Ravens Football School Press Conferences

Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass Podcast. Today, we had a chance to see some of the Ravens in action out on the practice field today as a team continued football school, which is part of the voluntary off season program, and we also had a chance to hear from wide receiver and return man Devin Duverney, new offensive coordinator Todd Munkin, and special teams coordinator Chris Horton. First up, let's start with offensive coordinator Todd Munkin.

Your football there's football school aspect here. What are you trying to kind of, you know, dear across and trying to get you get across to the guys.

Of this Just putting our system. Really, that's that's really it. You know, it's always fun to get back out with the players. I mean, that's what you do. As much as you enjoy meeting and putting the plan together in your playbook and what you want to do moving forward, there's nothing like having the players around.

How do you feel like it's going so far?

The Oh, it's great. Were excited about the guys that are here and the installation and we're working through it. What they've done the past, what I've done the past, what our coach has been in the past and building it the best way we know how.

Is this just kind of like a ground up, you know, construction of the offense for you, I assume it's probably the same whether you're returning to your former team or not. But it is that same consystem where you're just evaluating everything you have and then trying to figure out what could work on the paper.

For sure, And I think it's always a little more challenging it was when I left the NFL went to Georgia, and you're trying to assess the difference and levels difference in terms of the players that you have. So it's the same coming back the field, spacing the players that you have, the issues you may have more at this level that you don't at that level, and then the types of players that you have. So I think that's a great way of putting it from the ground up.

If you're introductory preshcars. You talk a lot about space players and how the game is changed in that regard how good is the safe flowers who seem like you would be about a perfect fit, and that in terms.

Of what you're looking to do for sure, you know, I think whenever you acquire talent, I think that's what you're always trying to do. Then you assess, Okay, where can you put those players in the best position to showcase that talent. If you have a bigger receiver, then you can do different things with them. You have a space player, like say, you have to be creative in ways to get him the ball and showcase that I.

Mentioned the players that are here.

Have you got an impression of when Lamar Jackson.

Maybe here for the program in spring?

And how long do you anticipate your starting quarterback into your system before you fill you.

Up to people?

Oh?

Well, first off, we're excited about the guys that are here. I know Lamar's working hard. I know the guys that aren't here are working hard, they're pros. And when they're here, they're here, you know, and we look forward to getting them here and getting up to speed to what we're doing offensively. You know, I think that's probably the biggest challenge, But it's football. You know, when they get it, they get it and we'll get them up speed.

You talked about pace, you know, playing at a we're tempo a coming season. It sounds like, on how important is that and what have you seen so far that in turn of that.

You, guys, well, it's early because we've only really been on the field now week and a half, so we're just in the infant stages of doing some of that. But in terms of the installs and game dictates tempo. Players dictate tempo, so as we move forward, we'll have a better idea in terms of where that presents itself for us.

Thought.

Let's say you have a quarterback with a speed of Lamar, do you have a general philosophical preference for whether you surround him with guys who are fast so you can you know, have that on the field, maybe more spacing, or starting with guys who are bigger so you have like, you know, slower defensive matchups. I mean, do you have a kind of preference for speed versus size but with a guy of Lamar's talents.

Well, I mean, it's uh, I'm not laughing at the question. Please don't take it that way. It's just I just you're always looking for big, fast, physical, smart at every position. Unfortunately, here, you know, you draft players, and so you're just trying to surround your quarterback with talent and trying to surround him with players with unique skill sets that you can try to take advantage of. You don't always have those choices.

I just asked because I think James Jones said on you know, his NFL show the other day that I will quote him.

That you want to really play a lot of spread attacks.

For Lamarth mean, well, I mean I think that what dictates spread You'd like to right, you'd like to be able to spread the field, use every blade of grass. What dictates that your ability to function doing that? Have enough players that a defense would have to respect you know, using all that, which is true, you'd love to be able to have weapons where they have to defend every skilled player that you have. So there, that's exactly right. But then what takes you out of that injuries the

Just more broadly speaking, what do you see as the possibilities now with all these wide receiver editions that that you guys have had it?

Well, again, we're excited about one, you know, getting Bateman back healthy. You know the other guys that have been here that the organization drafted that. It's our our job, our duty. We're in the development business to develop them and to maximize their measurable skill set. That's what we're paid to do. And the additions of Nelson and Odell and say to add to the room. So I'm excited when they all get here to see that and see the competition and and our tight ends as well, Mark

You're asked up your quarterback on board than in the first five seasons, the Lamar in your kind of offense and philosophy, you vision Lamar running less.

In your offense.

