Welcome into Raven's press Pass. Today we heard from the Ravens three coordinators and also Raven's past game coordinator slash assistant head coach Chris Hewitt. Let's start with offensive coordinator Todd Munkin.
He seems truly early on jackson infusion on to the field.
We feelt good to see him back out.
There with you guys. No, it's great. It's great having him there. Uh, I'm not tight into you know where he's at at this moment, but it was great to have him back in meetings and on the field.
So we saw him go in in about an hour. Was that what if you're kind of expected.
Or I don't know, you'll have to ask coach or the medicals have I know he was in meetings and I know he's out there at the start.
I know we take controller, all right.
I know we can't control of sex, but with him out, does it change what you have here? And you feel behind not having no I mean we had all off season. Lamar was a part of that, you know, in our off season, but it was great for the other quarter to get the work. You know that that's a part of it. So it's great having him back today, But I don't feel behind. We didn't stop. We still installed, We're still going through the installs.
I think incorporate the Ravens Analytics department in your game planning and offensive scheme.
Well, they're a huge part of it, you know. And in terms of where it's gone over the last few years, terms of information, the power of information that's out there, I think information is unbelievably useful. What you do with it is up to you where the situation arises, whether it be by personnel, whether it be by game situations. But and we've got some really really smart people in those apartments that I think give us an edge, it seems.
Assuming back to La Bar for a second, assuming you're gonna work him back in, how did he look like, you know, how did his you know, football is look in the ana?
In the meetings, he was great. And we are going to work him back in, for sure. You know, he's gonna I know him being kind of a smartest now, but he's gonna get worked back in. He was great in the meetings.
He was great.
You know, again you'll have to ask him how he feels, but he was great. He was great in the meetings and when we were on the field at the start, said he was feeling good.
It seems like some of the best catches so far this week had been moving from shod.
How important do you think that is for him, especially even how he started camp late last year to get the confidence.
Role in roll, Well, you'd have to ask him. In terms of for him, I think he's always had a belief in himself as a player. I think it's good for all of us quarterbacks, you know, collectively as a team. We're expecting a big year from Rashad. He once he got fully healthy, which wasn't for a while last year. It's hurt, got healthy, got nicked up again, came on. We're expecting great things from him and he is from himself. Got Tom.
I'm speaking about the receiver Zay last year obviously, it's such a big part of the audience that.
He did a lot.
Haven't you seen him short you exilarated and assisted and so far.
Well, you could see it over the year. You could see it throughout the year, his development, his confidence, his ability to be engaged. I think that's the biggest thing is you can see that with players as they gain experience, they're confident to be engaged on the field and meetings, ask questions, have ideas, have thoughts, why can't we do it this way? What about this? What about this? When you're younger, you're just trying to learn it. It's hard
to be engaged when you can't. You're not sure yourself that that's where he's really come a long way. You can really see that saw in the off season, really being engaged in the offense. That deed, here's Ruth throughout the Sandia. Have you seen a set example for their players?
But what's the.
Who else? You see it every day. You know, it's just one of those things you hear about. You hear about why he's been able to sustain so long, keep himself in great shape, be able to make it through the year. And you just see it every day. You see in the weight room, you see it in meetings,
his engagement, you see it on the field. I don't know the routine that he has off the field, what he doesn't take care of his body, but it must be leap must be off the chart because I've I've only seen the guy that works hard every day and prepares himself to be the best.
Being the older guy and the receiver.
H have you seen where they like leadership trying to take over an.
Tend to impact over him.
Really hasn't changed per se. He was like that last year. Obviously with Odell moving on, that changes a little bit, you know, in terms of Nelly being back. But the way that I see it, because I'm not in the receiver room, the way that I see it is the same that I said about some of the older guys. He's engaged in all of the meetings.
He's engaged.
If he doesn't understand, he asks if he's got a better way of doing it. He talks about it. That to me is the number one part of leadership or being an older player as seeing the big picture and then relaying that to the rest of players.
Reoffensive Lindman potentially having to be replaced, is it.
Your preference to kind of set a first unit and build from that And.
How much will kind of Joe Gee's voice help dictate what that alternative looks like.
