Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass podcast is Monday, October fourteenth. The Ravens approved to four and two on the season and got their fourth straight win by taking down the Commanders thirty to twenty three on Sunday. On Monday, we had a chance to hear from head coach John Harbaugh during his weekly Monday afternoon presser.
Okay, appreciate seeing you guys here and appreciate you making a change in the schedule to come over earlier than usual. The reason is ingrid I have a funeral to go to later today, and it's someone that made a big difference that we've known for a long time in our lives and someone that made a difference actually in the
game this week. And her name is Rachel, and she's been a family friend for a long time, and she's been battling cancer for over ten years and she's been doing great against it and dominating it and outlived all predictions and had a great life with her family for the past number of years and just was an inspiration
as far as who she was. And we talked to the team about her and the team center some uh some encouraging messages on video and to her family that they can cherish now and uh and uh and she passed on Friday, So uh, our guys took it to heart. It was something that was meaningful to him and I think it it kind of they carried it with him into the game, kind of the the perspective that something like this provides you with. So just God bless Rachel and her family and that may she rest in the
arms of the Lord for all eternity. So with that, what questions you have.
You know, is one in Tampa from your your perspective, is everything set for going to Tampa?
Is that kind of how you were proceedings right now? Yeah, I've heard nothing. Maybe Chad's got some information on that, but as far as we know, Chad says no. Yeah, So yeah, schedule.
John, Can you just walk us through the emotions yesterday obviously when you Jim and what he was dealing with, and just obviously you reformed, you know, as the news conference was going on. Just yeah, what the emotions were in, what the conversation.
Was with I appreciate that. First of all, talk to Jim this morning. He's doing well, doing great, feeling a lot better, said, he's feeling a little a little off that day in the day before, just a little bit. He's had that issue in the past, had a couple of procedures over the years for the various evement as a player he had at one time. And and but he's doing good now, he's gonna get some test on today. No, just the press conference. You guys are there for that.
I think I appreciate Eric grabbing me on that because it just happened, and then you know, he I think he wanted me to find out the right way. And so we got on the phone right away with Joe Ortiz, who was down there with Jim in the locker room, and he gave us the update on and they were going through the tests and everything and trying to get his heart rate down and all that. So, but but we knew it wasn't like immediately in trouble at that point. I think they'd gotten out of the blue tent by
that point and then later later calmed down enough. Right, I don't think the doctors really wanted necessarily to go out there, but they cleared him somehow, somehow he convinced him to clear him to go out there and get back on the field, and he was fine, so, but yeah, hell it further tests and of course appreciate everybody's prayers and everybody's thoughts. I got a lot of messages on that, and that's appreciated from everybody that reached out.
Something you've ever had to deal with.
I don't know if it's a reditary or anything like that. Yeah, no, I've never had that that it's an electrical issue in your heart, right, I've never had that before.
So did you?
Did you scold him for going out to coach a ball? That's just that's that's not surprising. No, not not at all. You know, he's never gonna let an opportunity like that be wasted.
I'm just curious about thank Cleveland on the field goal block?
What was it to put you?
Why did you put him on that team?
I'm gonna take some credit like for Chris, Like I've been suggesting that for a while, just to be honest with you. And I mean, the guy's you know, he's a big man. But uh, he he came, he came to Chris. I think he was on there for two weeks now. He came to Chris and said, hey, I want to do it. And you know when a guy wants to do something like that and wants to take the time to do it and double down on what he's doing and help the team. Man, you you're fired
up about that. So he got a game ball in the locker room yesterday for his first ever field goal block him. It's a three point difference in the game. That was that was big in that game. So you never know what plays are gonna make the difference, but that it was awesome to see. And you got Ben in their urb in there, Travis is in there. All those guys do a great job. So that's a that's a factor for us.
What the line was made about the offensive line and you said, you know, we're at least thinking about going staying with the office, a line that you've had the last couple of weeks. How imperson were you with them yesterday and is that still kind of the case going forward?
Yeah, absolutely, they're They're doing a really good job. And certainly the five guys that played yesterday played very well. And different guys have different things to fight through that they that they work through, which is true of all football players. But I thought they did a great job with that. Ronnie being a good example, played excellent and and so, but not just those five guys right the
other the six, seven, eight, nine guys. Those guys are all playing well when they play, So we're kind of building some real depth in there. But I appreciate the high level they're playing that But just like we said four weeks ago, they can continue to get better. You know, there's a lot of room for improvement across the whole board of the whole team. And definitely the old line thinks that way too.
Play a good game with the Commanders success going to ball in the middle of the field.
