Coordinators: Ravens Press Conferences 10/18/24

Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass podcast. It is Friday, October eighteenth. The Ravens are gearing up for Monday night's game coming up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Today we had a chance to hear from the coordinators. Let's kick it off as Special teams coordinator Chris Warder.

Good to see everyone today. I hope all you guys are doing well. Just just a quick little recap from last week. You know, very pleased with our guys and kind of and kind of how they're playing. Send a lot of growth, played a lot of young guys last week, and you know these guys are these guys are trying to really lock into the details, pay attention to the details, and really put it together. On Sundays again, I thought they played hard, they played physical. It was really exciting

You may have just referenced it, but a lot of players are real happy to be Cleveland.

But what goes into that decision to have because it's only been a week or two that he had done that, So what goes into the.

Decision to have him out there?

You know, honestly, when you when you think about it, when it when it first came up, those decisions are made through like, okay, who you have up, who's available on the defensive line, because those are usually the guys you want to put out there first. And then I think at one point Harps came over to me and goes, well, if you if you are running shore, we do have Ben Cleveland. We can think about that.

And I was like, Ben Cleveland, he's big, you know, that's that's you need a big guy out there, right? You think about all the defensive linement, like okay, I got a big guy. This guy's a giant. He puts his arm up. Oh yeah, this is good. Okay.

So then so then I gotta go back and I gotta figure out, Okay, who can I sub him in for? So the defensive line guys don't get mad at me, but like, hey, you're gonna take me out to put Ben in there.

So you got to think about those things.

And then when you go through and you're like, okay, this is a good week for him because we had we were missing the defensive lignement. So got him out there, let him rush man, and he got he got his hand.

On the ball.

But again, it goes back to a conversation that I had with Ben sitting on the bus and he was like, Coach, I did this in high school.

I think I can help you. And here's me.

It's like okay, all right, we're gonna try to figure this out. And we got him out there and he kind of changed that game for us. So really excited for him, man. And when a guy tells you he wants to do something, then you believe in him because he truly really wants to be out there. And give you his all to do whatever he's got to do to help the team.

I think he's earned himself a full time role. You know.

It's just it's an opportunity to kind of get him out there, let him play. And you know, if we are short here and there, I know I got a guy even if I even if I do take him off the field, I know I always have a guy in the back on the back end to put out there.

And now he's gonna give you everything.

He's got that other than just I mean, we obviously we see the stature, but like you.

Know, I mean that's really that's really where it starts, right, I mean, you got it. You can't you can't put like little little little guys out there, you know what I'm saying, Guys that guys that don't have any reach. When these guys kick these long field goals and that and that ball is short.

So you need a big guy, you need a giant.

You need a guy that's got some reach, a guy that can get his hands up you can get somewhat off the ground.

Right.

Uh, that's really what that's really what makes those guys. And then when you watch just those plays across the league. It's all want to right. It's just a guy that wants to go out there and realize that there there are points to be had, uh from the other team, and and how can we affect that?

Right, So go out there and give your.

All executed and sometimes you don't get it, but if you just keep applying pressure, those things happen that before. Actually, I have not used offensive line since I've been here in that role just because our defensive guys have been so have been so good. But I but pat Rick Card actually played out there for us when he was playing fullback and we line him up and he actually blocked a field goal against the Jets.

So I mean, any look, we don't care who you are.

It's just a matter of when we put you out there, are you going to give us everything you got on the play? And those guys were out there and it's paid off for him.

I know, obviously you don't want to mess with a good thing. But you know, is the difference between from someone like Ben and there and someone like Dana filat Layers even bigger? Just a matter of experience?

Yeah, I mean it's not it's not really so much about experience.

I mean you just don't.

You wouldn't put Daniel out there because he's playing a lot on offense, right, So you just think you think about the guys that are in those reserve roles on on who can help you and how can they help you. It's not to say, you know, if it came down to it, we couldn't say, okay, hey, this is a long field goal.

Ay Dan, you you want to get this one.

We could potentially do that if we felt like doing that, but that's not something I don't think that we would work towards.

Chris. We've seen a dating back to the summer and ot as and obviously he had some personal stuff going on at different points, and he's been banged up. He's banged up again this week. How much has been tough to get into rhythm uh in the return game with Hardy kind of being on and off the practice field.