Oh, Joe's got a big voice in that, and we've got talent. Otherwise we wouldn't have made the moves we did. I mean, we're still in the business. I'm not trying to be as smart as we aren't still in the business of winning. So the part of that is that we think those guys can play. We just need to let him go play, and they're going to continue develop and get better. All of those young players that have
been draft picks that eventually get that opportunity. Every player at one time that happens, right, whether it was Tyler at center or Ronnie other players, they just need the opportunity. We're excited to let those guys go play and continue to develop. They're only gonna get better and we're gonna continue to get better with them.
Your background or receivers coach, what have you seen from the league cunning Campasy's transition to.
The new position as he's done a great job, further along than what I would have thought. You know, when we moved him there, we're like, Okay, here's a really good athlete, really smart, gets football, smile on his face every day, gonna get better in the meetings, but really had some natural route running instincts, battle and balance and body control that I really didn't think he had. I mean it really has done a great job. I mean really has How we're excited for him and for us.
You know, because when you move there there is some anxiety, you know what's next. He's done a great jobs like.
Quick one Gatis and the time of he's out practice it's almost like a game. It's always game speed for him. I mean, have you ead how much does that do you think hope a player in that? And do you think sometimes it you know, sometimes might hurt him all of it because he's always.
Going through his place. Oh, it's it's hard to find a more competitive player than Mark, not only winning, but contributing, catching the ball, playing hard, holding others accountable. I mean, he's in a rare category of that. To me, that's what makes him the player that he is. Sure he's athletic, Sure he's got great ball skills, Sure he's got great football savvy. But the guy loves playing football. You see it.
He competes every day. I mean he's full speed, he wants the ball every play, sometimes to a fault, but he wants it every play, holds himself to a really high standard. Again, he's in elite category. A put you guys in an.
Ague the potus and how much more is the people.
Kyle Guinibom to play? And I guess how well student is if they're going to handle.
That was musibility.
Oh we were doing some of that, just not as often. And so between the quarterbacks and Tyler have been great off season and we have to be lead at snapcount. That's a part of it. We have to be good at cadence and we're gonna make sure that we are continue that throughout the year. It's been a great off season, really has been in terms of where we want to go from year one to year two as an offense. Really good first year, got a chance of being better this year.
Next up.
Defensive coordinator Zach Orr.
How y'all doing?
Y'all doing all right?
Oh?
Alright, that's good? Hey, what's going on?
It look like?
Yeah?
It was.
It was a good day, man, it was a good day. I think the great thing about it's a lot to improve on.
I know we can't wait to attack the tape, look at the things that we did well and correct the things that we got to get better at. But I'm just proud of how the guys came out the last four days and attack training camp and we nowhere near where we need to be at, nowhere near where we're going to be at.
But it's a good start, Zach.
What kind of poo's does it give the other side of the ball defense? When qb ones out there, Lamar's out there for the first time. I know you only did you know a little bit of team stuff, But what kind of boost does the defense there?
I mean, we get a boost every single day, Like I'm trying to I tell people all the time. I tell our defense all the time that our offense is one of the best offices in the National Football League. So we get great work every single day. And I know they feel the same way. So we definitely get a boost. Obviously, when you're a defender and you see Lamar Jackson oppose from you, the reign and the MVP,
it definitely gives you going a little bit more. But our guys are fired up every single day, no matter who's out here exactly.
They reported a couple of other defensive players from days and they say, you know, last year defense is really good, but we think we.
Can get better. I mean, have you seen that kind of mindset already?
Definitely, man, I definitely see that mindset.
We always say either getting better, you're getting worse, and you set a standard, then you try to set a new standard and raise the bar. So the guys have taken that on full, full head of steam, and like I said, they approached these last four days has been great and they shown that.
In pruss Addy Jackson latest second.
Man, he's he's a he could see that he's played a lot of football and he's made a lot of players. I think his first day he had a pick six. He's a real smart player. He still can play, can still move at a high level, and uh he's picking up the defense pretty well so far. So you know, I think, just like a lot of guys in that room, he's gonna be able to help us sad.
You know, Travis Jets and then Michael S.
Pierce plays a really high level last year, and you think there's an opportunity for Travis to take a little bit more of Laton layer man.
