Welcome in the Ravens press past. Today we heard from head coach John Harball and safety Kyle Hamilton following the Ravens big thirty four to seventeen win of the Pittsburgh Steelers, so they get ready to now face the Houston Texans on Christmas Day. Let's start with Coach Harball.
Okay, good seeing everybody here. Appreciate you being here. What questions you have.
Such a big win like that, the bull turner in all of that, any quick turnaround, what's the what's the message to the team? And secondly, does it almost in some ways help the hack?
Quick the turnaround a weird way.
Well, I think it's it's just our guys understood what was in front of us and they were in here today ready to go to work. Obviously, you know the win was a good win, you know, so it's a good feeling about that. We're happy with that. But there's really no time to well, not too much. We made the corrections from the game, which there were plenty to make, and all eyes are on Wednesday night.
We got to play the highest they'll get the highstman from high to those we can go after Cinera're just multi.
Stuff.
Well, the guys, I mean, these guys are pro football players, you know, and they understand. Coaches, we understand you've got to come back in.
You've got to get ready.
We had to put a practice together, a game plan together, you know, in a short period of time, something that we had been preparing to do. So it was pretty much laid out. But you've got to organize it and there's tweaks you have to make, and we'll be doing that all week up until game time. Really, and the players the same because they know that, you know, four o'clock on Wednesday, on Christmas afternoon, we're gonna be lining up against a very good football team. And that's kind
of the sobering part of it. You know what's in front of you and we've got to be ready for it.
What is he from CJ.
Straud's evolution from some of the rookie back in Week one, you know and now you been playoff last.
Year to he's grown, well, he just continues to grow. He's just a super talented guy. I remember watching him, ohiose state. He make all those all those outside breaking routes on the dime on the sideline and just got a strong arm he's very accurate, quick, quick release, makes a lot of tight window throws to his receivers, ironically to a Michigan guy and Nico Collins. And he got
a great back as a home run hitter. But he's he's surrounded with some good weapons and he gets the ball out, quick handles pressure well, he can move, he's athletic, scrambles and makes plays.
All those things are things that he does.
And pass rushers, specifically on the edge with Pars.
He got the two top guys, of course, but then I look at the roster and it's not just them.
They got a whole bunch.
They got six guys, six guys that can get to the quarterback off the edge that we're gonna have to contend with.
So when you went back and looked at what you guys did so well against them when they were when they had the ball on offense last year, what ippressed you did?
Which is the execution from last year?
Well, I really haven't looked at that game yet, so I'll probably get to that game at some point in time here, but I don't really remember it right now. Looked at their last couple of games this year, so I seemed more relevant.
You know that you got to Carey yesterday.
What have you seen from him?
And I guess in practice if he needs to fill him.
Yeah, yeah, great, great question about Rashida, He's I think he's ready. You know, we saw him the week before in the four minute made some good, tough runs and it was good to see that. It's probably good preparation for him because he got hit, had to protect the football and kind of feel for the speed of the game, and I think he'll be ready to go. You know, he's pretty good in past protection, so in practice he
knows what he's doing. But until you get out there and play in a regular game and you challenge with all the things that go with it, you don't really know. He'll have an opportunity to kind of show what he's all about.
Elvin May he can send in your career.
High in sacks yesterday.
What do you see about his game that's allowed him to have so much success at this point of his career.
Well, I don't know about the comparison. I just know since he's been here, he's been a pro. He he's always I think he's always been able to rush the passer since he's been here, he has, you know, and he's really really finds a way. He's got a good knack for the game. You know, he's got his sense
of where the quarterback is gonna go. He made some mistakes also in the game yesterday that he was frustrated with, but he also made some plays and even on the one the turnover play where he didn't do it well, but then he hustled and got the ball. So you know, he just kind of plays like that, and he's opportunistic and veteran guy.
It's awesome to see him get all these sacks. It's really it's one that it's great to see.
John speaking of Texans pass rushers, Roger rosenbron guy who we've got another good game yesterday for you guys, and a really hid Tja wat Chick had some nice front blocks as well. What did what's impressed you about his development?
Steady improvement?
I mean got Lee, you know, Roger, you remember the first game or two. You know, he was learning and got a couple of tough lessons there, especially in the first game, and nothing really phases him.