You know, it's been it's been complicated, but you know for us, for us, it's just like, you know, Hardy's our guy, and and and and we believe in him, and when he's healthy and he's in the right place, we know he can be a difference maker for us. And it's kind of it's kind of like you said, he's been he's been going through a lot, he's been dealing with a lot. But it's not it's not so much of just just that one guy making the difference for us, because we believe like it takes eleven guys

So but but as far as as far as that, I mean, we just.

Work on Okay, who's who's available and who's not available, and we just run our plays and we work from there.

Next up is offensive coordinator time.

Monkey. The big kind of word for you is is drag and reducing the amount of drag. I mean, how good you think.

This offense is in terms of getting rid of those things your way?

We've been better, you know, in a lot of ways, but it is week to week. You know, can't carry over points and yards, just can't. I mean it's week to weekly. You try to tell that to your guys. I think they've handled it really well, you know. I get there's a week between games, so there's a lot to talk about, you know, about what it's looked like or what we've been But we got to do it this week obviously, you know, against a really good football team,

You know, we really have.

So you know, we've got to continue to put it all together and all the areas that matter, which we have been.

What's impressed to you about Lamar finding you know, a workable answer, right answer, reporting staff.

But it's been doing great. You know, it's second year in the system.

We've streamlined some things, we're doing it better as a staff, we're doing it better in practice. I think we're detailing it out better. I think the guys are more and more comfortable. You know, Bait's been healthy, you know, really throughout the off season and now Zay Flowers second year in it, Mark and big Z being healthy, adding you know, Derek, So we've got a lot of pieces, you know, and it's just just our second year together. But again we got to do it this week.

To that point, what Jamar we talked about that that level of kind of being much more comfortable the second year. I'm curious as as a coach, like, how did how did you how would you describe your comfort level in terms of where the execution is where you ultimately kind of want to get to.

We're much further ahead. I mean, you know, you have an off season to look back at what you did, what you thought was the answers or the way you want to go about it, and uh, you know, we're just we're doing things better. Our guys are playing at a high level. I think we're just we're all doing it better. It's not just the players, you know, obviously us having a system that they can wrap their arms around, build confidence in that's detailed out, because the players make

And then the challenges.

You're playing someone really good who sees what you do well and they're going to counter that, and then how do you continue to do it better and evolve.

Good to you about this offensive line, because it seemed like the early part is time trying to feel his way, but it's progressively gotten better each week.

Well, Roger's only going to get better. You know.

We ended up moving pat to guards, so we've had a little continuity there. We've run the ball better, we've stayed ahead of the chains better. That's a formula for us to continue to get better. First two games we had a lot of two minutes get back on track third downs that are going to expose anybody. It's not just our old line, everybody. And I think they're going to continue to grow because even Daniel right guard's a young player in terms of play has it played a

Yeah, you guys ranked number one and a third down percentage. There's a lot of reasons for that. But how important has Justice Hill been in blitz pick up and just how much have you grown to both appreciate and trust how he kind of sticks his nose in there.

Yea, Justice does a great job.

You know, he's a weapon out of the backfield, and he does a great job on passport, really understands, you know, what we're trying to do. And I'm afraid to stick his nose in there, and you know so. And with our depth at running back, you know it's being banged up. It's been everything for us on third downs and situational football.

With you're talking about the offensive the line of Daniel, I mean, do you feel like he has made notable progress even from week one and two to now?

Sure? Sure. I think there's.

A difference between practice, preseason games, playing tackle, playing guard, communication with who's next to you, you know, when it's Daniel and it's Pat, or it's Daniel and Roger or and then just the calls and then just seeing it all the things that those guys have to see movement because it's the game's no longer standing still. You know, the D line moves and the linebackers plug and they pressure, and then you get calls late. Then every day you're

With fle first two weeks, will struggle.

He's been a little far superior since then. Just in those two first games, did you see the makings of what you were anticipating and developing into and what he's kind of reformed into now.

I think he's still developing as a player, I do.

I think he's still a young player at guard, you know, learning how to like any player, not just a young player, but the stamina to do it for sixty plays, you know, and not flash. And there is a point where you get to all right, I'm comfortable in knowing what to do.

What's now? Okay the looks that we see.

