Welcome into the Ravens Press Past Podcast.
It is Tuesday, August eighth, and the Ravens continue their training camp practice today. After practice, we got to hear from the running backs. Running back Gus Edwards, Melvin Gordon, and Justice Hill all talk with the media, as well as running backs coach Willie Taggert and head coach John Harball.
Let's kick it off with coach Hardball.
Good to see everybody. Appreciate everybody being here. Big night last night. Glad you all made it out of there without any damaged your houses. So big storm, but it did cool things off, it seems like right, and we had a good practice a little bit cooler. Appreciate the effort of our guys. A lot of kids out here today. We love that the kids are having fun. So what questions you have.
A new fout against the Eagles with a T shirt or.
Oh yeah, right, right right, Well, yeah, I guess it is it always is that, right, it's always you want to we want to know. We got to talk about one day at a time, one play at a time, you know, So we'll go with that.
John.
We're gonna hear from Willy tagger today. Obviously he has any family history, you know with the horrorball. What has he brought to the definition to get in the running backsports?
All right, Well, Willie, you know we go way back. You know, he's he's he's a Harriball brother. We're Taggart brothers, I guess. Uh. My dad and Willy are so close, you know, from the time when WILLI is a quarterback, through coaching and coaching with my dad. We'll coach with my dad, coaching with Jim. Just such a such a close relationship. My dad and Willie's dad are great friends. We're great friends. So heavin Willi here is a big,
big advantage for us. He's a very established coach, you know, great offensive coach, great head coach, groundbreaking head coach in so many ways in college football. Now to be here with our guys, I know, our players love him. He's added so much to our staff. So uh, we're just thrilled that we were able to bring him on board and his family and Tanisha and all the kids and stuff. So uh, so we're rolling with Willie.
I quite a few plays Maine down the tail today. Are you saying any knitting things that showed you that these guys are getting more comfortable.
It's good to see the plays made downfield. We've been close a lot of times, as you know, throughout throughout camp, but they were completed and they were completed under heavily contested coverage too, So you see guys tracking the ball, running good angles on that route. We've got coaching points that they follow and thought they did a good job with that. So you always want to see big plays.
I know what I know. We asked you every week, Bob about to office a lot of people about the frost of the running back room, the side of the build.
Right well, I feel really good about the running back room as far as how they're practicey. I think every single guy is doing a really great job and stepping up. I mean you can go right through every single guy and they're all doing excellent out there. I love the way they're playing, so that's been exciting. Of course JK. That's in the balls in Jk's court. We have talked. We talked again yesterday. We had a great conversation. You know, I do expect him back very soon, but I don't
have anything to say about it. It's all it's up to JK. So hopefully that'll happen soon.
And this is looking very far ahead.
But is there an issue with like what he didn't this what equity during this part of.
The season season words?
Yeah, I mean I would want to talk about any specific player in that sense, but generally speaking, of course, you know, of course, generally speaking, you know, you want it to be a great player. You know, you need to put in the time and the effort and get with the team and and just get right, you know, And he wants to do that in his case. And that's why I kind of expect him back here pretty soon.
Find like wings around the preseason to talk about the preseason win streak? You even know how many straight you wanted?
Of course?
Is it twenty three? Is all right?
Dad?
Is this something that you even bring up, like the young guys, do you even bring this up? Is this any kind of a talking point whatsoever?
Now, it's like it's like it's like a it's like, you know, it's like it's like a no hitter, right, it's like a hitting streak. It's unspoken, you know till maybe after the game, you know, uh, but it's it's something you know, it's funny because I feel it's I'm in the biggest grand scheme of things. Okay, people have their opinions.
And I get it.
But you know, different things are important to different people. And I know that the guys who played in those games, the guys that made the plays to win those games in the fourth quarter, because most of those games were won in the fourth quarter with guys making plays, right, they'll remember it. It's important to them for the rest of their life, and therefore it's important to me, you know. So it's meaningful in that sense. And you know, but we're playing a game. We have a lot of goals,
a lot of things that we're trying to accomplish. It's not about that at all, not even about that per se. It's about becoming better as a football team, evaluating our players and each individual guy improving. So that's what we're looking for.
You said, you said a couple of times that for gells how to clean playing from if you have almost hold them back sometimes rather than you know, because.
I don't know, I think some things out of here every day, and he's not being kind to get better.
And better and things.
I mean, he's right on schedule, I know, not really, I mean I feel like he's just kind of pushing himself as he feels, and it's pretty much been almost full steam ahead, you know. Uh, the last couple of days has been his you know, most work and he's probably had his best days. So I think he's right on schedule. And he's just a worker. He likes football, he likes being around the guys, no different than the other guys. He's into it, you know, and you appreciate that I'm.
