Welcome to the Ravens Press Pass podcast. It is Sunday, September fifteenth. The Ravens dropped to oh to two on the season after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders twenty six to twenty three at M and T Banks Stadium. It was a disappointing loss for the team and after the game, we heard from head coach John Harball.
Okay, appreciate you being here. Disappointing loss, tough loss, could have gone our way for sure, but we didn't get the job done. Oh and two, we we're gonna play a seventeen game season and we will be defined by the next fifteen games. So that's gonna be our objective to play the best fifteen games we can be the best football team we can be, and if we do that, then we're gonna have a really good season, have a shot to win a lot of games and get in the playoffs and make a run. So that's what we
have to do. Big picture, short term, we got to go back and look at every little thing, continue to clean up the things that we know we can clean up and get better at that make a difference in games. And we'll continue to work very hard.
To do that.
What questions you have one of the Brandon Stevens, probably Brandon Steven Steve a cold Did you have a.
Good advantage point?
You've seen that, and what was kind of your view outing that?
Right?
Well, I saw that one. Uh you know, I saw the Marlon one on the uh the big screen. So until I see the TV copy, I'm not gonna be able to say, because on the big screen it looked like he had his hands completely off of him.
Uh.
You know, I wouldn't know neither one of those what to say to those two guys for better technique. It looked like perfect technique from where I was, But I'll have to look at the TV copy to see what the official thought he saw what he called that?
Uh? What did you make of the second half defense?
Did you guys have up with like forty yards in the first half?
What?
What changed?
What?
What did you see today?
Just start doing anything different?
I think the penalties extended drives, that's the biggest thing. If those drives don't get extended, you got them backed up, you're gonna be off the field and they don't have an opportunity to make plays. But you know, when the drive gets extended, you know, for some reason, then you play you know, really good playmakers, and all of a sudden, the play gets made, pass gets made here and there and all that. But you know, we held up really well.
We were fighting right down there. You know, you got a fourth and forever and a pass interference takes it out of the one that's you know, usually gonna score from the one. So uh, that's just that's just hard to hard to control that one.
John similar influence on your offense, mean seem like especially you know, laying the fourth quarter penalties kind of setting your own drives back.
Yeah, we had the uh, the false start, so those really shouldn't happen. You know, those are things that we just got to just take a deep breath and and clean and that shouldn't happen. You know that we're better than that. We will be. I I I'm not worried about those going forward, but we've got to make sure we're diligent and intentional about not having those false starts that would have extended drives, especially the one coming out there in the mid fourth quarter with the quarterback sneak
holding on Ronnie. I mean, I don't know, I just have to look at it and see it didn't you know nothing. I think I could really coach him on that I saw on the replay, But maybe there's something more there than me Ci John no One.
The challenge is today, were you surprised and the decision in the end.
Of both of those, Uh, well, the one in the first half, you know, that was close. I think if they I think if they you know, if I thought that one was at a real chance. But it was also we had two time outs. We have plenty of time. Almost felt like it was calling a time out and kind of giving our guys a chance to get a breath of air, which I wanted to do, so it was worth taking a shot there. The other one was such a high leverage play, so you had such an
opportunity and we went so fast. I just thought it was worth in the heat of battle taking a shot at I would have hated to have, you know, seen it later that he was clearly off the ground and not done it, you know. So that's the challenge of the speed of the situation sometimes.
Sure, I know you're.
Gonna look at tape going forward, but are you considering any cold could you consider any changes up.
Front along the offensive?
Line.
I know Rosen gard Gers it is is already rotaken in.
Yeah, I mean, just gokinda looking try to coach the guys and keep getting better with the guys. You know, we were I look at the tape and we'll see, you know. I mean, we're always gonna play the best players. You know, that's always part of it. If that is what your question is, We'll always try to do that.
On the process of the challenges.
If that's something that you're calling upstairs to have something here from whether or not it's worthy of challenge.
Yeah, yeah, you do.
And you know, just it's going fast. I mean you know they're run to the line, they're gonna snap it to try to make sure you can get the challenge off. So it's not like you have all day and you don't get much of a look.
Uh.
Just the high leverage of it. I just felt like it was on me. I just felt like, you know what, I'm gonna take a shot here and see if we can see if we win this one, because it was a big chunk play. I mean, you know, you're not gonna be undefeated on challenges over the course of the season.
I don't think that's the difference in the game. It would have been nice to have the time out, but you know, you gotta take a shot sometimes too, nine years since you had if you go over to kind of charge it's kind for you.
What is kind of the message that you get to players?
