Jackson, Linderbaum & Washington: Ravens Press Conference 12/31/24

Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass Podcast. It is Tuesday, December thirty first, and the Ravens are gearing up for their huge game on Sunday. It's an AFC North showdown between the Ravens and the Browns with the AFC North title on the line. Today, after practice, we had the opportunity to hear from quarterback Lamar Jackson, so.

There was for this MVP voting. There was no really debate over he's forty five yards passing away from his first career four thousand passing season he has thrown. He broke his own franchise record with thirty nine touchdown passes only four interceptions, by the way, and even though his mother wanted him to run the ball more against the Eagles, he still has run for over eight hundred and fifty yards for a fourth time, which is a Ravens record.

Thank you guys. That means a lot.

Uh my home team, well, this is my second home right here, so home team media, uh man. I owe it to my teammates and you guys. I appreciate you all a lot definitely.

Morel that a touchdown pasted Isaiah. Likely seemed like the Texans defenders worked sure if they should go after you or stay back and coverage. You were just kind of twaying with them like a cat mouse. Uh do you see like in their eyes, like you can read off the eyes or is it just complete feel of the entire field of.

Pr pretty much a pretty much a feel for the game.

Uh.

Fifty five. I believe Hughes. I don't wanna get his name on.

I believe Hughes, but he was, like I believe he was doing the job, just trying to cut me off and stuff like that from turning up.

Uh.

I remember Mark going out of bounce, Zay say Files going out of bounce, and likely was just doing what we wrik all the time, you know, scrambler drill. He was two defenders on him, a corner in the linebacker, I believe. And I'm just tryna get space away from fifty five cause he was like a tall guy, and I believe if you'd just pulled me, he probably would have sacked me or something like that. So I was just trying to stay far away, f f far away from him. As I could but try to keep enough

You know, Mark doesn't feel like it's uh lots of Europe twenty thirty four, or.

You don't really don't we feel like the season just getting started. Yeah, but yeah, Uh, New Year's Eve, New Year's.

Eve, man, I mean that stand outs uh to you the most about twenty thirty four in your memory.

There's a lot of memory from twenty twenty four. I don't think I have a standout. I don't. I don't have a standout, man. There's been a lot of blessings. I can't complain great Year's trap relation. Yeah, but i'm'a tryn to keep it to myself. Yeah, mor over the year the last couple of years, do you study.

The film and other teams more or less about the same as you did earlier in your computer?

Oh?

The same?

Uh.

It's like, you know, I'm I'm y, I'm seeing the same things a lot, you know, Uh, different ways, Uh, different teams, different opponents, different guys. You know, some guys leave retired, some guys you know, enter the lead from college, some guys on different teams, But it's pretty much the same way, And it's not really like me just trying to pinpoint them. It's me critiquing myself too, you know, from how they played me and how I can get better for next time I play.

But do you s get more out of study than you used to?

I mean, can you yup?

Yup?

Yeah? Definitely. Uh.

When I was younger, you know, it was like a terminology thing, like just entering the league and tryna get a feel for the terminology, the different terminology from college and me being in my seventh year, a lot of things slowed down and I'm I'm saying things that I didn't see before.

Why.

Uh.

I know you don't care about stats, but would it be meaningful for you to finish with the best single season quarterback creating ever?

If I'm if I'm on my childhood in my childhood mindset and breaking the record. Yeah, but I'm trying to win the games, so it really don't matter. If it happens, it happens, if it don't, probably would happen sometime down a line.

Almar.

Since the byeweek, we've seen a big up taking the pistol runs. H Before the BIE week, it was a lot of under center runs and do.

You notice that?

And uh, what what is k Have you noticed the benefit that you guys have had out of running more out of pistol?

I I believe it's just the scheme versus teams that make us like change it up a bit.

You know, we gotta keep it balance.

We can't just go into a game, a NFL game with that and just do the same thing from probably weed. You know, like teams are probably pinpoint, Oh they doing this when they do this, when they line up like this, they doing this. It's only a couple of outside of this stuff like that, So we gotta change it up a bit.

Or obviously say Flowers had a great rookie year this year, he's taking it to even another level in your opinion, you know what's it been that's made the.

Difference for him us?

I can't call it like when he entered the league last year, you know, he was the same, like he just got that that the get him, like he he just wanna be the best he can be, be the best receiver he could be in the lead and that's the football league and just try to help his team win. And him being a young player and what he bring it to the table is like, that's what you need out of young guys.

You need a lot of young guys to be the same way. He had the same mindset. That's just wanna win, Famar does it? Als?

Is it like you guys seem to have him poor with each other and when you spend time off the field and so forth, like how how would import him? Cause is that for on the field success? You know, and that sort of thing to you guys?

Uh, I believe it's it's part of the chemistry. You know, you guys probably start s knowing, no knowing each other thoughts sometimes with certain things you know from field play, you know, and just watching highlights or something like that. Just the bunding bunding off the outside of the field and running on the f on the field.

It it helps your team out a lot. I believe that's just me more.

And you know, an entry group, you know, the teams like kind of go when he the first season in the NFL. But when you come in the NFL, you heard a lot of criticism, people skeptical or now you're having your best season year seven. This still the the whatever the you wanna call him. The doubters, the haters whatever, d D. Does that still motivate you in.

In your seven Yeah, because like it's really nothing to talk about for real life.

Just let us play football. But it is what it is.

It's gonna always be that, you know, once you, once you, when you playing sports, it's gonna always be talk.

Of how good the players, how bad are players?

He should be this, he should be that. It's gonna always be that type of talk. So it is what it is. But just keep it up.

