Welcome into the Ravens Press Past Podcast. It is Wednesday, November twentieth. The Ravens are gearing up to face the LA Chargers coming up on Monday Night football. Today, we heard from a couple of players in the locker room. So that's kick it off with kicker Justin Tucker.
I'm really good and again I appreciate you you checking in, you know, but it's also kind of unimportant how I feel. What is important is how I perform, and I really do feel that way, you know, coming into coming into practice day, going out there tomorrow, get some.
Kicks in, you know.
That's that's really all I've been looking forward to since the game on Sunday, and again, taking it one kick at a time is has always been a part of why we have sustained success over a long period of time. And you know, we're not gonna change anything about that now. We're gonna continue to take it one kick at a time and just keep getting to work.
And a common thread this kicks of late or something. It's okay, that's if is there any consistem with it or is it just each kick has its own individual little thing that didn't go.
Quite right well?
If you just take a ten thousand foot view and you look at you know, where all the kicks have gone.
They've gone just wide left.
So you know, I and you just mentioned it at the exact same time. Each kick, you know, kind of lives in.
Its own in its own world.
But you know, the uh, the adjustment is you know pretty clear, I just need to make it a point not to let the ball carry to the left. So you know that's something that we're gonna continue working in practice.
Justin you talked about uh after the game, and then when you did like that before yard and you made an adjustment going into that can you feel like that kind of repeating that adjustment is kind of the fix you need.
Uh.
I mean again, each kick kind of lives in its own world. You know, you have to take it for what it's worth in that moment. So you know, on that fifty four yarder, we made it a point to you know, like I described after the game, we made it a point to uh change our aiming point, and that one worked out for us. You know, just just giving the conditions on that particular kick that was you know, that was the the strike that we needed in that moment.
But Uh, yeah, moving forward, it's you know, the principles remain the same. It's foot the ball contact, uh, finishing downfield with my swing, seeing the ball and striking the ball, picking the ball clean off the ground. And uh, we can. We will do those things. We we just need to carry them over. I need to carry them over from pac from practice to the game.
When you've had as much success as you've had throughout your career, you're in this spot now where you're having more business than you're accustomed to. I mean, how have you dealt with the reality of the situation that is right now?
Yeah, I mean I I do take it very personally. Anytime I leave a kick out there, it it bothers me. You know, for all the all the the fans, supporters, coaches, players, anybody that cares about Ravens football. Believe me when I say, nobody takes it more personally than I do. Nobody is more affected than me when I missed a kick. So yeah, I take it really personally.
You know.
At the exact same time, my particular line of work requires, in my opinion, that I compartmentalize my feelings and I leave them to the side, and I fol focus on the action of kicking the ball in, not the consequence.
So as difficult as that.
May be at times, you know, that is the challenge that I'm facing right now. That's my only option is to just continue to work and focus on the action, focus on the process, and uh, you know, let the results take care of themselves.
After just putting in, putting in the works, we're going snap the hole. You know, it's just something we don't see normally.
Is there any particular attention to that paid after Sunday or is that just something we don't normally say. I think they'd just fall under the category of except that you guys might not normally be privy to. We tend to, you know, work on all the aspects of our operation anytime where like today was the day we were not
kicking or punting or snapping live during team periods. But even on those days where we're not having you know, quote unquote heavy workload, we still make it a point to just get together and kind of talk through our process and stay dialed in.
How you feel throughout this snap whole.
Just consistency, I guess throughout them throughout this season. Yeah, Nick and Jordan are are doing a good job. They're doing a good job.
And uh, whenever I miss a kick, it's because I let one get away when and I've said this before, and whenever we make kicks, it's because all of us are.
Doing exactly what we need to do to make kicks.
It's the media to have John have your back the way he does.
Look around the league, other other coaches bring in kickers, you know.
I mean, you've obviously earned a long.
Runway with incredible success that you have in a track record, but still at the league it can be ugly at times and guys will be fine.
I got to move on, but there for him have your back the way you did this week.
That yeah, I do appreciate that, you know, And it's it's something that I will be making it a point to reward.
You know.
That's that's something that all of us make it a point to do. Is we reward the confidence that our coaches and our teammates place in each one of us as individuals.
And you know, again that's that's part of being a team is.
Having each other's back the way that you know Harves has all of our backs, that I know my teammates do, and that you know that I will also be doing for them whenever, you know, whenever things are going really well and whenever things are not going so well. I mean, that's that's part of being a team, and especially this team specifically. We've we've always made it a point to maintain you know, our our our culture, our our standards. So you know, I'll leave it at that.
We also heard from rookie cornerback Nate.
Wakens, just as your thoughts kind of saw increase in playing time last week, and they'll played, well, how do you feel like things are.
Coming along for you?
I feel like everything's going I'm going at playing. I mean, uh, I'm playing the steps I want. I mean playing. I mean, I mean I'm getting a couple of flats, but I mean I'm still playing. I feel like I'm playing at my highest, So I feel like i still got more to go. So, uh, I feel like it's on the skies to them.
What have you learned what it takes to be a corner in this league?
Oh, you just gotta have the next play mentality? Uh Like they the receivers get played high to so I mean they're gonna make plays. They gonna make. It's a great play, so you just gotta have the next next playing mentality for.
You as you get into this final stretch here, how important do you think it is for the secondary you're playing at its best, playing at a high leveling the stretch for this season.
I feel like it's important. I mean it's a uh. I feel like, uh we the a probably that in the uh af see in the ball and the ball going deep. So I mean we're playing a big part uh and winning the game. So I feel like we gotta come every every week with uh with I.
Bess, do you feel like, b you're the young guy, you know, the in the Seconday.
I think that at times they test you know and then you're the young guys.
Oh yeah, I feel like, uh yeah, I feel like every game that uh, they test me just cause I'm a rigging.
Oh it's just for you kind of What do you think is your biggest snow causing point of emphysis downonstrutch.
Your uh really just uh getting my head around and uh suh. I feel like, uh, I'm playing I'm playing physical, so I really I don't feel like the physical physicality point is a big thing. Just get my head around. Uh, just stop holding I stop grabbing. Uh, I feel like I can guard. You see in the lead, so I s I only need to hold. So that's what I gotta improve.
So how do you feel like that's going on?
Period?
I feel like it going good.
I working out every day. So you know, you said like they testing you back. Do you feel like you aren't testing you?
That's why should say word get the season?
Uh No, I feel like uh teams like nope, I can cover us. I don't feel like they're trying to text me like I was from the beginning of this season. I feel like they still test me once and two times in the game just to see if I'm ready.
So how much would you say the game is very I'm ready?
I just played the game.
I don't know.
Yeah, I can't answer it.
You're listening to the Ravens Press Pass podcast Tomorrow, We're gonna hear from head coach John Harbaugh as well as quarterback Lamar Jackson and safety Kyle Hamilton. That'll be coming up tomorrow. Also make sure you subscribe to this feed as well as a lounge feed. Thank you so much for listening. We'll be back with you again tomorrow.