I think I think both of those guys a heck of a players. Obviously, Travis is going into year three. I mean, we expect big things out of big draft.
With the D line.
It's great to have guys who can rotate their in and out keep those guys fresh, and I think our D line is one of the best in the national Football League, so and Michael Pearson Travis are a big part of that. But I think both of those guys are gona play a lot of great football for us this year.
Sorry, Yoah. Kyle yesterday mentioned that, you know, you get fam.
As a as a coordinated, a lot of autonomy and kind of a lot of curious why that's the cases of how it can manifests itself from your sprit.
I mean, we got a lot of smart guys. We got a lot of high IQ football players. So the more you can do, the better. We talk about that for every position. If you alignback, you need to know both spots. If you're a dB, need to know every spot in the secondary. If you're upfront, you need to know every spot up front. So the more you can do, the better you can do. And it's a credit to those guys man, the higher IQ they have, the more
they can handle. So, uh, you can move guys in different spots based off of who you're going against.
It just helps everybody out.
So we're getting good work at that right now and training camp of trying guys in different spots and seeing how they all fits together. Zach, do you run the risk with so many guys that can do so many things well of maybe doing too many things and maybe not doing something really really well.
Try to balance that. Now, Yeah, you definitely try to balance it.
And I think once we start getting into a game week and game planning, the menu is gonna be tightened down and guys gonna know exactly what they're gonna do at uh, at that particular spot. But that's why you do it early so they can you kind of stress them early so they can get used to playing a different spots and when the regular season comes and.
The game plans tight it's just second nature.
For him exactly when you're a neffeld tauts Zig think you have a lot of talent that he means Hamilton or the left and I think Wiggins, I mean you're upkating.
In other courts, blowing you see that.
It's just a rising always just a competition.
Between all of this talent.
Yeah, I think it's it's it's a great competition. It's a great problem to have. I mean, all those guys can play in there, and all those guys probably will play in there. I mean you've seen that the last couple of years for us, that different guys have been at that nickel spot. So it really just depends on what the game plan is for that specific situation or that specific game.
What have you seen from Blink Cam.
You don't come off that injury last year and this year.
Man Malik Ham is one of the hardest workers in the building and he's came in since day one as a UDF A. Last year, obviously, you know he made the team. It was an unfortunate injury that he had. But he looks just like he picked up where he left off last year. He looks explosive, looks strong. I'm excited to see him once we get the pads on here next practice and then in the preseason games.
But Malie Cam, He's He's a real dude.
Don Phil will Ways.
Had a real strong start to count.
You know, how big would it be for this defensive you getting a big season from Adolf.
Fer Man, It'll be big, Man, It'll be big.
I think dopph has continued to got better every single every single year. And when you watch the film Man, it's a lot of people in this league who cannot do what he can do on the edge.
Man.
I mean, that guy is so talented and he made a lot of plays last year, so we expect him make even more plays this year. And the better Daph is, the better we're gonna be as a defender. And he knows that and he's been put in the work. So he's looking better than he did last year so far, and I'm excited to see where you're gonna take it.
You Kee, you keep nick the league as a as a free down.
Well here, y'all played a lotto last two years.
A lot of he's spent up five years in a row.
Where do you see did you see him place with the gas in this season? Yeah? I mean I see a place for for Dome. I see a place for Nickel.
Like I said, all that stuff depends on you know, who we're going against, what the situation is, and what we have to accomplish as a defense to to help our team win games.
Zach, who's don clown? Do you think I pick up that production as far as I mean?
I think I think the production could be made by a lot of those guys, A lot of candidates in that room. Specifically, Obviously you got David Ajabo and we got Kyle van noid back which helped out uh Doff. Expect him have a big year. T Rob malik Ham, I mean a lot of guys. But I don't think the production just has to come from that room. I mean, like Sad you mentioned Travis Jones earlier, you know, Matta BK, Michael Pierce, Brody Washington, I mean that whole front, the backers, blitzes.
I think we could make that that production up in a lot of different ways.
Anybody surprised you so far?
In a good way?
A man, I think it's a talented roster, so I'm not I'm me for honestly, I'm not really surprised in in any type of way.
Now.