For me, it helps or less less. You got to know the early game and you can just go Saturday.

So how many times is there a part of you that likes the fact that you get the first game of the weekend and you could just kind of focus on what you guys and you can focused on pick your business and that immediately playing at.

Times to the playoff. Yeah, I'm cool with it. I'm cool with it.

Uh I I believe uh from that Christmas game we had like a little mini by So I'm cool with just getting after it.

I'm uh your useul past that you know he had to you know that brought you, you know, the title for about thirteen years.

You know, there's some younger players in this league.

How long do you.

Get do you think your your record, you'll you'll still be adding to that Russian Joe. Do you think your record would ever be broken up?

Yeah, I believe so if you do. The hats off to whoever do it. You know, because the records are meant to be broken. Is noting to be mad about, you know, just another guy or another one of one type of generation of tenants aga, I believe.

If it happens.

Congratulations to Lamar Jackson, the Ravens Local Media MVP. Next up, let's hear from Tyler Linderbaum and find out what the local media voted him for.

In addition to Team MVP, we also give out a yearly award for the media Good Guy for the player who goes above and beyond to accommodate the media. UH as far as accessibility and as far as insight as well.

UH.

This year's winner and uh we think there was some out stuffing from Jeff's rebeck, but this year's This year's winner is Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum.

Thank you, thank you. Yeah, I appreciate for the nomination. Thanks for all the work you guys do. Except for you, Jeff, I'm kidding. I appreciate it. All the coverage you guys do for the team. Uh, we appreciate it.

Any questions about winning this Award's.

Probably gonna like it, so we'll have to have a discussion with him about it, but we'll be good. Probably a little bit of jealousy. It wouldn't be my guest, but you never know with him.

Tyler, where have you seen this offensive line really kind of grow over the course of the season. You guys are going into the playoffs playing really good ball.

Yeah, just I think each and every week just seeing the improvements. No one, it has to do with just guys playing new positions each and every game, learned something new, getting better. And then you know, just credit to the guys working on their craft each and every day, you know, whether it's a walk through his practice, trying to make each other better, pushing each other to be at our best. And of course once you once we you know, get to that postseason, you won't be hitting on all cylinders.

How personally, just proud are you of that? I mean, obviously entering the year, there's a lot of talking about the airline and all the new guys in starting positions and how proud of you. Are you of the work that's been done collectively to get to this point.

Yeah, you know, very proud. I think, you know, it's a good group, a fun group, you know, and then just you know, all the things that you know, we went through in the preseason. You know, losing Joe d surely hasn't been easy, you know, but I think, you know, he'd be very proud of us, you know, the way we play, the way we play the game, the way we approach the game.

You know, I think something would be proud of the.

Chance to win the AFC North two years in a row. What does that mean to you?

Yeah, it's a it's a great opportunity. It's that it's hard to come by, you know, and just we get an opportunity to you know, put our names up in these banners. So you just got to take advantage of every opportunity we're given, and you know we're positioned to to make something special happen.

Lamar won our local team MVP award on a large scale, Do you think he should win MVP of the league?

Yeah, absolutely No, Just I getta see him every day, the things he's able to do. Then carrying it over to the games. Just a special player. No, it's he's you know, extremely fun to play with, just the things he's able to do. No, I just I think there's no one more deserving than award than Lamar Jackson.

So and last, but certainly not least, let's hear from safety our Darius Washington.

When you hear about people talk about the defense turnaround with this team and they point to you and your play? How does that? How does that kind of make you feel that you're You're a lot of people are recognizing what you're doing on with You're a helpful you turn around with demise?

I mean, I feel good, you know what I mean? It makes it feel good showing that I'm playing a party and that the big turnaround that we had this season.

For sure? Why do you think you.

And Kyle have been such a seamless partnership back then?

Because of the communication we have. That's why I feel like, you know, it's been such a big deal cause the communication we have out there on the field in aus the field, you know what I mean?

So did you know that before you were in there?

Forever?

Did did you? Did you sort of assume that would be there?

Or has that been even a pleasant surprise to you, how smooth it's working out.

Uh No, I kind of always knew it was gonna be there, you know, me and Kyle wants to win. We wanna go out there and compete and make plays and everything like that, and they'll get guys lined up and help those guys out like around us in each other. So like it wasn't surprised at all for there.

Bartol Humphrey last week said you might have had the hardest job of all because every summer it seems you're fighting for a job on the team. If we could go back to the draft process, do you remember of that of not being drafted up joining this team?

I mean, oh man, not being drafted It kind of just seemed in a dark place, you know what I mean. So then like when I got here, like all I wanted to do is prove myself and go out there and play football. So like I was kind of down for like about two months or so, I'll say, But then when I got here, I just wanted to play play ball, improve myself and go out there and you know,

After your fourth down stop on Jill mixing, Zach Orr seemed flying over top of you to the ground in celebration.

Did you even notice stuff was happening?

Nah, I know, sir, I didn't. I didn't even know he did that. Like we both kind of blacked out. Like when I talked to him about it, he blacked out. I blacked out, so like I got to my phone. Like a reporter asked me after the game, you know, did you see Zach or anything. I was like, nah, I didn't even see him. So I got back to my phone and I checked. I said, oh, this is what she was talking about. Well at first, no, I didn't know. I didn't even see it.

That's it for today's edition of Raven's Press Past podcast. Don't forget to subscribe to this feed as well as the Raven's Lounge podcast. Have a great and safe new Year, and we'll be back with you again tomorrow. See you in twenty twenty five.