QUARTERBACKS COACH TEE MARTIN
QB Lamar Jackson had one of the best seasons by a quarterback ever last year. What is there left for him to do to improve? (Jonas Shaffer) "Well, you said the right word: it's improvement. We're always trying to find things that we can get better at. Interestingly enough, on the field, we were talking about what [Lamar Jackson] was watching during the offseason. The first thing he said was [he was watching] the games that we lost. He was like, 'I just want to know how we lost them and what we did and what we can do better.' So, he's already thinking that way. As a staff, we're trying to look at things that we can improve [upon] and implement them during this time of the year, [during] training camp [and] so on and so forth. But him individually, we had great discussions about the things that he wants to improve at and [to] play as good, if not better than he did last season."
Do you think it's more pre-snap or post-snap where QB Lamar Jackson is trying to improve? (Jonas Shaffer) "A little bit of both. It just kind of depends on the play, the call and the protection. There's a lot involved in what we do. [Lamar Jackson] has a lot of responsibility in the run game and in the passing game – whether it's getting us to the right run play or getting out of run to [or] pass to run – and so on and so forth. So, there's a lot of responsibility [that] goes on there, and there's a lot of preparation that goes on there. But we expanded that package. Each year, we're looking for ways to give him more because he's advancing each and every year in all areas of his game, and we grew some this year. We added some new concepts and new play calls and things of that nature, and we're going to just give them all the reps that we can to get ready for the season."
A lot of great quarterbacks didn't have their best seasons until they reached their thirties, and QB Lamar Jackson isn't there yet. Does that make you feel like, as good as he's been, that his best football is still in front of him? (Cliff Brown) "Well, yes, it is a cause for optimism, definitely, [given] that [Lamar Jackson] is such a young player [who is] playing the way that he's playing with so much more to get better at. He's doing a lot of great stuff, but we really kind of comb with a fine tooth the things that we really want to improve on, whether it's footwork, whether it's [his] reads, his eyes, discipline, taking care of the football [and] things like that. But yes, at his age, playing the way he's playing is a really good feeling for optimism for the organization and for his career."
Did you see anything new this year from what you saw out of QB Lamar Jackson in January? (Pete Gilbert) "I think it's more [Lamar Jackson's] mindset during the offseason [and] really starting with the last game. There was kind of some deep-felt loss. The last two seasons have kind of ended that way with some really emotional losses, and so this offseason, the mindset for him in our conversations that we've had, what [Lamar Jackson] is thinking and what he's verbalizing and talking about is a little different. You see maturity there in terms of what he sees on the field and things that he wants to do offensively. He's having more input back to us as coaches. Like, 'I see this. I would like to do this more or less.' He's doing more of that and just taking his communication to the next level, so that's what I would say about that."
WR Zay Flowers told QB Lamar Jackson that he wants to have more meetings this season. Has he shared any of his ideas with you? (Giana Han) "Yes, it really started last year. [Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers] were getting together watching seven-on-seven and a lot of the passing periods together, especially during training camp. Once we got to the season, [they met] a little bit here and there if there was something different, but some of the wideouts would come to the quarterback meetings and kind of hang out with us and listen to him. So, whatever was most convenient for Lamar, they kind of worked it out. But there's something that they're being more intentional about doing, especially when we get back during training camp. But, it really started last season during [training] camp. They would get together and watch some of the passing periods, and once we got to the season, they got together during the quarterback meetings, and at times, Zay and some of the other receivers stopped in, tight ends were stopping in, like Zay [Flowers], [Isaiah] Likely and Mark [Andrews]. Those guys would stop in at times to just kind of have that communication with Lamar when it wasn't the unit meeting where they could get more individualized attention from him. So, it worked. Those guys got on the same page as the season went, and we saw the production as the season went on."
What has the conversation with QB Lamar Jackson been like as far as how he can improve during the postseason? (Brian Wacker) "Well, [it's] just [about] finishing for the most part. You really think about things like turnovers and things of that nature, kind of the obvious stuff that [Lamar Jackson] is hard on himself about. The first half of the Buffalo game. Just don't do that. And we still ended up fighting ourselves back to really giving ourselves the chance to tie the game up. So, you go back to 2023, and it's similar stuff, right? [We had] red zone turnovers [by] not only just him, but other players. So that's [the] stuff as a unit that we talk about [and] that we emphasize a lot. And individually, as players, nobody wants to do that. Nobody wants to do the play, or the turnover, or the missed catch, or the missed throw that causes us [to lose] a game, or a drive, or a series [and] so on and so forth. But it's an emphasis. We look at everything that contributes to those things, and so it's on his heart, [and] it's on his mind. We've just got to find a way to finish."
