Washington, Harrison, & Harbaugh: Ravens Training Camp 8/5/24 Press Conferences

Welcome to the Ravens Press Pass podcast. It is Monday, August fifth. The Ravens continued training camp practice today and we had a chance to hear from head coach John Harbaugh.

Big day, Hot day.

I thought our guys did a really good job of answering the bell. It was a challenging practice and they got the work. A lot of third down work, fourth down work, a lot of physicality in there, and proud of the way the guy's practice always them. Today was an example of that what question do you have?

I know you're not game planning for the preseason on here, but I mean, is there an excitement a little bit that you guys will actually be kitting some other times?

No question, Very exciting, very exciting. Gets to that point in time in camp where you really need to do that, and it's it's kind of part of the evolution. You gotta take another step, you gotta go tackle, you gotta play a game. You gotta understand the feel and temple of a game, not a practice. So we're looking forward to it.

I big.

Individuals tackling in the rapping down the year, getting ready to get actually live to see the round.

Your first action, well just what you're talking about. We do a lot of drills. We really work on the angles a lot of times. Good tackling is a function of being in position to make a good tackle, which has to do with getting there quickly, in other words, playing with great effort, getting off blocks the way you're supposed to, taking a proper angle. If you do that, you generally are gonna make tackles. Then your partner's being there to help clean you tackle up.

You know.

That's that's what ends up being good tackling. Within that, we try to teach good technique and then we'll coach it on the film and the tape and all that once we get in the game. Coachump big is this game this first preseason game as far as getting the stars for offensive loss or figured out who those guys

When that's center, it's just a matter of want to see kind of increase this versus where else you can use.

Well, he's been at Centered now since the first day of OTA's has been working in there, so he continues to work in there. Tyler's out right now. They're kind of evaluating him. He had some discomfort and they're you know, we're gonna hold him out. We're gonna be very cautious with Tyler. Obviously, it's not anything he needs right now in terms of practice, so we'll kind of rest him

I know after he made that ten.

I don't have any I've been told anything yet.

You see Center as a significant open competition right now what you're seeing past.

There, Yeah, you know it's it is an open competition right now. And you've got Pat McCarry in that mix too, obviously, So to the question that was asked last week kind of goes to that. So I'm confident we've got guys that can do it and do it well, and we are gonna want to hone in there, you know, in the next some some period of time. Soon.

I saw kind of like a similar with scrimmage on on Saturdays, and so sort of things that you saw that jump down the hedged to take.

Except I think that I don't have my list with me right now, Brian, But I do think that they play hard. They kind of understood the situations they were put in, which is good. They understood what it meant to win a situation. The way we scored it was based on which side the ball won the situation, you know, and that's kind of how the game breaks down a lot of times, you know, it breaks down into parts.

Next up is defensive back are Darius Washington, who's competing for snaps and role on this team. He had a big pick six in practice today. He talked about that as well as his mindset going into the season.

The practice.

Oh man, it felt good. It was my first play, well, first pick, you know what I mean. So it felt good definitely to get on.

The board too.

What as part of the basketball.

Maybe a little bit, but I've been doing that since I was like six years old, you know. So it's just I wanted to bring it out out here.

Why not.

But there, How do you.

Feel like this camp's going for you? When you've been a guy's moved around something, you played a lot of nickel in the past. Seems like, you know, this spring and summer you've worked a little more in safety.

You know.

Just how do you think you're stacking up in the competition?

I mean more you can do?

You know, competition is great, you know it brings out the best of us and everything like that. But man, I feel like I've been doing a pretty good job, you know, still learning a little bit, you know, flying around and making some plays.

What you approach with be the obviously the secondary is lover to your talent.

If you approach you like taking sure that you just do.

It on your best job.

Worry about you know, the.

No, I just keep it simple, you know what I'm saying. Just do my job.

So every time I go out there and whatever opportunity I get, just going out there and represent myself well and representing this team.

You know. So just the main thing for me is just do my job.

Or Darius sums hurt you got hurt. I mean your season opener last year. You know it was pretty good for yourself.

Is that too far back.

To think about like building off that or how do you you know, kind of go forward knowing that.

I mean it was a.

Short sample size or a little sample size, but I mean you were making strides last year as the regular season.

I mean, I just stay confident in myself, you know, so that was last year. Keep that last year.

You know, every day I cut my hair stacked every day, make the most of my opportunities, and I feel like I'm gonna do the same thing when i go back out there again.

You know, you see, to win the slough job going away last year it was it was a.

Big competition starting with Brandon Stevens there other people moving through them are like getting hurt, getting your.

Opportunity, and you start the year unslackly in the team. Would you want to be in that competition this year? As a praise to the short safety competition to.

I mean, like I said earlier, competition is good.

You know, whatever they feel like they're gonna put me at and anything like that, I'm gonna compete. I'm gonna do my job and do the best. That's what I can. You know, so the more you can do with it better, you know, So it really doesn't matter to me.

What do you feel like you your skill said, you know one having proved to.

Be too.

Sort of fit in terms of preference over Nicla or so.

But say you got to learn it, you know what I'm saying.

You the quarterback back there, so you calling out the pleas and everything like that, and telling the other guys around so and say to you more so, just got to know the defense and understand what Zeo is gonna call and when he's gonna call it and everything like that. So they'll help out the other guys and help yourself out.

How that competition how bald you for yourself and just the guys trying to get.

Those for sure?

Second, I mean, preseason is huge, you know.

