SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR CHRIS HORTON
We saw the first of RB Keaton Mitchell on kick returns this past week. What did you make of him? (Bo Smolka) "It's exactly what I thought. What I said, leading up to whenever [Keaton Mitchell] gets his opportunity, he's going to go out there, he's going to perform at a high level, and he did just that. I thought both guys did a really good job, but it's really good to see him back out there. Not only from a kick return standpoint, but he played some gunner and beat a vice guy down the field. The thing with Keaton is [that] you know what kind of player he is. You know he really wants to be out there. He's got his opportunity last week, and I thought he performed well."
How much are you looking at the weather forecast? It looks like it could be pretty ugly Sunday. (Luke Jones) "That's one of the things we definitely look at. I just think we have to be prepared, and we'll prepare ourselves for the elements, and whatever they are, we have to be able to handle them, so we do talk about it. Whatever they are, we just have to be able to adjust and adapt to that type of weather, and I think our guys will go out and play well."
Does the potential inclement weather impact some of those different kickoffs you guys have been trying? (Brian Wacker) "That could potentially have an impact on [the kickoffs], for sure. If it's a heavy wind day, depending on where that wind is coming from, you still have to get that ball inside the 20. So, [we're] just trying a couple different kicks that definitely could have an impact on the day."
I forget which coach said it, but I believe he implied that the dynamic kickoff, and what is expected when you kick some of these knucklers, can get in the way of the normal, fieldable stroke, which hurts his own kicker's accuracy. Is that something you guys have to be vigilant about? (Jonas Shaffer) "I think that's something that you have to have in the back of your mind, but I think these guys kick off so much, and they're so good at what they do. Obviously, if you're going to hit a bunch of knuckleballs, it's changing how you go foot-to-ball on the ball. So then, if that's all you're doing – and that's leading up to field goals and things like that – you're probably not getting as much foot-to-ball [contact] that you would usually get. So, that could have a little bit of an impact on it. But I think for us, man, we do such a good job of just changing it up, and that's not solely what we're relying on. We're relying on a couple of different kicks, as well."
What were the teaching points for some of the younger guys, especially the penalty where someone went out bounds that knocked out P Jordan Stout's 62-yard punt? (Josh Tolentino) "It's something that we talk about as soon as [possible] with our guys. The second they get in here, we go through all the new rules that are going to come up throughout the course of the season. Then, one of the things for the gunners is we make sure we constantly harp on [that] you can't go out of bounds on your own, even when you think you're contacted. It's probably just a little bit of a technique issue, but that changed the course of field position, and so any little thing like that, we want to try to avoid as much as possible, and we're good enough to get that done. On the second part, we had to re-punt. We had a good punt; we had great coverage. I think we're good enough to go out there and really hit another good punt, and we didn't get that, so that really changed the field position."
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR TODD MONKEN
In watching the film, specifically about the run game, what do you think is the biggest issue to get the running game back on track? (*Jamison Hensley)* "Well, it never changes, and that is, 'How do we scheme it? How do we coach it? How do we execute it? How do we call it?' It's all the above. It never really changes when it's good, when it's not so good. [The Houston Texans have] a good defensive front. There's obviously a number of things we can do better."
With the offensive line, what have you seen and how do you think they have played to this point of this season? (*Cordell Woodland)* "Well, I think I'm just going to speak in general [terms]. We've got ourselves in a little bit of a rut, right? It's not just the offensive line; it's just us in general. I'm going to refer back to what I said: it is not just them. We have to coach better. We have to scheme it better. We have to call it better. We have to execute better – I know I'm broken record – and they're a part of that. Everybody is a part of that. Just like we're all part of it when it's really good – and it has been – so we have to own it when it isn't – starting with me, right? That's where it starts. Then our coaches, how do we build it together? Then, how do we get it done during the week that it shows up on Sunday?"
What are you looking to see from QB Cooper Rush if indeed he's going to make a second straight start? What'd you like? What didn't you like? (*Luke Jones)* "I liked a lot of things about what Cooper Rush did. I think he handled the offense really well. I don't think there were any – from calls to him, to the guys in the huddle to on the field. We just have to do it better. [We] have to call it better."
