Johnson, Smith, Hamilton & Harbaugh: Ravens Press Conferences 10/30/24

Welcome to the Ravens Press Pass Podcast. Today is Wednesday, October thirtieth, and the Ravens are back on the practice field gearing up for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. After practice, we heard from head coach John Harball.

Okay, appreciate everybody being here.

Beautiful day, beautiful day for football. Every day is a great day for football, and our guys had a great day for football. Appreciate the way we practiced, getting on point for a very tough game Sunday against the Broncos at our place. We're looking forward to the challenge and we're excited to play the game. I would like to say that our prayers and thoughts and man, look at my fingers crossed my toest cross for Art Modell and for Art and Pat Modell made the final nine finalists

What question do you have a part up?

Why would he not?

Yeah, Rest, you know, he's he's been playing great and we got a lot of football in front of us.

Here.

You know, we've got game quick game, another big game coming up, so that was warranted today.

John said the same question you were going to.

Ask looking at Tells about Deanty, Johns said, is he gonna have the same role as a maybe returned the pat return or something like that?

Right, Well, Deontay this guy, obviously we we know a little bit about, you know, playing against him all those years with the Steelers, was in Carolina studying him on tape.

Look good out here today in practice, look good.

And uh he's in the process of trying to pick up the offense and and be ready to contribute as soon as you can. I know he hasn't done in.

A few seasons.

But would you look at him in.

The return game at all here?

We sure would. Yeah, he talked about it.

He was out there today with the pump returners, and uh, just kind of get getting to get the rust knocked off probably and and help us in that area as well.

John was it kind of something Is that a that you wanted to address or is it a situation where what's.

Up the wide receiver? What Johnson?

Was it but Roomly wanted to address or was it just a situation where it just made a lot of sense to to bring that in.

Yeah, great question to me. It's what we've talked about all along. You know, we're always looking for an opportunity to make our team better, and that opportunity came along. Eric found it along with the staff, the personnel staff and all the work they put in and and made it happen. So we're excited. Our team is better because of it. The lip raises everybody up, makes us better and we're moving forward and more excited about it.

Like he fits in some of the current state of the offense and what element about his game could he could he bring to the offense to maybe give you guys a different ring.

With Yeah, he's he brings. He brings himself. He brings all the talents that he has. He's quick, he's fast, he's got great hands, explosive player, strong, big, strong, tough player, all the things that you've seen over the years. That's what he brings. So you take those talents and you fit them into what you're doing. You know, and and in this role.

Marl in Nate Backett practice today, what kind of energy do they bring to the feel of wood for a unit that's obviously looking to regroup here.

I thought Marlon and Nate had really good practices today, you know, so we go day by day. They look good today and looking forward to hopefully seeing them out there Sunday.

How do you feel it? Do you feel you have what you need right now as far as interior defensive lineman? Obviously Michael going on to ir is that's.

Certainly a blow.

But do you get like the guys you've got practice spout ready to come up, and yeah, we love.

Our guys, We love our guys. Those guys would be ready to go.

What are you sitting against the temper's defense? You shout against the running pass?

What do you see you?

Guys?

Guys look though, very sound defense, playing together really well. I mean, you know, eight fourth ranked defense, eight and four in two categories, really really looking good statistically, been playing good ball.

Job office line.

I know, a couple of weeks back you said it's something you're going to continue to look at the roster as a whole.

But in soil office.

Line, it's been the same starting line up here for the last couple of weeks. Is that a group that you kind of felt like it's still a week the week thing? In terms of what that unit may look like, or are you content with what you have?

Then?

I think that those guys are working hard and great and getting better, and I just want to keep seeing them take this one step at a time and keep improving play better football every week. You know, whoever that group has been in there, it's it's good. You know, that's that's a blessing for us. And but everybody, anybody that has to go in there, I'm confident those guys will do well.

John, the guys catching extra passes defense back out there, did.

You bring that up?

Did you talk to them about that? I mean, or is that something that you just leave kind of for the position?

Could well? I mean both.

I mean you talk about everything and and everything many most everything is understood, so we try to turn over every stone. I think I said that to get better, and that's certainly one of them. You know, don't take anything for granted. They're out there catching passes right now as we speak, and that's something that we need to get better at. I mean, if you if you if you if you catch all eight of those, then the whole statistical story is moot. If you catch six of them,

John, what in one of those lines, what's been just an up the gift you're telling of the conversation with Marcus Williams and what have you seen?