It's one thing to have your assignment, but then when the bullets start flying against the best in the world, multi millionaires that are paid to not let you block them, not let them stop you from getting the quarterback, that's a lot of times easier said than done. So I think he's really come a long way. He's only going to continue to grow as a player. He's only still just scratching the surface of what he can be.

Much has been made.

Of opponents for putting that extra player up near the line of scrimmage, whether that's to account.

For al Lamar or Derek.

I mean, do you do you think you'll keep seeing that even though you guys have played very well against it the last.

Few weeks ago, I don't know, you know, each team's gonna pose different issues for us.

Tampa is built differently than Washington is.

Washington was different than Cincinnati was, you know, So we'll see, you know, But most of the teams that you play, Joe Witt is a tremendous defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles is an elite defensive coordinator. Lou An Romo, they're really good coordinators. Like they're gonna do what they do. I mean, they haven't gotten to where they've got without really.

Still sticking to their core principles.

So with that being said, there's gonna be some nuances that we have to be able to adjust because we've changed a little bit, you know. So as we change and we put things on film. We have to be ready to adjust. I mean, that's just the way it is.

I have to ask this finally, of why do you carry the call in front of your plants there?

I'll always talk.

Yeah, I don't.

I don't get the big deal, Like, I mean, where else am I gonna put it?

What else? I laminate it? And I don't know what else you want me to do it?

Do you?

I mean, I've always put it there. I don't know what the big deal. Some times maybe it's been covered up or being like this.

I don't.

I really don't get it.

Huh, you don't.

That's not true. That's absolutely not true.

It's they enjoy it because we're moving to football and we're successful.

It wouldn't mean a damn thing if we were. I don't get it, Like it makes sense.

And if you're grabbing onto something because we've been playing good, that's fine, that's awesome, you know, hopefully hopefully that's the reason.

I mean, if that was as simple as that, I'll make it even bigger. I mean, we can go bigger if that helps.

Next is defensive coordinator Zach Worth.

Yeah, doing alrighty man, that's good.

What do you see what you know, going against pick me fields and all that.

Have you seen any difference in him.

Into this season.

I mean from an ability standpoint, no, I haven't seen much difference.

Man.

We always had a lot of respect for Baker Mayfield. He's a good, a very good quarterback. He's real competitive. I think that's the thing that sticks out about him. He has that never die mindset and play style where he's gonna try to stay alive every second of the play and try to make something happen for him for his offense, and he's done it. I think the thing that's been really impressive with him in Tampa this year is just kind.

Of the freedom I see.

I feel like I see at the line of scrimmage that he has the check in and out of plays to get him in the in the right look.

So he's done a great job with that.

I think that's gonna be a big challenge and a big chess match for us to kind of not give him the answers of what we're in and not let him try to check in a great play uh that they want to be in. So I think that's the biggest difference I see for this year is just you know them giving him more of the keys of the offense.

Maybe in in previous.

Years he's short a lot relying on yak What you know, what's sort of the checklist.

For you guys in terms of countering that man, You gotta you gotta tackle, you gotta tackling, you gotta tackle in space man.

And they one of the top rack teams in the league. Uh, they they'll do.

The dudes get a good job of getting north and south when they catch the ball. Got all those guys got mean stiff farms. So we got to get more a lot of hats to the ball. We got to get them hats to the ball, corral them and then eliminate the yards have to catch because that's where they make a lot of their plays at.

So I got a lot of those lines.

Thinker's been really good too, in the middle of the field, past an area where times you guys have struggled. What do you think is held you back there? And if there's if there's one thing or what do you sort of look to improve against.

Yeah, I think it was just us improving just our fundamentals and just simplifying everything and just everybody doing their job. I don't think it's one particular person or one particular call or one particular coverage. It's kind of like everybody's doing their job and then somebody doesn't and then the offense is finding it.

So we've been working hard at that. We know that's an issue.

So we're trying to make sure we take care of the middle of the field because like, like, like I've got up here and talked about you want to make quarterbacks throw outside outside the numbers as much as possible.

Stevens and Wiggins get some extra repchs after practice. What's been the focus there. What's the kind of saying about those two guys beginning to actually work after practice?

Man, It's great.

We always encourage people, man, to work on their craft, not just with us, but on their own, and I think that just shows the competitiveness and the willingness to continue to get better. And those guys have been playing good football for us, but they know they can go to another level. We know they can go to another level, and the focus is just on technique and fundamentals.