What kind of feedback have you gotten in meetings with players about – you mentioned coaching a better scheme, et cetera. What's been their feedback to you in terms of those things? (*Brian Wacker)* "Well, it's been great. It's what you do. It's a week-to-week league. It was just a month ago; I don't know what we had against the [Buffalo] Bills, [we had] like the most explosive rate, whatever it was, and it just feels like four weeks later 'the sky is falling.' Somewhere in there lies the middle. We've got to get back to the things that we do well and be able to execute it and stack plays together. We just haven't been able to do that really from the beginning of the year. We were explosive, or we were off the field, and we have to help our defense out. We can't be off the field as often as we've been, as quickly as we've been, and we're better than that. We're better than that. We're better coaches. We're better players. We just need to go show it."
Is there any reason why you feel like there haven't been that stack of plays, and how do you get out of the rut that you talked about? (*Ryan Mink)* "If it was that simple, it'd be fixed. It's a little of everything. Again, like I said, it's [actually] really very simple. I have to call it better. We have to scheme it better. We have to coach it better and we have to execute better. It's never, really, usually one thing, and we're certainly capable of it."
When you hear head coach John Harbaugh talk about fundamentals and working on that, how do you translate that? (*Jerry Coleman)* "Oh, I don't disagree with it. We're always working on our fundamentals. It doesn't matter what position, because it does go back to that. It goes back to everything. When you're struggling, you go, 'OK, how do we fix it?' That's the big word that I have. 'OK, where does it start?' OK, it starts in our meeting rooms upstairs. The meeting rooms [are where] we put it all together. Then when we take it to the players, and we detail it out – are we all on the same page of what we expect to see, of what we expect to see from the defense, what we expect to see from our guys? And then you take it to your individual drills, your fundamentals, the things that really are the core values, and it's as simple as – I know [John Harbaugh]'s talking about blocking and tackling – but it's your footwork. It's alignment, assignment, your angles, your body position – are we in a football position? All those things are a big part of it. So, it's taking it from the meetings, big [offensive team] room, little [position specific] rooms and on the field fundamentals, and then having it show up in practice, so it shows up on Sunday."
I know you said that you guys have to do a lot of things better, but you used the word, you guys are in a 'rut' right now. I don't recall it looking like this since you've been the offensive coordinator. I know QB Lamar Jackson's not out there, but how do you toe the line of doing the things differently from what you've done, which has worked to find something new? (*Cordell Woodland)* "Well, that's all part of it. When I said a rut, a rut is usually small. Then maybe it's a ditch, and then maybe it's a canyon, but right now, we consider that a rut. We just have to get ourselves [out]. It doesn't take long. There were a few opportunities come Sunday that would've got you going. It's like, 'What's going to get us going? What's going to be that spark with all of us?' [And that's] starting with me, then our coaching staff and making a play that gets us going. Because in some ways, it takes everybody, and like I said, I think we're going to continue to get better with that because we are certainly capable of it."
When we talked to RB Derrick Henry, and obviously, he took accountability. He says that it starts with him as well. What have you seen from Derrick in the first five weeks? (*Jamison Hensley)* "Well, I like the way Derrick Henry's practicing. I like the way he's going about his business. He's been a consummate pro. I think he's running hard. Again, it's a culmination of things [of] creating space, creating opportunities. Because just a few weeks ago on third-and-1, we hit a 'downhill power,' and he went for 31 [yards] on third-and-1, and there you go. So, sometimes it just takes a play here or there, and you have to get the defense worn down a little bit. You think about some of the games we had last year; where did some of those big plays come from? We're no different than other teams where you see the running backs late in the game making these big runs. We haven't gotten there. We did against the [Buffalo] Bills, but [with] other teams we haven't gotten there to where we've worn them down by stacking plays and getting into drives. That's really a big part of it."
You got your first little in-game look at RB Keaton Mitchell. What did you think of what you saw? Is he still ramping up in any way physically, or do you feel like he's ready to help? (*Childs Walker)* "I think you'd have to ask Keaton [Mitchell] how he is. He looks good to me. It's just [about] finding the opportunities, but we had – and we are always going to have for all of our players – packages, but it's hard when you don't stack a number of plays together to really utilize whoever that is. It doesn't matter if that's Derrick Henry running the ball or throwing it or [calling plays for] Keaton Mitchell. It's hard to get to those when you don't have many plays, and then we have to do better than that. That's on us on offense."
