OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR DECLAN DOYLE
It looks like OL Jovaughn Gwyn has been still steadily working with the first team. Have you guys made a final decision in that regard, or do you think it is still up in the air as far as the starting center? (Jamison Hensley) "It is still up in the air. We are going to finish this week of preparation. We have one more practice tomorrow and then [we will] sit down — 'Led' [run game coordinator/offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford], [head coach] Jesse [Minter], myself — and discuss how we want to handle that moving forward. [I] feel really good about how both of those guys have responded with the reps we have given them, but that is where we are at right now."
At a big-picture level from an install standpoint, where do you feel like you guys are going into the season? Do you feel like you have the whole playbook at your disposal going into Week 1? Where do you think things are? (Garrett Downing) "I do not know if you ever have the full playbook at your disposal — like ever. You have a lot of thoughts and ideas and things as a staff. Only a fraction of those things do you ever introduce to the players in training camp and the install and things like that. I certainly feel like we have enough bullets that we have worked and things that we feel good about. As you go through the offseason [and] training camp, you are really trying to shape it around our players and what they feel comfortable doing — asking our guys to be able to execute things at a high level and things that they are capable of. I have been really happy with how they have responded to the install. But really every year as you get going, the offense develops as the season goes, and you start to figure out who does what well. You really do not get that feel for what our December offense may look like right now. I know what I want it to look like in Week 1, and then you kind of have to be constantly evaluating and reshaping it as we go."
Obviously, the starters have not played throughout the preseason, but you guys have had joint practices to get a lot of those reps. Did you see what you wanted to see from your starters in those joint practices? (Cordell Woodland) "I did. I think we talked about it last time, when we went up to Minnesota, I felt like [in] the first practice, there was some good give and take. I did not feel like we played well in the second practice. I felt like there was a different level of focus and — not so [much] maturity, but just trying to get something out of the practice when we played [the] Washington [Commanders]. I felt like our guys responded really well to that. Every day we get to come out here and compete against what I view as one of the best defenses in football. You have a lot of really good players on the other side of the ball who test us all the time. Iron sharpens iron, and that is the way we really approach it. [Head coach] Jesse [Minter] does a lot to test offenses and test our rules a lot. We have been able to see our guys in these controlled settings. I am really excited to see them go do it in Indy."
WR LaJohntay Wester had an impact in the preseason, making some big touchdowns. Did you see things from him where you say, 'We have to find a way to get him involved offensively, not just as the primary returner?' (Pete Gilbert) "I think with any player, the more you give them, the more they show that they are capable of handling certain things. I think [LaJohntay Wester] is a great example of that. You give him a role in preseason. You start to feed him the ball. He shows up. He does a great job of doing what we are asking him to do. I think he works really hard to learn it. He works really hard to study the detail of it. He is a player that is a little bit of a shake player. He has similar qualities of the type of player that Zay [Flowers] is, obviously, where he is that low-choice player. You can kick [Zay Flowers] out and do things outside. I really like how Wester has played in the slot. I like how he has learned the system. Obviously, like with all our guys, it is really a roster of 70, and you are trying to figure out — at some point in time, you guys are all going to have to play for us if we want to go where we want to go. You are trying to really develop those guys all year long, whether they are starting in the first 11 or they are on the back end [of the] practice squad. All those guys, they all have to get better all year."
I am sure you did your homework on QB Lamar Jackson just as much as people in this building did their homework on you during the interview process. Being around him every day, is there something about him that has surprised you that you did not necessarily expect when you got here? (Jeff Zrebiec) "Nothing that has surprised me. I would say that [Lamar Jackson] works really hard to get it right. He wants to be coached. He is very coachable. I think that our relationship is continuing to develop and continuing to grow the more time we spend around each other. The more time that we spend in football conversations [and] non-football conversations, I think that relationship just gets better. I think it has to be between the playcaller and the quarterback. There has to be some cohesion there to be able [for] him [to] go operate through my eyes and vice versa — me being able to call plays that he feels good about. [There is] nothing that has surprised me. I have really enjoyed working with him, and I am really excited to continue working with him."