Marcus was out there practicing today. I thought he had a heck of a practice. He looked good and uh excited for Uh, I'm excited for Marcus Williams. I always have been, always will be. He's a he's a He's one of the top safeties in the league in my opinion, and I'm looking forward to him playing great football.

John Jennis really through that's in the last few weeks. What are you gonna see out of the.

Tape from him?

Well, I've seen, uh, I've seen a talented guy who who's uh is a competitor, man. I mean, you know he'll he's got he's got all the throws, he can make all the throws. You know he's certainly young, he's learning as he goes as far as the region all that, but moves around, makes play, gets away from the rush. I think he's probably made more scramble tacklers missing the backfield probably than any quarterback in the league, and made a lot of plays that way too. So yeah, a

I know he's done, ir, but it's not a scene ening Michael.

Piers Michael Pierce, No, not season ending.

And I know Eric makes the moves, but do you feel like you guys have maybe a few more booths left in you as far as trade.

You know you are exactly right. Eric makes the moves.

That is well said. I'm excited for whatever comes across the board. But our job is to make our team better any way we can, and from our end of it, it's with our guys. We have the guys that we're coaching, and I love our players. I'm confident in them, and I enjoyed working with them today and I have no doubt in my mind that they're going to play great football.

Next we spoke with safety Kyle Hamilton, obviously.

The one play at the end of the game. How long does that that stick with you?

Yeah, I mean I was obviously I was pissed about it. After the game. I was probably the most mad out of anybody, you know. I feel like I feel like it's probably being a good football player. You gotta let the good stuff go, let the best stuff go.

Move on.

I feel like I've done that and I'm ready to play Broncos.

When you go through.

Some good drills, you guys we saw in practice, you know, getting your hands on balls more. Is that just a matter of kind of just seeing how it feels. You guys know how to do it. It's just sort of getting in the habit of coming down with those catches.

Yeah, it's just a repetition thing. And you know, I can't blame the coaches for one of us to get out there on the drugs and catch us the passes. And I feel like something we should do and whether we're dropping picks or not dropping picks, just make a habit of it.

Do you think people wouldn't feel differently about those pass defensive you just I mean, you guys leave in the league and drop intersection intersects. Do you think people would feel differently about the past of the defensive you just.

Had a few more, I don't think so. I don't think we would feel any different. You know it. Picks are cool, but picks don't tell the whole story of the game. And you know, we're I think, close to the bottom of the league right now in past yearage per game as a defense, and that's something that picks aren't just going to solve. If you're not gonna go out need to pick every possession. It's something schematically and

So if you did have to kind of boil it down to your checklist of things that need to improve for the past deafens to be better, what what are what are the key things in your mind, I'd.

Say just execution win in one on ones. It really comes down to that at the end of the day. And God's just gone out there being confident in what they do, and I haven't believed that we're going to get it done, no matter whether it's a and a half two minute and a game two minute, first drive of the game, just going out there. Haven't believe that we're gonna domin it on that first touchdown pass.

It's like to them in the one where it looks like you guys are shipping around, this staff goes off. What in your mind kind of happened on that play?

That just communication?

And do you feel like it's getting a little late the season for stuff like that to be happening.

Yeah, definitely, And I don't think there's a time for it at any point in the season. Obviously, you get deeper in the season, you want to cut down in those errors like that. But I don't think it was one person particularly's fall. It is just, you know, I think ball was in the middle of the field and you guys are having trouble getting lined up stuff like that, and offense went quick and we weren't lined and obviously

What does kind of a dumb question, what does quick communications west you guys look like out there?

Yeah, I feel like it's loud. I feel like we do a good job in practice simulating it. You know, we try to be on one accord, especially with the split safety stuff you kind of have or it's covered

Call.

Do do you feel like the loss of defensive coaching talent was maybe a bigger deal than me realizing not talking about Zach or what kind of coach he's gonna be, but you just had I mean, you had three really good, experienced coaches that leave to become head coaches and coordinators elsewhere.

I mean, did that have an impact?

I don't think so. I don't think that necessarily there was a loss of talent. I mean, I feel like we've been pretty you know, I feel like we've kept a good amount of people in our room, players and coaches, and I don't feel like the room feels super different from last year. It's just executing, and last year we were executing. And I can't pinpoint give you an exact

So you don't feel like you guys are trying to do too much and it needs to be simplified in terms of disguise and.

Things like that.

Nah, No, I don't think so. I think in the simplest form, were you just got to run and hit better?

Well, what kind of doccause you know the talent you have in that room. But when you see that the pass defense is trank thirty second past, what's kind of your reaction to that?

