HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "Good seeing everybody here. ... What questions do you have?"
Didn't see WR DeAndre Hopkins. (*Jonas Shaffer)* "He'll be OK. He kind of fell on his knee – his leg – yesterday on that sideline play. So just probably [out of] an abundance of caution, I just held [DeAndre Hopkins] out today."
There has been a lot of talk the last couple of days on the Internet about the Ravens' record in one-score games in particular. Wondering if you guys look at that for the upcoming season and for a broader context, for a very successful organization, would you like to get better in one-score games? (*Ken McKusick)* "I think we're really good in one-score games. If you look at the stat that I just saw two days ago, we're dominant in one-score games. We've lost a couple, but we've won a ton of one-score games. Look at Lamar's [Jackson] record in one-score games. Look at our record in two-score games over the last number of years. So, one-score games, two-score games ... We win a lot of football games."
Going back to the spring, a rookie free agent we haven't asked you about, CB Reuben Lowery. We've seen him play some corner; we've seen him play some safety. What stood out to you about him? He seems to be around the football a lot and making plays. (*Luke Jones)* "He is. He's doing a great job. Reuben is 'all ball.' He's 'all ball' every day. All he thinks about, all he talks about, eats it, sleeps it. He comes out here and flies around. He's a very smart player. He is doing a nice job."
Is RB Keaton Mitchell the kind of guy that coaches talk about expanding a role for in the offense? (*Gerry Sandusky)* "Yes, he looks great. He looks really good. He got one around the right side today. You saw the speed. He's doing all of the things really well. I just want to keep seeing him grow through the rest of [training] camp, but it looks like he's back – as far as all the things you're talking about, the speed and the explosiveness. It sure looks like it's back."
Obviously, it was a good year for OLB Kyle Van Noy last year. What have you seen that gives you the confidence that he can defy the age thing again? (*Sam Cohn)* "He looks good. He's out here making plays again, and I don't know what the 'age thing' is so I can't answer 'defying it' and what that would really mean. You just go by what you see, and guys play until they can't. He's playing great. Some guys can't play anymore. When I was 21, I couldn't play, but I probably couldn't play before that, either. I could never play. So, guys play as long as they can, generally, and then they don't. He's still playing really at a high level. All these other narratives, the age narrative, the one-score narrative – it's all nothing. It's all nothing."
K John Hoyland was wearing a Go Pro on the kick. Is that new? Or what do you get out of that? (*Bo Smolka)* "It's a little bit new. We see what he's looking at, for one thing, but we also see his foot placement from that angle. I was just watching that with [senior special teams coach] Randy [Brown] the other day, and there's a certain type of an angle that you want to have the plant foot, and you want to have the kicking foot on the ball. You can see it from that angle better than anywhere. I think it helps the kickers with that, too, but it's kind of cool to see."
WR Zay Flowers played more in the slot last year a lot more last year compared to his rookie year. WR DeAndre Hopkins and WR Rashod Bateman are in the fold, too. Do you expect that to continue to increase this season? What do you like about it? (*Sam Jane)* "I think it's impossible to say. They're going to be in different spots. We do a lot of motions, a lot of quarterback-driven stuff. We motion in; we motion out; we motion across. You can start outside and come in and take a handoff. 'D-Hop' [DeAndre Hopkins]'s been in the slot quite a bit also. I feel like you're going to see guys in different spots. We had our tight ends outside today. You may have seen that. Guys will play in different spots."
With OLB David Ojabo, it has been kind of up and down with him since he was drafted. What do you need to see from him to show that he can be a consistent part of this defense? (*Cordell Woodland)* "I think David [Ojabo] being on the field consistently will be the key. He didn't play at all his first year. Last year, he got a little bit 'nicked up.' I think he's healthy, stronger than he has ever been. He looks great out here the first two days [of training camp]. I expect him to play great. This guy's a highly touted player, and the narrative that has been pushed by some in this circle and the words that have been used are just insulting. The guy busts his butt, and he's a [heck] of a player. I expect him to have a great year."
