Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass podcast. The Ravens are going to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at six point thirty pm on CBS in a Divisional Round matchup. As the Ravens prepare for this game, today, we had a chance to hear from head coach John Harbaugh.
Okay, I appreciate everybody being here. Good to see you getting ready for a big game like the Visional game against a very tough opponent who we know. Well. We're looking forward to it. We're very deep into the preparations for that and we're looking forward to the weekend, looking forward to the game. What questions you have in John.
Obviously you're familiar with this team after playing on the earlier ear but what I mean, just in watching Frollove just you know recently, what kind of just stands out to you is just as for the.
Bills in general, Well, yeah, I mean it's a big question because so many things stand out there. They're such a good team, all three phases are playing at a very high level. I think the biggest thing that stands out is well coached they are, how well tied together they are. They play complimentary football. All three phases playoff of each other. They have a defined personality in every phase. And as a team, they're very physical, they play very hard.
They're they're cohesive. Uh, they're on the same page. I think. Offensively, they're very coordinated in terms of blocking schemes and timing of routes and and the pass protections and how it's all put together. You know, the quarterback obviously is playing at high level. Josh Allen is a great player, and he's they're they're they're well built around him. You know, he did a good job of building the offense around him.
And they have a lot of complimentary pieces. I mean all their receivers, wide receivers and tight ends and backs, and the backs also serve as receivers. But they're all they're all very talented, skilled catchers. They all understand the passing game really well. They run hard, they protect the football. They're all good ball carriers, whether it's handed to them or after the catch.
Uh.
So, big physical offensive line. Defensively, very active, very very tied together defense back then to the second level to the front pass rush, run defense, defensive backs showing up in the run game. Linebacker's playing downhill in the gaps in the run game, but pop punching out in zone coverage as well, getting their depth, breaking on the ball, tackling, just all the things that you would expect from a well coached team like they are. So that's the type of challenge that we're facing.
No sense, when you play a team back in the week before we played three and a half months ago, how much weak do you put in that in terms of reviewing that and prep compared to what they've done and say, like their last.
Five or six game.
Well, you do both. I mean it's both. I'd say it's you know, it's some. I don't know what the percentage of it is, but you're involved. That's definitely in your breakdown. You kind of go back and you pick the games. You watch all the games, and you even go back the past years. You know, that's part of your breakdown as well. Uh, and then you choose the games that you want to put in there and that you want to kind of emphasize and that you think
apply to the game coming up. So these games we throw out too, just based on what we see, and it might be some recent games that we don't use just because we don't think they apply the last their last game of this regular season. We're not using we don't we've seen it, we know what's in it, but it's not applying to our necessarily to our to our game plan. So we use all of that.
A little bit more. I'm sure you'll have a better sense later in the week. But are you confident that day Flowers would be able to play or is that still very much open the air.
Yeah, that's in we'll see mode. He's working hard to get back, and we'll see towards the end of the week if he's practicing and he could play without practicing for sure, if he's if he feels healthy enough, and if it's safe for him.
John kind of piggybacking on Jameson's questions. I mean, the excitement to see this matchup seemed immediate. I mean, you have Tony Romo kind of almost salivating on are talking about it. Is there a part of you that can step outside of it for a second and just say, as someone who goes football, this is a this is a matchup that everybody should want to see.
Oh, absolutely, absolutely, child. I mean it's you. You kind of feel, you feel grateful to be a part of it. I mean it's a privilege. You know, it's a privilege to be a part of a game like this. You know, this is a this is a big game. It's a divisional game. I mean, these divisional games are really hard to win. You know, if you look, uh you look, you look back over the years, I mean, because you're playing the best teams. I mean there's the four best teams in the AFC, the four best teams in the
NFC are still alive. And you know, to get to the super Bowl, if you want to take a step out, you've got to win two games. Now, whoever gets to the Super bowls got to win two games against the best in their in their conference. That's tough, really tough. And so to be a part of that, just just in that, in that sense is really amazing. And then you get you get a chance to play a team like the Bills, who've been perennially in that group. Uh just super talented, well coached type of a team on
that stage, you know, in their place. You know it's going to be cold, it's gonna be blustery all that, you know. I just like I can picture John Facenda coming down, you know from the heavens and and narrating the preview to the game. So it's it's great. Yeah, we're we're excited about it.
And you mentioned do you look at a week four game and at more recent games.
You guys won that Week four game, big what what worked well for you in that game? As you go back and.
