week seven.
Do you feel like this is almost where you expect the offense to be with the new offense? Does it feel like you're sort of where you thought you be.
No matter what week it is, we always, uh, there's always some things that we could improve on. Right now, it's just like that was kind of on display for a lot of people to see it, I mean in a big game. And we're gonna fix it though. Like I said, I I have great tremendous confidence that we're gonna get.
It fixed because in the run game as a whole, not you in general, but do you feel like there's yards that we had just kind of leaving some yards on the field where you're just missing on plays and you're closed to breaking more big runs.
I feel like just being here, Like with Wa Wa, we were used to there being a lot of a lot of big plays, bigger plays in the run game. We kind of being spoiled a lot. But but at the same time, that's what that's that's what, that's what the expecial expectation is. You know, we gotta live up to that standard and we're gonna get it fixed.
Like I keep saying, just a big picture is it?
You know, a couple weeks ago we were talking about how this is one of the best Rosente teams in the league, and now a couple of weeks where you haven't been as good. You know, the the tie turns, But d do you feel like it's it's a communication like if you're are you able to pinpoint where you feel like would be the reasons for a lot couple of games hasn't been as successful as you were earlier in the season.
That's exactly the thing is is like now we're just like way down here and everybody's like, oh, what's going on? But we were just not the best, you know what I mean. So it's not like we can't we can't get back to where we was were familiar with it. We know what it takes to be the best, know I mean, So we're gonna fix some things and we're gonna get right back. That's that's all it is.
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We've had a big week.
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