To dive deep into the details with QB Lamar Jackson, one of the things obviously watching him is switching him to a left-foot-forward stance. Can you kind of walk me through when you noticed that? How did the conversation go? How did you get to that point? Why the change? (Brian Wacker) "That was really early on. That was something that I believe in just because of the timing of the passing game. That is the way our passing game is timed. There are a lot of different ways to work through the passing game. That is something that we did when we got to Chicago — we flipped Caleb [Williams] to left foot up. It is something that I really bought into. We studied a lot of tape around the league of people that did it that way. Honestly, in my first conversation with Lamar [Jackson], we talked about it. When I was interviewing on Zoom, it was like, 'Hey, this is something that I believe in, what do you think?' He was like, 'I do not do that, but I used to. It was something that I did in college. I have experience doing that.' And he was like, 'I am totally open to trying that.' If it was something that I felt like did not fit, then we would have revamped how we would do it, and we would learn to teach it better. It was something that came very naturally to him. It took a few days and then it was like, OK, it times out right."
QB Lamar Jackson is one of the most nationally discussed guys, dissected and talked about. There is just so much noise about him in the media. After spending the time with him that you have, what do you think is one thing that you would say about Lamar that cuts through some of the noise and the 'BS' about him that kind of gets to the core of who he is in your eyes? (Kyle Goon) "I think that [Lamar Jackson] does a really good job of understanding [that] because he is in the spotlight, because he has seen things either written or talked about him that he might view as untrue — I think he does a really good job of being able to block that stuff out and focus on the task at hand or whatever he is being asked. I have been really impressed by that. You and I are around people in our lives every day that do not experience what he experiences all the time. When you are around somebody like that, a lot of times they have a different viewpoint on the world. He is somebody that I do not feel like he has a huge ego. I think he is very grounded. He knows why he does what he does. He loves football. He loves being here. He loves being with his teammates. I have been really impressed by that. I know him from afar, too, and you hear whatever you hear, and once I got around him, it was just like — I am really impressed by the way this guy carries himself every day and how he handles himself with his teammates."
You are a pretty analytical guy, and you are dissecting everything that your offense is doing on every play in camp. Has there been a point in camp where you get caught up in something QB Lamar Jackson is doing on the field — like, 'Oh, that is what this guy is all about?' (Kyle Goon) "There are wow moments all the time. It is Lamar [Jackson] — I mean, we have a lot of guys on our team that do things that you are like, 'Wow, that is crazy.' There are not a lot of people on the planet that can do what you do. That is part of the nature of it. A lot of times those things — they may happen within the structure of what we are doing, it might not be. But you kind of chalk that up to, 'OK, that is a little bit of God-given ability,' and you try to coach the things that are controllable."
When you were with Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson last year, one of the things you were public about was setting a completion-percentage goal for QB Caleb Williams. Have you found that intentional goal setting is something that works for QB Lamar Jackson, or are you still figuring some of that stuff out? (Jonas Shaffer) "We tracked all offseason where we were at day to day. We would be able to grade that stuff, whether that was the receivers and what they were doing, it could be the O-line, it was the quarterbacks and targets, drops, completions, things like that — to be able to track it, be able to hand those [to the] guys and show them, 'Hey, this is what we were today.' That number, for us, we want to be around 70% [completion percentage]. That is just like highly-efficient offense [where] we are finding our checkdowns, we are finding the space that the defense is giving us. To me, it is all about play to play — that is the macro, and we have to focus micro. How do we make this as efficient as we can on this play that we are studying right now? Then, continue to do it play to play."
How have you seen QB Lamar Jackson make strides from the beginning of training camp until now? (Ryan Mink) "I think that [Lamar Jackson] has continued to grow within the system. He has continued to grow within the language, in and out of the huddle. The operation is probably the number one thing that I would say has accelerated exponentially. It comes very naturally to him. He has played a lot of football. He is starting to really take over, and you can feel that from him in and out of the huddle."
SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR ANTHONY LEVINE SR.
