Welcome into Ravens Press Past podcast. It is Friday, September twenty seventh, and after practice we heard from head coach John Harbaugh.
Okay, appreciate everybody being here. Thank you, good week of practice, big challenge in front of us, many many things that make this game great game make a challenge and opportunity, and we're looking forward to it. And we've got, you know, a little over forty eight hours to keep preparing. We'll try to keep preparing for this great team we're about to play. What questions you have.
I don't know it was a wall back, but.
In Philly, weren't you and McDermott.
Weren't you like running buddies or drinking buddies or anything like that.
Yeah, we worked out together a lot. You know, he's I was a little younger then, so you know, but he's a he's a he's a great guy wrestler and a defensive back. William and Merry guy. I reminded him that Miami we played him a couple of times that we never lost to William and Mary not. But you know, we were in the same era obviously. But Sean's a heck of a guy, great coach, great family, talk about our kids all the time. His daughter is a softball player.
She's getting recruited D one for softball, so all that kind of stuff. And yeah, it's a he's done a great job of the team. I mean, it's a it's a team that I think reflects his personality both sides of the ball, all three phases and kind of see how they're built. That's kind of who he's always been as a coach, you know, and you could see early on he was going to be a great coach. Certainly fulfilled that coach.
You think your defense seeing Lamar Jackson sort of the defense parents are short of Josh Allen as far as that through Frank quarterback or is that don't really translate?
Well, yeah, hey, I think every every every player right is his own any you know, their own style. Nobody can play like Lamar, Nobody can play like Josh. They're unique, and yet the problems they pose the defense are similar to your point. You know, they can they can hurt a defense in so many different ways. We're just focusing on Josh and the different ways that he that he that he moves the ball, the way that he gets
to change the move. You know, the plays that he makes, the way they build the offense around and we're trying real hard to be ready for that.
How is the unique Looft?
In his three practices, He's looked good. He's looked good, looks like he's in shape, looks like he's he's in a great place. Uh, you know, spiritually, mentally it was it was fun to have him out there and he and Ronnie had some battles this week for sure.
What is the difference? Would you be football shape and fresh Office is still in good shape, but not the football?
What's the difference.
Well, I mean, it's like anything else. There's like there's just some movements that that you can only really replicate
by playing the game. You know, the combination football is probably really unique because the acceleration, the deceleration, the change the direction, the loads that you take, the unexpected loads, whether it's a load where someone's pushing on and you set your feet in the ground, maybe throw somebody by in all the different range of muscle reactions, maybe that have to take place that you could never replicate in a workout, and you can only replicate by doing football.
So getting out there and playing the game and doing it helps and most guys that just come right in and play, they'll usually get some strains and things like that, you know, So that's why practice is so important.
We didn't see where he's all week in practice.
What do you think his availability.
Is going to go.
I think it's gonna be right until game time, That's what I was told, So we'll see.
I know he's not eligible this week, but how we haven't asked you about Arthur Malette since the summer. We saw him out there I think was last week running a good bit is I know he can't play this week, but is it possible that he could be ready when he's eligible.
It's possible. Yeah, he's looked good. It seems like he's in good shape, and we'll see how he looks when he can get out there. He can't go out there and practice yet till next week, but we'll see what it looks like next week.
Coach with Deontay Hardy. You know, he's playing his former team, had a pretty difficult summer, but you guys really stuck with him and do all that. What have you kind of seen him from him so far?
Yeah, he's been great to be around, you know, Deontay's had so many things in his life that have just kind of snuck up and been a part of his life family wise, in the last four or five months, and he's he's dealt with so well, you know, and been a rock for his family. So that part of the personal part of it's kind of been been, you know, interesting and good to go through it with him to some degree, and then to see how he's handled as a pro. You know, he's handled it great. I think
he's looked really good as a player. He's been very secure, he's he's every time he gets the bonus hands, I can hear the whole crowd kind of hold their breath a little bit. So he's he's that kind of a player as a return guy. Uh So I'm excited to see him maybe break him loose here pretty soon. Onway, do you you feel like you have a good grip already on how long the lamp up would be till he might be an option? Yeah, I think so. I mean there's a lot of factors that go into that.
We have a lot of good players, young players rushing the passer too, uh you know, so I think it's just going to be him being ready, which I'm very confident he will be very soon. And then the opportunity expressing itself when it does, he'll be out there and I think he'll help us.
Then we headed into the locker room and heard from linebacker Roque One with challenges as he present.
Uh yeah, no, so it'll be a great challenge for our defense. But we love challenges. So yeah, I've got to first stop to run like any other week, eliminate the run with Cook and the rest of the backs, and uh yeah, make the guys one dimensional. And then I feel like if we do that, we'll like to like things in our favor.
With with with James Cook, you know, he's somebody that can also catch the ball out of the backfield. How does that kind of challenge you guys, especially being in the middle of the field.
Yeah, no, absolutely, Yeah, I think he's a really good back out the backfield. Uh And it'll be a great challenge for us as linebackers, safeties and whoever's covering them, corners, whatever the situation may be. You know. So just having that, we're looking forward to it and I think it'll just revealed on just exactly how good we are. But have a lot of respect for him former dog as well, but very excited about the matchup.
You guys look really good personally quarters and down trying to finish the game.
In the fourth quarter.
What needs to happen for you guys defensively to play for a quarter?
Yeah, Man, as cliche as it's as it is, just gotta gotta communicate and have to be on the same page. And that's what it is. And that's something that we're honing in on and just making sure uh at the end of like before each play and then preachingapp and then supposed to play, like actually knowing what we're doing, if they're doing something, if they're motioning or doing this,
what we're going to in our checks. And I think if we do that, man, we'll eliminate a lot of the mistakes that's been happening out there because they're self inflicted. Like there hasn't been many people that just actually like drive it eighty yards consistently. If you can do that on our defense without us giving you gift rap presence, hats off to you, but don't see that very often. And we just have to stick true to who we are as a defense and communicate throughout each and every play con.
When teams have had success, it seems like they've had some success the middle against you guys.
Defensively, like what do you what are you guys doing?
To God?
That is that more the communication things, more the scheme things, some slight adjustment timpositions just like that.
What's the I guess it. Yeah, I think it's a combination, uh of a couple of things. I think, like you know that this is the NFL, so teams definitely do uh make adjustments in a sense. But I think it's us going going back to communication and like being on the same page, whether like you know, if a guy's doing this and you expect us to wanna be here
doing that. So I think it just comes back to everybody being on the same page and not ten guys doing their job, but all eleven, because ten guys can do their job on a play, and if one don't do their job, then it can make everybody on the defense look uh crazy. So that's what I think. It is, just all of us getting on the same page at the end of the day, and that's something that we
definitely will do. When you're going up against the premier quarterback like Josh shaving, especially on prime time at home.
Dal, I know you get up with.
Every game, but is there something different for these types of games.
Yeah, I'm very excited about the game, just because you know it's at the bank. We have to protect the bank. Obviously the last time we was in here, we didn't do that, so you know, we have definitely have a sour taste in our mouths, even after the way we finished last week, and like just to show the world exactly who we are as a defense. So we're excited about the matchup and we know exactly what we bring to the table, and it's about playing four complete quarters
and if we do that, we'll like our chances. I can promise you that.
Thank you for listening to Ravens Press Past podcast. Make sure you subscribe to this feed in the Lounge feed. We will be back with you Sunday night after the Ravens take on the Bills in primetime at M and T Bank Stadium.