Welcome into the Ravens Presspass podcast. The Ravens approved a nine to five on Sunday after a thirty five to fourteen victory over the New York Giants. The Ravens are now on a short week with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town for an AFC North showdown Saturday at four thirty. As the Ravens prepare for that game, today, we had a chance to hear from head coach John Harbaugh.
Okay, appreciate everybody being here. Happy with the win, which we needed to keep pace, and now we're heading into the challenge this Saturday against Pittsburgh, a very important game for a lot of reasons, and we're going to need to be at our very best. They're an excellent football team. We're ready for the challenge. What questions you guys have, John.
We just saw a statement that was released about Dean Tate Johnson jually read noticipate team activities this week. After this week? Do you do you foresee him practicing with the team again.
What I foresee really, to be honest with you, and all I'm really thinking about right now is Pittsburgh. I'm getting our team ready for Pittsburgh. So he won't be here this week and next week will take care of itself. John, I guess I just want to quick follow about that, and then why did you just decide to handle it that way and not simply releasing I'm really interested in Pittsburgh Stealers. To be honest with you, I know you guys want to hear the story. There's a lot of
moving parts there are. There are reasons for doing things that are front office type reasons, you know. Do I want to sit here and get into all the different calculations that Eric makes, I really don't. I want to think about Pittsburgh and our team get ready for Pittsburgh and the guys who are going to be here playing against Pittsburgh. That's that's my folk, because one hundred percent, John, what are.
The challenges all of you talked about how big of a game this is obviously going up against the Steelers, but play on one a short we both you guys are playing on the show. We just what are the challenges for those all the field challenges at this time of the year, and also just how big of a game is is in the grass game?
Well, I mean it's a challenge for both teams you know, we're both playing on the same deal. We both played Sunday, we're playing each other on Saturday. So that's just a unique Justice schedule. Uh it's a little shorter game planning type of operation than you would have, but we play each other enough, right, I don't think that's a problem
for either team. And uh, guys got to do a great job taking care of themselves, you know, getting ready for the game that's gonna be in terms of their bodies, you know, and then making sure they get the game plan right. You know, we want to get our football right. That's what we wanna do. We wanna prepare it, you know, to the best of our abilities to go and go out there and play our best, you know, on point
in that game, just like we do every week. Really, I mean it's really not any different than any other week. So we're ready to do that and we're excited for it. And I can't wait for the guys to come walking in tomorrow morning.
How much does that Last Encounters needed you with it all because of the fact that it was such a winnable game, you.
Know, I just been watching I watched a game a number of times now. The last actually last week. I watched it, we got ahead with a bye week and everything. Watch it again this morning, and so much to learn from that game, so much to learn from all the games really that. But every game is at the same time, every game is different, even though they seem like they're the same. The scores are about the same. It seems like I'm talking about over over seventeen years and even
beyond that. But every game is different, you know, and try to learn from it and try to try to try to do you know, where we're at, where they're at, what we need to do to try to win this game. Play our best football is we're focused on.
I know a lot of the players said that you didn't even when you play the Giants, didn't even address their record. That was not even brought up. You bring up kind of the magnitude because this is such a big game. When you bring up the magnification or you know from from.
This this game, probably don't have to. I mean, I always talk to the guys about, you know, you know, big picture. We talked briefly about the big picture. Then we always come back to want to know, you know, we start want to know that's our focus. Here's the big picture. The big picture is this is our opportunity to win the division. You know, we have to win this game to have an opportunity to win the division.
And then let's do well everything we can do to we want to know, you know, and put our best foot forward.
John, can you put into perspective just how big of a game was for those rookies the step of what they did against the Giants specially needed that now to stretch.
Yeah, I think that's a great point, you know, for those guys to get a chance to play as much as they did in the fourth quarter, and even guys who played throughout the course of the game, like Ted you know, he played, he played here and here and there the whole game, played on special teams. They all played well. I mean that was great to see.
It.
Just just appreciated seeing that. I think this rookie class is really good class. I think it's got a great future and they're already contributing.
Yeah, movement over the last.
Three four or five.
When he said sideline back the spot an extra world aquad. Do you feel like you're getting a good feel for, you know, what what you want there in terms of what Chris Bard's doing or maybe more in the passing situation won Harris and maybe playing against him.
I do, I do, and we have a I think we're kind of finding that a little bit. And you know what, you know, you mentioned two guys. They played really well. My league played well. Uh, Chris played well and Trent played well when he went in. So to see that, I think, you know, from a standpoint of Trent, it's it's good for Trent to you know, maybe takes the pressure off a little bit, you know, let him.
He's a young guy, you know, and he he plays all heart, all heart, and he cares so much, so he can kind of take a breath a little bit just in terms of his picture, his side of it and come back in there like he did in the game and play well. Uh then for a leak to get this opportunity, uh, to prove himself. You know, he's been working hard for that opportunity and he's just he's done great with it. And Chris board same thing him.
He's even more of a veteran guy. And I know those guys appreciate that and they're and they're making the most of it.