Man.

Like the big message for us and our guys this week, man, it's about us, man, And you know, if we do what we're supposed to do fundamental wise, technique wise, communication wise, then you know, we'll go out there and feel like we'll play a really good game.

A player that maybe hasn't played up to their standard or expectation, as Marcus Williams have, you had a conversation with him and just what's kind of a way that you can get him in better spots to you know, make bigger plays down the stretch.

This yeah, man, I mean Marcus Williams.

First thing, we still got the utmost you know, faith and belief in them.

A lot of stuff. He's a safety, so on.

Film and on TV and during the games, he's a last line of defense, so it always looks like he might be at fault, but that's far.

From the truth.

Man.

He's doing some good things.

Obviously, just like a lot of a lot of our guys. He can he can play better and he knows that and he's working at that. And my biggest thing in him is like, man, you you back there for a reason, We brought you here for a reason. You've made many impact plays in this league, not just at your previous spot but for us, and he's made plays this year. So just had that confidence you want the top free safeties in the league.

Go go beat that. And that's what our conversation has been.

And I think he's looked honestly up to this point. I think this has been his best week of practice during the season so far. I mean, he's got his hands on the football. He's made some plays that we are customed to seeing. So I'm excited. I'm excited. I think that we're gonna see Marcus Williams really turn it up in these next couple of games.

When you look at this Ben's kind of analytics, it should you guys are forcing a ton of really tight coverage throughs. You know, they're they're not a lot of open wide receivers open. You're well, I know you're always looking at what can you improve on, but you also look at that stuff and say, hey, I think we're covering better than this tests show.

Yeah, definitely.

I mean we looked at our explosive passes. Obviously some stuff that we can clean up for sure, you know, scheme wise, and guys, you know communication technique wise, but a lot of the plays, I mean you got to give your hats off to the to the quarterback and

Because of that.

And I think some of our shortcomings hasn't been because of the tight window catches that they've made. It's been the other plays when they haven't been contested. So, uh, we're fine with that, man, our guys we're gonna make more of those plays, uh than not.

We've seen Arthur back out precticdent week I So you know, whether whether it comes to this week or next week or whenever, is that gonna make your job a little more complicated in terms of finding work for him and ar Darius and Eddie Jackson and et cetera, et cetera.

Yeah, definitely, man.

I mean, it's it's a it's a deep talented group, Like we still believe that.

You know, obviously it is what it is what we've.

Done so far this season, but it's still a very talented group and it's gonna be tough to try to find different ways to get guys.

On the field. But it's it's good though, you know what I mean. It means it.

I think it brings kind of a good like mid season competition of you know, who can go out there and go do what? Who can go execute at the best and at the highest level. And you know the guys that can do that that'll probably be out there.

What did on what have you seen from our Darius or so get you know more snaps and seety last week too in that role? What do you what do you see from that?

Man?

I just see a guy that goes out there, and I mean when the ball comes away, makes plays.

Man.

He's explosive, he flies around.

He's a guy who offers offers us a lot of versatility because he can play safety, he can play nickel, he can play don, he can do a lot of different things. And then, like I said, ever since he's been in there throughout the whole season, a I know, the ball comes ad way so more times than now he's gonna make a play.

So I'm excited about I didn't mean to rhyme.

But but.

He's just been a playmaker.

So you know, the more plays you make, the more opportunities you're gonna get, and he's been taking advantage of that.

I know you talked about their passing game, but Chris Godwin specifically, I mean, I think he's leading the league in catches, leading the NFC and receiving yards. You know what's really stood out about him. I mean, he's he's been a good player for a long time, but the numbers really pop a little more this year than recently.

I mean, he's always been a great receiver. He's always been tough. He's always been you know, fast and strong, can can play all different spots, can play in the spot and can playing the slot, can play on the outside.

I think, honestly, I think he's just healthy.

I think he was banged up for the last you know, year or so, and I think he's finally healthy, got his legs back underneath them, and it's really showing. So we got to make sure we have to have a good awareness of where he's at and what he's doing. And then the main thing is tackling him. I've seen him stiff armed people and break tackles at a high rate, probably at the highest rate of a receiver i've seen so far, so that's gonna be a challenge for all of our guys to get them on the ground.

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