Welcome into the Ravens Press Past podcast. The Ravens are gearing up for a matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday at four thirty pm at M and T Bank Stadium. As the Ravens put together their final game plan and practice preparations for this game, we had a chance to hear from head coach John Hardwall.
Okay, good to see everybody here. Appreciate you being here. Good day, good workday for the guys. All our at tension pointed toward Sunday and between now and then doing everything we can to be prepared and go play our best game. Well questions, Yeah.
John, didn't see the college taking it out there.
Anything you can say about I really have nothing to report on any of that stuff. We'll be working through all those things next a few hours and a few days even, but we'll be uh, we'll be in good shape. We'll be ray to roll on Sunday.
I guess that's it, John, I mean, obviously, second time, big game going against these guys. Is there anything that you know that was a point of emphasis maybe in the first matchup that you weren't able to check that box that you're open to do this time?
Around. There is a lot of things, no question about it. I mean at different levels of things. You know, there's a big picture of things offense, defense, special teams that we've we've talked to our guys about. Then there's the details in every position room in terms of things that we want to do better. But instead of the same game either, you know, it's gonna be different things. Different players are gonna be run on both sides, different schemes.
So you take them as you can as they come, you know, going forward, and the idea that we can play good, winning football you know out there, and and we've been doing that, you know for the most part all season, and continue to improve in those things. That's we're trying to do. And and and go play football, Go play some ball.
John.
Is there a benefit of seeing these guys so close, like you only play them a couple weeks ago and it's a big game that matters.
Yeah, you know we've had that before. We had I think we've played Cleveland, was it we had back you know one week in between last year. Maybe kind of happens in the division sometimes. So these division games are pretty pretty pretty well. We know these guys, they know us, but there's always wrinkles, you know, So you just try to try to have our guys ready to play. It's a big game, it's some important games. Try to focus on playing our best football.
Really, John hard knocks.
They've showed that a scoring player that apparently was named after you, but they didn't say why it was.
It wasn't named after me, to be clear, Now, my point in that thing was it it should have been named after me. That's what I was trying to say. Why wasn't it named after me? Well, I mean it was. It was my idea, you know, being being clear, you know, we all we all contribute, we all can. There's a lot of contributions to the game plan, and I don't have that many on the offensive side, but that was one of them. And uh, to see it get into the game plan. First of all, it was a huge victory. Uh,
I was, I was. I was pretty satisfied with that. Then it got you know, and then it scored. That was That was. That was a big moment, big moment in my career.
It's in the game plan.
They don't give you one a week where you're just saying that would that would you got to do that way they do not. They do not give me that one a week. It's got to be a really good play, you know, but that's probably a good standard, right. We prefer that the good ones is getting the game plan.
Another kind of nugget from from Hard Knocks was, I think they captured you complementing t t on a good plate. Had he called something in the second half.
Uh, I'm not sure what you're talking about, which play specifically, I'm not sure. Maybe you know, That's what I kind of goes back to. I don't know those specific player you're talking about, but I think what's it's good to know. I mean maybe that comes through a little bit on the show, is that everything's a collaboration. You know. Of course, you know there's decision makers, you know, and in this case Todd, you know, he's the officer of coordinator, so
he calls to play. Finally at the end, he makes all the final decisions in terms of those sort of things. And you know, yeah, you can head coach, you can override, and I have I have input. It's things I say and make clear and things I really want to see and things I want to suggest and things I stay out of. You know, you try to make those decisions.
But but but everybody's involved. I mean, you know, t to your question, he's heavily involved in the game planning, you know, and he does a great job with every aspect of it, and so does Willie, and so does Greg, and so does George and Travis. Of course with a run game. I mean all of our coaches are are a part of it. That's coaching has always been that way. It's always been a collaboration. It's always been a staff. You know, everybody works together. And maybe that maybe that
shows in the in the Hard Knock Show. I'd be cool if it does. That'd be a be a real plussible if that comes through.
John, is there does there have to be an awareness among your staff among the players about how like certain rep crews officiate certain games based on their tendancies based on what you guys kind of see.
Uh, yes and no, because you can never say that this this crew calls more of this this guy I've learned that. I've learned that by by we're going all down that road, and they call more holding, they call more passing reference, they never call defensive holding, whatever it
might be. And then all of a sudden next thing, you know, the flags fly or they don't fly, you know, and I think that the I know that the League office, you know, Walt Anderson, Perry Fuel, they really try to communicate with their officiating crews in terms of what they want the interpretations to be on a different call. So they're training those guys all the time, and we get those tapes. We were privy to what they're telling the guys, so we have an understanding what they're telling the cruise.