Kind of to piggyback off that, you've talked about how having all these weapons is a good problem to have. Curious if sometimes when you're scheming it up and going through games and so forth; does it ever sometimes cause a problem that you have so many guys that are talented? (*Brian Wacker)* "No, not really. We want our skill guys to want the ball. They should. That's part of the position is wanting the opportunity to touch the ball and help us win. That's really what they want. They want their talent to shine, and that's how they get to have their talent shine. We just have to do a better job of getting it to them."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ZACH ORR
When you look at this Rams offense, there are a lot of weapons there, namely WR Puka Nacua, it seems like a lot teams are trying to slow him down. What do you think the key is to trying to slow a receiver like him down? (Jamison Hensley) "I think [the Rams] do a good job of moving [Puka Nacua] around, so it's hard to get a beat on where he is going to line up at, and what he's going to do. I think the key is just making sure that we're lined up correctly, and we have our cleats in the ground, because they do a lot of motions and shifts. They probably motion more than any team in the National Football League. So, we have to make sure that we are aligned right, that we're aligned quickly and we're communicating and on the same page so we can give ourselves a chance."
What was your reaction to the former Ravens OLB Odafe Oweh trade? And for a pass rush that's struggled to get going anyway, what does this mean for that group and that task of trying to get more pressure? (Luke Jones) "I think it is part of the business. I wish 'Daf' [Odafe Oweh] well, I'm excited about 'Lo' [Alohi Gilman] who has come in – he's done a great job. Hats off to him. He got on a redeye [flight], flew in, [came right into] practice [and] made plays. He's communicating like he was here throughout the whole training camp. I think that we just have to find ways to generate pass rush, even if 'Daf' was here. So, we have to get more creative, we have to be better [at] putting stuff together, and we have to execute better."
What do you kind of see as what you can do with S Kyle Hamilton – assuming health – but with S C.J. Gardner-Johnson and S Alohi Gilman coming in, how does that add to what you can do with Kyle? (Kyle Goon) "Yes, I think it definitely adds to that, because we obviously know 'K-Ham' [Kyle Hamilton] can play all across the secondary, and he's very effective everywhere else, not just in the back end, but up close to the line of scrimmage. So, the better players that you're able to put back there in the back end definitely frees him up. So, I'm excited to see if the guys can get caught up to speed by Sunday and see what we can do."
I'd imagine, just with all the injuries the last few weeks, you get to feeling like a technician who's looking in a car. How has that felt and has it been sort of a grind? (Kyle Goon) "It's definitely been a grind. A lot of the injuries that have popped up have been during the week. So, you've kind of put a gameplan together, and you have to retool it, reorganize it and put stuff together. But, that's part of the business. We're not the only team that's going through that, that has to do that. So, it is definitely a grind, but that's what we signed up for, and we feel like we have the coaches and the players to – no matter who we put out there – to go out there and play good football."
Over the course of a season, for struggling teams, it's often speculated that major changes will happen during the bye week. Are you worried about job security, or are you able to block that out? (Bo Smolka) "Yes, I'm able to block that out. I'm honestly not worried about it. I'm just focused on this Sunday. If you probably asked me last year, I probably would honestly tell you that it would be something that would bother me or get to me. But, I've grown closer in faith to God, honestly, and I know that he's in control. Everything that's going to happen is going to be written – it's already done. All I have to do is go out there and just continue to work day by day and put my best foot forward. So, I'm not really worried about what happens, I'm just worried about finding a way to get a win on Sunday and stop a high-powered offense with L.A. coming in."
Since you took this job, it just doesn't feel like there's been a week where your job hasn't been speculated on. You mentioned sort of adapting, growing closer in faith. Are there some strategies that you've learned over the last year and a half to be better at handling this kind of adversity? (Kyle Goon) "First thing, like I said, I think I said a couple weeks ago, stay off of social media. That is the No. 1 thing I encourage. If you don't like what you see on there or what you hear or whatever the case may be, then just don't look at it, because that stuff can really infect your mind and your heart. But I think just focusing. The older I'm getting, I'm really focusing on what's important and what my job is, and that's to be here and do the best I can. This job already entails a lot, so adding other distractions – I've learned – makes it even more difficult. The older I'm getting, I'm just more mature and just learning like, I just have to stay focused, stay locked in, block out that noise and just keep my best foot going forward."
With the injury to S Ar'Darius Washington in May, was there a feeling that you couldn't really maximize S Kyle Hamilton's talents, in part, because of that? Is there a feeling that if you can move Kyle close to the line of scrimmage more often, that he can help you against the run, blitzing and get more pass rush going? (Ryan Mink)
"Yes, I think all those are valid points. I'm probably the biggest Ar'Darius Washington fan there is in this building, and he has a lot of fans in this building. He's a heck of a player, he's a heck of a piece of our defense. So, when he went down, you definitely had to reorganize, see all the pieces and what's the best 11 to put on the field. But 'K-Ham' [Kyle Hamilton], he's going to make an impact wherever he's at, and we just have to find ways to maximize his impact. So, that's something that we're definitely looking at and look forward to doing."
