Welcome into the Ravens pres Pass podcast. It is Monday, December twenty third, and the Ravens are gearing up for a Christmas Day game against the Houston Texans. As they get ready for that game, we had a chance to hear from head coach with John Harbaugh.
All right, good seeing everybody appreciate you being here. What questions did you have?
Jo taking it.
Takes of one game at a time, but now that you're getting towards that three game eleven day stretch, I mean.
Has it felt like a blower? Has it felt like it's going by quicker than usual? Or is it have you not noticed that thing?
You know, I do think you really kind of adapt and adjust. So this is a schedule that we're on the pace. Guys have adapted to it. They speed it up and got right into it. Yesterday and today they were moving around really well. You know, we were moving fast, so you just kind of point forward. We're forty nine hours away from kickoff, so it's coming. So the guys are thinking that way.
What's kind of like, Yeah, and you're just scheduled.
You just workloads sort of stuff all in both.
Yeah, the schedule obviously has to change, workloads changed. I think the mental stuff is packed in more than it would be. Everything just gets packed in more. There's not as much physical, it's not as much fast moving. There's some, but most of it is just condensed.
Right now. You're kind of locked in on this one game. But when the schedule came out and you kind of look at the stretch, were concerned at all? Just I mean, they're the premier teams in the NFL playing on this day. I mean we're concerned about the well being of players kind of leading up.
To Yeah, not really. I mean I am, but I'm not because it doesn't matter. We have to think about focusing on putting our best effort out there and playing well. That's what our guys will be thinking about, and they'll be ready to go. So we'll be ready to play. And one thing about our team is we are in really good shape. Our team is in great condition. Our team recovers very quickly, and that's documented by measure by
you know, measurable factors. We would, We recover quickly, So I think they'll be ready to go.
I believe fully they'll be ready to go. Wednesday night.
Coach last the week, both Marlin and that Court used the word stabilized to describe what Kyle Hamilton's impact the Pins and think they've moved because how beneficial is it to have a guy like that which could just be moved anywhere.
And habit kind of ad that so beneficial, it's a great word for it. I mean, he's he's the premiere, you know, the great. The great players probably can do two things. They can they can they can do pretty much everything in football or you know, in their area, and they make everybody around them better, you know, And I really do think Kyle's growing in one of those
kind of players. You know, it kind of it's suspressed itself for the last two years, but really in this year and then in the last month it's really expressed itself because you know, you might think in terms, well, he's a box guy, he's he's close to the line scrimman type of player, which he is, and maybe that he was even viewed that way coming out in the draft. But yet he felt like he could play off, he felt like he he played deep well Notre Dame and
we always thought he could do it. But you say, okay, well this is our best player in the back end. Maybe and certainly one of the best players in the league at safety, and our issues are deep, so let's put him back there, and he goes back there and seamlessly, you know, makes a big difference. So that's probably a good measuring stick for a great player.
John Wood good done with such a condensed schedule, do you have to simplify the game plan intensibly confessed with anything of that nature just due to the time restriction.
You have, Well, you're probably not putting in You're gonna have a few new things because you try to get in front of that and have those things practiced already. We're not practicing anything brand new this week. Things that that might be new that we haven't done in games before us, things that have been practiced before.
So you try to do it that way.
John Lamar, you talked about how, you know, really excellent he's been you've seen with taken into or was manuculation of defenders?
Would slay forward?
Would you kind of describe against the subtleties of the strides he's taken yet again in this season. I really think you know, he's he's really a young players still in the sense at seven years now. Quarterbacks, you know,
they play. Everybody plays a long you know, quarterbacks play a long time now, and so it's what you would expect from a diligent, talented player who works at it, you know, so kind of in every area you you hope that a player would continue to grow, and I think he just kind of grows in every.
Area as we go.
You know, the the whole tree line is getting higher, you know, across the board, and you see it in all those things you talk about.
So potential that the play the Texans again in the postseason, does that come into the calculus of what you want to show on film against them at all?
Or is that not a priority?
Not a priority you try to win the game.
You know, there's there's plenty of things that we can come up with for the next game that would be the next iterations of whatever we're doing. So now we're just everything we can think of that's good, We're gonna try to do it. I guess along the same ones on your work, Dads, they're asking us about all the playoff scenarios, and there was a lot.
Of chatter about that.
Right now.
Do you have to be aware of those at all? Or does it really not helpe you going into these games. You have to be aware of it.
I mean I pretty much know the scenarios to a degree, the ones that matter, and then I think you need to know it as a head coach going into a game regarding ties, like you know, what do you want to play for if it comes to that?