You know, he's got he's a very confident guy.
At the same time, he's a he's he understands that he's I don't think he thinks he's ever going to arrive. You know, he's the kind of guy. It's just a tough he's kind of a football got a football head. You know, he likes football and he likes to work at He's a competitive guy and he wants to do well. He's very tenacious and it's paying off.
John, Do you think Keaton Mitchell is ready to go if you need him this kind of step in Wednesday.
Oh yeah, Keaton's been ready to go. It's just a matter of you know, there's levels of being ready to go. You know, he's coming off the injury. But I would say in practice we've seen steady progress with his you know, his explosiveness, his quickness and all that.
And he's been looking good in practice.
I know it's less than twenty four hours after the game, but I mean, do you do you have an affiliate for any of the guys who popped up on the injury work today there they might not be available on Wednesday.
I think it was Balle and zach.
Uh.
Yeah, pretty optimistic about those guys, Johnathan.
You see, you know Marlon Humphrey be kept the full healthy year basically, and them is taking advantage of that making the plays that earned him All Pro before, get back to being that guy because he's been on the field when you need those plays that have been early on, they weren't there.
As often as you need it. But to see him do that, How important is that for this team now and going forward? Really important?
You know, Marlin, and we say it sometimes, you know, you need your best players playing their best and they need to be the guys out there making a difference. And anybody can make a difference, but Marlin's a guy we count on. And Marlin comes through and he's made so many plays for us, and there's a lot of guys in that category on this team, and and he was the guy yesterday come up with a pick six.
I was just a massive play for us. It's one of those plays that our difference maker plays and seasons, I think, and I was pretty fired up and he's running up that sideline, you know, I think everybody was.
I mean, he said multiple times that he felt like he took a different approach coming into the season and that he thought it was a big season.
In terms of the trajectory of his career.
I mean, did you get that sense coming into the year.
Yeah.
He and I talked at the end of last year about that, you know, just from a training standpoint and kind of what he was going to do in terms of his conditioning, and I think he was going to get back to some things he had done, you know, over the years in terms of getting his body ready, and it definitely paid off.
John.
I think thought the last job that George Warhawk had before Baltimore with you was on that excuse me, twenty twenty two Texans team when you kind of were interviewing him for the position on the staff, did you guys talk at all about maybe what he'd learned from that. I know he's been around the block a bunch of times, but just you'd kind of take away from what he'd taken from that Texas spot and maybe what he would bring to Baltimore building on the experience.
You know.
I've known George since we were both twenty five, you know, and he was he was the assistant offensive line coach at Kansas with Mike Salari and Mike Salari is one of the legendary offensive line coaches, and he trained he trained hop you know, and then you know, we not like we were best buddies through the years, but we knew of each other and kind of you know, decid his career, and I know how highly respected he was, so there really was no interview. It wasn't like we
need I need to find anything out about him. I knew what kind of a coach he was, and the circumstances as they were. Uh, he was available and he wanted to do it, and it was just a you know, it was a godsend. He really was a godsend for our team. And and I think I think George is happy and he's doing a great job.
All right, all right, great, thanks.
Next up here, safety, Kyle Hoilton.
Did you turn around like this? I mean interesting to come into work.
Today and have to believe it if it's a walk through practice, just take us some challenge of that.
Yeah, obviously it's a physical challenge and mental trying to get your mind off the game.
And luckily we want so a little easier to do that.
But you know, it's every team that plays on what's a's do with it? So we're not gonna play it's it's part of the business.
I'm back to the defense.
Yesterday making so many key plays more times kind of wave those key plays this year from that group, and you feel like you've you've asked you for it. Is you turn a corner or is it just like, hey, what's your next minute?
Yeah? I think it's it's a week's week thing. Obviously.
You know, we gotta stack these kinds of performances. I think they're still ton of stuff we could have gotten better or done better during the game, but you see those big players what they can do in terms of making a difference on the outcome, and it would have been a completely different game if we had made those plays. So shout out to our Darius, Marlin, everybody that contributed. And you know, ultimately that does get the one.
Do you believe in any kind of carryover effect from such a sad swing and maybe does it get your guys thinking there's there's orders that we can't win every game.