WR DeAndre Hopkins has had a lot of success with different quarterbacks. Is there anything you see from the quarterback side or the film room that helps shorten that learning curve of developing that relationship with QB Lamar Jackson? (Kyle Goon) "Just in a short time with 'D-Hop' [DeAndre Hopkins], I've seen that he's quick [to] study, and he loves talking to the quarterbacks, so that's good from a guy who's caught a lot of passes from a lot of different guys, but he's been great. He's been talking to Lamar [Jackson] about how he's going to run around and how he expects the ball to be thrown. Lamar's communicating back with him in just a short time, so I can't imagine what that relationship's going to be like after training camp and as the season continues when we start game-planning ways to get him the ball and how those guys play off of each other – Rashod [Bateman], Zay [Flowers], that whole crew – how we're going to use them in what we do. But early on, his communication has been great, and his expectation as a very veteran, highly-productive wideout is something that we haven't seen in a while. Hopefully, it's a good thing for us."
When you get a veteran backup quarterback who maybe isn't familiar with everything that you do, how do you go about building that relationship, and how's that going so far with QB Cooper Rush? (Childs Walker) "It's going great. I think 'Coop' [Cooper Rush] came in and just kind of took the playbook under his arm, and he was a really quick study. We put a lot on those guys, and they didn't miss a day from football school to OTAs. He didn't miss any days, and [he had] questions, feedback on some things that they had done in his career in places that he's been that's similar to what we're doing [with] little tweaks here and there. Some things helped us. [There are] some things that we do a little different, but his experience is the main thing [and] his professionalism. He came to practice every day prepared, got more reps this offseason than he probably had in the last two or three years, so that was good for him and Devin [Leary], as well, but I like his company. I like his presence in our room. [He] brings another veteran leader that has great professionalism, in terms of his preparation."
From when he first got to Baltimore compared to now, how have the conversations with QB Lamar Jackson changed with regards to coaching principles and strategies you've taken? How have you seen him and yourself adapt as coaches and players? (Sam Jane) "I would say when you're first taking the job with someone as unique as Lamar [Jackson], you're learning more from them than they're learning from you, in a sense, but we were both learning a new system at the same time, so it wasn't like we were running the same system, and I was the new coach. It was new coach and new system, so a lot of that was the implementation of the new system. 'This is how we're going to do it. These are the rules of how we're going to do it. Let's hang our hat on these things.' Now, you add Lamar Jackson to it and how he sees things, how he thinks [from] Year One, Year Two and now Year Three – that bond, that connection, my expectations for him and anticipation of what he would do and how he would think. We just kind of play off each other. Like any relationship, [if] you're with somebody long enough, hopefully, you guys get better at your relationship, but it's still growing. It's still growing. Every day, you see growth. Every day, there are things that we learn from each other, things about the system, things about football in general that we discuss, and we'll continue to grow in that direction."
With a guy like WR DeAndre Hopkins, so many of QB Lamar Jackson's passes last year were to guys that were considered open. Obviously, DeAndre is the guy who can turn those 50/50 balls into 80/20 balls. Is there a skill to rolling two outside receivers knowing that you've got to put your faith in them to make that catch? (Jonas Shaffer) "Yes, that's a great point, and you're speaking to trust. You're speaking to catch radius. Stuff that you see with Mark [Andrews] and 'Zay' [Isaiah] Likely, you can now see with the DeAndre Hopkins, because it's very similar. He's just a wide receiver that can play strong [with] big, strong hands that quarterbacks love. That's a really good comfort level for a quarterback, when you can put the ball in the vicinity and trust that guy is going to make a play, not only just that, too, but his mentality for going after the ball and competing for the ball. So, we look forward to what that relationship is going to be like, but to your point, that's trust. That's the time with each other, working with each other and ultimately resulting [in] some production on the field, hopefully."