When you have a couple weeks like the last two games, where two punts were the total, what are the earliest signs – or what signs are you looking for on Sunday and moving forward – to show that this defense is moving back in a good direction? Obviously, you can't necessarily fix everything overnight, but what are the earliest things you're looking for on Sunday? (Luke Jones) "I'm looking for us to play with that passion. We talked about it, playing hard here in Baltimore – that's just the standard. Guys are playing hard, but we need to come out with our own energy and feed off of that. And we need to start fast. Let's get them off the field early, and let's not let them go down and drive the ball and get seven points or get a field goal [right away]. So, we need to start fast, bring the energy and get our swag back. That's what I'm looking for. And no matter what the situation is, when we take the field, our mindset is, 'We're going to stop them.' And then if they do score, we should be mad and try to fix what's going on, so it won't happen again. I'm just looking for the mindset coming in, and I think once that mindset is right, everything else will start getting better."
You mentioned your level of swagger and showing that on the field. What do you think has contributed to the lack of takeaways, and do you think you guys are close in that department? Have there been opportunities that you guys haven't been able to complete? (Josh Tolentino) "I think the first thing is, we have to get teams into more true drop-back situations. There are definitely opportunities to get the football. My mindset, and our mindset is, shoot, every time ... There are what, 50, 60, 70 plays being played? So regardless of if a team is running the ball or throwing the ball, knock the ball off of them. Let's go make a play, let's get our hat on the football. So, there are definitely opportunities. Now you can give yourself more opportunities by being better on first down, that's what we have to be better on; not being in second-and-1 to 4 all the time. Or when we get them in second-and-long, don't let them get the first down, let's keep them in third-and-long where they have to try to force the ball down the field, and that leads to more mistakes. So, right now, we're just letting offenses be too comfortable, which is our own problem. So, we have to be better at making offenses uncomfortable by getting stops on early downs, and then forcing them into situations where they have to force the ball to move the chains."
In the part of practice we watched today, it looked like you were in a whole lot of different drills that were fast-paced, moving around, which is a little different than what we generally see early in the season. Was that for takeaways? What was the mindset between that? (Pete Gilbert) "The mindset was for takeaways and block destruction. That's one of our issues that we have right now, is guys are striking blocks, but we're staying on blocks too long. Strike the guy and get rid of him. So, that's what we are working on. And then, obviously, we're working on takeaways; that's what we need to do. We haven't had a takeaway in three weeks [or] something like that, which is crazy. So, we have to have some takeaways."
Head coach John Harbaugh said that he thinks the problems early last year were harder to fix than what you guys need to fix now. We've heard players say that they think this is close, that it's just simple things. What do you see in specific that leads you to believe this isn't a tough fix and you guys can break out of it? (Jeff Zrebiec) "I see that guys are in position for the most part. And it's like, sometimes – it's the National Football League, these are great players that we're going against, so they're going to make their plays; there's no doubt about that. But I think guys are in the right position, now it's just time for us to go make our plays, like pull the trigger. Just being where I'm supposed to be at, it's not good enough. Take chances. That's the only way you're going to make plays, is to take chances. 'Scared money doesn't make money.' I was told that. So, we're just encouraging our guys to go trust yourself. You guys know what to do, you're in the right position, go make the play. So, I think that's why we're so confident that we can get this thing turned around, but we have to start doing it."
Obviously, S Malaki Starks and ILB Teddye Buchanan were thrust into roles bigger than you probably imagined, as rookies, and you probably imagined that some veterans would be around them, telling them what to do. Is it harder, or do you have to do anything different when you look at the tape or a game like this last one? Do you have to take a different tone with rookies that are put in really deep water? (Kyle Goon) "Oh, no. I think we've established a relationship with all – not just me as a coach, but all the coaches here. We are a family, so we're going to have tough, honest conversations, and we're going to have tough, honest film sessions. And that goes for everybody. We treat everybody fairly. We don't disrespect anybody, but if you're doing what you're supposed to do, we're going to praise it. If you're not doing what you're supposed to do, then we're going to call it out, and we're going to correct it. And the guys understand that. And then, regardless of what your status is, that's what we do. We coach everybody. So, the rookies, specifically Teddye [Buchanan] and Malaki [Starks], they're great. They want to be coached. They want to be good. I appreciate those guys wanting to do that. We don't change our tone for anybody. What's right is right in the football world here is right, and what's wrong is wrong. So, we don't treat the rookies any differently than anybody else. We expect them to go out there and play winning football."