With K Tyler Loop, when he goes through some of these struggles, do you reach out? Do you start a conversation with him? How do you handle when someone like that is going through maybe a little bit of a tough stretch? (Jamison Hensley) "Yes, we talk to [Tyler Loop], but again, we come out here, we practice [and] we watch the film. First, when it happens, we go in and watch the tape. We see what he saw, we talk to him, and then we have to make sure that it does not happen again. If it happens again, now we have to continue to hone in on our fundamentals and our technique. [With] what we do in practice, we have to make sure that we take it to the games, because he has been doing great in practice. So, we'll talk to him, watch the tape, get it corrected, and then we have to put our best foot forward."
WR LaJohntay Wester said in an interview that you inspire him to feel confident. Why do you think he said that? (Samantha Croston) "[It's] because I talk to these guys every single day, [and] I tell them every day, I go in, and I tell them that we are in this together. We grow together. I am a reflection of them, and they are a reflection of me. So, what I want them to do [is] believe in me as much as I believe in them. So, as a team, I just make sure that I let those guys know every single day how happy I am for them [and] how proud I am of them because [of] the work that they put in. [I] understand the sacrifices that they make, but at the end of it, [I tell them] that we are in this together, and I believe in you guys, and you guys believe in me."
What are those conversations like around the merits of bringing in competition, and what have you seen from K Jake Moody so far? (Giana Han) "What we all know is [that] competition brings out the best of everybody, so, when it comes to competition, what we are going to do is always do what is best for the team. [Jake] Moody came out, and [senior special teams coach] Randy [Brown] has been working with him. We have been talking with him, and he came out, [and] he looks good; he is doing good. He is a great guy. I like being around him. But, he came in, [and] he is working. So, we will see how he continues to do."
How have you seen K Tyler Loop respond to the competition? (Alex Glaze) "[Tyler Loop] is working, and today, he is kicking. He looks good, and he embraced it. That is one thing that you want to see from anybody. From a competitor [standpoint], you want him to embrace competition, and that is what he did. I called him, I talked to him and I told him what was going on — that we were bringing someone in — and he already knew. But what he did was embrace it. He said, 'Coach, I am ready for it. I understand what is going on, and I am going to accept this challenge.' That is what he is doing. He is embracing it."
What is the biggest challenge of basically trying to transfer what you are doing in practice to game action? How hard really is that? (Valerie Preactor) "It is not really hard as long as you stay within your mechanics and your technique and stay locked in on your swing. As long as [Tyler Loop] is doing that, [he'll] continue to work on his technique and take that from practice to games. Is it hard? It is not hard, but we have to continue to make that jump."
We have often talked about OLB Ethan Burke from a defensive standpoint. What does he bring to special teams? (Candi Waller) "[Ethan Burke] brings physicality. He is tall, he can run [and] he is athletic. So, having a guy like Ethan Burke that can play a lot of different positions — he is smart, so I can move him around a lot. I like his physicality. I like that, first of all, he is a tall guy, so he is a guy that you will put in to dominate, and that is what he does on special teams."
To that point, head coach Jesse Minter has said a couple times that OLB Ethan Burke has had a couple disruptive days on defense. Was there a turning point for you on special teams where you said, 'This guy is really going to help us'? (Sam Cohn) "Yes, you can see it when [Ethan Burke] is out there on kickoff. You can see it when he is out there on punt return [and] you can see it when he is on punt [coverage]. When he punches, he actually punches. When he goes forward, [there are] not too many people that can move him. He is moving other people. He is moving bodies, he is moving two guys, he is getting people out [of] the way and he is getting to the football. So, just as disruptive as he is on defense, it is the same on special teams."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ANTHONY WEAVER
Executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta, when you guys signed OLB Trey Hendrickson, called him kind of a force multiplier. When you add a top-notch pass rusher like that, in your mind, how does he become kind of that force multiplier? (Jamison Hensley) "Just because of the impact [Trey Hendrickson] has on the game. There are going to be so many plays that he may not necessarily collect a stat on the stat sheet, but affects the play just by how he affects the quarterback. Sometimes just the sheer fact that he is out there is going to affect the quarterback. Sometimes he takes numbers because you have to account for him with a chipper, which works in our favor when you are trying to change the math. So, there are a million reasons why — probably the biggest one to me is just his influence in that room, and who he is as a leader and as a worker. That in itself has made that room so much better."