Yeah, the message that we define in our season. You know, when it's going to not be defined by everybody, it's gonna say that we're not any good. You know that we're done, that the season's over after two games. Uh, that's what's gonna be said. We understand that, you know, it's but they're not here, they're not inside. No one inside's gonna say that. We got to take care of our stuff, take care of our business, take care of our work.
Uh.
We know that we're a good football team and we've got to go keep getting better and better and better and and define the season and by the way we play.
You had that incident involving the man on the chain game collapse on your sideline. What what did you see and did it affect your guys being just so close to your people.
I'm just grateful that he he was revived, you know, thank thank God, Thank thank God. First of all, cause there was there was prayers being made. Promise you, there was prayers being made right there touching him and for God to bring him back, bring him back, bring him back. And uh and God answered that. And Uh for the the MS people, I mean they were on the spot. They they jumped right into action. Man, they were heroes out there today. Uh. You know that gentleman has been
on our sideline. He's a wonderful person. You see him every week and to see, uh, do those guys do their job and him come back like that was just it was a miracle.
How great Justin has been throughout his career. He seems like a fifty pleasure. Our field goals have been a struggle getting back to last year.
What do you say to him?
And I'm sure you have the utmost confidence send I'm attained to send him out there.
Yeah, right upmost confidence in Justin, absolutely utmost confidence and them to send him out there every time we need to kick and aulmost confidence that he's going to be the best, the best at it and do a great job and do what he does and he's our guy. We believe in Justin for sure.
John.
That the game time touchdown drive that they had, did you feel like the coverage was pretty good for most of that drive and Belarius and Adams are just just really good players or what did you kind of make of their Really?
I thought they made a few plays. You know, we have him fourth in forever, you know, and then we've got a passing interference call in the end zone. That's what I thought, That's what I saw, all right, Okay, thanks thanks.
We also heard from veteran linebacker at Rokwan Smith. We're going to.
Know this is a position you s never thought for this team would be in a one too.
Uh.
What's kind of your thoughts heading on.
Heading forward with this team?
Yeah?
Absolutely, Uh, it's the past now when you think about it. But all we can do is respond. And I think that's what defined each and every human being. How you define and you know, adverse moments and I know the guys in the locker room, uh, and how we f how we feel about it. Trust me, it sucks more for us than anyone else. And I just know we're gonna put our head down and keep going and you know, correct our mistakes because there's no way you know we should be owing too.
But hey, it is what it is.
We w uh, John I'm talking about the influence and some of the penalties had on extent uh most faces drives.
Did that?
Is that demoralizing? And do you feel like that affected your performance later in the game.
At the end of the day, the refs make a call regardless UH if I agree with it or even if some of them don't agree with it. It's what they call on the field and we have to go with it. But definitely sucks in some of those moments.
But it is what it is.
Real.
The biggest suggest that you saw a second happen to just being able to move the.
Ball, social work or to the first.
Uh, I think just extended extended the plays. I think extended plays uh penalties and you know some of them guys winning, uh winning their matchups, and that just goes back to each and every individual.
So why you weren't as pleased.
As the communication uh the last did you feel like that at least improved to sleep on?
Yeah, the communication definitely improved uh from last week, but there was still uh some laps and communications and uh different situations throughout the game. And it's just something that we gotta improve on with the noise and everything like that. So it just gotta each and every guy, and it starts with myself making sure each and every guy got the call, echo and the chicks and whatever the case may be. So but we'll get better at that for sure.
You played, you were going fought? Just a howar to go with?
What was kind of going through your head?
And if if not, what was your message.
To to guys in a lot?
Yeah, uh, not a lot going through my head, more so just how this was gonna go. But as always, chin up, chest out, you know, regardless of what we're going through, what I'm going through, at the end of the day, we have a job, and our job is to win, uh and be the best football team we could be, and we haven't been that just quite So it's about us looking ourselves in the mirror and how we're gonna respond from here regardless of what everyone else says.
Is more so about what each and every guy believes in the locker room and actually go out and showcase, uh when we get the opportunity next week. But hats off the Vegas Uh. They played it, they played a good game and they won, so hats off to them.
In Peers, we also heard it from quarterback Lamar Jackson.
More, what kind of goods playor have you been that you have been on team that you're probably.
Never played with.
Right now, you just gotta find a way to win, you know, like you said, and I use being on to you just gotta catch y'll catch our momentum and get it started right away.
Or on the interception the baby and what what?
What happened?
Was? It?
Was it the type spot to turn to put the falls or whatever you mean it?
Uh?
It was just a good play by both players. You know, I threw at the babyman, it was accurate. Guy made a play on it. It was just tip in forty one. Spike just made a good play on that ball.