What you see on the film there, Yeah, they hit the over routes. They hit they hit the four or five over routes. Those were kind of the chunk plays for him for the most part. Uh that those in the one pass interference late were there the plays that got them in the yards. Uh So we we we we saw what we need to do. Those were mostly they were zone coverage calls. Some some have have a zone. Uh Man's own match in ball with him that we
just got to play them better. So I think we played well across the board, probably ninety ninety five percent of the time. But there's still you know, four plays five plays that we can play better and that we can you know, sometimes you can knock out you might not knock out all five in completions, but you might take two of them away or three of them away. That'll make the difference. Sometimes they'll make a play anyway. But we just got to keep chasing the details on those coverages.
John two, that lots of them. About the secondary so far this year? What do you think about the pass rush? Do you feel like the pass rush what road I guess would you say the pass rush is playing in the way the secondary is played?
Well, I think the pass rush played its best game in a lot of ways in this last game, because some of it was because of who we're going against, you know, I mean Jayden Daniels is a real threat to get out of the pocket. I think he really only got out twice. You know. He had one run for a first down, and he had another run for a long game right up the middle towards the end of the game there where he got out. Other than that,
we kept him in. He goes to his right so many times and would throw on the run and make plays downfield. He didn't have any of those plays in the game. I thought, even when he date out the right, we chased him down, but we kept him in there. We sacked him, we batted balls. I think bren Urbans bat you know. So I think the pass rush had a really good discipline game, laying integrity, game, kept the quarterback in which was their best game of doing that.
So that contributed a lot this week in a positive way. So we saw the.
We saw the video of the game, Bowl video after the game with think god Way and I think you made.
It clear he wanted to be here.
Can you have been able to tell from being around him, given the fact that.
You did get to know him a little bit a couple of years.
Back, how meaningful this is and how kind of interested he was in this opportunity. Yeah, it's really cool. Maryland guy, you know, Raven's fan his whole life. Got to know him in the draft coming out a little bit, you know, and then kind of stayed you know, you kind of bumping the guys. And when he came last time, you know, really got to know each other and he and I we hit it off, you know, stayed in touch all
the way through. But the biggest thing is he tells me every time I see him, you know, every time I see him, he tells me, you know, how how excited he is to be here and how he's got our backs and everything like that. And I see it in the way he's practicing, the way he's playing. Played for not he flaced played tremendously well, which was not a surprise because we saw him practice that way. So big addition, big addition to our team. Very excited, the way he's the way he's rolling.
Don't know or Darius Washington will want the chance at the reception back, but maybe he played a little more.
Tami of safety in the second half of it.
I don't know anything behind that Jackson are just changing it up.
But what do you see for him maybe in that spot and you know, him maybe getting more opportunities.
Yeah, I mean it's a good question because you know, we've we've got a lot of good players back there, you know, and I think that's kind of what you know, we we know that we're very talented back I told the guys, you know, I mean last week we were the twenty ninth rank pacity defense by statistics and the leader you know, I mean, we're gonna play twenty ninth
the rest of the year. I mean, that's that's that's an opportunity because we know we're far better than that, We're much more talented, but more talented than that, we can play so much better. And so to me, that's part of it. You got our Dariuses. Every time he goes out there, he plays well, and so you just want to find spots for guys to play. If you have good players, you want to get him out there. And it does take away from other guys, that's just
the nature of it. But we want to give everybody an opportunity to go out there and do what they do well. The more you play well, the more you play basically.
Kind of along those lines.
Even Nate Wiggans, you'll play on seventy five on defense.
Iss Haw's he come along getting more kind of ingrained in this defense.
Yeah, he's steadily. Nate steadily gets better and better and he make you saw make some really good plays out there, some big plays out there, and then there's other plays that you know he wants to do better at. And he's young. I mean, they go after him because he's young, like they would anybody you know, but he's he's held he's held his own really well. I think he's only going to continue to improve because he's got the right mindset for it. And I'm excited about the upside in
a big way. And you saw him play a lot as a result.
Joan, You've had really good rushing attacks in the past ten years. What's the difference now with Derek Henry?
Well, I mean, you know, we've had good rushing attacks, you know, and we've had a lot of games where we rushed for a lot of yards. That's all great. But what the difference Derrick Henry has made, I guess is pretty clear. You know, you see it, so I I think I agree with what you're saying. It's it's a different kind of rushing attack with him, right, because of the way he runs the ball. I mean, he's just he's one of a kind. There's he's one of one.