Where have you seen QB Lamar Jackson evolve the most as a leader? (Carita Parks) "Vocal leadership. When I first got here in 2021, [Lamar Jackson] was the leader by play, by action. There was a lot on his plate, and he was relatively quiet. You kind of saw it a little bit during gameday when his competitive spirit starts to show, but being with him every day and being around him more closely, his communication – nonverbal and verbal – you really hear him in the back having side conversations that [wasn't] the case a couple years ago. And you see more and more of that. You see him now talking with the [offensive] linemen during practice, talking to Tyler [Linderbaum, strengthening] his relationship with the center, because those two guys have to be on the same page. If Lamar makes a call, Tyler has to echo it. If Tyler makes the call, he has to communicate it back to Lamar, so there's a lot of two-way communication that goes on between the quarterback and the center. And what I'm seeing is – whether it's Derrick [Henry], a veteran running back, coming in that has questions and concerns [or] DeAndre Hopkins ... We had Odell [Beckham Jr.]. We've had Nelson Agholor. We've had guys that's been in and out that's causing him to talk about what he sees and how he feels [about] things, but that's the biggest area I've seen is the verbal and nonverbal communication that he has really grown and taken his game to the next level."
WR DEANDRE HOPKINS
On the keys of building a rapport with a quarterback: "[It is] practice. [It is] coming out here, working together [and] communicating. Even if we complete something, [it is about] still just asking him what he likes. Communication is key. I play with probably more quarterbacks than any receiver, so I've learned [about] communication, and not just on the field but off the field as well."
On what he has learned so far while getting to know QB Lamar Jackson: "He's a competitor at everything. I saw him in [the locker room] shooting hoops on the basketball goal, and he didn't want to lose. That says a lot about him and who he is, just [the] little things like that. Obviously, on the football field, if he makes a mistake or doesn't complete a ball that he wants to, he's hard on himself, and no one has to say anything to him, but that's why he is who he is."
On how long it takes him to create chemistry with a new team: "I don't think it's like a timeframe. I think it differs. A guy like Lamar [Jackson], who's a veteran quarterback, he's played a lot of football - myself, I play a lot of football. We see things differently, but I've had rookie quarterbacks that have taken longer. So, it differs."
On his impressions of being on the field with the Ravens team: "[It] feels good. [I'm] playing with two good receivers, [and] those guys want to be great, and they're going to be great. They definitely have a high ceiling. I'm here to help however I can. Going out [on the field], just showing those guys certain things and just communicating with them. We're all three different receivers, which is unique and cool."
On what has stood out to him about being a Baltimore Raven: "The camaraderie [has stood out], [and] how close [the] guys are. I think that's what makes a great football team. They do things, not just on the field but off the field together, and I've always been a big fan of that. You have to build a bond [with the team], not just on the field but off the field."
On if he has felt as fast as the OTA sprint times that he posted: (laughter) "Yes, I have. Hopefully, I can continue to keep that up just with my diet and training. But yes, for sure."
On how much thought he has put into the Super Bowl LIX loss while with the Kansas City Chiefs last year: "I really don't think about what happened yesterday. I've always been raised to put one foot forward. Someone like myself, who's had a lot of things happen in my life, [believes that] you don't look back in the past. You [have] got to move forward. Every mistake that's happened, happened for a reason. Everything that is not considered great, [it] happens for a reason, and it's only going to make you stronger. I don't really think about what happened yesterday, unless it's my children calling me about something." (laughter)
On the things he has learned that QB Lamar Jackson likes on the field: "I would say what stands out about him ... It's really hard to pinpoint. I can't give a 'PSA' about Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson's a great quarterback all around, so I'm not going to come up here and try to [give a] 'PSA' and say what's great about Lamar Jackson. I think he puts that on display every Sunday."
On the unique habits that QB Lamar Jackson uses in his skillset: "Like I just said, I'm not going to compare Patrick Mahomes [or] any quarterback to Lamar [Jackson]. Lamar is a unique quarterback. He's a great quarterback, and so is every other quarterback I played with in the NFL, or they wouldn't be in the NFL. I'm just excited to go out [for] the first game against the [Buffalo] Bills and put something on tape with him."
On if he has been on a team that has as many offensive 'weapons' as the Baltimore Ravens: "It's been a while. Definitely [at the] Kansas City Chiefs, we had a lot of weapons. We made it to the Super Bowl. So, I can't dismiss that, but this is definitely a talented team and wide receiver group, for sure."