You guys on the second touchdown drives and seemed like it had so much momentum.
And sort of founder rhythm.
Where where did you guys get away with that?
What?
What change did you feel?
S Uh?
I can't call it, you know, like you said, we had the momentum. Uh, I believe we up fourth quarter twenty three thirteen. Usually we just finished teams about there. You know, we just go to hit to get the ball roll and just go to punishing people. But I guess they gas had the best of us today, And I say.
So, why do you feel that after throwing out ten and being the fourth quarter you were too conservative?
Do you feel that they just made more plays?
What kind of was your diagnosis of what happened before?
No, I just feel like we just need to do what we do. You know, at the end of the day, those guys made plays. You know, they got us off the field. We gotta find a way to stay on the field.
How long we saw you.
You talked to earlier in the week about Max Crosby and the way he plays. He make a lot of plays today did resulting in a lot of negative plays? Somy, Do you feel like those kind of impact of the guys as success.
Yeah, we gotta find a way to those impactful guys. We gotta find a way to you know, just knock 'em out the game, get him out the game, you know, not literally knock 'em out, but just find a way to just protect and just get him out of the game. You know, just not let them just run around and do what they do.
Or are you a good amount of control or pre snap action he's and is getting the right protections fall under sort your responsibility is more all in that sense.
Oh, we was in the right protections.
Uh.
They they didn't get us on any blixes when they brought brought their blixes. He was just being an impactful player, you know that the the guy that how motive guy he was. You know we got t two sacks today. Uh, he was just doing what he was doing.
Why you mention?
You mentioned in your first arterial in too, you know, to get where you guys wanna be. I know it's a couple months away, but where the challenges now as you move forward?
Now over too?
Uh put points on the board, you know. Uh, and just finish people. Just finish 'em.
You know we have the lead.
Just keep scoring, find a way to keep scoring, you know, just keep milking the clock, keep doing what we do. Play raven football.
Lamar is the is the guy that everybody looks to. You do you do you feel a need to maybe say more this week? I mean, will will you be trying to lift spirits? Or is it more just get back to business s?
There's always business, you know. Yeah, but we gonna see, we gonna see, you know, I'm definitely gonna talk to my gods though, cause we gotta find find our moji. You know, we gotta find and and do what we do, cause that's b that's not us at all.
Is that point of ware you feel you do?
You feel like you guys are are still trying to find a little bit of the identity year or two of the offense at least.
Sit there's first year here and so forth.
Are you still, I guess try to find the floating in the offense?
Uh No, I wouldn't say that. You know, we uh I believe we got young guys on the team, you know, on our offense this year. Uh, we just gotta do what we do still, you know, cause Derek was running the ball tremendously that day. You know, he had a uh a few uh burst out there from a few players that he burst out on. And the line was doing they doing their job. We just got to find a way to just get the ball rolling and it stay consistent.
Three vials on the first.
Half just kind of work.
Wasn't working for uh for you guys offense a little un respective.
Uh we wasn't scoring, but the field goals.
It's part of football, you know.
They those guys did the same thing and they had like six points, you know, we had nine. Uh we wanna score, but uh we put points on the board next time we touch.
Down two more more when you're getting the ball back after they tie up the game, I mean getting improve.
On the side.
Was their communication on ensuring to get him off, get keep him away from you, or to just maybe specifically try to protect against him.
Was a communication like that entering the field.
I can't I can't call it. You know, I'm not the one who not having to block him or anything like that or talking on the line. But we had to write protection up. You know, sometimes you gotta have those one on one fights. Sometimes we gotta windows.
In the locker room. Today we heard from a number of players, including kicker Justin Tucker.
Uh, you know, obviously I left I left one out there, left three points out there that uh, you know, could have been important down the stretch, you know. But something that we are going to continue to do is just go to work. You know, it's a long season. This hurts right now. This uh you know, this loss hurts.
You know, I'm disappointed in my own performance. But at the exact same time, uh, you know, thankfully you know my and I mean this sincerely, like I can come from a place of gratitude where I have personal experience where I've had to, you know, bounce back from tough performances in the past, and I'm gonna draw upon that. I'm gonna lean into my teammates and just like we are, We're all going to lean into each other right now and just get to work.
Justin It's as you're sort of mentioning, it's so rare for you guys to start going to you know, as a team leader, what do you feel like your messaging will be not just individual performances, just about the team mentality.
I think it's just so we got to keep going. You know, you just got to trust the process, just coming in and work each and every day, whether it's on the field or in the meeting room. You know, Harbes mentioned to the team right after, you know, right after the game here.