So we training is that kind of a game plan moving forward for now or sort of see how things go with that.
Almost week the week, you know, week the week.
John, we saw Jordan stout kickoff. Was that just a function of the score and you felt like, why not give the look, get some game reps on it, or is that kind of a plan going forward?
That was it could be the plan going forward at times, but you know, the fact he can do it. Getting getting him out there in the game was a big deal, you know what I mean, Jeff, I mean, he hadn't really been out there in a game, a real regular season game yet, just to kind of get the field for doing it, and you can see how good he is that. I mean, we've seen him in practice pretty much every day and when we do kick off strong leg to have that option, you know, is a plus.
You mentioned the rookie class.
Nate Wiggins had a lot of action in this game, a lot of one on.
Ones with neighbors and held up really well. Where have you seen Nate make strudes?
Uh?
When you watch corners, I mean, it's it's a technique game out there, you know, it's it's a fundamentally sound game. It's a tough position to play around the island, as they say, and you have to do everything exactly right from from beginning to end, you know, from when the when the ball snapped and the receiver makes his release, or if you're in zone, or you make a run past read, if you're a primary force guy, if you're
not all those different things. Where your eyes are at, where your feet are at, where your hands are at, your leverage, there's a lot of detail to the position, you know. And uh, I think he's making progress across the board with that, and yet you know, he knows he's got well, he's got a whole career's worth of improvement in front of him still. But he's he's he's doing a good job. He's made a lot of progress. He's doing well.
Job with the kick and that justin Tuncker obviously didn't have to be using a field goal game. But on the extra points it look like he went from a couple of times on the white hash. I believe he moved into the middle of the field as well. Was there a reason for them, was a win in fact or what kind of went into.
The Yeah, it was kind of a win decision that he and Randy made. They've done that before in the past. He's kicked it from all three spots in the past. But that's what they talked about in terms of going to our right the right side of our bench, I think it was he was on the right hash and then going the other way. I think he was in the middle, if I'm correct about that. That's how I remember it.
Always put up some fantastic numbers.
He just liked. Lamar has always kind of put up these fantastic order. The one team that has kind of been his challenge has been the Steelers. I'm sure there's a lot of you know, intricacies to say it, but is there something generally back the Steelers do they have done well to kind of limit Lamar that other teams.
Have not been needed to do well. I mean they've created plays, you know, they've created plays against us, They've they've had sacks, they've had some you know, timely sacks, some timely turnovers, timely stops. You know, they've they've managed to do that, and that's that's what it is. That's what winning games is, you know, and have done a good job of that.
I'm assuming, like Ronner Rosencuardin had another really.
Solid game history.
I mean, do you feel like over the last month he's kind of gone for a really promising player to just a good starter.
I think Roger's doing a great job Chiles. I mean, he's he's definitely playing winning football at right tackle. So that's what you look for, you know. And if another guy kind of talking about those rookies, about the question about the rookies, he's he's really establishing himself out there and done a nice job. And you know, I like to I like the way he looks out there.
Similarly with with Tavi, if you know, you're talking about him last week, but how significant is it to have him be, you know, seemingly like pretty dependable throughout the course and continuing to get better kind.
Of every week. Yeah, it's very significant. I mean he's established himself probably as a three down player. You know, he's gone from a rundown player to a guy that's out there all the time. Uh, you know, had a had a had a play where he retraced, you know, on a on a draw. I made a great play. He's kind of doing everything well right now.
I know you're focused on this game, but you're still in a you're in a span of three games in eleven days. Well, this week, I think you're losing one day.
This week we'll practice.
Do you have to dress anything with practice this week?
Lose one day will be kind of swat, Yeah, I mean we will, we will. There'll be We'll still got to get our guys going, you know, and then we'll still be out there tomorrow. We'll go out there and practice tomorrow and try to move a little bit and I'll just kind of decide if practice goes along that, and then we'll for sure the full practice the next day, and then uh, Thursday, you know, that'll be kind of see where they're at numbers wise, and how we're looking
and feeling. So a little bit of a plan but also a little bit of a feel for next week.
We'll be kind of your usual Thursday where you're not you're doing much just because it's Wednesday. I'm sorry, because it's such a.
Short you'll, right, the four day week, it'll be a four day week schedule, and we usually go one day fast and that on that on that week and then but again, you know, whether we do that or do less or do a little more, I don't know, but uh, it'll be along those lines.
You've got penalties on the films, specifically from the defensive past coach penalty.