Do I do?
We want to how does a tie versus a loss versus a win benefit as if it would ever come to that.
Desmond King, obviously since he's been your returner, has had some dynamic plays but also ball security issues last game, what's the thinking on returner going into this team?
Right, he'll be our returner going into the game. We also have Thiland though, you know, and you know des has been a secure guy's whole career. It had been with us, you know, the first few games, I really anticipate he'll be he'll do well, but obviously it's got to be better than that.
You know, he knows that.
He's the first guy that Shoot, he was talking to me during the game about it, so he knows that. And that's that's probaby. One learned that from many way back when I was a special teams coach. You know, you want to get that game breaker but he said, the first thing is always going to be a punt catcher. You know, we got to get a catcher first, and that's you gotta you gotta catch the ball.
So that's priorby one Saturday.
After the game, you mentioned how special it is this time of the year, so I know that the gold is still gonn want to know, but how special is it for you to be playing a game on Christmas Day?
Yeah, it's just as special as it was last year. You know, maybe more so because it's twice. But it is meaningful. I mean it's meaningful because you know, if I'm gonna talk about in those kind of terms and spiritual terms, it's a chance to to to bring glory on a glorious day, I would say, you know, an opportunity to uh to kind of shine in that way you know before men and uh a lot of people are going to be watching. So we want to put our best foot forward and do it the right way.
You guys celebrate Christmas at all as a team, like like before or after the game when you have anything planning.
We actually had a team dinner last night here which was really neat and our our our chefs were incredible what they put out there. So that was fun, and we're gonna have the ability for family members from that Houston area to come over for the team snack after we do a walkthrough tomorrow night.
Coach during the well after the bye week, he said, you all started to look ahead and be game during that time off. Have you found that to be helpful now that you're in the midst of this condensed schedule.
Absolutely, because we were able to come off a game where we were all completely one hundred percent focused on Pittsburgh and then the next morning we have to we have to have practice schedules and game plan plays ready because we're gonna practice them that afternoon. So much of that was already lined up for us with our the pre work that we did during the bye week on the Texans. So yeah, I feel good about that.
Johnny had a pretty big concert at halftime at your game.
Was a locker room sound proof?
Yeah?
I wasn't There Wasn't there a time when somebody was out like peeking outside the locker room door to Super Bowl or something like that?
Was there is there some story on that? Who was it?
Was it the Bengals kicker.
He got in trouble for it.
There will be trouble.
That will be big trouble.
I like Beyonce, though I can't say I'm a huge Beyonce fan, but I think I like her.
Is she doing country?
Now?
She do a little country?
Now?
They ch some of those country songs will be in there probably, Oh check it out. You'll you'll have to report to me on that time you win the Super Bowl?
Did she?
It's good to know.
Really, I do remember that. Now, focus, focus, Thanks.
Next up, we also heard from quarterback Lamar Jackson.
What's your favorite favorite to the left.
We'll disappointing that she's Canna per forming at a halftime show that you can't.
Watch, Nah, cause i'm'a go out there and watch. Yeah, go out there and watch. Man, my first time sitting Beyonce perform, and it's at our game. That's dope. I'm'a go out and watch. Sorry, how well, sorry, sorry fellas.
If you guys have one.
Nah man, I'm not even thinking about the lead. I was just thinking about just saying Beyonce for the first time, not saying that like that. No disrespecting, uh cause I know how people can take things. Pause good.
Next question, Lamar, there is a lot of talk about MVP contest stuff. I know that's not your focus, but what does the MVP mean to you? Would that mean anything to you? I know so much focus is elsewhere for you with this team, but you're included in that conversation.
Uh. Man, if it do happen, it happens, that'll be that'd be dope three times. But like you said it, you know, I'm not really focused on that. That's never been my goal though, like uh you in the first the second one, and it's never been my goal. I always wanted to finish with the championship, but I've been
falling short but got that accolade. But I still feel like the MVP is a team a team thing though, cause my teammates helping me get that award because I always say that I'm not the one catching them passes, uh blocking, you know, to help me get these passes off. Stuff like that that's off of line tight ends ree who was running basket. It's everybody, all of us included. But I'm trying to win the championship. Man, that's my biggest goal. That's been my goal ever since the little kid.
But the MVP in the National Football League. That's dope. That's dope. Is there everyone's talking without huge josh yeah, going back up? Do you do you you're that? I know you try to kind of I got another trust but they hear it know me to cut you off, but like they tagged me in it, like like you don't gotta tag me. You can talk about all you want, but you wanna tag me to get like clip bait because you know sometimes i'm'a I'm gonna say something back
like that was stupid. You know what, there's what it is.
