HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening statement: "I appreciate everybody being here. It's good to see you [all] again after a little break. We're back at it. Coaches were at it at the end of last week as well, preparing for the Vikings, and all of our efforts are pointed toward that game right now. What questions do you have?"
It's 26 hours before the NFL trade deadline. Do you anticipate the Ravens making any moves before that deadline? (Jamison Hensley) "[There's] no way to know. No way to know. We'll see what happens."
Do you ever focus much on the rookies, because you've got three playing on defense and how much time they have and if they're going to hit that proverbial wall in that second half of the season? (Mike Preston) "I am not too worried about it. I think those guys are in great shape, [who are] very focused, determined guys [who] bring it every day. I see them continuing to ascend. All of those guys are getting better every day. You can see it in this last game as well. So, I'm pretty confident. I'm very confident, actually, that those guys are going to keep improving and just be better players for us as the season goes on."
Is there anything that you do with them to maybe cut down on repetitions in games or...? (Mike Preston) "No. No, we just play them. We play them [in] the reps that they've earned and the reps that they can help us win. But to your point, I mean Malaki [Starks] is playing a lot. He's a starter, and Mike Green's kind of taking a full-time role now, and I think he's handling it really well. So, we'll have to watch it [and] see how they do, but I haven't seen any signs yet of those guys having any issues with that."
Speaking of the trade deadline, you guys traded away CB Jaire Alexander. Was it just a case of numbers, just couldn't get on the field here and let's get something for him? What would you say about his time here? (Bo Smolka) "No, I think it's kind of a trade deadline kind of situation. You've got a scenario where the trade deadline's coming up, and there's opportunities to do different things and try to make your team better, and it falls in that category."
Going back to the rookie ILB Teddye Buchanan, he seems to just get better and better as the season's gone on. What have you liked about what you've seen from him? (Carita Parks) "Teddye [Buchanan] – I should have mentioned Teddye in the group [of rookies] with those guys there. He's another guy [who] continues to improve. He had the three weeks there when 'Ro' [Roquan Smith] was hurt, and he was playing every snap, and he was playing special teams. So, he's actually had a little bit of a break in the last couple of games since 'Ro' got back. And even with that, I think he's made a lot of progress. He had the green dot for a couple of games, which is a lot of pressure. He's probably h
It looked like ILB Teddye Buchanan struggled a little bit in pass coverage in training camp. Have you seen significant progress there? (Mike Preston) "Yes, for sure. [Teddye Buchanan] did. It's always a challenge for those linebackers out there, because people try to match him up with a good back, receiving back, or a No. 2 receiver into the boundary – if you keep your nickel to the field. He'll get matched up in some of those jobs, those coverage jobs – zone and man – that are challenging, matchup-type jobs. So, I think that's probably the biggest issue for the WILL linebackers now in the nickel world of defensive football. But he's gotten way better at it. He did a good job last week, and those guys – the Dolphins stress that position quite a bit. They throw it right in there behind off play action, right behind that spot quite a bit, and I thought he did a pretty good job."
The last three games, the defense hasn't allowed more than 17 points per game. What do you think has been the key to turning things around on the defense? (Jamison Hensley) "Well, we have a long way to go. The guys on defense would be the first to tell you that we've just got to keep getting better. So, I think the key is that they've taken that mindset. The mindset has been, 'Let's get better.' Nobody was down. They didn't question the fact that they were good and could play great defense and whatever. And I still think that there's a lot better defense in us, and they'll tell you that. So, that's really – nothing's changed. We just have to keep striving to get better at all of the little things, every single play. There's lots of things in that last game that we can improve on that Minnesota is going to take a look at, and they're going to try to take advantage of. So, that's all we just have to do. We just have to focus on all the details of what we're doing and do it in a real, fundamentally-sound, hardworking kind of way every play."
Do you have any update on DL Broderick Washington Jr.'s injury? (Jonas Shaffer) "Yes, 'Brody' [Broderick Washington Jr.] had a surgery for an Achilles issue. It wasn't torn, but there was a surgery there. I'd have to get the medical details to see what I could say further, [but] that's really all I know. [And,] it was successful."
Is there a timetable for DL Broderick Washington Jr.'s return from injury: (Jonas Shaffer) "I don't really know right now, [but it's] not [an] imminent [return for him]. [It's] not imminent, no."