On how he continues to make minicamp productive for himself: "I love waking up and practicing. I love the little things. I love studying late nights, just going over things with my girlfriend, having her help me study plays or [with] whoever's at my house. [The] little things like that just excites me, and I'm a competitor. I just started playing chess, and I'm not the best, but I think I'm a champion. So, just competing. I love competing."
On if he has gotten anyone else on the Ravens to play chess with him: "I haven't. [I play on] 'Chess.com.' though, definitely."
On which cornerbacks have impressed him in practice: "Yes, I would say all the cornerbacks that we have, that I went up against. Those guys are talented, and that's the reason that we drafted them."
On how the tight ends have impressed him so far with their explosiveness: "[Isaiah] Likely is going to be a great tight end in this league for a while, and [Mark] Andrews, obviously, is a great tight end. So, it is fun just going out there with those two guys and seeing how they work and seeing how they grind, especially ... In OTAs, I was surprised that both of those guys were out there just about every day working, and that's what impressed me the most. Those guys, they want to be out there, and they want to be the guy to get the ball."
QB LAMAR JACKSON
On his intention to get the offense together more off the field: "I feel like just bonding with my guys will help us out a lot more on the field. Picking each other's brains, being around each other a lot more – we'll probably know what one of us is thinking ahead. We're on the field and something is going on, [I'll know] he [Zay Flowers] already knows what I'm thinking, I don't have to say too much. I look over there, I have 'D-Hop' [DeAndre Hopkins] now, 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman]; these guys, they already know what I'm thinking without me saying too much. That [comes from] bonding off the field. That's why I want to get my guys together, [for] small things like that."
On having the opportunity to play with WR DeAndre Hopkins: "[DeAndre Hopkins], that guy is dope. He is different. I threw him a shallow [pass] today, [and] he caught the ball so smoothly and got up [easily]. I don't even think he put his other hand on the ground to get up; he just caught the ball and just started [running]. That's some veteran type of stuff, like some super vet type of stuff. It's just dope to have him [here], and I am looking forward to throwing a lot of touchdowns to him this year."
On how much more he thinks the offense can improve this season in comparison to last season: "We were pretty good last year. I always tell you guys that the sky is the limit. We never know until we're out there. I believe we'll be a lot better this year as well."
On if he feels that there are more weapons on the offense this season: "Yes, I do. We had weapons last year, but we've got 'D-Hop' [DeAndre Hopkins as a] new addition this year, and our guys are ready. [We've] got 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman] with a new contract, 'Lil Zay' [Zay Flowers], [we've] got [Isaiah] Likely, [we've] got Mark [Andrews] – 'Mandrews.' I can't forget my guy. [I'm going to talk about] 'Mandrews' really quick, that guy is different. I've been seeing [him] get talked about [online], and I really don't like that because he's done so much for us. I'm off topic right now, but he's done so much for us, and [the way that people treated him], I just don't like that. Mark is still Mark. He's still 'Mandrews.'"
On TE Mark Andrews still being his guy: "For sure, no doubt."
On what he's noticed about TE Mark Andrews' approach to the offseason after a difficult end to the 2024 season: "[It is] the same. He's always hungry. Things happen; we play football. Like I said, [in the divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills], I threw an interception – a bonehead interception – [and] fumbled the ball [in the] first half, and we still had a chance to win. Things happen. It's not going to always go our way. That was probably our first [real] snow game, at that, not to blame it on the weather or anything like that, but it's football. Everything is not going to [always] go right."
On what he took away from the divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills and how he'd like to improve: "Protecting the ball. I feel like when we protected the ball, we had no problems moving the ball down the field. [On] first [and] second down, we were getting positive yards out of every play, it was just the turnovers [that hurt us]. [If there were] no turnovers, I feel like we win [the game]."
On if he was able to move on quickly after the loss during the playoffs: "I don't think I get over any loss, to be honest. I've got losses from youth football that still haunt me. I never get over a loss, I don't care how small it might be to someone else or how great it might be, it's always the same for me."
On if he thinks the turnover issues the Ravens have experienced are the main reason they have struggled during the playoffs: "No, because we still had a chance to win. It's football, everything is not going to go our way. Before, it was like, 'Oh, he can't win a playoff game,' and then we won a playoff game. We got to the AFC Championship two years ago. We just fell short. We fell two games short this [past] year. We're going to bounce back, and when we come back, I feel like we are going to have vengeance on our minds."