So we try to keep our guys updated on that. So what what are they looking for with holding? What are they looking for with passing interference? You know, why are they calling? Why are they calling you? And that one? Why are they calling that? We show a lot of other tape, you know why they call this one in that game? And try to trading guys as much as
you can. But the bottom line really is just played play the technique, you know, as best you can the wage coach in every circumstance, and the penalty should should come down, you know, they should, They really should by playing good technique and and we'll be chasing that in this game for sure.
Kind Of it doesn't seem like there's a lot of optimism in Pittsburgh for Pickings to play. I mean, if he's missing on Saturday, what is best dealers offense lose.
Well, I mean, you know, it's it's a it's a great player. It's no different than any of their other players or any of our guys who player don't play. It's a it's a factor, you know, but it's not unusual. This is the type of thing that happens throughout the course of the season with every team. You got to find a way to play and win games without players when they can't play, and you know, hopefully you don't
have too many of those. From our perspective, We've been been pretty good this year with the injuries, and I appreciate that and it's been a good year that way, and hopefully you know, it continues. But it doesn't it doesn't change. No player specific player changes things too dramatically. You know, the quarterback obviously missing a game that would be the most dramatic for any team. And then you know, you kind of work your way through and uh, a
player of that caliber is it's a factor. But they still have other really good players that they'll be playing with, and just like we will if some of our guys don't play on I.
Know Nelson's concussion protocol there.
Now is there a change? Does he have enough time to get cleared by the game?
He does?
He does.
Yeah, that's the same question I asked this morning, and yeah, it's a very good question, and there's your answer.
In the locker room today, we also heard from tight End isaa likely? Well? Isay? Just go into this game against Steelers? What's the mindset going into this AFS North rivalry?
I really just you know, preaching the fundamentals, keeping them one from in front of their major in the minor details, you know, snap in, snap out, and really just you know, keeping that all the way to the fourth quarter.
I know ball security has been a big point of emphasis and Tom Mulkin emphasized that yesterday. How big of a focus is that for you guys going into this game?
Uh, you know, it's a big emphasis. I mean in the last three games they said we had eight turnovers, so you know that's just you know a big reason why you know we have men in the lost column when we played them. So really just harping on that especially and really just going from there, what is.
Your feeling about always kind of being ready in terms of you never know, there's a pick your poison offense every week. It could be a different guy, but what is your mindset going into it knowing that it could be you or it could be anybody who has a big game on any given week.
Really, just you know, like you just said, like just staying ready, I mean, just you know, having you know that you know that blessing to have that kind of explosive offense where it could be running past you know every given Sunday, Thursday or Monday where it's you know, well now Saturday. But really just you know, harping on the little things when you go into the game, so when your number is called, those big plays happen. So they got to keep honest to everybody.
Obviously there's the AFC North race at stake here. Do you think about that at all going into this or how do you approach the knowledge of where this the playoff implications.
Of this game?
I say, everybody keeps in the mindset I want to know and then we let you know, like everybody else media wise, or you know, sometimes even coach harp playing to the factor on what happens when you finished the week want to know, But I feel like, you know, thinking that far ahead, you know, you don't live in there, and I feel like that's you know, where ever everybody's mindset on the team needs to be for Saturday, just in the present, finishing that game.
Wan to know ex yeah, yeah, uh, it's it still experience having a.
Reputation of travel pretty well, but whenever they come to Baltimore doesn't seem like it's a whole lot of lack of gold of a stands. I guess what was that to say about the Ravens fan base and what do you kind of meet from them at the game's biggest Saturdays.
Uh, it just shows you the type of rivalry it is. I mean, they you know, they don't like us as much as we don't like them, So, you know, just keeping the home game a home game. I feel like that's the biggest thing that the Flowed Nation tries to pro uh preach in that every giving someday when we have a home game Saturday or Saturday, get used to it. Get used to when you look at them, think about mean, obviously they had to make a ton of feel goals to beat you guys last time.
But one of the biggest critiques of this team right now is the penalties.
How has that been expressed or in practice?
To clean that up?
Uh really just you know, just making an emphasis. I mean, I feel like those are the hard questions and the hard answers nobody wants to hear. But I feel like as a offense, you know, just a growing offense. Everybody getting older, you know, the vents leaning on it. I mean, they just wanna see in practice. So just Understan and you know, clean technique and clean footwork, everything mining the minor details and practice that's going to you know, get
into Sunday Saturday. Well, you know we can, you know, be able to clean that stuff up.
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