Look at it, well, I mean you saw the game, you were there, bo, you know, you know what worked well? We uh, first play was a good play, you know that was that was a good play for us. But you know, there's it's a it's just a football game, you know, And and I'm sure that you just look at it from it just a kind of it. We look at it kind of more of a scientific kind of a football perspective in terms of what did they see, What are they going to try to stop? What are
they going to play against us? What are they gonna run against us? You know, we're the matchups now that weren't there then, or that are different or the same, you know, all those kind of little things because just you know, watching the game gets you some insight into what they were, what they were accomplishing. And they had a lot of good plays against us too, you know, so it's more that as opposed to the outcome. I mean, you don't really look at the outcome. The outcome is
kind of irrelevant. It's more just the just the predictive aspect of in terms of what you think you might get going forward.
Was trying to stop you guys' offense.
A lot of it is trying to stop the second and third play with Lamar is similar with Buffalo's offense. How important will it be to kind of stop some of those you know, long winded players and.
Long winded plays. I like that the long winded play. That's a good way to say it, you know, the two play, the two play quarterback. I might add is Todd. Todd needs to acknowledge the fact that he got that from me, just for the record, you know, I know, I know he likes to take credit for that, but you know that that just just so you know where that came from. Just well ask him, he'll tell you.
I mean, everybody knows. Everybody's in the inside knows. So I just want I got an opportunity to get that out there finally, because I don't think he's acknowledged that yet. I've noticed, you see, he liked it.
So much.
He kind of took credit for my brother has that same you know thing about him. So, uh, where were we the long winded quarterback, the long winded plays. Uh, it's it's critically important. I mean, that's uh, that's that's that's the challenge because the first play they run is really good too, you know, the on time in rhythm play runner passes is really challenging. Then the second play, or the third play in the case of Josh or
Lamar becomes the becomes the next challenge. And so everybody's got their part in the first part of the play, in the pursuit or the plaster or the or the keep the ball in front of the tack or the angle part of the play, whatever it might be. Continue the rush, make a smart rush in terms of how you tackle, how you push a guy out of bounds, all those things are a big part of it.
John, the drum incident out Saturday was the exciting time that that's happened here.
You walk through when you learn that when you throw and what's that due to.
You as a company, When you learn gave stops and cotron.
It, well, you know, they we're I think we're at the line of scrimmage, and all of a sudden, the referees you could tell you got buzz in their ear and they stepped up and they stopped to play. Then we have one of the referees that's not doing the game is with the coaches, so you get a little quicker information. Normally would be the side judge you come over and tell you, but now he's right there to tell you, Hey, uh, they're going to stop players a drone.
He just told me that they're looking at a drone. And so I just told our play callers that, you know, that's what we're doing. And really, at that point you just wait. I mean, it's not really anything you can do about it. It becomes like a commercial time out just a little bit, and you continue to kind of talk about your strategy. Really is what you do. It's just an opportunity to kind of make sure that we're we're thinking the same way within the game. That's about it.
We don't think too much about it as a drone situation, per se.
The more inside quarter war got need in the back pretty hard. Do you anticipated him that limiting his participation at all.
Throughout the week is for the practice time.
Doesn't look that way from what I've been told, which will say.
These two teams have evolved since the earlier match up this year. I mean, is there anything that you can discern between the difference from the first time you met if they're coming up.
Yeah, I mean I say, across the board, both teams are better, you know, in every in every way. Really, I mean, I don't think either teams taking a step back in any way. Both teams are better across the board. I think both teams are kind of, you know, defining their personalities a little bit more over the course of the seasons and kind of what you'd expect at this point.
John, although now you doesn't have another thirteen stats season, what are some of the ways you think that he's improved outside of the sets and hoping that the game can see just from him the other as her wigneman with such a big offense as in their.
Match, well, Kyle h is uh, you know, obviously the sacks are kind of speak for themselves, and uh, but it's not just that, you know, there's there's so many situations where there's kind of the unsung aspects of a play that you know, a lot of our guys have done,
and uh, he's been the same guy. Sometimes he'll he'll be in a position where a quarterback can't escape and someone else will wrap around and get the sack, or or or squeezing on a run and forcing a run back to a linebacker or bouncing out to a dB like he's supposed to. I just think he's playing good football, you know. And I do think it's kind of reflective of the whole defense really. I mean, everybody's just really focusing on doing their job in a real physical way
and a real discipline way. That's what everybody's really trying to do. So and col is a great leader that way too. He leads, you know, he talks to the guys about that and a lot of experience that way, like in the playoffs, so he's been talking to the guys about playing good discipline higher for football.
An offensive line. He's obviously been pretty critical to the success. And if you just you know, think back to like any season to now, obviously you guys have found that they've found their footing. What just stood out to you about you know, a guy like Daniel Filele playing you know, a new position, and you know Patrick McCarry McCarry doing what he's he's been able to do throughout of course, as you're out missing a missing any top.
