Ravens vs. Broncos Week 9 Postgame Press Conferences

You're listening to the Ravens Press Pass podcast. It is Sunday, November third, and the Ravens took down the Denver Broncos forty one to ten. After the game, we heard from the coaches and the players. So let's kick it off with coach Harball.

Okay, great to see everybody. Appreciate you being here. Really important mid season game at home. Crowd was into it. We appreciate that. Love our crowd, love our fans. Guys got ready to play and played our best complete game of the season so far, I would say as a team, and I'm proud of the guys for that. Guys like Derek Henry Lamar Jackson. Our defense stepped up and played

Perfect passer rating day for for Lamar? I'm guessing as many rest days as he wants now go for.

Yeah, Lamar played really good. He uh fourth. I think it's his fourth perfect passer rating and I think that's an NFL record. Is it tied for the NFL record? Okay, I'm betting on Lamar at some point to break it. But I thought he played great. But also the team around him, I mean the pass protects. That's a really good pass rush team of real aggressive defense, a really highly ranked defense. Our offense came to play as a group.

How is he able to do that when like one practice?

Lamar? He I think we talked about preparing all week, you know, and he did a great job with it.

Mom with me, what do you make of man?

I'd like to be Lamar right now. That would be amazing. I always I always joke with the guys. I got joke of Lamar. Man, what's it like to be able to throw a ball like that?

Man?

If I throw a ball like that would be the greatest lead to or I say to guys, what's it like to be six foot six three? Hundred and forty pounds of just you know, massive humanity knocking people off the ball. I would love to be able to do that. Can you imagine being that big and walking in the bar? Can you imagine what that'd be like?

I would.

I'd love to be Zay Flowers. Can you imagine you're a catch and run like that?

Be that quick?

I can't even imagine what that's like. What's your question?

It was really about Zay just his ability. You are always seen his ability after the catch, what he can do with the ball in his hands.

But today, yeah, obviously.

Look like well that play at the end was end of the half. I mean that play was unbelievable play. I mean to throw on the protection, to throw the catch in a little stop and stuttern. Sometimes I'll admit I'm telling him just go just get up field as me as you can, you know, but he's thinking of he's thinking about scoring every time. So that was just a phenomenal football play.

John.

I know you guys have been really good running the football for years now, But how does Derek in his ability to kind of close games of how you type manager the offense?

Yeah, it's it's a big thing. I mean, we have been really good to running the ball for a long time. But he is different. I mean, Derrick Henry is different. You know, he's adding a dimension that we have not had before. I don't know, you go back to Jamal Lewis maybe you know, maybe this is this is different, you know, and I'm excited about it. But you know what, so I acknowledge that we say that if I can tell you he's sitting right here in the room. What

Like ten fifteen yard line and could not score.

What did you see that stood out on the defensive played today. I thought the red zone defense was amazing. I thought they did a great job in coverage. I thought our coverage did a great job the whole game. He got you know, he's a really dangerous quarterback because you all saw him. He's really hard to get down in the pocket. He was running around doing some things. And I thought our pass rush did a really nice job, especially in the red zone of not letting them run

John, you mentioned help productive Denver has been as a pass rush team. Did you feel like this was a game where your offensive line kind of really found its footing again after a topper week last week.

I thought our offensive line really played well in this game, run, run blocking, and pass protection. It's a very good pass rushing group across the board. There was a challenge with the twists and the games and the picks that our interior guys had to handle, and the speed rush outside guys, our tackles did a good job. Yeah, I thought they did a really good job.

John, The D line and K was banged up all weeks and the guys missed practice. You got two games in five days.

How do you feel like they held up to that?

They held up great. I mean, you know, obviously Medabeeks, you know, he just he led the group, He led the charge. But then you had, you know, two guys up off the practice called Chris Wromley and Josh DePaul. Those two guys, man, they stepped it up, and we we've always thought those were quality players, you know, really good football players. So you know, hats off to those guys as well. Broader Washington played very well, also, proud of those guys.

Only had three rushing with them. So I think was this a game where intentionally.

The limit for whatever reasons, you know, we leave that. I personally leave it more to Lamar. I mean, Lamar knows what he's got to do and he makes great choices. But he was standing in there and just throwing it. I remember, I think I mentioned that one of the guys on the phone after second or third series, Lamar's on fire. He's on fire throwing the ball. He just uh he he had a great game.

More for drump we saw the dB staying after this week just to practice the d the DB's practice to just practice instead of around How key was it for Ardarius Washington to get that interception to open the game, especially.

After week they had.