I don't want to say this again. I think it goes back to the players that you have. I think the more talented you are around your quarterback, the less he has to burden take on that burden, shoulder the load because you're excited about getting others the football where they can utilize their skill set. So I think I think that kind of answers itself. You know, I think that as you get further into your career, you know,

Confact, from when you were hired to now, I mean the the offensive, I guess a lot of skill position players have been added. We're talking about Lamar and obj and Zack and from your perspective, just kind of watching the talent come in on that side of the ball, Like.

What's that been like?

You know, since you were hired to now watching the collection of talent come here, well, it's a.

Lot more fun that way, you know. I mean it's a you're paid to move the football and score so and that's a lot easier with talented players. As always say, cookies taste better with sugar than they do with vinegar, so you surround yourself with sugar.

Going back to Plamark for a second, have you gone in indication when he might be here?

And the same thing for Odell.

We're in constant communication with those guys and we're getting him on, you know, opportunities to talk football and try and catch them up to speed. And we're excited about the guys that are here and I knew though that they're working hard. We get updates from those guys in terms of you know, working so again when that again, it is voluntary, but we're excited. Like I said about the guys that are here, But I do think that we'll be able to get those guys here, hopefully in

And I know that you've been working with this idea that Lamark would be a quarterback for a while. But when he signs that extension, when everything's kind of set in stone, is that change anything for your sense of sort of imagination, inspiration, sort of feeling, this feeling that, Okay, some of these concepts that I've been drawing up or thinking up, they're actually gonna be executed with the guy that I thought, h.

Well, I was imagining that, planning on him being here, because if he wouldn't have been, that imagination kind of you know, turns there, that dream turns into a nightmare. So you're already imagining those things. You were already you know when I took the job, it was because the organization, organization, the structure of the head coach, the players that were here,

Your impressions of you signed up have to rookie in quarterback Norman Anderson.

What kind of some of your initial and pleasures in them?

Well, he did a great job. You know, it's never easy for those guys to come in on a weekend and you jam, you know, installs down their throat. This is what we've got to do, and they're in control of the they're the epicenter of your communication. But I thought he did a great job handling that. He showed tremendous poise. Loved his confidence, and that's not easy, especially if you go from a no huddle system to a little bit of some of the things you're doing communication wise,

You're listening to the Ravens Press Pass podcast. Make sure you subscribe. Also leave a rating and a review. Here is wide receiver and return man Devin Duvernet, followed up by Special Teams coordinator Chris Horden.

How long did it take any get back?

And where where are you at in our process?

That took a couple of months.

But as far as where I'm at right now in this process, it's I'm doing good. I'm you know, I'm running, I'm uh doing things. Still got a little bit to go, but but feeling good though, feeling good making progress.

That difficult was the completely harm display that you just much. Yeah, I was just running. Yeah, how difficult was the timing of that?

If you're playing so much, you guys are making a playoff push and just to finish this.

Yeah, for sure it was.

Unfortunately, it was very frustrating, but it's part of the game. You learn that, you get over it. But yeah, definitely was frustrating at first, And yeah, playing making a playoff push, trying to impact the games, but you know, it is what it is that was so much change to.

The live recuper room and Mark coming back.

Everything feels new.

How do you feel like your plays right now in that room and what you'll be able to contribute with a wall?

I mean I feel good. I feel good. You know, new year, new opportunity. All I can do is take care of myself, work, work on myself, and uh, you know, let the rest, you know, play out.

And then when you said she has to off the top, manket, you know, what are your impressions of what you've seen early on here his offensive?

What?

What?

What? What that will look like?

Yeah?

No, it's been great. It's been great learning from him, hearing him talk leading us, it's been great. I think this year will be big for a lot of us. And uh, you know, we're all excited about the offense.

You remember the moment when he found out Lamar's contract is basically gone.

And what was that like?

Uh?

No, it was yeah, it was exciting. I was actually I just landed, uh from a flight, but uh found out. It's super excited. I knew you knew it was coming, doesn't matter of when, but uh, yeah, super excited for him, you know, and his family and you know for this team.

Devin, you've played with someone veteran wide receivers, but someone like Odell Beckham joining the MiGs if they had a chance to talk to him, and you know, what, are you really hoping to.

Learn from things people?

Yeah, I've talked to him a little bit, you know, definite. I think like when he was big, I was like in high school, So it'd definitely be kind of, you know different, just getting to, you know, learn from a guy like him, and uh, you know, someone you've been watching, you know, for forever, you know, still doing it at a high level. So so I'm excited about that.

During Lamar's rushet to peep throughout it like they from six thousand yards as a receiver, I gotta believe that's something that's kind of music to hear.

You're yeah, yeah, definitely looking forward to that.

Definite schedule gets from Thursday.

But today about being up the London game, just kind of your reaction.

Vives and yeah, no, it's pretty cool. I've never been to London. Excited about it and looking forward to it, and uh, yeah, I think it'll be fun.