You go back to OTAs to now, and you had an idea of what you thought this defense could be and could accomplish then versus now. What's changed, what's different, what's stuck out to you? (Pete Gilbert) "I think we have just been trying to lay the foundation to this point, right? You hope that you can build on it come game one, game two, game three, game four. But [head] Coach [Jesse Minter] gets up here and preaches all the time — 'We are always just chasing the best version of ourselves.' That is what each and every one of these guys are trying to do. So, [I am] pleased with how the preseason has gone to this point. I think we are at the point where obviously we are confident in what we are doing. I think we are gaining confidence now, and then we will just see — we will just cut it loose on gameday and see how good we can be. But, [I] love where we are headed [and] the trajectory and the connection of this group."
Having been here during joint practices and the preseason games so far, what has it been like working through the dynamic between you and head coach Jesse Minter when it comes to running the defense? What have you learned about each other thus far? (Giana Han) "It has been really smooth. I think you guys have talked to him — [head coach] Jesse [Minter] is as personable and as normal a head coach as I have ever been around. So, for me, that is extremely — I am extremely fortunate, and I feel incredibly grateful for just who he is as a man. Because of that, our working relationship has been smooth. We just kind of bounce ideas off one another. Ultimately, he is the decision maker, and I am cool with that. We are all — to a man, him, myself, all our position coaches — we are just trying to do what is best for the team. So, we use our collective brain power that we have to try to come to the best decision, but I love him. He has been phenomenal."
Overall, with the defensive front, how excited are you about that group? With some really talented players up front, kind of letting them be the strength of this team? (Garrett Downing) "Right, wrong or indifferent, I have always thought the game is won and lost in the trenches. When you talk about just defending the run, affecting the passer — I know we have guys in the back end that can cover, but we can help make them better by how we play up front. So, [I am] incredibly excited about that group, the depth and the quality of talent that we have. I think it starts with — if you get Nnamdi [Madubuike] back, Calais Campbell, Travis Jones — you have the right mix of veterans and younger players, but not rookies, right? Younger players who are all chomping at the bit to try to get it done. So, the expectations are high for that room, and I think they are happy that it is that way."
Could you talk about OLB Trey Hendrickson a little bit? His polish as a pass rusher seems to be what really stands out. He knows how to work those moves. Do you see a guy out here during training camp that looks like he can return to some of those gaudy numbers that he put up with the Cincinnati Bengals? (Ryan Mink) "Without question, without question. Since the moment [Trey Hendrickson] stepped foot in this building, he has just been working. I have been so amazed at not only the quality of his work, but the level of detail involved in all of his film study, and how he is studying his trajectory in terms of his rush angles and how he wants to attack certain tackles. He is a master's-level teacher when it comes to pass rush. So, I do not necessarily say I am surprised — I think you have seen it throughout the years, and I would expect nothing short of everything he has ever been and probably more."
You were here for — you overlapped with both former Ravens offensive coordinators Greg Roman and Todd Monken. It's a new offense here with offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Just seeing how QB Lamar Jackson can be a quarterback who is adaptable to whatever is asked of him, and seeing him in and around practice every day, what has stood out most to you since you have been away? (Jonas Shaffer) "I think to this point, you have certainly seen growth from Lamar [Jackson], just with who he is as a quarterback and the confidence he has in running whatever scheme that is. Since I have been here, it seems like he responds better to younger, better-looking offensive coordinators, so I think they will have to get used to that." (laughter) "But, no, [offensive coordinator] Declan [Doyle] and all those guys — 'G-Ro' [former offensive coordinator Greg Roman] — they all have systems that they hang their hat on. I think Lamar's skill set is so multiple that he can make it work in whatever system that is, and I expect him to flourish in this one too."