Timing is everything in life, right, I mean, you know, all the all the challenges we had catching them all the week before and other times in the season. Uh, to come out in the first series and catch one. That was that was pretty cool, you know. Uh uh, the Good Lord had her back. I said, I saw this before. Let him that glory, glory and God alone, I was. I was glorying God right there. I was glorying in God right there. I was thanking him for that pick, you know, for the fact that we caught

A really good, big performance for a pair second year defensive guys. And and Tavius and trenton just sweek. How important is it for them to develop, for you guys to accomplish your goals you want as a defense?

Oh yeah, a big part of us. Some of those two guys are huge. Trent had some really good coverage plays and of course in the run defense. And then Tavius had two sacks, I mean two big sacks. The one big one in the second half was massive.

All right.

Thanks.

Next up is quarterback Lamar Jackson.

So so, Lamar one day of practice and a perfect passerway, how how is that possible?

Then?

Uh?

Just I knew what the assignment was, you know, I definitely studied those guys getting on coach t and just putting an extrat just because I was not there, just watching practice and studying family on those guys that pretty much help. And God, you know, God, my Lord said with Jesus Christ, that's why we having so much success. That's the one uh that's leading us, you know throughout these games and weekend week out.

The why you mentioned uh t Martin, you stow him showing you a lot of love after the game on the big screen, like.

How coens he helped take your game to.

The nest level.

Man, Just great coaching. You know, that's a guy who's been in the league and you know, had a I for for the game and I just pick it back off of 'em. You know, things that he see out what well he see during film s film sessions, and we just talking amongst each other, him and Josh's well and Devin. You know, just our our QB room is so dynamic, just picking each other's brain man, from what we seeing out there on that field. That's helping helping us.

Or you speak a little to just the connection you and Zay half the day, the two touchdowns for him and obviously the one before the half was was a different level type of play.

Yeah, I just believe it's just not say like all our receivers, all my receivers, I have chemistry with all those guys. It it's really the games we w we entering,

What did you just say ever talked to you or you were talking about these movie teammates.

M Juice.

Coming.

Uh, that's just him. You know, God blessed him with the ability to make guys miss. You know, it's always been him, you know, going back to Brown conn of backing youth football, it's always he's always been that player, you know, and him catching a uh post pattern and making guys mess and getting xyrs for a touchdown.

That's just him playing ball.

Cole Bridge.

I'm sorry saying with him.

Yeah, it's for Presidian Bridge, Okase what I Asasuple Rushes, I'm not gonna go into the stats cause we like much more skills.

And things like a passion for the game.

Yeah.

How does it feel to understand that you motivate a lot of young guys down in Brazil such a part place.

Brazil with your with your passion and your skills. Man, that's dope.

Uh, that's dope. Oh man, that's just it's a blessing man from for people in Brazil to know who I am.

That's that's just dope.

Oh ya, that's crazy.

I gotta go to Brazil one time.

I gotta travel at.

Brazil once.

To the the touchdown to day for the half and can you just walk us through what what you saw that upon the play and then sort of just your view of that that move and what you saw.

Yeah, it looked like they was playing quarters to me and the safety poachs backside, twenty six poachs backside. So I just had to beat him. Lift the ball over the line back of fifty five. I don't know his name, sorry, but uh, lift the ball over him and just let Uh, they do the rest and that's pretty much what he did.

What was you just your view pointed that moved when you saw big back kept back.

Okay, So I'm like, yeah, he probably about to get tackled by twenty nine. But then he stell farm still farmed off a block. I wanna say, Bait, I wanna say Bait. I don't know whoever it was right there, he still farmed in twenty nine, looked like he was about to make the tackle. He ran into his guard and say he did the rest and Bait he helped out too. Bait came back for that block. So that was that was just dope for our receivers.

And Ada Mark Uh but troupery cards being part of.

The uh your off beleag part of the office.

Yeah, he huge fun after were you in to see number forty doing that?

So I was happy as hell for him to score like my fault dag Uh.

I was happy.

I was excited for uh Pat you know he he's been looking for that uh receiving touchdown. Then he had it to day, So that was dope or are?

They were third of the league defense coming in and had a lot of sens success a lot of different ways. Did you like, looked at their defense during the week and then you know, applied that to what what?

What do you feel like you did well.

To take advantage of what they were they going to be better?

Uh, just take advantage what they was giving me. Just getting the ball to my guys and letting them execute. Uh Nellie ba Zay uh losey Mark pat It was justice. I can go on and on, but just getting getting the ball to those guys also not doing a great job blocking, made my job a lot easier.