There's a lot of league-wide talk about the preseason and how much to play starters. Do you guys look at that every year to make that decision especially when you see the first part of your schedule and know what type of competition you have out of the box? (*Jeff Zrebiec)* "Yes, we do."
Do you anticipate to go about the preseason differently? (*Cordell Woodland)* "I'll just say that we have a plan right now. I have a plan for it. I think I know what I want to do, but it's still two weeks away, then three weeks away, then four weeks away before we play these games. There's a lot of water to go under the bridge still. So I kind of want to see probably where we're at when we get closer to it, but we think about that stuff very closely. [It is] probably going to be a more appropriate question when we get closer to the first game than it is now, because I just couldn't answer it now. I wouldn't know."
Do you have a rough idea of what K Tyler Loop's Training Camp schedule is going to look like? I know it was kind of off-and-on during OTAs and minicamp. (*Jonas Shaffer)* "Yes, we have it all laid out. He'll be out there tomorrow. I know that. We've got a certain rotation for the deals, and we're not putting out a schedule though. So, you guys will be here every day anyway, right? You come every day, right?"
I just don't remember seeing a kicker have the off/on schedule. (*Jonas Shaffer)* "You didn't see [Justin] Tucker [kick every day] last year or the year before or the year before that. You were here, right? He never kicked every day."
CB JAIRE ALEXANDER
On his initial impressions of Baltimore and the Ravens organization: "I'm in love. What can I say? The weather is great. The fans are great. The city is great, so I think I'm in a great place."
On the value of playing for a team with such a storied history, especially on the defensive side of the ball: "It's actually an amazing feeling. Defenses win championships. Defenses win championships, so I'm in the right place to do that."
On the biggest lessons he learned while playing for the Green Bay Packers: "I think looking back to Green Bay, I made a lot of long-lasting relationships there. I [have] nothing but love for the city. I think I just want to move forward and focus on how I can excel here and how we can get that Super Bowl."
On if his relationship with QB Lamar Jackson swayed his decision to play in Baltimore: "[Lamar Jackson] is my boy. [We're on a] first name, last name basis. So, it's funny. We were always talking about [playing together again], so it is crazy how God works and brought us together. So, I'm happy."
On if he would have come to Baltimore if QB Lamar Jackson was not on the team: "That'd be tough, man. I probably would have explored more options, but that's my boy, and I want to win with him."
On his pass defensed yesterday after a sideline pass thrown by QB Lamar Jackson and if he thinks Lamar was testing him in practice: "Yes. [Lamar Jackson] threw a back-shoulder [pass]. He tried to throw a back-shoulder on me with 'D-Hop' [DeAndre Hopkins], so I had to give him a little jazz about that. I said, 'Come on, man. I know it's my first day, but it's still me, you know what I mean? It's still me.' But it's always fun, we can joke like that."
On if the Baltimore Ravens playoff potential was a part of the reason he decided to sign with the team: "In any NFL career, the span isn't that long, so the time is now to win, always. So, I always want to put myself in that position. And then, I always want to uplift the team however I can. So, however I can make this defense better and this team better, that's what I'm here to do."
On his physical health and how he is currently feeling: "Physically, I'm great. I'm out there practicing, and I can't thank God enough."
On what he thinks he brings to this defense: "First off, I'm going to bring that energy and that juice, so everything else will fall into place. But I'm going to bring the energy, and I'm going to bring the juice. [The rest] you will see."
On his excitement about playing with this secondary unit and where he sees himself fitting into it: "Man, I love the secondary. I love the potential that we have. Marlon [Humphrey] is a dog, he's been here. I love watching Marlon play. I love being around him. I thought I was weird, but I don't know, he might [have] me beat." (laughter) "I love it. It is fun, everybody is cool ,and we all gel really well together."
On his versatility and willingness to play more passing downs: "I'm embracing any role here. Like I said, my goal, and I know the team's goal, is to win the Super Bowl, so however we can do that."
On what he did this offseason to prepare for training camp in Baltimore: "The first day I was here, everyone was stressing the conditioning tests, and I'm like, 'Oh, God.' So, I just started running. The next day I was running, and I ran the day after, so I've just been getting in shape for this kind of camp. This is different."