In the locker room, that we just need to come together.
And it's true. I mean, we've we've had, you know, experiences in the past where we have had to really grind to get going or we've really had to you know, slug it out to get our first win. But this team is is too talented, too hard working with you know, the leadership that we have, like in the locker room, and then you know, all throughout our coaching staff, we have every reason to be confident. Every little thing that
we can address we will. And yeah, I think the key is just to come together and keep working justin.
I know you're a confident God. The field goal miss today, and it seems like digging back to last year, the fifty plus field goals have been a little bit of an issue. Are you seeing anything or is there anything even if you don't want to say, have you spotted something yourself that may be causing this?
You know, I think as as simply as I can put it, you know, And it's it's not it's not my favorite topic of discussion, but I just missed the kick, you know, and I don't want to continue having this conversation. When I go out onto the field, I'm confident that I'm going to nail every single kick no matter where we are on the field. You know, today was was no different. You Know, we got off to a pretty good start kicking the ball. The ball was coming off
my foot pretty nicely. Nick was thrown back good snaps, Jordan was throwing back good holds and then you know, we like I just misfired on the one from fifty six, you know, left three points out there that we could have we certainly could have used down the stretch in this game, you know, but at the at the exact same time, trying to you know, overanalyze or dwell on a mistake or you know, a performance that is not up to our collective standard, that's not gonna do us
any any good. What's what is going to help us is continuing to trust the process and you know, just come together as a team and just get to work. I mean, this is a long season. You know, we're owing too, but we have every reason to be confident we can clean up some things I can clean up, you know, I think everybody in here would say the you know, the real accountability is taking the burden of
blame on yourself so somebody else doesn't have to. And everybody in this locker room is built just like that. I think we're gonna be just fine. We're gonna be a really good football team.
Next up is running back Derrick Henry.
Kind of the sense of the locker room.
I mean, this is a team that I'm sure didn't expect the FETA into and now find itself in that position.
Yeah.
I mean, we definitely wanna be on too. I wanna go out to the start, but you know, we just gotta keep working, Kevin faith and one another. You know, it's a lot of team that's like oing too and Phosa Seas are strong and she's gotta you know, look.
At it that way.
You know we have slow start right now, but just keep leaving each other. Yeah, keep working and keep getting better in the winds. Will getting the win calls soon.
It look like the run game really started to pick up a little bit in the second half there. What what do you feel like changed, if anything, compared to what it was doing, what you guys were doing it first.
I just think execution. I was all executing in the rung game. Me doing my job, and you know the guys that are blocking, I'm doing theirs. You know, it's the run game takes you know, all all eleven and they we did a g great job of executing and get that started.
When when you touched at that touchdown, was there a feeling like alright, we're we're finishing these guys.
I mean I felt like we started to get mymentum were executing, move on the ball, you know, just things are going away. We wanted to as far as in the rung game, and I thought the guys did a great job. And uh, you know, I thought we were you know, uh we we had a lot of momentum, you know, once we got going.
Derek, when that the false start, and I know it was something that you don't wanna do. Did you know, did you think the count was a little early?
Is that why you were moving forward a little bit?
Well?
Can you take us through what it happened.
I wasn't moving forward. I just moved my legs outside. I was trying to get my balance. And you know he's he starting right after. But I wasn't false start out. Oh okay, move my leg So it used to call it a false start.
It is what it is. I'd be better just from your standpoint, you when you were talking about execution then finding that momentum, just kind of what happened that it didn't go all the way.
Through to the end.
Sit again, you talked about execution on offense and getting momentum.
Just from your perspective, why at times did that stall or just you know, eventually go away at the end to not get this one.
But I mean they were just better team. I mean that's where they won. You know, we didn't make the plays when we needed to as a offense, when you used to go into the drum boards to get the film. You know, you know, correct the mistakes or the execution just just has to be better. But you know, we just set an extus as as the offense as a team when we needed to, and they did.
That's why the one yeah got.
Obviously the lost things, but the way the momentum you did start to get in the in the second half running the football, you know, a couple of long runs for you. Does that give you hope moving forward that this run game is starting to get on track?
I mean, I I know eventually it'll happen. You know, you just gotta stay with it, k not not little face.
Uh.
You know we got help the guys blocking and they do a great job. That just a matter of time for for it to happen.
So Derek can tennessee two years ago you guys start off them too, gropped out a bunch of winnings.
Thanks, what kind of lessons do you take.
And slow start like that?
But how you kind of get back on that on the right track.
