HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening statement: "It's good to see everybody. I appreciate you being here. It's a beautiful day, a beautiful setting and a good, hard, tough football practice. I appreciate the guys coming out and practicing the way they did. We're kind of twofold – we're working our way toward the final decisions and then also working our way toward the start of the season. So that's our kind of dual path right now. I am happy with the guys. I thought they really got out and got after it today. I see some extra guys running over there doing some extra [work], which is impressive. So, I like the way our guys work. I think that's kind of how it's supposed to be, and this is a hardworking group. We did have a couple of injuries. We had Xavier [Guillory] who broke his clavicle, so he'll be out for a while, and Dayton Wade had to have surgery on his chest/ribs [area], so he'll be out for a while. So those are the two injuries we have. All the other injuries are things that we really expect everybody to be back practicing next week. If they're not practicing right now, we expect them to be practicing next week at this point. What questions do you have?"
Does that include TE Mark Andrews? We saw him working on the side. (*Jamison Hensley)* "Yes, that it does. I'd say that [for] all [of] those guys. Well, I mean [Isaiah] Likely is up in the air."
So, as you said, QB Lamar Jackson will be back out there practicing today. How did he look for you? (*Jamison Hensley)* "I thought [Lamar Jackson] looked good. It's a good practice. It's a lot going on. There's a lot of mental work, obviously for the quarterback here at this point in time. So, he's working through that, trying to get it right. We had a full day, have a full work day tomorrow [and] another full workday on Wednesday. Then they'll get four days away, and then we'll be back Monday [heading] into game week."
Do you get all the way into the Buffalo Bills at this point in this week or is it next week is your normal Week 1 preparation? (*Childs Walker)* "We get into the [Buffalo] Bills now and even some other stuff, too, for other upcoming games. We'll start working on things."
On the roster deadline, do you guys have it set or is it still kind of working through some of those final spots, and how much does special teams weigh into those questions? (*Brian Wacker)* "Well, I'll start with the last part. Special teams will weigh in. We talked about that last week. The roles are very important, and you have got to play at a high level, especially with the new kickoff return rule. What was the rest of the question?"
On if you kind of made up your mind already or you're still kind of working through the roster? (*Brian Wacker)* "I always admire the guys that can remember all three questions and then kind of go back through it. It's so impressive – the multi-layered questions. You have to keep it simple for me, but what was that question again?" (laughter) "We pretty much have it made up, but things can change. There are calls going back and forth, I'm sure, with [executive vice president and general manager] Eric [DeCosta] and the scouts. For us on the football side, you lock in on the football, and that's what we told the guys today. We had a couple of guys who were released today, and they'll be looking for their next opportunity as well. They're good guys, they worked hard, and they showed that they have a future in the league. Somehow, some way [you] have to keep growing as players. Then the rest of the guys here, too, [with] the same thing. [There] was a little anxiety, but they didn't let it show in the way they practiced. They're out there, they're doing it, because you don't know what's going to happen. There's the 53; there's starting jobs; there's special teams jobs; there's the 53-man roster; there's the practice squad; there's other teams; there's trades; there's all kinds of things that can happen, so really, your job as a player is to get out there and play, do your best and play your best. When you do that, good things can happen for you."
There have been some years where you guys have made a trade, literally the day of the roster deadline. Do you discuss that with executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta now? Do you sense there's still possibilities of that with this year? (*Bo Smolka)* "Well, I just know there's a lot of conversations going on. I think when – and he'll apprise me of where it's at, and he has – but when something gets to be serious, usually it does work its way to the last minute, usually, it seems that way. That's kind of where we're heading tomorrow."
Some of these guys might not make the roster, but the undrafted guys, especially in this last preseason game, it really seemed like it showcased the depth you have when you bring in undrafted guys. What do you think has allowed executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta and the team bring in guys of that caliber for you? (*Kyle Goon)* "I just think we have a really good system. We have great scouts. [Executive vice president and general manager] Eric [DeCosta]'s obviously a great leader. He's been doing it here for a long time. We've had a lot of success with the undrafted free agents, and we had people who were tryout guys that are in contention to make the team this year. That doesn't always happen. I'm sure there are guys in contention to make the team that other teams didn't even have on their list at all. It shows you how deep we dig. I think we have a really good system that has been built with deep foundations here, and we operate at a really high level. I also think that we work hard. We develop our players, we bring them in, and we give them reps. We're not practicing for [only] an hour and 10 minutes out here. We're out here; we're giving these guys reps; we're giving them walkthroughs; we've got meetings for these guys; we've got extra meetings for the young guys. We try to develop them, because we think if you sign with the Ravens, you should get coached, and you should get every opportunity to have a fair shot. It's not just a token opportunity, [it's] a real opportunity. We feel like as coaches, that's our job to develop every guy on the roster. When you do that, it's not just the fact that you have guys who have a fair chance, it helps you bring in guys next year for sure. Because if I'm an agent, I want to send them to Baltimore, because they're going to get coached, and they're going to have a chance. It also makes your camp better, and when your camp's better [from] top to bottom, you have better practices from top to bottom. So, the 'Lamar [Jackson]s' and those guys, they get better practice, too, because they're going against better players who are better prepared, who are coached better and who know what they're doing. In the end, it makes your whole team better."