On his experience so far working with defensive coordinator Zach Orr and the other members of the defensive coaching staff: "Yes, 'Z.O.' [Zach Orr] is so cool. He's down to earth, relatable and somebody you can talk to. And then the defense, man, it is so complex. The guys who [are covering] up front are going to make the job easier in the back end."
On if he was still weighing his options when he came to Baltimore to visit the Ravens facility: "Well, vibes never lie. I am big on energy and energy exchange, so I got good vibes here, and it seemed like they wanted me here, and they cared. So, that played the biggest part in it."
On his excitement about matching up against the wide receivers in the AFC North: "I'm super excited. Iron sharpens iron, and I want the best. I want the best, and I can't even explain how excited I am about the opportunity to face these guys."
On his conversation with TE Mark Andrews after not getting to match up against each other during a one-on-one team drill: "Yes, that's what we were talking about. I wanted one more, just one more rep."
On if QB Lamar Jackson ever mentions the time he hurdled over him during the Ravens vs. Green Bay Packers game in 2019: "No, he doesn't talk about that." (laughter) "Thank God. Thank God."
On the difference he's noticed in Ravens training camp: "We work hard here; we work really hard. Not to say I didn't work hard before, but the workouts are intense, very intense. It's something I haven't been a part of [before]. The atmosphere, the practice, [it goes at] such a fast tempo. We get after it here."
On if he has the Week 17 game against the Packers circled on his calendar: "No. I circle every week. Everybody's going to get it."
On the culture of the Ravens organization: "There's definitely a different culture here. I would say there's definitely a different culture. Heck, my head coach [John Harbaugh] squats 400 pounds, let's give it up for him. But no, like I said, I had a great time in Green Bay, but I'm here just to move forward."
CB MARLON HUMPHREY
On what it's been like practicing alongside CB Jaire Alexander: "It's been great. [Jaire Alexander] is a confident guy, so it is pretty fun to practice with him. We communicated over the break just talking about each other's game. He was watching some of the Steelers tape, I guess, when I attempted to fight a couple of linemen. He was like, 'I really like that. I love that.' So, he's a guy who I think is going to be really fun to play with. We've been talking kind of me playing nickel, he's playing corner and how I play things. So it has been exciting, but what I like the most is just his swag to the game. I think confidence is the biggest key you can have at cornerback, and I think you can never have too much confidence, I think, at corner, and some of the guys that don't have enough, anyone can add something to it, including myself. So, I think he's a perfect fit for our secondary."
On if he thinks he's 'weirder' than CB Jaire Alexander: "Yes, I was told we were quite similar in the past, but [Jaire Alexander] may or may not have changed his practice attire because of me yesterday. I think he was like, 'Why'd you cut your shorts?' I was like, 'Honestly bro, I don't even know.' So, he's a pretty weird guy. We do the early morning lift at 6:00 AM. It's about eight of us, and he's like, 'Man, I need a speaker right here as loud as can be.' And I [think] we are not alike in that aspect at 6:00 AM, but he's a cool guy. We're both, I would say, on a little bit of the strange side, but we're really gelling well."
On the inspiration behind the early morning wakeups: "We're already starting our day at 7:00 AM, but I guess [for] a couple guys, we want to get going as soon as possible. I'm an early-morning guy anyway, so it worked. It kind of has come back from a couple years ago when I was younger, kind of that 'Breakfast Club' lift, so it's been good. If you don't come in there at 6:00 AM on the dot or 6:01 AM, you've got to go back. You've got to wait for the 7:00 AM group, so you'd better get up early because we're looking at the clock waiting on it to be 6:00, and we had to send somebody back. But I love the 'Breakfast Club' lift."