I mean, these guys know how to win then went around here for a long time, so it'll be nothing I can say to them to you know, make them think any different than the anything having different. They know how to win, they know the formerly. So you know, we'll get back to it. You know, it's just a s sot'll start right now. But it's all about this execution, getting each other better, you know, uh, hold each other's accountable and turn this thing around.
We also heard from rookie right tackle Roger rose Park.
Yeah, you know, I thought we had a good game plan going in. Uh, a good week of prep, did a really good job just preparations and practice or whatever. You uh, a little bit of wanna make a bigger process on practice, you know, the way you wanna play and get improved better and better each week. And you know there's a few things we didn't execute on, you know, dependalties, if fans or bots can't happen. You know, you can make all the excuse in the world, but you gotta execute.
Talk about dealing with nine, he's he's something.
Yeah, Yeah, he's a great player. We knew going in that he'd be a game wrecker, So we got to do everything we can to minimize that. And you know he's gonna make plays, that's why he's out there. But uh, you know, I thought we had a good game plan going in. Like I said before, it's got to execute more.
It was a big change first half second terms of me ever to run the ball. I mean, you have really opened up. What change there you got to that success?
Yeah, you know, I think just starting from quarter one to quarter four, we want to implement that run the ball. We need to make sure we get twenty two back there going. And I think once that's that snowball thick. You know, once you get a couple of good hits, you know it'll start breaking open. So like I said before, just got to execute all the better things I think.
I mean emotional ladies, I mean sit hero went to what I mean, it's an unfamiliar territory certain of this franchise you're just walking in. So we were the emotions like dam with the.
Day a day like that.
Yeah, like I said, anytime you lose, you don't it's it's a horrible feeling, especially personally as a player. You know, you wish you could have a few plays back going back on it, but you know, we can't. It's a long season, so we can't mope around. And like I said, this week of practice going to be crucial for us, just building on that. Appreciate you, awesome, thank you.
We also heard from outside linebacker adafe O Way, who had two and a half sacks on the day.
You take us through early on in the clean really great defensively through three just about three quarters keeping them in check and then what what changed for them to be able to last poor possession of this corn?
I guess they just kept they kept doing what they were doing. They consistent running the ball, creasing us up in the middle. I thought we were stopping on you know, on the edge and stuff like that. But they were just more persistent, making like you know, the plays that we didn't want to make and they made them. So probably say that's what it was. We had our foot on the gas in the beginning, but kind of lit up towards the end.
You know, just to have that ten point lead at home home opener, what are the emotions like letting that one? Can you see that one get away?
Uh? It sucks, It's definitely sucks. The only only light in the at the end of the tunnel was that Dallas lost too. It lost pretty badly, so we gotta just go go back to the next week and work, you know, because it ain't no way to go save us with us, you know. So it definitely sucks. I felt like we were there, but I feel like it's best that we go through this right now, so we get all the growing pains up and then we start cruising towards the end of the season.
Like a year ago, Minshaw with the Colts almost the same game they come back, he just start, you know, maybe enough plays and early on looked bad. What is it about that guy at this place?
Oh, I don't know. I didn't play last last time he was here, But I guess he's he's he's a he's a he's of fighters. Yeah, I guess he got hit a few times. He muddied the picture for him a little bit, but he kept on going. Kudos to him. Had I talked to him, but uh, I felt like it was more so what we did what we did wrong.
Coach Tarba said, you guys still control your own destiny fifteen games if you play the way you want, and you'll be in the postseason. What do you need to do coming off and knowing to start kind of uncharted.
While he story you guys, uh, just just keep on working hard, working how Ravens do. But you know, we're gonna have to change, you know, something stuffing that we stopped s like slipping into like the little mental areas, uh, mental areas. I don't know what's gonna be. We're gonna have to look back at the film and see, you know, where we're lacking at. But just continue to do what we were doing, you know, just working hard, posing out
the outside noise. You been in this spot before, right, and you know, just just do what we gotta do.
You're fool for you.
You said in training camp you're chasing perfection this season and obviously good performance to in house sockey today.
Does it feel a little different.
What's kind of the transition for you?
It kind of it feels good, but it's kind of like I knew who I was, y'all just did it. So it's kind of like, I thank god that the the results happening, and you know, he was able to stick in the pocket and I was able to get him, but I knew who I was, so it's kind of like thank you, but it's like what's the next You know.
You're listening to the Ravens Press Pass podcast. The Ravens are now zero to two on the season. Next up is a matchup in Dallas against the Cowboys. The Ravens will be back to work this week and we'll hear from head coach John Harba tomorrow during his standard Monday afternoon press conference. Thank you for listening to the Ravens Press Past podcast and we'll be with you again tomorrow