Man.
I don't care them. I really don't care about it. Uh the combos tryna win.
Lamarin a similar band. You have hit a lot of career milestones this season.
What are some of the biggest.
Strides you feel like you made this year as a player?
Uh, I don't know. I I really don't get caught up in it during the season, you know. Uh, I probably try to piggyback around the end of the season, you know, off season and see like what I did better than I did the previous years, cause I could teaut myself then the most.
As a follow up earlier this year with Marlin Hungry, you called him out on his life and not coming down with the interceptions.
I think perfect since then catching.
So what have you seen from him just bout the back from the injury last year?
Uh, him just being a dog. You know. When I first entered the league, Marlow had a different jersey number. I think he didn't have forty four. He had twenty nine, and mar not saying it's a jersey number anything like that. But going back to twenty nineteen when I my first
season starting, he had the Marlow punts going on. He was just a a different type of defensive player, you know, and he was younger than and now he's a Vet and I'm a vet as well, and I'm just seeing like how we are, how we just growing and getting old, and it's like there's no time to play, you know. That's just how I took everything, like I was just looking at everything and for our record to start off on too. I was just ticked off, and we just wanted we was one or two at the time, and
it was like so much going on. It's like I'm not trying to see no cameras, Like it's go time. We need to tighten up. That's what we did and Marlow's been doing a tremendous job, not saying it was me. That was just him, you know, him doing what he what he what I've been knew he was capable of doing. He's just catching the interceptions now, that's all.
You've known all along that this you know, three three games in eleven days stretch was coming up. How you adjusted your physical maintenance.
Routine, trying to sleep, like, just trying to sleep every anytime I get some rest our, rest, you know, just rest in my body just so I can go back out there and compete. That's that's what it comes down to, just getting your body right. And you should be good. Do you find it? You have to be smarter about that now than you did. And you know when you and you were twenty one, absolutely absolutely you start getting
a little weird and tear when you're getting older. You know, not saying I'm having that, you know, cause I'm good, but uh, it started happening. You know, you start being like a little fatigue. You might be sore in areas like I was sore here, like my sore like after games and especially you know a quick turnaround game like that's different.
I don't want to jinx anything.
But you know, at this point, don't jink it. Don't sit it. Don't see don't you don't want to jink it, don't sit I don't know what you're gonna say, but you said you don't want to jine anything, so don't say it. Go ahead. Damn.
I'm wait, what do you make of just how healthy this, this, this team is.
I mean, you know, Mark Andrews at this point last year was looking back, Marlin was still coming back.
You know.
I know you were going through some some minor stuff.
But to look around and have so many.
Important for the guys and reserves contributing to you, what does it mean to to this team?
And how remarkable was it? Man? This like it it finally. I don't want to jinx it either, you know, like it's finally happening. Things starting to at the right time for us, you know, like you said, guys, just you know, being injury free at the end of the season, that's great for us entering. You know, we just clinched the playoff last well just a couple of days ago. That's good. We just gotta stay healthy, man, to keep doing what we're doing.
Injuries aside, do you do you kind of buy into the notion of getting hot at the right time and playing your best football late in the seasoning?
No, I feel like that went out mot That went out the window last year because we got hot last year and we went on a wednes Street and then we lost in the NFC Championship, So that went out the window after that.
But for me, you know, a lot of talk about after this last game about winning at the line of scrimmage. I think you credit the offensive line for how what they played, and that's the last game with another game against Houston coming up, and they got a lot of good guys.
Along the front.
In what ways do you think your offensive line has really adjusted to from that week one Week two where they were kind of struggling, especially in past protection.
They're just doing their job. That's just how I see it. You know, those guys just doing their job. They took heat at what people were saying cause they're grown men. They getting paid the player as well, and people talking. It's a lot of noise they saying whatever they saying, like these guys not grown men and they can pee for their jobs and stuff like that. They just dialed then got locked in and practiced harder. Uh, just focused on the assignment and just went there moving people off
the ball. And that's why I feel I feel like they having that much susist.
Why are you MORTI?
You talked about how you know the game.
Is slowed down from you, like every year.
I guess exact came how was that or or why has that been the case?
In in second late when you go from.
Year to year, you driving in from and incrementally on everything is in an area of focus, like you specifically what happened?
Uh?
Uh?