Right, Well, I think the offensive line just like every position, but it's kind of it's kind of there's just there's a lot of individual stories in there, the five individual starters, and there's others too that in the depth part of it, and if you get into that room, you kind of see that each each guy's got his own story, but probably as a whole, it's probably just steady improvement. You know. Uh,
they've been through a lot. You know, you look back at the Joe d situation and then you know the fact that it was three new guys and all that kind of stuff, and you know some of the some of the doubts and all that kind of stuff that they dealt with. I really feel good and proud of them. But really we don't think about too much right now, Brian. It's just more about preparing for this game and and and the challenge that this defense presents our line, just like every position.
A lot of people when you.
Talk about Josh Allen and more, they'll talk about that two thousand and eighteen draft.
Do you think when these two high proofile players.
Do you think because of that, they'll kind of always be linked in that regard.
Yeah, probably, you know, it came out in the same draft. Highly successful, They'll probably always be linked.
Yeah, John Lamar a touchdown of justice for at the end of that. It was such a highlight play. But right before that, Isaiah likely had I think it was a nineteen yard catch, had a big sipar him, didn't get out of the bounds, and he takes the ball and sprints all the way to the HASH and you guys are able to clock it really quickly.
I mean, how impressive undertanding.
The playoff game, that situation will awareness, you know, and knowing how important the time was then on that past.
Plus so impressive. I mean, there were so many situational aspects of that game that our guys really did a good job of that you may notice and you may not, and you notice, and that's a great point. I mean, that's one of the things that we work on really hard. We work on it all the time. But he takes that ball right back to the hash, gets on the ground that everybody sprints up. Lamar, make sure everybody set first.
Everybody's legal ball is snapped. Now we have you know, is eleven seconds the difference or is eleven seconds left? I think with the play as opposed to nine or eight or something like that, that's the difference, right. So to your point, then you think about just the fact that we were able to be in that situation. I think Thailand didn't Tiland have the conversion on the was that that drive? Was it that drive? I think it was where we hit. He had to cut the ball
on the sideline, right. If you don't, we're a third or second forever on that, you know, so Lamar and you know with a clock run down, there's only about twenty eight seconds left at that point, and he pushes forward for the first down. I mean, all those things give you a chance, you know, at the end, to have a great play like that happened.
And you talk about those two quarterbacks. Did you feel like those guys existed when you first started coaching in the league or is that something that you guys to account for more and.
More over the years they existed. Yes, but you have to account for him more and more, exactly right. It seems like most guys now are kind of like that. I mean, like a guy like bow Knicks comes into the league this year, and he's that kind of a guy. And Justin Herbert's that kind of a guy. I mean, they're just they're kind of everywhere. Now it seems like that becomes that's more the mold. Now used to be breaking the mold, that seems like it's becoming the molds.
Well, yeah, we're.
Used to it.
Man.
We've been talking about we've been talking about plaster and extended plays in Baltimore for a long time. You're right with Big Ben.
You guys missed Toron Johnson and Matt Milano in that Week four matchup at how important are they to how Buffalo wants to defend the ball with you know later personnel.
Yeah, well that's they They play that nickel pretty much against everything except when you put the real big people out there. And uh, and those guys play so well together. And there are three experienced players. Uh and you know Toront Johnson's he's he's a dB, but he plays like a linebacker in there. Mean he gets in the box and he plays the Sam or the Will nickel, you know backer based on your formations, just like a linebacker would.
He's one hundred and ninety pounds, or he shows up, he's out there in the apex and you know, boom, he's in the He's in the B gap before you blink an eye, you know, playing the run. So it does a great job and those are great players.
Trying you opted against bringing the take hardy back on.
You anticipated he'll be available this week or that's still you don't share.
Well, I'm not sure yet. Uh you know, he'd been gone for quite a while and there he had the physical situation, had some personal things he was dealing with. But he's working hard in practice last week and he's got to make sure you guy's ready, you know, is in shape and mentally ready. I mean, he tells me in his mind he's ready. I can tell you that he wants to play, and we'll just have to see.
But Steven is a guy that we also have confidence in and uh, you know, I know he had you know, a couple of balls got on the ground last week, this windy lefty. He was bombing the ball for sure, and uh, you know with the one on the very first one, you know, he just I don't know if he lost track of where he was at. But we don't want to be backing up inside the eight yard line and catching those kind of punts. It's just let that give it a chance to go in the end zone, right,
And so he'd like to have that one back. And then he decided to not feel the cut two of the other ones and turn out okay, force the way they bounce. So but he's done well. He's an experienced guy and and he'll do well back there too. So we're confident, or if Thailand was back there, we'd be confident with Thailand too. Those guys all do a good job.