Beating off his bath.
Having the rampop and he's apology twit. You just reassuring as I've been on planning the schedule that you set for him, and also just reassured him.
He is.
But yeah, I mean, you know, you go by what you see for sure. Bill Parcell said it. You know, he said, I don't go by what I remember. I go by what I see. And I think that's a good adage for a coach, uh in any sport, especially football. And so you want to see it and guys are doing. I see Melvin Gordon out there, he's working on his own extra or here. He's been around, he's been around, he's been at every practice, He's taken every single rep.
Having a heck of a camp. So there's a lot of guys that you put in that category good for.
What you've seen from him, are you You know, it's one thing to see him like for other team, but now that you've seen him a couple of weeks now in the practice field.
Have been taken that h I agree.
I think he's looked really good and I've seen What's interesting to me is I I feel like I've seen acceleration. You know, his ability to change, to change speed through the whole and accelerate, change the angle on a tackler. We'll see in the games. But I, you know, obviously he's a very talented player and he sure looks good to me.
So I takes to ask me about party on the scene done for the season when you're.
Putting somebody in that list that or it looks like it, you know, with a toe it's a toe surgery. I really I can't say exactly if it's a whole season or not, but but it's a pretty definitive toe surgery.
Or thank you, thank you, that was hey, coach John Harball.
We also talked with running back coach Willie Taggert, who's a new addition to the staff. This year. He talked about coming here to Baltimore and what his impressions are of this running back group.
H Hardball that he works for. That he's been like working for John.
It's been like working for Jack Harball all over. You know, it's the same way working for Jail. It was like working for Jack Harball.
You know.
It's it's been great. You know, they all have different personalities. They all are great coaches and go about doing things their own way, and it's been it's been pretty cool to watch John and how he go about running running the organization, our team and our staff, and uh, it's been good. Now I can say I work for all three of them, and I can tell you all three of them are different, but they're the same, you know. So, uh it's been fun.
Billy, What are you saying.
From these years from running backs?
Right now?
I'll just Ja kas and out there in the chefs on one the guys.
I've been really excited about all of the guys, you know, starting back in the springtime and going through the new offense and being really impressed on how how the guys are taking the time to learn the offense, you know, and they make my job easier when they come in and know exactly what to do, you know, and then y' all you have to coach him up on the little details of things. But our guys are pros. They come to work, to go to work every single day. Great
group of young men and really excited. I mean I get excited every day I get to go in that meeting room because they bring it every day and they want to get better.
Just's those guys, but they all should do in Simon, what do you what do you like about.
Justine?
Just He's a guy to just do things right. You know, he's gonna he's gonna be the first in the meeting, the last leave. He's gonna know everything he's supposed to do, and the people around him what he's supposed to do, and and he's gonna be there for the young guys to help them.
You know.
Justin's been great. He's been a great pro, a great teammate. He's been great to coach. I really enjoy coaching him. He's a guy you can put in.
You gotta worry about him knowing what to do. He's gonna know exactly what he needs to do.
Really, he hasn't been putting.
View those out.
The relationship with the checks.
Well, I think it's important to develop relationship with all the guys, you know, not just JK, but all of them.
Get to know them.
You know.
I haven't worked with those guys before, coaching them before. And I think that's a big part of coaching this one is get to know them, get to know them on a personal level, and and for them to get to know me on a personal level. I think once we do that, then it's easy for me to coach them and it's easier for them to be coached by me. So that started way back when I got the job, you know, and and start that relationship. And we've been
building that along the way. And Uh, like I said, I I enjoy every single one of the guys, JK included. And it's gonna be fun.
I'll tell you one. I just experience it, not intruding, uh, not worried about class.
Sometimes I gotta check my phone to see if it still works.
You know.
I don't have to be checking out all the time anymore. And I tell you that is different, you know, that is it's the first time I coached in the NFL. Been recruiting for so long, and really it is. It's different not looking at your phone, not texting and doing those things. I feel kind of like awkward a little bit, but it's it's it's nice to be able to coach football,
you know, and and and that's what you're doing. You're coaching ball and getting those guys ready to go, and and to be a part of a great organization like the raven has just made it that much better.
We got to be get come up out for the even drump to me foul.
Or well again, I didn't know exactly what I was going to do, you know, and then I had some opportunities, had some opportunities in college, and uh, then this opportunity came with the Ravens and having an opportunity to work for John again it was hard hard for me to say no, you know, and and then being able to come work with John, I just looked at it as now I get I get an opportunity to be the assistant coach that I wanted for me. I can be that for coach harball and it's great.