Did you watch the Minnesota Vikings game yesterday as a fan, even thought you're not playing. Are you breaking down what you're seeing? What's your takeaway from seeing that? (Bo Smolka) "I watched [the game] on tape today quite a bit. I thought [the Vikings] had a heck of a game. They're talented. Going to Detroit and winning that game the way they did – a division game. They really showed up, and they played really great on both sides. [They were] very disruptive on defense. [There was] a lot of pressure – a lot of inside pressure – that stopped the zone run game with bringing linebackers through and things like that. And I thought they played really well offensively. [Their] young quarterback from Michigan did pretty OK; J.J. [McCarthy] made a bunch of throws [and] scrambled around. I thought their run game was impressive. So yes, we've got a lot to get ready for."
Is it tough to prepare? Does it make it tough to prepare for Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy considering he's in his second year but hasn't had a lot of playing time to this point for various reasons? (Cordell Woodland) "You just take it as you see it, right? You look at the tape, and you see what [J.J. McCarthy] is doing, and you try to do your best to counteract all that stuff. And it's really the system, too. It's the same system they ran with Carson Wentz. It's their offense. It's an offense that they've kind of been running for quite a while now. It's a system offense. He does a really good job, and he moves around, he gets out of the pocket, he's dangerous running, and he's dangerous throwing on the run for sure. He's a really aggressive player, a high-energy type of player, but it's not just him. I think the offensive line kind of came together. They're healthy; they're a lot healthier now than they were a couple of weeks ago, and you see that as well."
Speaking about healthy, DL Travis Jones looks like he's healthier, and NT John Jenkins has played a good bit for you guys, and that D-Line, it's not a really deep group. I know you're not going to get into specifics, but is that an area where, hey, if there's a move to be made there, that's somewhere you'd like to add depth, if possible? (Brian Wacker) "Yes, we'll see."
Just speaking of the trade deadline, you all made a trade already to acquire S Alohi Gilman, and he's playing really well. What have you seen from Alohi? What has he brought to this defense? (Ryan Mink) "[Alohi Gilman] really has helped us. He's kind of a complete player back there. He can go in, really, in any spot. He moves around. We do a lot. We're kind of interchangeable on the backend, in terms of what we do with our guys, and especially [with] our safeties – they play a lot of different spots with the disguises, and our rotations and things like that. And also, the communication part of it has really been good. Malaki [Starks] does a good job, but he's still a rookie. 'Lo' [Alohi Gilman] has been in this thing a long time. He's seen pretty much everything. He sees things pretty much before it happens, as opposed to when or after it happens. And I think that's been a big plus for us, too. That play he made [on Thursday night] on the coming out area there inside the 10-yard line [with] the strip fumble – it was amazing. It was just such a game-turning play right there to get our momentum going. And we've been trying to get turnovers, and we hadn't had many, and he comes up with that one right there. That was big, big in the game. So just all those things, I think, kind of go ... And that's not even mentioning the ability of what it does for us in terms of moving Kyle [Hamilton] down and the different things he's been able to do. So, it all fits there. It was a good trade force in that sense. You hate to lose a good player. I think I [had] mentioned Odafe Oweh was really rushing the passer well and playing really well when we traded him. You guys asked me, and it's certainly shown up in L.A. there for the Chargers. He's done really well. So, I guess both teams are happy about it."
With S Kyle Hamilton's ability to move everywhere on defense, when you drafted him, was that the initial thought, or when did you think, 'OK, this is a guy that we can utilize in different spots'? (Jamison Hensley) "Yes, I think so. I would say the scouts probably had a good feel for that. [When executive vice president and general manager] Eric [DeCosta] and his crew [were] watching him on tape, you saw him do a little bit of that, but I think we've probably done a lot more with him than he did in college in different spots. You just knew he was a good player, and once he got here – and then you got a feel for how smart he was and how versatile he was – he started off down [by the line of scrimmage] there doing a lot of things. Then, we ended up moving him back [to strong safety], because we needed him back, so he's pretty much made a couple [rotations]. He's been around the block twice now, so we like where he's at right now, and he can go back and play deep, too, and he will."