One of those things, like defensively, offenses are I don't know whether it's whether it's the schematic things you guys are doing, whether they're just making a concerted effort, but it seems like they're trying to attack Brandon Stevens. How do you feel like he's handled it?
And why does it seem like the ballki seems to go that way?
Yeah, I mean some people they decide to do what they do, you know, for whatever reason they do. And uh, and it's definitely been been challenging. I mean, he's he's getting a lot of targets and you know, you get a lot of targets. You can have more completions, for sure, that's just the way it goes. But you also make more plays. He's made a real good number of plays
as well. And also, you know, there's an opportunity there too for us a little bit, because if we get the sense that that offense is targeting, you know, a particular part of the field or a particular player you know in this sense, you know, he plays right corner, so that's that's where they go. And Nickel now he's playing dimebacker. It's a little different when we put dime out there and third down. But okay, now we got an idea where you're going to kind of target, we
can we can roll our coverage that way. We can put the strength of our coverage over there too, So it's kind of a two way street that way.
Coach, there was a moment the other night we had to five the fans down that we got a little too loud. I don't know if you'll have that luxury in Buffalo, But what about going up and dealing with the Bills mafia and their fan base and a lot of Ravens fans may make the.
Sure yeah, well, yeah, no doubt. I doubt the Bill's the Bill's crowd is going to listen to me. I I might do is try to try to quiet him down with our offense is out there. I think they would. I think they'd respond if I went like this, they start screaming. Go the other way. You know, Can I play the opposite game you think you work?
Why not scoring a few touchdowns?
Oh, a few touchdowns and quiet them down? That would be Yeah, that'd be ideal. That'd be idea. I thought you meant by me walking out there like I did and quieting him down. Now he doesn't like anybody. They don't like you, Jerry. You got a feud with the Bill's mafia.
They didn't like what I've said about a few years ago.
Do you want to share that.
I think it's out there viral, but called the city of Losers.
Like I mean, I was just staying in the facts.
I think we should move on. He was definitely, you asked me. I know, and I apologize to the world.
Going down that road. What are you kind of think about I guess your guys defensive line seems like a lot of guys would just love to work out and be physically strong and impose their will on game. Damn. I know, as a guy who you know works out as vigorously as you do, maybe we kind of responded that. But how do you kind of think about just the way this is constructed and how they kind of put themselves in some positions to succeed.
What do I think about the defensive line? How hard they trained to be strong and physically strong. I'm really I'm I'm all for it. I'm all about it. I love it. We do have a bunch of guys that work hard, and I think our guys, I think you see it. You see it in December and January especially, but we do, we do believe in uh, you know, training and and uh and being and being being ready to It's it's a physical sport. I mean, the game is it's not just one of lost in the trenches,
but it's one and lost with trench warfare. You know, a corner's got to shed a wide receiver and make a tack on a sweep. You got to be strong to do that. You know. It's a it's a strong it's a strong it's a strong person's game, and it's a strong person's game physically, and it's a strong person's game physically, emotionally, spiritually. You got to be strong to play to play football. And that's why I have so
much respect. I think you guys cover the sport because you have so much respect for the game and for the and for the people who play it. It's just a great sport and it's so tough in demanding, and it's just a test of wills, and uh I do. I love our guys. Our guys are strong minded. They're physically strong, they're spiritually strong. You care about one another.
That's why they're in position to play a game like this at this time, this time of year, up in Buffalo against a great a great team, a great city, city of winners up there in Buffalo, and they are you know, they got a great coach, they've got a great organization, and they got a bunch of tough players too. So I think what probably everybody's so excited about this game.
Do you factor in officiating crews, in tendencies with their once.
It calls or anything in your game plan or in technique coaching throughout the week?
Is that at all the factor?
We try to coach just technique to be a winning technique, which means clean technique. You know, we don't. We're not trying to.
We don't.
People do coach push the envelope sometimes. I mean, I think that's the strategy that people might use. I've heard and I've tried in the past to understand the officiating cruise and how they might call a game and all that, and I've found it just to be just to be a red herring, you know, I just think it's a waste of time. In the end, you need to focus on just doing things well the right way. And I think the officials do a great job. Carl Cheffer is
going to be doing the game. He's got a great crew. I don't expect them to call a great game. They do's a it's a really great crew. Carl's common sense guy always calls a good game, and you know, if he calls something is a really high chance it's you know, it's it's it's true, you committed the penalty and you just got to go on and play the next play and try to do it the right way.
Than Thanks everybody.
You're listening to. The Ravens Press Pass podcast also headed the Lounge podcast feed and listen there as well as we break down what this game means and how the Ravens could attack the Bills in this matchup. Thank you so much for listening. We'll be back with you later this week.