Man.
It's been thirteen years since I had my own room, you know, and being able to coach ball and be out there again so it's been fun being around there doing those little things.
Again, well, good run back to Sleepers until a while.
Let's kind of getting your sense from him, kind of a work points deploy as station his career.
Well, I think it's a young man that's hungry. He's hungry, he wanted help, you know.
And and what's been great, great addition that he's brought some competition to that room, you know, but he's also brought him being a vet been here and been a pro, and teaching the young guys how to do those things, you know, and you can see it how you prepare, how he studies, and again he's been great from that standpoint, really helping the young guys out. And I had one of the young guys come to me and like, Coach, I see what you mean now about how to study
and all. He spent some time with Mail, and Mail was teaching them different ways of how to learn the offense. And I thought that was I thought that was pretty cool because Coach Harbor always talked to our team about their worth and it comes in a lot of different ways. And for Mail to be able to do that to a rookie and and for the rookie to be excited about being coached up by a vet was pretty cool.
That was running backs coach Willy Taggart. We also had a chance to talk with Gus Edwards. He is somebody who's been a bell cow running back for this offense at times throughout his career, and he talked about his mindset going into this season.
The first two questions of the new offens how are you enjoying it?
I love it.
We're shown a lot of fascists, got a lot to work on, But I think it's it's it's it's work. I mean, he's finding a lot of ways to get guys open, a lot of ways to spread the ball around, and I'm excited to see how everything plans out.
You want for big years spread apart, and you have a great opportunity to getting lesser van field backs.
And yeah, it's a great opportunity to see like some lighter box in the past, like like you guys are aware, we had to run through some tougher boxes. So great opportunity to get our running backs in some space, and I think we're gonna make the best out of it. He feels, yeah, I feel great. I feel great. I've been practicing every single day. Didn't have to pull back now once and I'm just building off of that.
Yeah, as good as a fulk to be in that position, knowing how hard you worked over the last couple of years to.
Get back to the sea.
It's a it's a blessing for real. I had a lot of people around me that really helped me. Uh, shout out to the Raven Organization for keeping me you know what I mean around and just giving me all the support that I need. And uh, it's been tough, but I'm back and I'm happy and I'm excited to see what his ear brings, that's honestly, but ill to talk.
About joy texts, what's shift discussion the whole station.
I mean, I see him every day. He's in there, he's still working hard.
Uh.
I know he's gonna be ready because that's the type of guy he is.
So yeah, he as one of routes out there.
John Barball was bragging on your route running to the other day, like, you're excited to bear so show others backs up of their game potentially your x ya. I'm ready to do whatever this often allows me to do, you know, ready to make plays in different ways, and I feel like that's something I've always been able to do and and and this often is gonna it's gonna put me in that space to make those plays and get get open and checkdowns and stuff.
Use last year, at this time of years, I don't certainly thinking about branding be out, how long it take? How you velop compared to truss? How you feel this time of year? You heard the last year's just not happening, that uncertaina oh it's night and day.
At this time last year, I was probably questioning myself like, man, how how is it gonna play it out? And I mean it might even gonna be back this year, you know what I mean. But there was a lot of doubts. And this year I'm just I'm I'm I feel great in the position that I am right now, help flies and and I'm just ready to uh do what I can for my team.
Forgar success.
You know of flight off the bad once you started tow and now boards are you needed to see what you know?
Where you are now?
Now I'm being healthy hand.
And then doctor, yeah, I think it's year six. I got a lot of experience under my belt and same year six, it seems like, Wow, it's time flashing. But I'm ready to have my best year. I'm ready to put it all together. I feel like I'm in a great position to do that. And and I'm I got a chip on my shoulder, and I just want to prove a lot of people wrong.
People you can't come back and be better.
I mean, I fought through a lot last year.
You know.
It was a lot of times when I had to step back from the game, even during the season when I when I just a little Nixon and stuff. So this year, I feel like I just have so much to prove. And maybe it's just a it's an inner it's an inner thing.
But still so you're a scout in the wood of Merton Good's best from hoping.
Since he's been.
He's been showing me a lot of flashes. He's catching the ball out of the backfield. He comes to work every single day. Uh this is yeah, Well I think I might be wrong, but he's bringing a lot of experience in the room, speaking up as a leader, and it's been great having him in the room.
Just did you want to change your body at all?
After you after rewiset to put yourself in the best of my bobs score.
And just kind of pack here where you were the core.