You know. He tried to make somebody ask me in the production meeting this week, you know, who do you compare him to? I'm like, man, who do you compare him to? You know? I mean I saw the Eric Dickerson article. Okay, I think there's some similarity. I remember remember Eric Dickerson coming up, But after that and even that, I don't know. Man, He's one of one.
On the broadcast about how you wanted to draft him back in the day. Can you go back to two thousand and six.
I mean, wow, that'd be a story and what.
There's conversations like how much you kind of want to make that happen.
Well, there wasn't much conversation about drafting him here when he came out because he was going to go to high I mean, everybody knew how high he was going to go. It wasn't gonna be. It just wasn't in our place at that point in time. But I mean, I just, you know, I just saw my It's like, he's what a perfect fit for the Ravens, you know he would be, That's the kind of back you wanted to have. It just seems so different. He just seemed
like one of a kind. And h then, you know, playing against him, you know, you've a lot of a lot of you know, envious eyes, you know, watching him play for the Titans all those years. But I do I just appreciate the way he's fitting here as a as a teammate, the way he's fitting to the offense, the way the offenses fit him in all the way across the board. It's really been it's been great, and we want to keep building on it.
Related to that, there was a lot of question about what role.
Patrick Ricard was going to have in his offense the last year or.
So, once Derrick Henry was signed to you already envision that he was suddenly going to be back to a real prominent role because he's played a lot of snaps and whatever.
So yeah, you know, it's a great question, and that might be true. Bo I don't really remember, like specifically like that. I don't think we ever thought that Pat wasn't going to be a big part of the offense, will play a prominent role in arms. You know, we just knew that he's he's unique. It's another guy's one of one, and what he does he does so well. So it's not something you didn't want to have in
your offense. Like how much it was going to be used game to game or what the game plans would be. You know, you just never know. But definitely when Derek came on it probably made it even a bigger part. Maybe I can see the point on that, but it wasn't how we were thinking so much. We just knew
Pat was going to be a part of it. When you have a you have a great player like rope On wholes himself to a very high standard, and he has a game where he maybe has a few players in coverage that he'd like that back, how do you approach that? Do you do you talk to him about that or do you just sort of trust him to
take care of it both. I mean, you know you have conversations because you're always talking football, for sure, Child's I mean we talked, talked to plays all the time with all the guys, so he wants to talk ball, and he's the kind of guy that's always gonna want to talk about the plays he could do better. He's never the guy that wants to He'll take he'll accept the compliment. I mean, everybody likes to be patted on the back, of course, but that he doesn't need that.
You know, what he needs and wants is okay, this is what I got to look at here. Why was I thinking that what can I do better? That's how he approaches it.
I know you said in the past, we're gonna monitor the DAIS carries and all that going forward.
But when he's hot, the way he is, Is it hard to go away from them?
Oh?
Yeah, I mean yeah. I think the point of the whole thing is it's like not gonna be. You just don't expect, you know, twenty five. I said thirty, and that was probably exaggeration, but I think you can you can say, you know, it's necessarily We're not planning and expecting and demanding twenty to twenty five carries a game out of any back. A we have multiple backs can do different things, and you just don't know if you're gonna get that many opportunities necessarily to run the ball
when you have the lead. It definitely amp set up, especially in the second half, so the carries go up. But every game, you can't say every game is going to be a high number of carries for any or touches or throws or anything, which was my point. So we didn't come, We didn't bring Derek in to say, oh, we're gonna make sure we give the ball a certain number of times. We must want to give the ball enough times to win the game, you know, which is
some games is a lot. Which how many you have yesterday twenty four and we weren't counting them, you know, but it sure felt comfortable giving them the ball at the end there, right, So that that's kind of how.
It goes because four kickoff twenty six yards first time.
Really happy with what you guys say all that.
I'm okay happy with it. Chris is okay happy with I mean, it's nice to get some raps finally. You know, it's just the disappointing thing about to play and we're part of it too because we kick a lot of touchbacks. Is that the whole idea was to get more kickoff returns, and they really aren't. It's really not happening, and there's reasons for that. But I think we could be better. We can cover better, we can we can return better,
and we just got to keep working. I mean, I appreciate the guys because I feel like, you know, we've got either six or seven guys five six or seven guys on our kickoff team at any one time who are rookies. That's a high number. So we're a very young team with our backup group, and so those guys are learning and they've done a great job with punt and punt return and they have to and they've done well.
So we got to keep training those guys. I think if those guys keep getting better, our kick and kickoff return will keep getting better. Tom, would you support their spin talko? You know back mood maybe forty? Would you be supportive of that? I would? I would are gonna get in trouble for that? Do I care?