All right, thanks.

Next, let's go with running back Derek Henry. He scored a pair of touchdowns and top one hundred yards on the day.

He talked about this game and the success that he's having this year.

How y'all doing, Derek?

I think you're up to thirteen touchdowns already this season. How much of it bent is just a want to get through that act job?

Yeah?

I mean, like I said before, I get the credit to you guys who are blocking to make my job easier. And all I gotta do is just make my reads, you know your south then make them make the most of the play. So credit to all the guys blocking was a great job and all their unselfishness.

Derek on that point, from the first two of the season to now, what what do you think has been the biggest stride, especially for the offensive line and and how.

They'd been blocking.

I think it's just them executing, coming off the ball, being physical. I think the work that they do during the week, think it shows on game day. And the chemistry they have, uh up front, I think that shows as well.

And you know they they take.

Pride in it in the run game and protecting Lamar, so you know, they they they d deserve all the credit and hats off to them.

Derick, you've had You've talked about this a little bit, but what kind of impact does it have on you as your runner having a guy like Lebar back there, particularly that he's played, you know, as well as.

He has and see then yeah, I know, I mean, I know guy asked coach Harbor all about him running today. We he didn't, he didn't have to, you know, you know, he just dangerous with his arm and I think he he showed that today. You know, if you wanna take away him running the ball to go over your head and throw it and it's you know, he got a running he'll be he he'll do that as well, So you know, hats off to him.

Man.

It's just he's an engine to make this thing go. And you know MB three.

So hm, Derek, you are now at overall under rushing touchdowns for your career, which is a past Barrs Sanders with at ninety nine.

Just like, what does that.

Mean to you?

Uh?

I mean, God, God has been tremendously good to me and I'm thankful and credit to everybody who's been a part of my my career to help me get to this, to this milestone. You know, very Barry Sanders is like a a U running back superhero. So you know that's very cool. And I don't take it for granted.

Derek.

You guys have said all all off in this season and so pick your boys and type offense. In the first half, I think you guys at twenty four yards rushing, but you threw for over two hundred yards and two scores. And the second half of the run game is this sort of what you mean by that that if uh, the defense wants to pay take away one thing, you guys will adjust and do something else.

Well, I think it just credit the officer line protecting l L find the open guys and receivers getting open the receivers at tight ends. Everybody just be great, jah and if they wanna take care take away to run. Those guys did the great job of getting open and opening it up for for everybody. And you know, say, Files did a great job. And you know he's just so dynamic. We ball in his hands. You you know, you just assume he's gonna score and it's it's gonna

There were you aware that you had ninety nine yards before that last serious you went in and you got the uh extra yards to get over it?

Yeah, they kept saying it, so somebody ill if I if I get it, I get it. I I I shouldn't have went in that cause the ball was on the grounds U and stuff like that. Yeah, I know it's that we got it over with and it it is what it is. But uh but yeah, man, for me to have the day that I had, you know, I give it credit to everybody. Everybody blocking. But I'm not happy with how I played and I need to to do better this this next game. But you know, any any success I had, give it the credit to them.

So there.

Yeah, you got just the uh one day of practice with Lamar this week.

Wh was there any indication that he was gonna be less than a hundred percent before this game?

Uh?

Hell, you gotta do to get him ready to play th th that's what he gonna do. They he showed it today. I mean, you needed one day and had a perpacatutor. So whatever he needs to do to to be able to go, go play, cause you know that's what he has to do. You know, I feel like you know it, don't It don't matter if it's one day or half a day, you know, he gonna be ready.

So Derek John had said in the locker room, you had said, hey, it's a ton of Thursday night already.

Since since that it's your first year here, h how how well have you like taken this vibe of AFC North football in this way?

Cause it's just like you said, it's Cincinnati Thursday and night.

Yeah, I mean it's it's a battle. I mean every the Vision game we had has been a battle, and and it came down to the wire. So you know, we just gotta lock in, you know, t tomorrow to get ready for those guys you know divisions, it's it's a division. They have great teams, great players, So you know, just us just being locked in and being focused till Thursday comes and get rid of.

In the locker room.

We also heard from a handful of guys. Let's go with outside linebacker Tavius Robinson.

A lot of people have seen you, you know, rush the passer, but we so you make several tackles down field.

How important is to.

Be versus I like that in the defense most definitely. It's the more you can do the better, for sure. So it was great to make tackles down there. And uh yeah, it's it's important for sure.

What kind of a jolt the whole team that you're able to make.

Stots on.