I think once we start, you know, getting the pads on and and really start getting to some real real football, I think guys will start to maybe separate themselves and we'll be able to see.
Zach ovis you high standards for linebacker play? High stands for and Baltimore for linebacker play? Do you feel like Trent and Simpson's ready to hit the ground running week one as a starting as a starting linebacker.
Next to re quests, Man, I mean, I think I think he's ready, along with a lot of the guys. Man, I think Eric and those guys have done a great job of building depth and building playmakers in that room. Trent has done a great job in training camp, So has Malik Harrison, so has Josh Ross, so has Chris Board. I mean, so those guys, I think any of those guys we confident. One of those guys in there. You know, obviously Trent. He showed a lot last year and we're
excited about him. But that's a talented room.
Next is Special Teams coordinator Chris Horton.
Good to see everyone today. I hope you guys are all doing well. It's been a good four days for our guys. We came out here. You know, we're just kind of getting back into into the swing of things. We've we've hit you know, four different phases over the four days, and it's really just time for us to kind of see where we left off our recall and then just get our guys out there so we can continue to work and we can continue to get better.
And that's what we're looking forward to do throughout this training camp as we go forward and get ready, because we're looking, we're looking. We know we got the preseason game coming up, so we're just trying to build to that get our guys in the best possible positions so.
We can go play well when that time comes.
Chris, how much fun has this offseason been with such a radical change and the kickoff and you can just approach it in a lot of different ways to kind of just get in the labor figure out that's what to do.
Uh, you know, it actually has been pretty fun, you know, just just watching something different and trying to uh come up with the best plan of what what fits, what we do you know, taken from from from that game and and what those players did. Okay, Uh, what are we gonna pull from it that's gonna that's gonna benefit us, and just trying to figure out how to gain an advantage. And I think over time we're gonna figure those things out. But it's been it's been fun, you know, just up
there just kind of grinding it out, putting together different schemes. Well, we've only had we had six days to spring to kind of work those things. That's not a lot of time, right, and it's it's kind of.
Uh in shorts and T shirts. So as the pads start to come on, we'll start to find out a little bit more about the play.
Justin you talking about this you a new kickout. He said that in watching you know the XFL that they look like kickers were more involved in some of the tackling part of it. Have you guys, I mean, are you do you think that's part of you? Do you agree with that or are there any thoughts if there is the kickers more involved in tackling of not using Justin in that situations?
Uh, you know, I think we're gonna use like but we have we have guys, Uh you know where we got the benefit of having two guys that can't kick off. But as far as like kickers being more involved in a tackle, and I watched all those plays too, I think the guys that wanted to be involved got involved. I think the kickers that didn't want to get involved they didn't. They didn't get involved. And I and it's gonna always come back down to, well, how well are
the other ten guys covering the kick? Are they doing things to gain an advantage? And if that's the case, then and.
I could guarantee you the kicker will not be involved in making the play.
Right.
The kickers got to run a long way in order to go make a play between the thirty and the thirty five yard line.
That's probably where he's making the play at.
He's really got to be trying to get involved in the play, in my opinion, to go make a play.
What freaking.
Looking at the.
Tetris Adiante hards bringing through the turn games.
Especially with the you know, I mean Deontay is uh, he's a he's a special player.
I mean he's here. He's here for a reason. He's here because of his pedigree and what he's done in this league. We know, we all know what he can do with the ball in his hands, and I think this play, this play fits him, fits him well.
It's a lot of space, it's a big field, it's a big field play. So we're just looking forward to really with all of our returners back.
There and just seeing, you know, how they develop, what do they do well within the schemes we're gonna put out there.
Would you look at the timeline of camp and the press games.
Are you gonna be seeing different approaches and kickoff and kickoff return or do you feel like you have the strategy in place and you're just gonna be fine changing.
I wouldn't say right now that we have the strategy and play.
I don't.
I don't know if anyone can really say that after you know, a spring of football. But as we go through this thing, we'll start to come up with ideas and we'll see again what works. What can we truly do when when the pads are on and blocking and angles and things like that.
We have a pretty good idea what we're gonna do.
But I mean, if we're gonna do it, then we need to practice these things against other opponents, right, So we and those things will carry over and as the season goes on, we'll probably continue to be tweaking things.