Just the run defenses was really good against Commanders and has been outstanding all year. What are you seeing when you watch the take about why you guys are playing such good room?
I think two things. Our front line I'm talking about our defensive line linebackers or defensive ends are playing really good technique. You know, eighty percent of the time, you know, then ten percent of time is okay, then ten percent time it needs to be better, and they'll tell you that. But it's really good and physical and tough and discipline. The other part of it is our dbs are showing up.
Our dbs are showing up in the box and on the edge when they're supposed to crack replace showing up on screens, which we consider part of the run defense for the vast most part of DB's also are doing really good job. So to me, it's hand in hand.
Ds.
We saw Arthur letta come back and then with the hamstring is do you expect him back this week and how much does that a help?
If he.
Right? Very hopeful that he'll be back this week. I think there's a good chance he will be. I will see on Thursday Friday, but I think it's a really good chance to be practicing this week, and then we'll have to see from practice, you know, if he can play or not.
John, is it your do you have to make a decisions this week or do you still get another week?
I think we have another week, do we do you know what you had in that week's twenty one days? You have to do another week in second or something? Yeah, I promise you will make a decision by the time twenty one days is out.
Do you feel the same that the key mentional is still progressing?
Right? No?
No changing status, Still very optimistic and positive.
In terms of the past defense, it seems like there's been some big plays against brendon seasons. But you can really have to stop the good night covers u in the state of the People on you guys, teach him to make sure he's on the positive end and the ups.
Yeah. Well, I mean that's the thing about playing corner. You know, it's uh the island, you know, so you have to understand the nature of the position when you play single high, which wan Man, which we play a decent amount, you know, probably more than most teams. We don't just protect our corners at all costs. And Brandon as they you know, they've uh, they've put great receivers on him, and they've thrown fades against press Man, and I think he's held up really well. You know, there's
been plays, obviously, they've been made. He had plays that you want to have back, but there's really not too many that are like you'd say that I would look at and say, hey, that's poor technique. Really none. They've made some plays on him, some things, you know, you you coach the details, you know, in terms of le Worris leverage on the receiver, and he's all yours and he's really detailed in that sense. So I feel good
about the way Brandon's playing. I think it's a positive and a plus four US real, I mean a major positive and plus four us the coach.
Obviously you're gonna be busy next Monday night, but the Mannings are part of that broadcast.
I think next week have you.
Ever been invited to beyond the manning cast attention to it?
But then that during games it is it's on, Yes, during the football game. Obviously it's pretty busy most of the games.
You're not playing.
Oh no, I don't think I do any do any active coaches do that? Have they been asked to do that many cast while the season's gone? I remember the answer the short answers. No, I've never been asked to be on that. They all right every week he's not not to.
All right?
Okay, that was a great finish. Sorry seeing you guys say that's actually kind of funny.
Did you just.
Talk about the the kind of pushing full with over the season, maybe for Derrick Henry with those tosses that you guys have been really successful over over the season. I think you've been really really successful, you know.
Pushing bulls or getting defenses to teams have been successful, just not really in.
Just ask your question. He throw it out there.
You've done well too, he does. Uh to be successful with Derrick Henry, you know, getting out of space in the.
Do you mean the outside runs? Yeah, the toss stuff, the toss part of it. Uh yeah, I mean to your point that the toss plays have been really good in critical situations, and I just think it's part of the fact that the diversity of the offense has helped.
So the idea that you have to defend the run game from the A gap all the way to the sideline on both sides, and then you have to defend the play action or the quick and the quick passing game off of the hard play actions in the middle of the field all the way out to the sideline. So we've pretty much been able to attack the width of the field and the depth of the field with the run game and the run play actions. So that just makes it tough. You spread them a little thin.
So we've you know, they've stopped us too, they've stopped inside runs and they've stopped outside runs. But we've also hit our fair share because I just think it's harder to be every on defense, and that's probably the calculus
for why we've hit some of those big runs. Maybe when you would think that people would be looking for them, because they're also thinking there's a possibility that we'll run inside plus a mark and show a play action and throw behind him too, And you kind of got to respect that too, had a good answer to that good question. All right, it's a good question, all right.
Thanks you're listening to the Ravens Press Pass podcast. The Ravens this week have a matchup on Monday Night football against Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They'll be back on the practice field later this week. The schedule shifted a little bit later given the Monday night game, so we will be back with you on Thursday with another episode of Ravens Press Pass. Thank you so much for listening. Make sure you hit that subscribe button. Also subscribe to the Lownes
podcast as well. Thanks for listening. Talk with you again soon.