Yeah, I'm pissed to see it because I feel like I feel like I'm one of the leaders in that room, and you know, I feel like I kind of take a big part of the blame for that, just guys not being on the same page and not executing and obviously, especially if we had guys in the room that couldn't do it, you know, it'd be a bit different story. But we got everything we could ever want in that room, so we know we have all the answers in the room. We've got to find him.

How much you have to look at Bonix as far what he's been doing.

But if you have, what do you see from him?

And on certainly of late, he looks less like a rookie than maybe you might expect at this point.

Yeah, I think he's done a great job so far. He's I don't think people accounted for his mobility as much as they should have coming out of college. And he put that on tape for I think six years he was in college. And he was a great quarterback in college, and it's translated to the NFL obviously, and he does a good job of keeping plays alive and taking what he can get, checks the ball down and lets his guys go make plays and stuff like that.

Then we headed inside to the locker room to talk to newly acquired wide receiver Deontay Johnson.

One thing at a time, you know, just trying to get in my playbook and to study why what I can what they want me to learn, you know, just like I said, take it one day at a time, and I'm excited to be where do you.

See yourself fitting in this wide receiver group in this offense?

You know, just out of respect for everybody else, you know, just wherever they need me to be at right now until I learned everything, you know, until they feel comfortable with me playing something else, and that would be my focus. But right now I'm just trying to get acimated or just you know what I'm saying, work with what they giving me.

Like no, so you take us through yesterday the trade and just finding out.

Where you're going.

Uh.

You know, I was just at the Crab.

Move my agent called me and uh uh.

But once I got found.

Out where I was going. I was excited a lot of stuff.

I get the light on this.

Sorryly so I don't like to so I'm ready to work.

About the stuff I would say to you. Playing with Bar and be part of just you know, offense high school offensive.

I I know, if lamart, but it's at the table, so you know, just to be able to you know, contribute.

To the office that he's a part of the a lea's lead or of you know.

What I'm saying.

It's it's a blessing.

So you know, i'm'a do whatever I can you or to help this offense, you know, continue to get better.

What is it like.

Overnight to flip over to a real intender and the best offensive the league?

Uh?

Wow, it's I'm still I don't it still don't seem.

Real to me.

But you know, like I say, uh, it's it's a blessing for me just to you know, get another opportunity to come back to the amc uh north. Uh. So that's that's why one thing, that's what I got to me, you now, you know, just to be a part in this very organization. You know, I know this organization is about that I play against some you know cook a few years. So, like I said, just to be on this side. Uh you know, like I said, it's a blessing to me.

Mm two games against Pittsburgh and the rest you know stillna come here.

Uh yeah, uh uh you know, I'm I'm looking forward to that game and really say like say.

Uh, I'm focused on right now.

Uh whatever game you know comes first before we get to that point, and you know, I'm i'm'a do my job and just keep appearing.

Wou do you remember about those games against the Ravens when you heard with the Steelers just just.

Just how hard uh we competed at each other, you know, you know, uh getting football out, you know, just making plays and everybody tackling. You know, it's a big rival regame. So just be on this side now. Uh, it's it's it's different.

So I'm I'm excited. What week you get added to this offense? Uh, you know, just getting open and moving the sticks.

Just tryna be uh that guy. I know, I said, the young guys gonna come to like just for you know what I'm saying route stuff. You know, it's less stuff that I know I can help them out with. Just uh my play making us good, you know, get the ball or just you know, just make play bring the ERG into the office.

Why were you gonna get up to speed for this week with the new play Boy? Cause this playbook in particular has it feel really foreigners and all similar enough.

That you can uh, it's really just turn the terminology out the play book. It's just and it's lining up and once you line up, you know, get them the splits and stuff like that. Every the route uh concepts have come to you naturally, So it just it's really just tryna you know, compare to like what you already been going, like playbooks a ready meant to just little

Can you go comfortable with more to see things wide.

Or uh wherever?

They need me to play and I'm to play so right now they got me learning uh uh Z and the F.

So I'm just trying to learn a Z right now.

Then I you learn the F but nothing nothing I can't play.

Still, one more person, do you participate in getting specialties?

For a returning John said, you were working.

Yeah I was.

It's been a minute since I've been back to fuck return or sorry, like I say, whatever they need to dude, to help the team win, hang back and pet tre Vie right now.

That's Monday focus.

Then we heard from inside linebacker Roquan Smith.

As you go through this, you know, how much do you ever?

How quickly are you able to get asked?

With Cleveland?

The drive's late, putting that one behind getting ready for this week?