RB DERRICK HENRY
On if there is anything he sees on film that can get the run game back on track: "Like I said last week, executing, is all it comes down to – executing, fixing the mistakes and going out there and having the will to do it and the will to change it when the game comes."
On if there is any more importance this week to win heading into the bye week: "It'd definitely be better going into the bye week with a win than a loss, but we know it's a tough opponent. The Rams are a good team, have a good defense [and] are solid on offense, so it's going to be a tough matchup. We just have to finish the week right, just lock in on everything that you need to do to have yourself ready, individually, and us as a team, on all three phases, just so we can give ourselves a chance to get a win this weekend, but it's going to be tough. It would definitely be better to go into the bye week with a win."
On his message to the team this week: "I just tell them we still have a lot ahead of us, and don't let the circumstances dictate our future. Just stay focused. We can turn this thing around and get what we want to get out of the season. We just have to lock in, and everybody has just got to do more, hold each other accountable. Leaders lead, and let it translate to Sundays, which it hasn't these last couple of weeks, but I told them, we just have to keep working, and I believe that it will [translate]."
On seeing FB Patrick Ricard back at practice and how important it would be for the offense when he gets back in the game: "Pat [Ricard] is a big key for us. He's physical in the run game. He's been doing it here for a long time, so to get him back would be big, and [we] could get back to rolling like we were. I'm happy to see him back out there."
On if he's seeing the changes that give him hope that the team will be executing better in the game: "Yes, we just try to put more emphasis on it. As a team, as a group, as a unit, you have to do those things, but individually, you have to do those things, as well – see what you need to get better at, watch yourself on film, be truthful and see the things you need to work on. I know that's what I do, and I'm sure everybody else does that. That's the only way you're going to get better and get this thing turned around, is to be honest with yourself. Our guys [are] holding each other accountable just so we can see change and [so] things change on Sunday."
TE ISAIAH LIKELY
On how it feels getting up to speed: "It feels good just finally getting my feet under me, playing in the real game [and] just being out there with my brothers. [We] just have to stack a win."
On what he's seen watching the offensive struggles: "We just have to get back to the fundamentals and just get back to winning our 1-of-11s. The thing about these games is just when you finish the game, how many times did you win your 1-of-11? I feel like that's just what we have to get back to, to really just be 1-0 [this week]."
On what has prevented the team from winning their 1-of-11 other than injuries: "With everybody out, it's just really just 'Next Man Up' mentality. Everybody that's out there is expected to win your 1-of-11 [and] expected to do your job whether you took a million snaps at it or just one or five in practice. When you watch film [or] get out there in the game on Sunday or whenever we play, it's just really just [about] getting out there and just winning your battle."
On how he would describe the resilience mindset and the sense of urgency of the team: "Just having all the leaders speak this past week is just everybody knowing that what we have in front of us is this week now, and then again, getting everybody ready for our backs against the wall and for the long haul and the stretch. Just knowing that every game matters at this point, we've done what we did to this point, and really [we're] just knowing that division games are upon us, games after the bye [week] are upon us, and we put our backs against the wall to see what we're made of."
On if the leaders speaking this week were driving home that message: "For sure. I go back to the point of everybody just being honest with themselves, whether you're in the film room, whether you're in the team meeting – offense, defense [and] position meetings. Your leaders are speaking up and really just telling everybody it's time to kick it into gear now."
On the offense without QB Lamar Jackson and if the offense takes more responsibility this week if he can't play: "Everybody knows how special Lamar [Jackson] is and how much easier he makes everybody's job out there, so not having him, everybody that's out there just understands that you just got to pick up a bigger job responsibility out there [and] make those plays. [Sometimes] you're banking on Lamar to be making those plays [and] making your job a little easier. Now, it's, 'OK, if Lamar's not out there, just make that play for yourself.' It's just showing everybody that you just have to grow up faster not having one of those special leaders out there."
On the windy and rainy weather forecasted for Sunday's game: "Good. I'm not worried about [any] weather. Let's play football."
On how important it is to win and get momentum heading into the bye week: "It would be huge, just getting a win, and then understanding, 'OK, now we're in the win column. How do we keep building upon this? How do we stay in this column down the long haul stretches to show everybody [how] the Ravens are really playing."