On the conversations he's had executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta about a contract extension: "You know I never discuss contract situations here. I don't want to talk about it, if that's OK with you."
On if becoming the highest paid player in the NFL sounds good to him: "It sounds good."
On his appearance in the television show Power Book III: Raising Kanan: "Shoutout to [director] Sascha [Penn], the director, that's the guy who actually got me on the show. I tweeted about it, and I [said], 'Raising Kanan is lit!" He posted it about [the Tweet], and I commented on his Instagram [and said], 'Don't kill me off I actually want to be on the show.' And then that summer when the [football] season was over last year, they had me in New York filming and stuff. It was dope, just a dope gig. I had fun shooting – not shooting – shooting the show, let's get that out there." (Laughter) "It was just fun, I had a lot of fun with it. A lot goes into that. Shoutout to all the actors and actresses, because man, a lot goes into that, all day for one scene."
On the most fun thing he has done this offseason: "I haven't done anything fun yet. Do you want me to tell you the best thing I've done [this offseason]? I came here today. I was out here training with my guys [and] working hard. I feel like we got better today. I had a lot of fun today."
On his training and nutrition plan this offseason: "No, just eat fruit, [do] push-ups [and] sit ups. That's all. I just stay in shape. Don't say skinny, I stay in shape. I'm fit, because skinny is like puny. I don't think I'm puny. I'm still 200 [pounds]."
On what he focused on this offseason: "Just trying to make the game a lot easier for us. Going into a game and knowing what the defense is going to do before they do it. Just having [the opposing teams'] plays like they're ours. Like [quarterbacks] Coach Tee [Martin] told you, I go back and watch the losses and see what the mistakes we made [were] and try to capitalize for next time we're in the [same] situation."
On if he has become more vocal recently or if it's a combination of both: "[It's] a combination of both. I'm going into Year Eight, so I've got no other choice. There are a lot of young guys coming in now, so I've got to."
On if younger players have come up to talk to him: "I'm going to go up and talk to them. They're probably scared to say something to me, but I'm going to walk up and introduce myself."
On what his conversations with WR DeAndre Hopkins have been like so far: "[DeAndre Hopkins] has been coming up to me and telling me what he sees in the routes and [things] like that, and I'm like, 'That's what I saw. That's what I was telling [the] coach I wanted you to do' – stuff like that. That's what you like to see from your receivers [and what you] like to hear from your receivers, engaging with those guys. All of my receivers are like that, all of them."
On if he feels like this roster has the opportunity to do something special this season: "That's not on my mind. I feel like that every year. I really feel like that each and every year [that] we've got a chance, but we're going to have to see."
On free agent and former Louisville teammate CB Jaire Alexander being available, and if he's had the chance to speak with him: "Go get [Jaire Alexander], Eric [DeCosta]. I love all of our corners, don't get me wrong, but go get him, Eric. Yes, I hit him up, but you don't know. You never know with Jaire. That's my boy."
On his offseason training with WR Zay Flowers and what he gets out of those sessions and about the video posted on social media: "[It was] just a miscommunication, that's all that was. We just make each other better. We're going to talk trash to one another because we want to see each other win. We're on the same team. I've got to talk to you like this because no one else will. That's all."
On WR Rashod Bateman's contract extension: "Send me a million." (laughter) "He deserves that. I feel like he deserved that. The injuries in the past were hindering him, and I feel like people were thinking he wasn't that guy, but he showed it last year a lot. The ceiling is steady going [up] for him. [There is] no limit."
On what bothered him about the Mark Andrews situation: "I just saw people trying to dog him in comments and stuff. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of people that wish they could have been playing this game. He's accomplished so much, for us, and for himself. So I feel like, just let things happen sometimes. We wish we would have won the game. I wish I didn't throw that interception. I wish I didn't fumble, [and] I wish the mishap had not happened, but it happened. It's just a lesson learned, so next time we'll do something better."
On if he's excited to play the Buffalo Bills in Week One: "It doesn't matter who we open up against. I'm happy just to play football."
On if he plans to spend time with the wide receivers this offseason: "Yes, I do."