I feel like I'm improving because each year, like I said earlier with the f the one of those question type of questions like I'm I'm cr critiquing myself. So I'm saying what teams doing to me? And I'm seeing all the type of defenses they tryna throw at me, and I'm just studying old and after that it's like, alright, so when I'm eating going into games, I'm getting a favor like I'm getting a feel for what they're doing to me, you know, and that's just making my job a lot easy.
Is that is that just come with age and time and experience, or is that a different approach like to the film OUTA.
Yeah, that's yeah, that's definitely just age because early on in my crew, I I wasn't critiquing myself like that. I'll probably go see what I did, cause I'm I just got in the league, Like I just did this in the league, you know. But now it's just totally different, totally different.
I know that the goal each week is to go one and oh, but you're playing on Christmas for the second straight year, and that doesn't mean anything specially playing on that on that day at all.
I mean, it is you know, it is that mean we're good. That mean we're good. But at the same time, I do want to celebrate at home sometimes with my family now, so don't get it all the time. I don't want to be playing on Christmas all the time now all the time. But now it's great. All your side is great.
Uh.
It's a present for everyone, you know. They get to see us playing a lot of odds on us uh. And I believe a lot of people a gonna be watching U at the right time, right family twenty sixth of December.
Do you know, like I mean, I think there's some up there nows for you guys to win.
The AFT or do you know any of the or do you just not put chick in the different scenarios for you guys to win the ANFT North, Yeah, like if you have to win or like the Pittsburgh loose? Is this game? You win this game? Do you do worry about it that we're trying to win regardless? I really don't care what another team got going on. I don't I'm trying to win.
We also heard from offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley. Ronnie, just what's the mindset going into this game on a short week, playing on Christmas Day?
Just go and play physical, play our ball player, Brandon ball and come out with a dove.
Ronn.
You guys came off this big win against the Steelers.
What does that kind of game like that do for this team and how can they benefit you moving forward?
First off, you know, clinches us playoff birth, which we're all excited about, but we still have business to handle. You know, we saw have our end goal in our sites and that's what we're working towards.
This offense has been playing well all season long and seems to be playing well currently. What do you think is the key for this unit as a whole going into this final stretch.
I think it's just discipline and execution and focusing on the details. I think we're doing a lot of good things and good things to build on, but there's a little details that we can fix and become even better.
You know Lamar Jackson as well, you know, as anybody you play with him throughout his career.
Just what is it that in your mind has allowed him to take his game to even another level this year?
I think it's just him not thinking too much about, you know, everything going on around him and just focused on where he is in the moment at hand, and whether it be practice, whether it be you know, his recovery day, where there be game day. He's he's great at just keeping his feet where he is and focused on that.
Right.
How are you handling the physical like rehab and in your body right unto your short turn round?
Uh?
Yeah, you know, everything's gotta be sped up, you know a little bit. You know, the schedule, we still have meetings and stuff, so we really get you know, a true off day, so all the body work and things of that nature has to be kind of fitting.
So everything's just kind of you know, put together much together for you what's.
Kind of the non negotiable piece of your recovery that you got to squeeze in no matter.
What, how short do we get on them. I think it's for me. One is sleep.
I think the second one is the sauna ice tub. Those are two things that you know, I definitely need and definitely gonna get body work this week as well.
So how important has it been for this offensive line to be as healthy as it's been healthy.
As a long?
I think it's very important. I mean for any offense. I think you're gonna need those guys. I mean, we make up half our offense, you know, so for us to stay healthy and be working together and keep building on chemist shoots out the season.
And I think it's very important.
Saw this stretches schedule.
I mean that the three games and eleven days, were.
You concerned or were you.
Worried about your guys' ability to turn that around so tight?
I mean yeah, I think you know, when you first see you really don't know. This is the first time I had this type of schedule in my career, so you really just don't know what to expect. But you know, we're right here in the middle of it, and we're ready.
You know.
So I do you like playing on Christmas Day?
I mean, sure, yeah, I don't. I don't dislike it. I mean I think it's an honor to play on Christmas Day because you know, you know, first of all, it's important day, it's Christmas, and there's not that many games on, and you know, it's a it's a very big stage to play on.
So it's definitely an honor.
I know he plays on all this side, but please, Roger, where you put it off this year?
Would?
I'm super proud of Roger's super happy with his development.
I think he's done a great job and he's proved that he can be at starting tap on this league.
You're listening to the Ravens Press Pass podcast, make sure you hit that subscribe button. Also head over to the Lounge podcast feed and subscribe there as well. Thank you so much for listening, and enjoy that game on Christmas Day on Netflix.