On who is leading the 'Breakfast Club' lift: "[Eric Weddle] was leading them [in the past]. Now, it is a combination between me, 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman] and Zay [Flowers] kind of leading that early group. Yes, Weddle, I think I was maybe Year One or Two, and they were kicking you out at 5:59 AM and I'm like, 'Dude, it's not even six yet.' So, we all wait until 6:00 AM [and] 59 seconds before we kick somebody out, but it's always good being on time. We're trying to create an environment where everything matters. 6:01 AM, does it really matter? No. But does it? Yes. So, it's kind of just another thing we're trying to do. Everything matters. Accountability is going to be the key to the season."
On if he mentioned the 'Breakfast Club' lift to CB Jaire Alexander: "Yes, the first day we were like, 'What time are we doing it?' Everybody [said] 6:00 AM. So right now, it's about seven or eight guys. A couple guys fell out after Day One, but it is good. We'll keep it going and it's fun."
On how he has dealt with high internal and external expectations over the years: "I don't know. I think I usually try to stay away from expectations for the most part. I think [in] the NFL, I don't think you can really predict what is going to happen. You just try to put your head down and work. I know when I first got here, obviously the Ravens defense, I felt like teams feared what we did. Now, we are trying to get that back, but I mean I don't think the Bengals fear our defense. I don't think the Steelers fear our defense. So those expectations, when it's in your own division, people kind of like, 'Sweet, we play the Ravens.' I think whatever expectations are put upon us, it doesn't really phase me, it doesn't really phase this team. So, to me, expectations are just something, a talking point I guess amongst the media."
On if he feels like they are on the right track to getting their standard back these first few days of training camp: "I think, based off what we're seeing defensively, guys are really running to the ball like it means something. I try to use an analogy that, well, there currently is a brick wall behind me, but if you told me to take off running, just turn around and take off running, you shouldn't look and see that there's a brick wall behind you. You should just run directly into the wall. And I know for a fact Roquan [Smith] plays like that. I'm trying to add that to my game, and I think if we can get nine guys doing that, I think we'll be a good defense. But if we can get 11 guys doing that to where it could be a cliff behind you, you just turn around, and we all go into the cliff together. I think if that mindset ... because hustling and running to the ball – that's something everybody can do. And I think if someone throws a screen, and big Travis Jones is coming [with] 300 pounds [on] him, all that, no wide receiver is going to either want to do a juke or whatever and get down. So, I think that's something that I've seen early on that I think if we can keep building on, that will be a great defense."
On how much of a conversation turnovers have been amongst the defense: "That's the biggest one. I think that we had a great day yesterday – we had a good day yesterday – but ultimately ,we had zero turnovers, and if you're just [looking at] percentages to win a game, [they] go extremely low if you don't have a turnover. So that's kind of the key. I know everybody [here at Training Camp] wants to see Lamar [Jackson] throw his little touchdowns, but we're trying to get the ball and then obviously [we have] no pads on, but force fumbles, we're trying to get attempts on air, but turnovers are, by far, the biggest thing that is being preached. Basically, practice is kind of graded. Did everyone do their job? That's one piece and you can check all the boxes, but if the turnover box isn't checked, it wasn't too good of a practice."
On what has stuck out to him about CB Chidobe Awuzie so far: "I've enjoyed 'Chido' [Chidobe Awuzie], as well. We both were drafted in that same draft class. I saw a lot of the work he put in in Cincinnati over the years, but he's a really smart player. That's something that I've been really surprised with. 'Chido,' 'Ja' [Jaire Alexander], they're really smart players. I think it is hard to stick around the league at cornerback for a long time without having some smarts to you, but they're very intelligent, and it does take a little bit of time to kind of figure out how guys operate. You give them a call, did they understand the call? They give you the call, did I understand the call? I know Kyle [Hamilton] knows, I know Nate [Wiggins]. If Kyle gives me the call, he can just tell by my face if I understood the call, if I know what I'm supposed to be doing. So that's kind what we'll work through in camp to figure those things out, figure out one another, and man, this secondary, I'm really excited for that group of guys that 'EDC' [executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta] brought in, and I just think the sky is really the limit for us."
