RAVENS TRAINING CAMP TRANSCRIPTS: July 26
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Head Coach John Harbaugh
On when referees will attend practice:"We get the NFL officials for three days. On the third day, Monday, we will also have a session with those guys, we will go over the new rules, answer questions and kind of go through interpretations with our guys. So, that will be beneficial for us. After that, we will have the local officials, the aspiring NFL officials, who will be here every morning through training camp."
On how the team will benefit from having officials at practice:"The biggest thing is we are trying to do is make everything in practice as much like the game as we possibly can and obviously, in the game you have officials."
On whether there is a timetable for CB Samari Rolle's return: "No, not really. The timetable is Samari's right now."
On why there were more running plays during practice today: "I think that Cam [Cameron] just felt like that was what he needed to emphasize with his offense today. Those were Call Periods out there, so they weren't Scripted Periods. So, Cam and Rex [Ryan] were actually calling plays."
On whether having a play clock makes practices more efficient:"Well, it's probably a little bit of both. We have a certain amount of snaps that we are shooting for that are based into the training camp system, and that's kind of a long proven snap count. It depends on how many guys you have practicing, and we monitor that. But the faster we do them and the faster the pace, the faster we get off the field."
On how he plans to build relationships with referees:"Basically, my rule of thumb with those guys is as long as they call it for us, then I will get along with them well. But as soon as they start calling it for the other team, then I think the relationship starts to deteriorate a little bit."
On what his reputation among the referees is:"They all like me; I'm a nice guy."
On whether Eagles head coach Andy Reid has ever told him to be quiet: "On a rare occasion, Andy has grabbed me and told me to shut up – in not such nice terms."
On whether he will be an aggressive coach from the sideline:"I want to get along with everybody. I really want to get along with the officials. My goal is to have a good relationship with the officials. I think that the great thing with the officials in the NFL is that they really want to communicate. I mean, [NFL Vice President of Officiating] Mike Pereira really does a great job communicating with those guys. They talk to head coaches and they talk to defensive back coaches, they talk to special teams coordinators. They really do communicate with them. As long as you're respectful – you know they have a job to do – they do a really good job. They really do talk to you. It's not really adversarial very often. Sometimes it gets frustrating, but I think they understand that, too."
On getting FB Le'Ron McClain and CB Fabian Washington back on the field:"Great to get Le'Ron and Fabian back, yes."
On whether injuries and other situations are allowing opportunities for other players:"Certainly. Guys are not here with injuries, or you've got the [Terrell] Suggs situation. We talked about it yesterday: Guys are not in practice for a variety of situations. The one thing that's consistent in all those different situations is that it's a great opportunity for the next man. That's what guys do in football."
On T Adam Terry's ankle:"He looks to me, like he's about 85-90 percent, as far as the mobility part of it. He looks like he's still got some functional strength and some power there, but every now and then he gets a little light on it. I'm sure he's fighting through a lot of pain."
On how to tell if the offensive line is coming together:"Fundamentals and consistency. If the footwork starts to look good, the pad level is looking good and they're coming off of working together. That's what an offensive line looks like. For me – now, John Matsko is different because he's involved with the pieces a little more – as I stand back, I'm looking at the group as a whole. They've got a ways to go, but they're a whole lot better today than they were yesterday."
On how he decides what to watch during practice:"The coordinators, we go through the tape sometimes. They always give me a list of things they think are issues, so I'll pick out three or four things that I might want to talk to guys about or look at. Then, there are things I see. In coaching, I think you coach as you see it, coach it as you find it."
On the defensive line:"Our defensive line is the hardest-working defensive line I've ever seen in 25 years of coaching. They're also, technically, as far as being a two-gap style front, as good as you're going to see in football. We hope they play up to that expectation level. That's a real high standard, but they've set it for themselves."
On the importance of line play:"Andy Reid always said, 'You win in the trenches.' I don't know that he coined that phrase. You've probably all heard that before, right? But you win in the trenches."
On Matsko's work with the offensive line:"You've got a young offensive line, and you've got an experienced offensive line coach. I think you've got a guy that has seen it all, as far as fundamental issue. But, also, he's seen it all as far as personalities, so he knows how to get in each guy's head a little bit and work with them. He's tough, now. You guys have watched him out here. Our guys have to have thick skin. That's a good thing."
On watching the installation of a new offense:"I was never intimately involved with the offensive side of the ball, so I was watching it from the defensive side or the special teams perspective. I don't see it as being a whole lot different. It's more, I think, the personalities that everybody's grappling with one another. I think what they're finding out is that they all kind of think alike. They've all got the same expectations. They're all competitors. The more they realize that, the better I think we're going to be."