How hard is that?

How quick is that?

Oh? That's a next week league?

You know it sucked for sure, but flush that uh Monday and part of Tuesday, So that's behind us.

You can't let one game beat you twice.

So it's about moving on and preparedness week for a good Denver team that's coming to town.

Drop the interceptions is a pretty random thing, right, It's kind of that's you know that it's anything you say, all right, everyone who's they can catch the ball. But when you're seeing it happen this much.

What do you does it feel like?

Just?

Is it fluky?

Is it weird?

Is it?

What?

Does it drive you crazy?

What do you see from that?

Yeah? No, it's definitely.

It's definitely an interesting thing for sure, but each and every just have to look themselves in the mirror and just say, hey, I'm gonna make it my best and making my business not to uh drop anymore.

And uh, each and every guy that's been definitely a focus.

So knowing how much focus we're putting into that, because there's been countless opportunities uh that we've dropped throughout the season, But it's about capitalizing on those mistakes and make continues pay for him as opposed to.

Giving them a fly by brook on when you watch the tape, just kind of what's the big thing that sends out to you who comes to.

Boat exent be improvement he's made for the first couple of weeks to where they're at now.

The's then roments.

Yeah, no, absolutely, I think uh first and foremost those guys they want to run the ball, h make no mistake about it. Got two really good backs and a pretty good uh offensive line as well. But uh yeah, Nick's uh really good quarterback. Teas is not there downfill Uh he don't mind pulling it down and running, so, uh, the guy doesn't have any fear out there. But we're excited about the match up. And again it's a rookie quarterback, so you know we'll give him some things I haven't seen.

No, no, big Mic don't know about it.

He or that's considering how well they haven't running the ball to How great is that challenge then or greater is that challenge than comes Sunday.

Yeah, I'm not talking about injuries. I don't know whoever's out there is out there. At the end of the day, my job is to show up and show out and get the call to the guys that are out there. So whoever's out there does MIC orb, But whoever the case may be, I know those guys will be prepared uh throughout the week and they'll be ready to rock and roll come Sunday. And that's why we pride ourselves on so stopping and run, making teams one dimensional.

Real call with kind of what the diventures can go and do, communication, wises and struggles in the secondary. Has there been a different way that you're kind of approaching it as the leader of this union.

Yeah, like I We're we're gonna be We're gonna be fine.

You know, there's a lot of uh outside noise and there's a lot of adversity UH as well, but you can't get rid up. We keep receipts at the end of the day, just gotta make cats pay for it. When the time comes, We're gonna be perfectly fine. We'll look back at this interview pretty soon and you'll be like, you're right. So just trust the process, and I'm trusting that.

So just tune in Sunday.

Adding Deontay Johnson. Uh, you're another weapon for short of the offense. I don't know how much you've had it gone up against him before. Just what does it mean to you to have a guy like that come in.

Hey, that's another weapon on the offensive side of the ball.

Uh, And yeah, I'm excited about him, so from seeing him in Pittsburgh and then heard he was playing some really good ball down in Carolina this year, So got a lot of respect for him going up against him. So I know he's a great addition for this team and gonna help us UH down the scratch. So I'm excited about that, and I know Lamar is as well.

I prob wh when you.

Have some situations like you guys that are pass people, did.

You find is there pressure for guys to do too much?

Kind of solve it all as one is it is it real and him where guys are kind of driving a little bit ahead of their seam.

Uh.

I think pressure us two things to see the burst pipes of make diamonds and like I said last year in the diamond making business, and if you don't enjoy pressure as a defender and on this defense, uh what are you doing it for?

So that's what we're all about.

And at the end of the day, sweating a little bit came out of a hot shower, But uh yeah, we just gotta make make ends meet and do uh what we have to do.

And if we do that, we're in the right position. A lot of time it's just bame bain things.

So just gotta capitalize, hone in on the details even more, and then each and every guy gotta just look themselves in the mirror before going out there and just knowing you're gonna put your best foot forward starting out throughout the week and definitely on Sunday.

But like I said, just be there Sunday one o'clock. Last one police the difference between you last year and this year. So if you put your finger to put your finger on you, why you guys have yet to be able to expe the love when yours or with for a lot of.

The same group, h every year is different. Nothing is the same. Just like yesterday, it's different for all of us. None of you guys are the same as.

You were last year.

So regardless of it, if it's the same players of what, every year is different. But I'm excited about this group and I know this group. We're at the midpoint of the season, and I know we got.

A lot in store. So like I said, we keep receipts and just tune in Sunday.

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