I'm just taking care of what I got to do in the training room, and I'm still in there every day, just making sure that everything is strong and everything is ready, and I'm in a great position and I want to keep building off of it.
That was Gus Edwards.
Also here is Justice Hill, who the Ravens re signed this offseason. It could be an important piece of this offense spring.
You're probably taking more rapids running back than anyone. How do you think trying to get form through something.
It's been a fun count just being out here learning new system, learning new system has been fun.
It's like going to a new team.
Man, it's been fun going out and just being able to process things and just getting a whole bunch of Reds men.
It's been fun.
Hocus like talk back. That's got a replications for involving in the backs. How much do you like that ass back?
Then?
When you see that a possible over and I say that's getting better.
Training?
Yeah, I mean getting the ball ian hands as many ways as possible is always ideal. And so it's been funny coming out here with Monk and it's a different system, being able to do things outside and getting some space.
I mean that's a running back dream. So it's been fun.
You talked about that idea of space, Sam, It's no secret for running back last couple years have been running off against really crowded box from boxing thing.
Just that idea.
You feel like that's something that maybe you can feature your skill set a little more than maybe in the past.
I mean definitely.
I mean at running back, you want to be able to do it all. And so if it's a power game, I want to be able to do that. But then if coach wants us to be in space and do things out there too, I want to be able to do that. And so I'm just honing it in onto details every single day, trying to stack and get better.
I mean, there's a running back dream out here.
So because you're always being called a.
Lot of teeth growing a back and you don't seem.
To be called out their life, you know, worry about.
How do you take that of put and they look you know, opportunity always comes, and whenever it's my opportunity, I'm always be ready.
And so every single day, it doesn't matter who's in front who's behind.
I just take it one day at a time, and you know, whenever it's my time, my time will be here to keep the job.
It's the long time.
How much interact with during this from your courts here, meetings, and how much can you tell how much it's looking to get backed out the man.
We're all excited to get JK. Bick out here and it needs a playmaker.
And now, yeah, we talk every single day and whenever things get ready for him, he'll be right back out here. So until then minute, we're out here learning and having fun every single day. We got a whole bunch of guys in the room and it's fun to see everybody just kind of show what they can do.
So that's I'm hoping you find people in your life asking you what's going on?
You say that a the time you find when your life asking what's going off that situation because you're practicing need.
To project da not really at all. I mean we're just coming in and work.
So getting your impression of Willie Taggers when you've been a.
Box it brings a good energy, uh, super super cool guy and as a as a running back and being in a room, he always want that chemistry and so he helps build that camaraderie with all of us, and so it's been fun.
Man. He's a good dude, a good coach, and excited to play for him.
That was Justice Hill.
And last year we had a chance to hear from running back Melvin Gordon. This is a former Pro Bowl running back who's been highly productive over the course of his career. He joined the Ravens during training camp, and he talked about his early impressions of life in Baltimore.
Team and offense.
For everybody, how do you think you know camp is gone for it's going good? I mean, you know, obviously the first couple of weeks, you know, I wasn't here for mini camping and OTAs and whatnot, and so, uh, you know, I kind of got the playbook a little late. But it's coming along. I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable, starting to play a little faster. So you know, he coach throwing some new stuff at us every day, so uh, you know, he keeping us on our toes.
So you know, it's it's good for us though. But you know, right now I'm feeling good. Could be better to always.
Why didn't you think this was a good opportunity for it.
It's just a great organization, you know, and uh, you know that's just kind of what I want, uh to be a part of. You know, I I got to go to Kansas City and I kind of seen what a great organization was. You know, what comes with a great organization, So you know, rings come with with with good organizations. So you know, this this style of offense kind of fit what I do always have since I've been at Wisconsin. You know, you only hear, you know,
great things about this organization around the league. So you know, I just thought it was a great opportunity just coming here and show what I could do.
Thinking your impressions of Todd Monkins offense so far, I.
Think it's good.
You know.
Uh you know, we really won't know until we go out there. You know, we go out there and and and show what we can do, you know, this weekend and and you know later on and so forth. But uh, you know, right now, just going up against our defense, Uh, you know, I think we've been doing pretty good. We got a really great defense, I feel like, and uh, you know, we we move the ball at times against them,
and you know, we go back and forth Uh. So, you know I think, uh, I think coach has done a good job with we're putting plays together for us and and putting guys in positions to win.
Ultimately, it's the coach's decision of who plays and doesn't the preseason.
But if you had to what you.
Want to be out there, it's it's the coach's called, man, you know, it's you could look at it either way. You know, I don't really know how you know, coach coach do it here, but you know how every do it will be ready for it. So that's that.