That's kind of how I got my starting you know what I'm saying, starting job and everything like that. You know, you go out there, you get the lace up against a different opponent, you know what I mean. You want to go out there and play and bang around and everything like that. You get tired of going against our team all the time, you know, so go out there and compete, get some other guys, you know, put it all out there on tape.

So he treats this week like it's a regular season game.

Would you say you do that?

Like come in and today does it feel like you're you know, you're in the regular season, already got ready for a game leak.

I mean he's always like I said, man, you lasten up to get someone else. So of course this game we for me for sure.

Talent in the secondary a lot of competition. Just do you feel pressure on getting release or camp?

I mean I came in as an undrafted guy, so it's already their pressure, you know what I'm saying. So whoever they bring in or whatever's going on, you know, I just don't let that phase me, are get in the way of anything, you know, I just focus on me and focus on my job at one one player at the time or Darius.

On the other side of the ball. What is Misha Baben done to impressing?

Oh man, he's done really well that especially when we've seen that catching the ends on you know what I'm saying, making the tough catches. He giving us a lot of good releases off the line and everything like that, but Bay He's gonna.

Be explosive this year. He's gonna make a lot of players for us for sure.

We also heard from a veteran linebacker, Malik Harrison. He's a versatile player and he talked about how that versatility suits him. Well, you know, the guy can.

Play all over that line exa something that you can kind of embraced them.

Be here, you got this quers about EDITU.

Do you know last year that's where I you know, started to move around. But you know, I'm used to it. Like in high school, I played damn near ten positions, so you know, I'm used to you know, playing around a whole bunch of positions. So it's nothing you know, too hard on me or anything.

You feel like that gives you a big picture, bigger understanding of the defense.

So when you think that can help you, oh yeah, definitely. You know, just learning all them positions, you know, get a bigger picture. I get to you know, know what you know basically what everybody doing, and you know, just you know helps me out.

You know, I just have to.

You know, when I go out there, I'd be like, oh, I'm playing dime or I'm playing Sam or playing and I gotta you know, turn my you know, just turn my brain and say, you know, I got that.

These positions to that help end when you know you got like McDonald TV here where positions were kind of fluidded. Guys were you know, shifting roles?

Oh yeah, definitely. You know, I feel like with this the defense, you know, the more you know, the better you're gonna get on playing better you're gonna get on the field. So you know, me playing the position gives you the opportunity to get on the field more.

What you played with some other players here if you're pretty another club certa play the fields a guy who lasted a.

Long time in this league with the combination of special.

Teams and defensive role and more versatile the better. Is that something you aspired.

To in terms of the surviving Oh yeah, definitely. You know, to be honest, is any way to get me on the field. That's how you know, that's just how I feel. Uh, you know they want me to play inside, I play. You know, I played three tame I played, you know, I play anything they want me to play.

What do you think the biggest strides technique wise or or just know England's roles and so forth.

I feel like right now I got a pretty understanding of all of all the positions. But you know, I say, you know, since this is gonna be my third year playing Sam, I feel like, you know, Sam is the you know, my strongest right now.

Every year there's a discussion about where does the past rush comes from? The hardes but some clown leaving last year, you guys had it helped late for early season.

Rather, do you feel like you have.

In camp right now, especially some of the guys come back for yourself, there's enough year to kind of canner approach what you.

Guys did last year.

Yeah, you know, I feel like the guys that we got right now, you know, added job Bos coming back. You know, we got kV back. You know, I feel like the guys that we got now Jo, I mean Dafe. I feel like everybody that we got right now is a good group of guys that you know, can get off the ball and we can have the same success that we had last year.

It seems like Trent Simpsons in line for a lot of stops. You're familiar with that inside those inside back up positions.

What do you think is most challenging about.

That position for a young players step in the new dinner world.

I mean, you know, as a young player coming in regardless, you know, you get more snaps and you know you're seeing things different. You know it's gonna be challenging. But you know, Trent has been doing great, you know, this whole camp. So you know, I can't wait until the you know season and see how how he is this whole season.

A preference on inside or outside in terms of what you like better.

Nah, I don't or don't this is any anything they give me on the field.

You know, you have a lot of experiences. Special teams just are your thoughts in their kickoff?

You know, it's it's it's different than you know what obviously what you know I'm used to. But you know, I feel like it's gonna be fun, you know, just being fire yards. You know, I feel like it's a lot of people get to you know, make a lot of plays.

In regards to that, I mean, you feel like you guys need to see how the kickoffs playing the three s understand.

Oh yeah, definitely.

You know, just out here we just be trying new things just to you know, just to get a feel for it. But you know, the real test is gonna be when we playing the game. So we try to make it seem like you know, it's it's like game like scenarios when we're out here.

Feel this season, industry, what do you want.

To you know, it's a critical year for me. You know, I'm one year deal, you know, you know, just you know, trying to get out, get on the field more, you know, make more plays, and you know, just have people feel my presence being.

A veteran, you're do you get excited about the preseason game this weekend?

How do you approach you know, this Monday and practice.

I treated like a game, like a regular season game. You know, you never know who's watching you. You know, you could, you know, get promoted on preseason games. You never know, So you know, I'll treat it just like a game.

You're listening to the Ravens Press Pass podcast. The preseason openers coming up Friday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. We can't wait for that game. If you want tickets to it, check out Baltimore Ravens dot com or get your tickets on sea geek. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll be back with you tomorrow