You've had a lot of great defensive players over the years. Can you think of one that you've had where you can just say, 'OK, this is the problem with our defense right now. We can point S Kyle Hamilton at it, because he can do so many things.' Is he unique in that way? (Childs Walker) "I don't know if there's anybody [like that]. Ed Reed was a good safety. Do you think? He was pretty versatile player. He did a lot of things." (Reporter: "You wouldn't use him blitzing on the edge.") "What? Excuse me, come on now. He rushed punts. He returned punts. What didn't he do?" (laughter)
This is going to be QB Lamar Jackson's first game against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores since that 2021 game in Miami. How much more have you guys put on his plate to be a problem solver against the stuff that Flores' defenses like to run? (Jonas Shaffer) "We've seen all that stuff. How long ago was that?" (Reporter: "2021.") "So, we're probably focused more on the last four games than four years ago, I would say, probably. But we certainly remember that game. That was something we even talked about before the game [last] Thursday night a little bit. I think it was a Thursday night game, if I remember correctly. It definitely was a key game in the evolution of the offense, for sure. [We were] handling [Cover] 0 blitz, and they still run some of those blitzes, but they're much more evolved now. They do all kinds of different things, and they disguise their blitzes probably more than they used to, and [Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores] is running different variations where he is running simulated pressures, he's running four-man rushes with both inside backers coming, and he's playing man or zone [coverage] behind it. He still does the [Cover] 0 stuff, too. You have to be prepared for everything. Offensively, we have all the tools to do that. Lamar [Jackson], he's been doing really well with that really for a long time now, but we're going to have to be on point. This game is going to be a challenge that way. It's going to be super loud in there. It is one of the loudest places you'd ever play. It's loud from the first play to the last play, and they have horns going off and everything else. It's going to have to be a silent, signal communication game on offense, for sure, and we're going to have to handle that pressure, because I think they use that to their advantage, to try to mess with your communication a little bit. You might be flipping protections or whatever you have to do to get stuff picked up, and it's just hard to get that stuff communicated. We're going to have to be really intentional about that all week and do a great job with that. [We have to] make sure [we're], as much as we can be, on the same page, because if you're on the same page, and you do things right, you can hurt it, and you can get some big plays. We certainly have the weapons to do that, but you've got to get it done, too, and it's a challenge."
Do you think you'll have to use a silent count against the Vikings? (Jerry Coleman) "No, I don't think we'll have to go to a silent count."
What have you seen from ILB Trenton Simpson in the edge rusher packages you've used him on? And is OLB Carl Lawson a guy who could maybe be elevated for this week? (Brian Wacker) "Yes, [those are] two separate questions, for sure. With Carl [Lawson], yes, he's probably ready to go, so we'll have to see where we're at with that. And then Trenton [Simpson] has done really well with [playing the edge]. He's a pretty versatile football player. Trenton can do a lot of good things, and he was doing a lot of things in that game, and [in] a lot of the games and [in] different things we run. He can drop [into coverage] for you, of course. It's been a nice add to our defense to have Trenton move up there and become one of the known rushers."
How important has P Jordan Stout been, especially in this recent last couple of games, with his ability to bury teams deep and flip the field position? (Jeff Zrebiec) "Jordan Stout had a great game [at Miami]. He's been big, and he had a couple punts – you may have noticed – they weren't the normal style, right? He's added to his repertoire of punts, [off] the 'Sam Koch' list. He's got a few of those in his toolkit now, so a few of those balls were on the ground, which is a big help, especially the returner that [Miami] had last Thursday night. [Malik Washington] was really, really good. He was a dangerous guy, and you saw it when he got the ball in his hands, so Jordan keeping the ball out of his hands was big, I thought. He got the ball down inside the 10-yard line a couple of times. So yes, I'd say the last few games he has really stepped up."
We probably asked you about K Tyler Loop every other day during the summer, and we've hardly asked you about him at all over the last six or eight weeks, which I guess is probably a good sign, but how have you felt about his development over the course of the season? (Childs Walker) "It's been good. [Tyler Loop] kicks it straight so far. 'Keep kicking it straight.' That's the motto. He's done well, but you're only as good as your last kick, and he's been great. I just like his attitude. He's got a great mindset. I didn't like his first kickoff [at Miami] very much, so he knows that, too. It's like anything else, you've got to just keep working."