Yeah, I mean I feel like we think that before every game though. You know, even if we were zero and sixteen going a week eight.
Teen, I'm sure that we would like we're about to go win this game by thirty point.
So it's it's something that you can't just pick and choose your mindset of Hey, I think we can win this one. Hey it's gonna be a tough game, and you know every game this week's gonna be tough, but you to go with them said that you're gonna win.
Do you think you were you aware with the areos?
Do you think about it and people talk about it.
Or you guys just look at it.
So we just haven't been playing at nothing else matters. I have no clue how it works out. I mean, we were just trying to win all the games and that we can. And you know, if we.
Get home games in the playoffs or not, you know, we're trying to win those games too.
And I think at the end of the day.
Whatever cards were dealt, whatever cards we end up playing ourselves into, doesn't matter.
We're gonna do what we do.
Saw CJ twice last year, and we could take away from those games.
Uh.
I think there's a little bit, you know, playing against them. Obviously he was a rookie last year. It's gonna be different going against it this year. He's seen whole full season. We played him first game of his career and then in the playoffs last year. But you know, unfortunately they had some injuries and stuff like that, so it's gonna be a little different at the team, and uh, praying for those guys that they have over there. I know that a few receivers. Obviously, Tank just got hurt. Hate
to see that. And in this league, no matter who's who's playing, you know, it's it's part of the game. But it's tough to watch and praying for him and all those guys over there. But but yeah, I mean CJ's great quarterback and it's not gonna be easy to ask getting him off his game and hopefully making him have a bad game. So it's gonna start with the run game, knocking out the run game, and then from then on just getting out of the quarterback.
Kyle Marlins had, you know, probably playing at the wall pro level again this year. What have you seen from him that's stood out to you? And and just how significant is it to have a guy like.
That playing, you know, kind of back to that, But yeah, I don't think he changed really anything. You know, sometimes you know, he's struggling with injuries last year. Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't. You know, outsiders kind of have a quick life shelf with NFL or just athletes in general. You know, you got one bad outing and now you're terrible and come back and he's doing He's what everybod's accustomed to him doing.
It's normal to us.
But just happy to see him doing he's doing right now, and I know that he's gonna carry it on throughout the rest of the year.
And I think him playing Nickel has really helped us.
A lot, and his mobilities flexibility when we're not Nickel to go out to the wide.
Corner as well. Opps is out of ton, So huge props to him just coming back this year and.
Do what you need to do. Does this week feel any different from like a Sunday to Thursday kind of week or is it different?
Feeling a little bit?
It was kind of weird seeing the game it's being played today, but you know what, I assume they did that so we can end up playing on Christmas, and you know, I mean it's kind of kind of nice giving him out the way. It's just boom boom boom. Three games done and now we got Cleveland after this week and going to the playoffs. But yeah, like I said, it was just we're taking one. I would say one week at a time. But it's really just one game at a time. We're playing like four times a week.
But I don't think it's on anybody's mind. We're just going out there to play the game.
You had a big game on Christmas last year.
Any any feelings about playing on Christmas two years straight on.
The right, Uh, it's a blessing. Obviously.
I wish we could be at home celebrating with family, but I mean it's not the job title. So uh, you know, we're we're excited to go out there and play in front of the world. Netflix numbers not be a little inflated like the Mike Tyson fight. But I'm sure it's to be posted everywhere, all the records and stuff like that. But uh, you know, it's a blessing to go out and do what we love on game day. I have all our families at home watching Dame.
With a home playoff game. Ben atmosphere be like, man that would have been watching. What you do you think?
Oh, it was awesome. You know everybody wants to trash on Notre Dame. It's just it's like they you hate us, if you're if you hate us, so everybody in here especially real quantum. Sure' gonna have some stuff to say about the next game and we'll see.
Though. I think we're I think we're gonna genuinely win. That's championship with yourself. Quote me on that.
If we win or lose, I don't really care, but you know we're we're headed that way.
Thanks for listen. As you might imagine, it's an altered week from a media perspective. With Christmas Week. The Ravens will have one more day of a media availability tomorrow, where we'll hear from coach Harball again as well as quarterback Lamar Jackson and others. Thanks for listening.