Welcome to the Ravens Press Pass podcast. It is Friday, September eighth, and the Ravens twenty twenty three season kicks off on Sunday afternoon, one o'clock at the Bank against the Houston Texans. There's a lot of buzz and excitement in this building and around town as Ravens get set to open this season and head coach John Harball I met with the media after practice today and looked ahead to Sunday's game.
All right, okay, we're ready to go. Time you go play football. What question do you have Ransas Island?
You're sixteen years ago for you?
Do you remember that that first time you wor sure?
Remember?
Well the Bengals Joe Flacco, we have like a double pass, did Joe? And you caught it? Guy's down scoring range. We won a one score game, right yeah?
Uh yeah.
Demiko Ryans is obviously done it all in this league. You know, he's he's a great player, he's a great defensive coordinator. Now gets his opportunity as a head coach. I have no doubt that he'll do very well. I think he's got all the attributes and everything you see, you know, is very impressive, got a good staff, very good staff, So it's gonna be a big challenge for us. We're trying to focus on us and what we do, how we play, and that'll be our focus a little bit.
And how much of this, you know, week one were obviously a lot of the star has been talked to, are really excited, anticipated to get out there.
How much of this is about them?
But about like yourself, that's supposed to be a part. Yeah, I mean you try to define that, and it's it's about the opponent the sense that that's our opponent. You know, we need to know him inside out the best way we can in every area in order to defend them, you know, to play against them, to attack and all those kind of things you want to do in a football game strategically and every other way. So we try
to know him as much as we can. But it's about our execution, you know, It's about how we play, and that's what we try to focus on. We can't concern ourselves with them in terms of how they're gonna play.
We concern ourselves, you know, how we're gonna play. Try to focus on that cold gas the first year to push what do you remember about fifteen years ago when you first Yeah, I mean I just like I said, I remember, I remember the uh for the first time you go out there and you kind of you've been in a few preseason games, you have a sense of it, uh, and I think you find out pretty quickly.
You know, it's it's it's all fine, you know, and you you.
Learn, you start to learn what you need to concern yourself with, think about, uh, where you need to be.
It's it's every game is different.
Really, to be honest, and you just kind of you kind of just learned how to deal with those that that that role.
You know, which is a little bit of a new role when you're a first time coach. Marketing account Andrews.
Has been limited with the quad. Uh.
Do you feel like he'll be ready for the game?
Yeah? Like I think the time now is you know as we as you well know, and the answer that you expect to get is that we'll be uh, you know, referring all that to the injury report, and that's where we're at.
How do you go about balance?
So you go and you know, obviously he wants to be out there and you'd like to still out there working balance saying he's want.
Think what we need to be out there versus playing the dolls game.
Take the area.
I think that's one of many considerations that go into it, certainly, and every every week is different in terms of what's at stake, et cetera and all that. But like I said, you know, the injury report kind of tells the story. Guys want to play and if they're capable of playing, they'll be out there playing.
There's been so much attention with the changes with the offense, but the offensive line, you have four or five starters returning. It seems like you decided on Simpson, you know, to give some time for that group to jel. How good are you feeling about the offensive line as it kind of with the big picture of the offensive general?
Oh of course, yeah, I'm feeling very confident, Luke.
I'm I feel great about those guys and they I know, nobody's worked harder than that group of guys right there. So they're ready to go and they want to go play a game and see where they stand.
John got a little bit of a late start to get on the field.
How comfortable are you with where he is in the offense right now? Are you expecting him to kind of just play normal in terms of his snapshit.
Yeah, I mean we're gonna just play the game strategically the way we play it without regard. You know, we don't have any concerns about you know, how many snaps JK has had going into this point. I mean he said he's had enough and he's ready to.
Go next year.
I think increased your interceptions by like by for the way, what do you feel like the key for interceptions and was it just an you think it was kind of empsus last year.
No, I mean I think there's a lot of factors, but just play good defense. Uh, you know there are different reasons maybe, you know, in terms of what coverages you play sometimes, but everything like that is just a byproduct of the way the games go and how well you play. We definitely want interceptions, we want turnovers, we want recovered fumbles, we want TFLs, we want sacks. You know,
those are all things that we're chasing. Would say that William Josh Johnson are still competing as they were for much of the summer for playing Timmer. Is that quarterback hierarchy kind of looked down in Yeah, I think that's just the hierarchy. Those guys gonna help us win. I think you go week to week based on the circumstances right now in terms of where we're at and what our needs are in a particular week. Of course, you've got the hell factor and all that, so we'll just
figured it out as we go. We're just very I think blessed to have have three really good quarterbacks and I have two guys that are very capable of doing the job.
But significant injury in the holicins would the past a couple of years.
But I'll look out there and see how these guys are good to go week ones.
Just you know, what do you kind of feel about what what that means for this team?
Yeah?
Man, it means a lot. I feel great about it.
You know. Also, how hard they've worked, I feel great about that. I feel great about the tension of detail, you know, and all those things. So really it's just a matter of getting out there now with the team we have right now and putting our best foot forward. We're playing as hard and well as we can, and
let's see what happens on one of those guys. A job obviously, and want to talk after you about how nice to see them smile us, they say, last few weeks and curious, you know in a few parts you know.
Seas right just figure physical standpod. It's interesting.
Yeah, he looks he looks full speed right to go. H Rashad definitely me. It means so much to him, you know, and he was he was very frustrated, you know, with the fact that the thing kind of just kept lingering and lingering and he was not able to kind of put it behind him. But I think he kind of put his foot down, you like that one, right, and uh and just uh and really when you know, really just kind of made a determination that he was gonna beat it. And uh and he did a great job,
you know, he really he did. And I'm kind of proud of him. And I'm excited about him too. I want to see how he does. And you know, I mean, guys aren't gonna beat a thousand out there, but they're gonna they're gonna go out there and play and it's gonna be interesting and fun to watch.
Good.
Great, Thanks appreciate.
That was head coach John Harball. You're listening to the Ravens Press Pass podcast and if you want more to get you ready for that game. To make sure you check out the Lounge podcast feed, Ryan Make and Eye do a deep dive into this game and discuss what the Ravens need to do to start the season. Also, if you want to be in the house on Sunday as the Ravens open this season, you can still get
some tickets. There's limited tickets that are still available and you can get those on seat geek or by visiting Baltimore Ravens dot com slash tickets. Make sure you leave a rating and review here on the Ravens Press Pass podcast. Do the same over on the Lounge podcast feed and hit that subscribe button if you haven't done that already. Thanks for listening and we can't wait for Sunday's game against Texans.