Huge think I was saying earlier, just if we have a yard or we're gonna try and stop that at a point, So huge, more men ships to shore confidence.

There's some confidence going into what you have coming Thursday, to have come off a game like this that's got.

To be in Yeah, most definitely. Definitely a lot of confidence. But at the end of the day, you know, you got to go back to work tomorrow, get ready for a short week, and uh, you know every week is different, so you you got to come out with the same mentality that we did this week, for sure.

Do you think about your own upside and how much this defense relies on you to be the best version of yourself?

Most definitely.

Yeah.

Every day, every day on the practice field and every game, I try to do my one of eleven and be the best version of myself because I know, you know, my brothers decide me and all of them are doing the exact same things, so it's important for me to do the same.

Yeah, there's a lot of talk about, you know, trade targets. I mean it's that time of year, right around the trade deadline.

Is this group kind of thinking about just hey, we gotta we gotta be our own catalyst.

We got to change it for ourselves.

Yeah, we're just thinking about getting better every day, So every practice, every meeting, just being intentional and just growing as the season goes.

But what does it mean to you get means.

A ton for sure. And again, just just to have my brothers and my team, you know, celebrate with me and be happy for me means a ton.

But yeah, for sure, it's one of those moments like you.

Know when they playing with accural that you get to in celebrations have the culmination.

Yeah, very exciting. You know a lot of work throughout the week. I feel like every week is different, so, uh, you got to put in the work during the week to make plays like that.

So for sure, big picture for the defense is how pleased are you with the way the defense responded after a tough one last week?

But did he get back on track this week?

Yeah? I think Uh, I'm very happy with how we responded and again we talked about it last night and did what we needed to do. But now we got to continue to grow off that and uh do again to serge.

We also heard from wide receiver Nelson Agalar then Nelson the big player that you had and how significant was it at that time of the morning week.

The significance to me because they all count for me.

And you know, it's also pretty amazing because it's it's L's vision.

Really, it's L's vision.

He he kind of you know, point guarded me to that area with how his eye contact and where he was trying to create to get me to go. And he really wanted me to get more on that.

He was trying to get me to score.

So I owe him a touchdown on the scramble.

Drill because he uh, because it was more like we had something.

He saw where they were.

He bought some time and he gave me a ball so that I can you know, play it and and keep going. So he he that's what he does though, like he he has great vision for you as a pass catch and the route runner. You know, so that's pretty cool.

How are you try to how are you adapted to the route as as a place.

Well, you know, I it's a you know, my initial route was a basic cross and I start to take myself on that you know play and the way the defense defends him.

He knows better than anyone. He knows how defenses defend him.

And then the backside safety was very high.

I started to go first window, and he saw something else and that's what he does.

He's like, hey, and I see his eyes, so I go to where his eyes are.

You know, that's what he does and what's the big game for him to day?

What sets that he favored him? Uh, just a progression to your teeth.

It's it's always important when you have such a great first year to have the hunger and the the excitement.

To just compete in the next year. And I think that's what makes him who he is.

He came here as a rookie, very hungry, anxious to just compete. He came here as his second year even hungrier, anxious and excited to make plays, compete.

And be a focal point. And that's what he does.

Is there a point in games when you look at Lamar and you just say, this guy's gonna be unstoppable today, like he's just really locked in today.

Well, well, it's not talking like that.

He knows who he is.

We know who he is.

He's a ultimate competitor.

We don't have to talk like that.

He We just go out there and we compete, and Lamar Jackson is who Lamar Jackson is, the ultimate competitor.

The ah.

So the whole Picker Boys, I think only works.

So there's the nattitude en selfishness, you know, on a off how does the attitude kind of show us the older day.

Man.

Each individual has to understand that the ultimate goal in this league is a championship. There's a lot of individual things you can accomplish towards that, but the championship is the most important thing. So if you catch four or five balls, one ball, it doesn't matter. And then when you have the most unselfish.

Quarterback that wants you to maximize the opportunity that you get, that's an awesome thing.

He he spearheads the unseelfishness.

Eight.

Does you know we just had a conversation earlier about you know him, like, hey, man, I might not be able to get back to you.

That's why I try to get you to.

Score, because that's what he cares about.

He cares about us feeling valued and making plays.

So pretty cool deal.

Next up, we heard from some of the guys on the offensive line. Let's go with left tackle Ronnie Stanley.

You know, break off runs and dazzle from your position.

Yeah, I mean it's always great. You know I've been talking about the whole year. Playing with him is a blessing, great opportunity and never gets old. When you see him, you know, break the gap and you know Shug along it.

Goes every thousand yards today.