On if he's concerned about the state of things regarding the NFLPA given all that has been in the news lately: "Lucky for me, I got to enjoy my family time over the break, and I let Ronnie [Stanley] do all the [NFLPA] calls. So, I was checking in with him to see if he was going to be able to be on the calls, and so I'm not fully in the loop. Some of the news was a little surprising. Speaking with [former NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell], I know he had great plans for the [NFLPA]. We spoke many times at the annual NFLPA meeting. We spoke at the NFLPA golf tournament. I really liked the vision he had for the NFLPA. I know some things happened, but I do think he had the right mindset at heart, and obviously what happens next from all this stuff, it'll be discussed, and it'll be figured out, but I think we'll get somebody that'll represent us and represent us really well."
On the interception by S Malaki Starks during today's practice: "Yes, I'm not really sure exactly. It was a little weird. I don't know. It did count. It definitely counted, but I don't know. It was kind of weird. Lamar [Jackson] was mad. I don't know really what happened. It was very weird. Everybody did stop, including myself, so I don't know if we were tired or what, but anyway, it did count. Shout out to Malaki [Starks]. Shout out to Malaki."
On who the eight guys who were part of the 'Breakfast Club' lift session were and on who is the biggest morning person: "For sure Jaire Alexander. Like I said, he wants music blasting. He said, 'I need a speaker right here.' I was like, 'We've got them in the ceiling.' He said, 'No, I need the boombox right by here, right in my ear,' and I'm like, 'Alright, that's different.' But the eight [guys], honestly, it's pretty early. I couldn't even tell you honestly who the eight people are, but we're in there working early. I could not tell you honestly. I really could not tell you everybody that's in there because there's our group, a couple of the bigs, mids, there's a couple of people in every group from different groups. And then 'Harbs' [head coach John Harbaugh] is in there 'getting swole' early in the morning, so he's usually finishing up his deal, and if you had some plays that you messed up on, 'Harbs' is there to tell you right there at 6:00 AM, so it is good to get your workout in, get humbled early in the morning and then go about your workout."
OLB KYLE VAN NOY
On his growth throughout the years: "I'm in Year 12, so that's different. I know what I'm doing; that's different, and honestly, I'm just trying to still get better. This will be my third season here, comfortably, and then just getting better at the pass rushing stuff. [I'm] always working to get better. I felt like I did a lot of good things last year, and I led the team in sacks, QB hits [and] think TFLs. There's so many more plays to be made to help the team out, but also help other guys out — not just myself— just helping the team get better, insert myself a little bit more, just [getting] more comfortable as a team and hungry to get back to where we keep failing, which is the playoffs. We got to get off to a hot start this year. When I got here, we didn't have a hot start, and last year we didn't have a hot start, so we're just trying to get off to a hot start and keep that momentum all through the season. So, it starts now. It started way back in the spring, but it starts even more now."
On what he thinks the defense's talent and potential is to be able to show in multiple looks and be successful: "Ask me that a couple of weeks into the season. I'll be able to answer it better. It's still way too early. On paper, we got some guys, but it doesn't mean [expletive] if we don't play together. We had guys last year that were talented, and we didn't work out as well as we did right in the beginning. We got it together towards the end of the season, but we're way beyond that. We're at a new ground, and we're all hungry. I think this group is determined to right the wrongs that we've had. We've felt like we've let some games slip, and we just got to knock it off, just in general as a team. I think with [head coach John] Harbaugh, the way he's been coaching us and the players receiving what he's saying and then going out for the first two days, I think you're going to continue to see progress through this training camp. We're just going to continue to get better. I think everybody's on that right page, but on paper it's fine, but we'll see when we put it together."