Yeah, I mean, you know it's they're they're calling them tight, you know, that's what sticks out, and uh, we play we play man, you know. And when when you've got you covered downfield and you've got your back to the to the quarterback, it's important, really important to get your eyes around play the ball. Not late. We got them around, but we were probably you know, I don't in the eyes of the referees, a little late. So we've got
to learn from that. Uh, then be careful with uh you know, you know we say to the guys all the time. You know, one of the things that we say is you cover with your feet, you play the ball with your hands, you know, and and you play the ball with your eyes as well. So we just got to keep working on that. It's a technique thing and we've covered well, you know, so eliminating those passer reference penalties, it's a very costly penalty, especially downfield. That's
really really a big part of it. If like we said, if they hadn't if those penalties hadn't happened, or just a few of them hadn't happened, they wouldn't have probably had any points, you know, and that would I think we played to the level of that, you know, of them not scoring, especially because we had a couple of big stops and we had to stop on the goal line and had to had to stop on downs right, so and we had to turn over at the end. So you kind of want to get rewarded for that,
you know. So if we can eliminate the penalties, that would be a little truer indication. I think of how we played with the two penalties that Brandon got.
Do you do you sit down with him and break those out in the micro detail or is it more just sort of re emphasizing the broader rules that you're just talking to.
It's micro detail. I mean, it's both. You look at the it's always an application, you know, it's an application of the big picture, you know, the understanding of how you do it any kind of any kind of a any kind of a technique. Right then you apply the principles of that to the situation, and you know, sometimes it's unavoidable, you know, it's like, you know, there's not
much you can do there. We might have had to play one of our players was in pursuit and another guy kind of he should have stayed inside out on the ball. Care that's a principle. When you're inside out, you know, inside hip, inside half, you know, you go full speed, drop your weight, run through the tackle. And he ended up the ball across his face back inside. It should never really happen. But when we watched the tape, you know, I told him, I told him, I told
him on the train. Man. When I watch the tape, I can see what happened. He got fooled a little bit by the angle of the other player, you know. So sometimes there's mitigating factors. Other times it's pretty clear. But we do. We break it down. We break every play down with every player about as detailed as you possibly can. That's that's where the position coaches really really break it down. And then you know, for me, I'll pick my spots and the coordinators pick their spots.
John with Brandon Stevens in particular, people how sticky is and coverage and everything go good position so often and finding a ball for it is an issue. Are there concerns with the penalties and the fact that teams could be targeting him deep because they're seeing that same stuff on field.
Sure, that's what That's what teams do. You know, that's what teams do. They look for their opportunities.
Similarly to the child's question about coach on the Stevens, when you look at Matta BKA's penalty on you know, I guess driving the quarterback to the ground. I know technique wise that ten years ago that would have been great. But how do you kind of teach these guys to hit the quarterback these days?
Yeah, we do it with pads, so we we have sometimes it's the dummy we never put you just hard to put a live body in there and do that some of our I might I might volunteer a couple of our coaches to do that this week. Matt robertson our outside backer coach seems like a good guy. Maybe he's kind of built like a quarterback. He's young. He probably take it so, but yeah, we try to drill it. I mean, it's to me it's as much as a field thing as anything. But it's not easy to drill.
Came around there a little bit blind, not making excuses. I think he was, you know, the quarterback was on him pretty quick. But you know, it's something you just have to do. You know, you just have to hit him. You have to come off to the side. You got to turn off to the side. And he knows that. He knew it right away. You know, he was disappointed with it as well. So we'll drill that. We'll drill
all those things, and those things will be drilled. You go to practice, you talk about you look at it on tape, you study it, you break it down in detail, like Child said, and you go out there and you have a drill for it that applies to the specific situation. You're always chasing that that execution.
John, you changed your story punt returner Tyle the Wallace to the King after the Philadelphia Eagles game. Is what did you see over the bye week and over the practice week to promote keep from the practice squad to that starting role.
Yeah, Des has you know, been a really good player in this league. You know, both as a defensive back and as a as a special teams guy and as a punt returner. So, uh, he's always been good back there. You know, he's always caught the ball well, he's made yards, and he looked good in practice. You know, he looked really fundamentally sound. He's just got a lot of experience. He's caught a lot of punts over the years, and he could see it. You could just see it in
practice definitely. You know, I was anxious. I was excited to see him out there in the game doing it, and I thought he looked really solid sound out there. And they got the got the big middle return. So he did a good job.
That's starting cool. Do you see that as a guy keeps that position until they made a mistake? Is it more of a fluid thing because ton of Walls was there and then you kind of moved back. But how do you go about the starting rotation or role of that return duty?
Just like every position, Yeah, just like every position. You know, it goes based on circumstances, you know, production, performance, opportunity, you know all those things. In the end, it's what's what's best for the team. You know what is best for the team. And you know Dez will be the pump returning next week, you know, and starting in Thailand will be right there time we get down on Tayland
Wallace at all, he's a young punk returner. He's only had what twenty returns or something like that in his whole career, he's done a great job. I think he's had a couple of touchdown right, and some big returns. So I like the fact we have a little depth now too, you know. So it's a it's a it's a good good situation for us. If you guys have game help. What's that.
Help us? We did?
We did all right?
Didn't play? Is that just nothing?
He had a pre he had a pre uh pre uh pre game issue uh uh injury issue uh soft tissue issue. Injury wise, not too serious, but probably would have been risky putting him out there as it turned out.
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