Just how much pride do you guys take as an offensive line in that, and you know, with him giving you guys.

A credit proach.

Yeah, I mean, we always want to impose our will every week as a offensive line and make sure we're giving the guy, especially Derek, you know, space to run, but all our running backs and you know Lamar when he wants to run. But yeah, I think it's a great thing when we can control the game.

Like that, even how good Derek is in the first half, that once it gets that fourth quarter, that's kind of where.

His strongness is.

Yeah, I mean I don't really think about it too much, but I know he's gonna be ready to go all game and as game goes on, he definitely gets better.

Was this a game where the line particularly wanted to turn the page from last week?

I mean, I imagine you guys didn't have a great astaste.

In your mouth dropter last week.

I mean, I think we just take a mindset we're just trying to take steps forward. You know, wins come, sometimes losses come, but we're just trying to keep building and focusing on getting better as a union and individually.

Ron about the defensive front over there, that pressure rate, their sack rate, Was that something you guys paid attention to and how much that motivates you guys as a unit offensive line specifically going into this game.

Yeah, I mean, we knew they had a great defensive front and they really played all together. They play well off each other, and we knew to win this game we had to be on point, and I think everyone did a great job today and taking all my challenge speaking of that, either they had the highest blitz rate in the league.

Did they bring a lot of blitzes in Were there any.

Times that you can call Lamar handling that blitz either audibling or whatnot to eat them?

Yeah, I mean I think they did uh blitz quite a bit, and you know, had a lot of simulated pressures as well. But yeah, they were definitely showing a lot of different looks out there, and I think Lamar handled it well.

Ron John called this the best complete game of the season for you guys, Did did you feel that way?

Following is?

I mean, I think it's a it's a great game. I think, you know, the results are well, but the quality performance I think was well as well. But we still have a lot to build on and very happy, very confident guys going forward. But we're just gonna keep bilding taking steps forward with the offense.

Is clicking like this? How difficult does that make you?

Guys?

Stop?

I think you know, when we're clicking, I think we're you know, only only thing that can stop ourselves is ourselves. And I think there's a lot of a lot of validion that you know, and when when you see what we can do when we're or doing what we're supposed to do.

Ronnie Lamar had your obviously the one day of practice this week didn't need to impute him obviously at all. What have you seen from him that he can go out there, have just the one practice.

And have a day like this week?

Guys?

I mean, yeah, he couldn't be at practice, but I know he wanted to be out there and you want to improve, but you know, he's a professional. So whatever time you can get, he's gonna make sure that he's on point for us and himself. And you know he showed that out there today.

How good was that one day of practice?

I mean, Lamar, I feel like every day is good, but you know it's whatever he needs, So whatever he needs to be ready for game day, he's gonna take care of you.

Ronnie, how do you approach that with the quick turnaround with the game on third.

I think recovery's just gonna be a big thing this week, you know, making sure to stack on that, you know, maybe do a double things you would do on a day, you know, because very very short week, So got to make sure the body's feeling as good as possible.

Next up is right tackle Roger Rosegard.

Did you guys as a group very much want to put last week by Yeah?

I think you have to. You can't dwell on last week at all.

And then once you.

I remember we got in the locker room last week, We're like, we're all we're all in on the Broncos. So that was a mentality.

It feels like every week someone else is saying they're impressed by Lamar dazzling.

Is that sort of becoming the.

Norm for Derek Henry too?

Yeah?

Absolutely. Those those two guys are all pro for a reason. They they're the best at what they do. So you know, a week in week out what they do and make us look good as an old linement, especially Lamar. Yeah, they're the best.

Is there still some novelty your fun to seeing Derek plow through guys in front of you?

Absolutely?

I mean I grew up watching him when I was in middle school, high school, in college. Now I get to play play with them and block form.

So thanks for sure.

That feeling is that?

I mean, is that kind of the cool part of your job that if you if you do your job, then you kind of get to watch the magic. Right?

Absolutely, it's It's the best feeling when it's a party in the end zone on every score, hold up protection for Lamar and then open up holes for Eric Justice, et cetera. So yeah, it's a lot of fun.

We're at the mid point in season now.

There were so many questions about the offensive line coming in with the turnover. How would you sort of assess where you guys are at the at the midpoint?

Yeah, say, we're in a good spot. Just a lot of stuff we got to clean up, especially with me personally, I got tons of things you need to clean up on pre snap, during the snap, post snap. But I think as a as a group, we're in a really good spot and we know that and we just got to keep them at hum.

Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the win. We'll be back with you again tomorrow