Oh we like this, we could actually do this. We hadn't shown it, but we've seen it.
Let's do this.
So we're gonna have options.
Yeah, along those lines, like preseason games on magic just those can test Jase's examples, trial and errors of things.
You guys, I think it's gonna be a little it's gonna be a little bit of both. It's gonna be what do we do well in and let's go run this against the opponent. And if we do that well, then we can put that in our back pocket and say, okay, let's let's expand on what we did well and then practice more, and then when we go play the next opponent, let's try to incorporate this.
That's that's how I see it. That's the only way to get better.
That's the only way to know who and what you're truly gonna be when you line up on Thursday night against Kansas City.
Lastly is assistant head coach slash pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt.
Are we doing, fellas?
All right?
Great day today?
Huh?
All right? A little sticky?
How many picture you guys?
I wasn't counting. I wasn't counting, but anytime get their hands on the balls, that's pretty good. How much was it you got six today?
Yeah?
Good day, Good day.
It's been a good week. I mean, what are you gonna see, you know, especially.
Hopefully a lot of those that's answer your question right there. Hopefully get a lot of those.
Just sort of the energy of these guys to start camp. You think of our futs maybe something that we'll see a lot of in the season. We don't even think this energy is well.
I'll tell you this. I'll give I give a lot of credit to Eric and and and his staff are putting this roster together. We've got a lot of talented guys back there, and you know, we got we got we got we got length, we got speed, We've got guys and pit bulls, we got we got it all, you know, guys who can come up and tackle. We we're very very talented group back there.
This is a.
More how does that.
Things to come up to the feelings?
But what you can do, the things to go to long we do about except looking, But how does.
That things have come off?
I don't I don't really think that it changes any anything more than what we've been doing over the last couple of years. We've just got a lot more talent and a lot more depth of where we can do some things. But as far as changing this or that now, I really don't see that. Coyle's to be with who he is. He's gonna be the guy who's the Swiss Army knightper winning continue keep on moving him around. So
I don't see that changing much. But again, but you you was talking about we do have a lot more death, but we can do a little bit more. But I don't see it like changing dramatic, dratic, drastically.
Kyle, you know, but fr can go way back.
Are you gonna Notre Dame though?
But short stop?
Before he came along, people said big guys like that can't play short stop, right.
People said, Kyle Hamilton like bell safety.
But do you think he's going to change the perception of art, saying he ken.
Be or is he just?
I think?
I think Kyle is a He's a unicorn. He's a one of one. There's not many guys who come along like that. He's like a generational type player. You know, you don't see many guys whom six foot four, uh, who can run and change the directions of the way he does. He still plays with with violence. He's not a he's not a finesse player. He's got it all. He's just a He's a He's a different player. It's
very unique. There's not many players in the league or coming into the league that I see that look like that.
I mean, obviously every time we talked for the week, you know, he's a smart guy. Yeah, serious football and takes Why when you're dealing with him, how does that show just the football toaches? How as much does that the show?
Well, I mean, this is just this is his third year in the system. You know, third year knowing it, so he knows the ins and out to the in the entire system. So, you know, just just being just put it this way, he's a junior all right, in high school. In college, he knows what's going on. He knows how to operate it. And his IQ was just it was a ready high IQ football player. But now knowing everything that's going on within the defense is third
year going through it. There's not much that he doesn't know.
Now.
The team still need to be coached in all those things, but as far as knowing what to do and how to do it, unlocking things back there, he's really good.
He knows what you're really excited about.
Nate Wiggins.
I remember talking to you about the drafts.
What if you see that of him?
That's been surprising so far.
I kind of knew already, but just going out there and just working with him. He is extremely competitive, all right, more competitive than I than I thought that he was. He's got the whole mentality, He's got.
The whole thing.
Now.
He's still he's still a young guy. Just guys, remember this guy is only twenty years old. He's not even old enough to drink yet. So he's still learning, still learning how to be in the NFL. But his competitive that is a thing that that really sticks.
Out to me.
Name.
His name is Deuce, he's number two, He's Deuce. He's not not calling him nasty name. So math, I'm sorry.
I keep.
It's football stuff happens.
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