When running backs obviously pick Moreton's probably than any other position I've just seen dream fear.
I mean, how does your body feel?
Yeah, I mean I feel good. Man. I've always shared the ball really, you know, since since high school. Really, you know. In high school, I shared the ball with vont Jackson he went to Wisconsin. I shared it with money Ball, shared it with James White. I had that one year where I played by myself when I got to you know, the Chargers. My first year, I shared it with Danny Woodhead. Second year, I got to do
it by myself because everyone got hurt. Third year, Austin Eckler had that for two years, and then I went over there Philip Lindsay and then after that Javonte for two years. So you know, I've been blessed and lucky to have a great running mate with me thus far, and it's kind of it's kind of helped me. I think. I think it helped me out a lot. So my body feels good. You know, I definitely don't feel twenty one, but I still feel good for the most part.
Never with your impressions of Lamar being able to be out.
There with him, well I didn't really need to see, you know anything Differently I witnessed at first hand and being across from him when I was with the Chargers, I was just like, this dude is the.
Dude is a freak.
We had to bring in an extra dB as a linebacker to try to stop him for what he do. So, uh, you know, obviously running the ball is what he do, but uh, he can make some great throws too, So uh, you know, that's been cool to see up close. So I'm excited to see what he do in this new offense.
Smoking A lot of vetter, a lot of veteran running backs have just kind of hoisted out about how they don't feel that the position is being as much respect and maybe as financially as much respect as other positions. How what's kind of your stance?
Now, we just got to go out and play.
You know.
At the end of the day, I think, you know, the talking and and this and that is is not gonna get anything done. I think we just have to shine, you know, in the brightest moments. You know, when we get to the playoffs. You know, the backs that are on that team got to take initiative to be like, you know what, I'm gonna take over, and I think that's when things will start changing.
You know.
At this point, it's tough. You know, it's the league is changing, you know, and it sucks to say, uh, it's a passing league and uh, but you still need a great run game. Let's not let's not let's not get away from that. But you know, I think for us to really get changed, because the CB I don't think changed for what another what four or five years or something like that, So we kind of screwed. I feel like, uh, for the next couple of years. The only thing we could do is just kind of stack
it and just ball out. You know, we got some great backs on on every team. I feel like that can that can do that. So you know, it's challenged out to us.
Obviously a story to hearing that that chick has off the practicing. You've been around one time, You've seen a lot of different situations. What's your perspective?
Lowns, I really don't have one. You know, how he feels towards what he has to do is on him. You know, everybody's situation is different. You know, I dealt with the same thing. I had a lot going on. I can't tell you what he's thinking, how he's going about it, but you know I do know. Uh, you know, I know what type of player he is. I've watched film on him. He's a great player. So when he come out, he's not gonna do nothing but help the team and better us. And uh, you know, when he's
out here, it's gonna be open arms. We're gonna be ready for him to to make plays and do what he do. He's a playmaker.
What can you guys do as a room to not let that become a distract?
Oh, we just gotta go here and do what we gotta do. Man, You know, at the end of the day, we just gotta go out here and help the team at the end of the day. That's that's what it's about, you know. You know, like I said, when he comes back, you know, whenever that may be, we're gonna embrace them, the team embrace them. I think he got a lot of respect around the locker room, you know, me just being new to the locker room and seeing how guys
interact with him. You know, there's no there's no bitter feelings towards anything. I think the guys love him in the locker room and he has a presence there, so you know, we know what he what he can do, but we know what we need to do too, as well as a running back room, and we're all looking out for one another, and we're just gonna go out there. We put our best before. You know, we want to shine too, to.
See is that something to get done throughout her here or kind a kind of a richet?
Uh nah, I've been doing that my whole career, man. I just you know, I just want to stay on top of my game. I dropped the pass out here, so I went and got on the drugs. I was a little pissed about that. But anything I feel like I lack or something, or I feel like I need to get better at you know, that's what the extra practice is for. At the end, they give us a little time to do a little something, so I've always
done it. I hate to be unprepared. So, like I said, if anything I feel like I need to address that, I felt like I lacked on in practice, I'll get it after you.
That was running back Melvin Gordon. You also heard from Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Willie Taggart, and John Harbaugh. Now, if you want a chance to hear more about what's happening training camp, check out the Lounge podcast. We do full in depth interviews with Raven's players as well as give you our thoughts and breakdowns on everything we're seeing out there.
On the practice field. Make sure you're subscribed to both podcasts and lead a rating and a review. Thanks for listening. To talk with you again tomorrow.