Do you expect CB Jaire Alexander to be one of those guys that would be back next week? (*Brian Wacker)* "I do."
When CB Jaire Alexander has missed that much time, what's the concern, or however you want to put it, on being able to ramp him up? (*Brian Wacker)* "[Jaire Alexander]'s been working hard as far as all the non-football stuff, so he's been champing at the bit. He's been trying to break out of prison. He's been locked away in [the Under Armour Performance Center training room]. It's a nice place. It's beautiful, but in his mind, it's a prison, nonetheless. They're doing what they need to do to get him ready for that, but practice is important, and he's a veteran guy, and he wants to practice. So, when he gets out there, I'm sure he'll be going at it. It'll be our job, too, to monitor that as well, to make sure that we do it right. It's a long season, and we want to bring him back the right way."
LB Jake Hummel is one of the guys that has been banged up. You brought him in at the very beginning of the free agency. How important do you anticipate him being for special teams, knowing you did lose a couple of veteran linebackers last year? (Luke Jones) "[Jake] Hummel, he's going to make the team. He's going to be a big part of what we're doing. He had that hand thing, so he had to go in there this week and do a little minor procedure. He should be practicing next Wednesday and should be good to go for the [Week One] game [at Buffalo], if all goes well, which they say it's going great."
I know you don't like comparison questions, but as far as the level of depth, it looked different this year; watching the threes and fours that not only had talent, but were all making plays and knew what they were doing. The level of execution to go with it feels, from the outside looking in, like it was better than it's been, from what I can recall, maybe since you've been here. Is that fair? (Pete Gilbert) "It's hard to remember. We've had a lot of good preseasons, as you might recall."
Yes, with wins and losses, but just the whole way through. (Pete Gilbert) "Right. I think that's a good observation. [It was] certainly better than last year, for sure. If we're going to make a direct comparison, I feel like we're in a lot better of a place right now, as far as the preseason goes. [The roster is] deeper, [we have] more guys playing at a high level, for sure. I definitely see that, and I think that's a good thing. Hey, we're where we're at now, so it's all we can judge by, and I feel good about that at this point."
And I know you never say never, but at this point, do you see any position group where you would think you might be looking for guys who are available after other people cut down their roster? (Childs Walker) "I don't think we're scouring. I know that [scouting and personnel department is] scouring. I know they know everybody, but I would be hard-pressed for me to think that we'd bring somebody in here that would be better than who we have. But never say never. And you never know what opportunity might present itself, for sure.''
How much joy do you get out of telling some of these guys that they've made the team? I'm talking about undrafted free agents and guys that may not have been given much of a shot coming in. (Jeff Zrebiec) "[I get] so much joy. The whole thing is emotional. The whole thing is incredibly meaningful. Walking out of the tunnel back to the buses from Washington [after the preseason game against the Commanders], one of the young guys, he was kind of walking [slowly by], and you could tell he was emotional. [I asked him], 'How'd you play?' And he goes, 'I think I did just OK, not great.' And [I said], 'I'll bet you played great. You've been playing great the whole camp. I'll bet you were physical.' And he just gave me the biggest hug. It just means so much. I hope fans, and all of us, can understand how much these guys put into it. So, when you get an opportunity to tell a player that he made the team, maybe especially a guy that you didn't expect necessarily to make the team ... but I promise you he was calling his mom and dad every night and telling them how it went. And [they're asking him], 'What did the coach say and how many plays did you make?' And [he's telling them], 'I had a good play, or I had a bad play,' or whatever it is. And it's just like, your whole world is wrapped up into it as a family. Sitting on the buses there [in Washington] and [positioned] right in front of us were all the families. For whatever reason, the families were right there. [There were] so many families with rookies [and] rookie free agents jerseys, and it's like, wow. I saw [No.] 48 [Chandler Martin], I saw [No.] 49 [Jay Higgins IV], I saw [No.] 86 [Jahmal Banks, and I saw No.] 28 [Marquise Robinson], their families were there. [There were] a lot of people. And they'd come out, and they'd get in there, and they'd hug them and tell them they did good. I just feel like that's what this is all about. It really is. It is a human thing. Football, it's an amazing, crazy sport. It's a real metaphor. I've always said this, it's a metaphor for life. I know it's not life, but it is life. It is life for the people who are involved in it. And I think that's why the fans involve themselves so much and make it part of their lives, because they can see how real it is. This is genuine, real drama, and they put so much into it. Look at our running backs [and] how hard they ran in that game, throwing their bodies in there the way they did for a quote-unquote meaningless preseason game. [But it's] not meaningless to the people playing in it and to their families. So, I just feel like – I appreciate your questions – where you're going with these questions. To me, they're exactly right."
Does it get any easier to tell the guy that he won't make the team? (Mike Preston) "No. It gets harder. It gets harder. It gets harder. I'm heading toward grandpa territory, just like you, and you see your kids in these kids. I had [a conversation with] a Miami of Ohio grad today in Reid [Holskey], and we were talking, and he had his Miami shirt on. That's close to home for me, [so] that's a tough conversation. But then the guys are so grateful for the opportunity and for what they felt like they learned and everything. And all I can do is give them a big hug, give them my phone number and say, 'Hey, let's keep in touch.'"