On what role pass rush coach Chuck Smith plays in helping get the sack production out of the players every year: "That's [Chuck Smith's] role as a pass rush coach, as a D-line coach, is to get the most out of us. I think nowadays everybody reads social media and sees [information] and gets tagged. I get tagged in all sorts of stuff nowadays, so I see it. For me, personally, I just like to continue to prove the people in my circle right, that have believed in me, as well as myself. I've always been very underrated, valuable, and so I wanted to bring that and continue to do that here. As a group, collectively, you just have a lot of guys with that same mindset. Odafe [Oweh], [Tavius] Robinson, [David] Ojabo — I mean he looks really good — Mike Green, add him, and the other young guys in the room. We're just going to continue to get better at the outside and then can't forget those guys in the middle. Travis Jones and Nnamdi [Madubuike] are special. They're a special duo to me. I think they're the best duo in the league. They're not talked about enough. I mean if you go watch the first couple games when 'Trav' was healthy, you could argue he was just as dominant as Dexter Lawrence out there. If you really watched the film, he was that dominant. Hopefully he's learned from what he can do to stay healthy. I know he got nicked up there and kind of battled through a whole season and still played really good. But just those guys that I mentioned, the group's been together for three years now. We've just got to continue to raise that bar to the next level."
On how much the little details and fundamentals ultimately matter: "It really matters. It matters a lot, especially when you get later into the season. When you get into the playoffs, those little details need to be executed at a high level. You can't just talk about it. You have to be about it every single day. I think we're doing that. I think we've been doing that. I think we've just had a couple lax situations that have ultimately have bit us in the butt, and we just got to knock it off, like I said earlier, and I think with the group that we have, with the leaders that we have and the quarterback we have, I think we'll be in good shape, and I know everybody's sick of hearing that. It's easy to say, but at the same time, it's hard to do. It's hard to continue to get back to where we were. It's all hard. We've just got to continue to, like you said, figure out those details, iron those out, and then when the lights are the brightest, perform."
On if he's thought about how much longer he wants to play football and how much the season he had last year plays a role in that: "That's a good question. To be honest, it's been an interesting offseason, but I'm here. It's good. I'm just grateful to be with my teammates. Honestly, I would love to celebrate with my family. That would be a cool experience with my kids getting to that last game, but obviously I'm not LeBron [James] and Steph Curry, but the end is closer than the beginning, right? I know that. I think everybody knows that, but I can play as long as I want to. That's my mindset. I thought about a lot this offseason, and I'm just grateful to continue to play. My body is still good, and I can still play at a high level. I really think I'm one of the best in the league. My stats show it the last two years. I'm Top 10 in a lot of stuff. I still go under the radar, which is fine. I've just got to keep waking people up, and I'm grateful to do it with people that feel the same way, that have the same mindset. I expect a lot of big things from our defense after the performance we had entirely last year [that] wasn't up to the standard that was set way before I was here, and we just want make that amend and make sure 'Z.O.' [defensive coordinator Zach Orr] is happy with the product that he continues to want us to put on the field, too."
On if he thought about retiring this offseason: "I wouldn't go into that. There's just other situations where I feel like I'm very valuable, and some people think I'm more valuable than others."
On if he's taken the time in the offseason to think about why the team hasn't achieved the goals of winning the Super Bowl: "We could be here all day talking about that. I don't like bringing up the past, but we didn't play well enough on both sides of the football. Defensively, [if] you go back and look at the Chiefs game, we got outperformed in the first half, and we turned the ball over. [In] the Buffalo game, we didn't perform well enough, offensively and defensively, in the first half, which ended up not helping us at the end of the game. So, if we just continue to play complementary football, which we do a majority of the season, if we continue to do that each and every game and stack, I think we'll put a better performance in the postseason. The coaches do a great job of getting us ready. Us players, [the] leadership, we are on the same page, but just with the right mindset every single time and be cohesive and execute at a high level during the high-pressure games."
On the secret to being able to play at a high level for this long: "I think my mindset is just different. I'm part of the old school cloth. I'm just built differently than a lot of these kids nowadays, and I play for a lot bigger purpose than myself. I'm on God's team, and I play for my family. My story is pretty different than others. A lot of people nowadays get gifted stuff from when they were little all the way on. I didn't go to camps. I didn't have the typical upbringing you do in sports nowadays, where people do all the sorts of stuff for their kids to make it to this level. My parents, they live on a little farm, and they were supportive, but football wasn't everything in our family, but it was everything to me. So, any chance that I had to be able to showcase and take whatever stuff I had off the field to perform on the field, that's something that I took pride in, and that's what I still take pride in [to] this day."