Aside from the game.

Is there anything you're four too, thou alongside.

I guess just being being in Europe experiencing it probably some of the biggest thing.

Uh, what do you think this team, this offense could be next year with both speed that you guys had.

I mean, you know, everyone runs like a four four four to three.

What kind of stress can I put on the defense of the special n Lamar's the quarterback.

Yeah, definitely, a ton, definitely a ton of different ways to stress the field, do things. Got a ton of different guys that can do a you know, a multitude of things. So, like I said, and we you know, talk, I think he's a guy for the job, and you know, we'll have a lot of fun.

Did you watch bunch of Todd Monkins Georgia Hobbinson's happened? I know they run TV a lot last were going to the chap Yep, Yeah, no, no, I did not.

I don't watch too much college football, but yeah I didn't.

Didn't.

Didn't get to see a better heard about it though.

Yeah, Todd's of offense feeling a pretty big departure from previous offenses and doesn't seem like a new language. You know, how big of a change is it?

In so perfect that's not crazy you know, the verbage is kind of different, but uh, you know, I feel like at this level, you know, football's football. Everybody kind of runs kind of the same things, just kind of how you utilize them and you utilize different personnel.

Before you got heard.

You know you gotta put even Roll as a wide receiver offensively? How much do you think that will help this year? And where you open to take your game for what it was this year?

Yeah?

No, I mean just each year, just making improvements, taking steps each year is my goal. And uh, you know I gain more knowledge each and every year. She's really each and every game. And you know, all I can do is just continue to learn and continue to you know, better myself.

Good morning, Good to see everyone. Uh what an exciting time it is for us right now to just be out here, get out of the meeting rooms, come outside, move around a little bit with our guys, and just really build that build that foundation, uh, that groundwork before we get into the ota s. I know, the guys guys that are out here working, man, they're they're excited to be out here. Uh, and we're just trying to

How important is it? Which everyone you know you see your training campaign when you go four speed, but how important is it to kind of have this kind of foundation to go over kind of Is it more of the small details and things like that.

Uh of course, I mean, uh, I anytime you get to come out and work football, uh, it's in it's important, right because that's our job. That's what we do.

Uh.

We're for football coaches and we're football players, the players that are out there. So anytime you get to come out here and just work football, uh in a in a control in a controlled setting, Uh, it's it's I mean,

Win, Trenton Sentmens got drafted and John Harbot said on Chris Warnin's gonna love this guy?

Why is why isortonna love this guy?

I mean it was it was pretty easy to love this guy. You turn on the tape, you watch you watch him fly around, you watch him get to the football, you watch him make plays. When I had the privilege to evaluate that guy as a special teamer, uh, it was it was a no brainer for me. Uh, I want that kind of player. That's the kind of that guy has the traits, those raven traits that we look for. He was tough, he was fast, he was physical. Uh, he loved playing football, and his energy was just off

Did he do much of a team's work at comes In?

He did? He had early in his career, he played, He played some teams. So I kind of go back and I just want to watch him. I want to see what he did when he wasn't the starter, because that tells me a lot about players. Right what's his one play mindset? You're not the starter right now? How are you playing on teams in college? If you're flying around that stuff translate to our game, Chris.

If you guys you signed Christian Well, Delgean Phillips, just the sale dour wordy bunch of guys that played roles in special teams.

How much is a continuity?

I know there's still fifty three to get to and we have ways to go, but how much is a continuity there when you but you know, you bring.

In guys that know the importance of special teams and make sure you keep on that.

It's a It's a great building block for us to have those guys around because they understand, they understand the culture, they understand what we're looking for. And then when we bring those those young guys and incorporate them into into that group, it just it just carries on to what we're trying to get done. Uh, having all those guys back,

John mentioned z Flowers potentially being in the mix as a returner when you watch him, I mean, obviously with you see the athleticism, but what stands out that could make him an exciting factor in that regard.

I mean, he's he's dynamic with the ball in his hands, right. So I think a lot of the same things that you saw from him on offense, catching the football, after with the ball in his hands, after the catch, running, all those abilities translate over to the punt return game. But but more importantly it's uh, you know, you guys, hear me say it every year. It's about catching the ball first, right, And so he did have some returns. He did have some returns in college. It was good

This is the Ravens Press Pass podcast. That was a chance to hear from Devi Dubernet, Chris Horden, and Todd Munkin as they just completed another day of voluntary workouts. It's football school here at the under Armoured Performance Center. We'll get another chance to connect with some of the players and coaches in the coming week, so make sure that you stay tuned. Also subscribe to this podcast, and if you want to go ahead and check out the Ravens Lounge podcast. We had Eric DaCosta as a guest