S Kyle Hamilton had said he thinks S Malaki Starks can be the best safety in the league. When you look at his tape from last year to what you are seeing from him this year from a technique standpoint and other things, what stands out to you? (Brian Wacker) "Just the confidence — confidence schematically in what we are trying to do, what we are trying to accomplish from a coverage standpoint, because the kid's traits are truly like, you can play [Malaki Starks] all over the place. He played a ton of nickel in college; you can do that with him now. He can be on one hash and make a play on the other side of the field. His speed, his intellect, his playmaking ability — we expect that to show. I think your rookie year, just when you are trying to learn it all, you can have a little bit of paralysis through analysis, which in this league, it is milliseconds that are going to stop you from making that play. We expect him to be closer to the ball and then ultimately make those plays this year."
You mentioned that mix between veterans and younger players. I just want to know across any position group, why do you think that is a recipe for success? (Samantha Croston) "I think — when I was in Miami, you can have a really young team, and there are just things that you have to live through and go through in order to grow. I think here you have the right balance. You have a bunch of veteran guys who have pelts on the wall, have all the experiences that they can go back to and not make the same mistakes that they once had. Then, you have this group of young, talented players, who are not necessarily rookies but are Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, who have that same experience but still have those youthful legs and things like that. And then, I think we bring in this rookie class — when you think 'Play Like a Raven' and all the intangibles that we want in those positions — I feel like this entire rookie class has that. I think when you have the connection piece too, when those guys see how much it means to these vets, and how much they want to win every game possible, I have seen them respond to that out of respect and just come to work too. So, in my experience, when you have that, it is usually the perfect balance of just a bunch of guys who are humble, hungry and ready to attack. So hopefully we can make that happen."
Knowing the rookies are going to have those days where they make mistakes, where is OLB Zion Young now compared to where you thought he might be after a month of training camp? (Sam Cohn) "[Zion Young] is certainly ahead of where I expected him to be. If you watch that kid — obviously he has all the physical traits in the world, but he just works. He is one of those guys — when he messes up, he does not get upset; he does not get mad; he just fixes it. So, I have been really impressed at how he has adjusted his rush plan between now and college. In college, you can get by just by being a better athlete, being more physical than guys. You cannot do that in this league. You have to adjust your angles, your plan of attack, things like that, and he has already made those adjustments. After simple conversations with myself, Trey [Hendrickson], [outside linebackers] Coach [Harland] Bower — who has done a phenomenal job with him — I feel like his pass-rushing ability has already grown leaps and bounds. I think his run defense is going to be elite. So, [the] ceiling is very high for that kid. I love him, man. [I] love where he is at and love where he is headed."
WR LAJOHNTAY WESTER
Two touchdown catches in the preseason — it seems like you have gotten a lot more active offensively. How much do you think you have grown as a wide receiver? (Jamison Hensley) "I think I have grown a lot this offseason. Just learning from Zay [Flowers], learning from 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman], from my older guys in the room and just taking advantage of my opportunities."
Not saying you guys have the same skill set, but being similar sizes — and you mentioned WR Zay Flowers — what sort of things does he do on the field that you sort of have tried to incorporate into your game? (Kyle Goon) "It is a lot. I could go down the list — from [Zay Flowers]'s twitch, his IQ, his patience, like his tempo change — it is a lot of things that he brings to the game that I want to implement in mine. Once I get down pat what he is teaching me, man, I am going to have a good career in this league."
Do you think the preseason for you was a confidence booster showing what you could do on offense? (Garrett Downing) "I think it was a confidence booster for our coaches to see that I can do both. I am a confident guy — like, whether it goes good or bad, I am going to walk out with my chest poked out and my chin up. So, I am always going to be confident no matter what the situation is."
Recently on a podcast, you said that you were focused on perfecting your role. I just want to know why do you think that is important and to be where your feet are? (Samantha Croston) "Because sometimes you can overlook and be ungrateful for the opportunities that you are in right now, and you can miss your opportunity when it comes. So, my whole thing was just perfecting my role and being where my feet [are] at, and let God work out all the extras."
Man-to-man this summer, it seems like every offensive player we talk to speaks excitedly about the offense. What in particular excites you about the potential of this offense? (Jeff Zrebiec) "It is explosive. A lot of big plays — of course, we are doing the simple things as well, but a lot of big plays this year, for sure."
