HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "OK, it's good seeing everybody. I appreciate everybody being here. [Today was a] big practice for us. [We were] padded [and practiced] a lot of situational football [and] a lot of physicality. [It was a] very important practice in camp, and everybody handle it exceptionally well. [I am] very pleased with where we're at. This is an important week for us. We have one more big day, although tomorrow we'll be in shells, but it'll also be a camp practice to try to continue to improve. We think this is the improvement week. This is the opportunity week in camp, to really build the base under your football team. I feel like the guys did that, so [I'm] happy with that. What questions do you have?"
Yesterday having Michael Phelps at practice. How did that come about? How did he do in the post-practice talk with the team? (Jamison Hensley) "Well, [there were] two talks. [They] probably will be online, I would think, if not [they are not] already. But [we had] Michael [Phelps] and Ray [Lewis] – it was amazing. I was looking around at the faces of the players. If I had a mirror, I think my face would've been the same. Just listening to these two guys – we had two of the, arguably, the greatest ever – the greatest ever to do what they do, in history. That's pretty rare. And they're standing right next to each other on the same field. Rasheen Ali said to me, he said, 'Yes, and Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry and Roquan Smith and Marlon Humphrey.' He named it off right in that group, and it kind of opens your eyes a little bit. And then the words that they shared with the guys were just, they were just so spot on. It's all the things that our guys, they know, [and] they believe in. And to hear them reinforced and put in such terms; in terms that the guys are very vulnerable about. They kind of talked about their careers a little bit. It was a once in a lifetime [moment]."
In terms of the event itself that went on afterwards, was that a team bonding thing? And I think a lot of people take it for granted that everyone knows how to swim. (Jerry Coleman) "It ended up being a team bonding thing. It really wasn't a planned team bonding thing. And I have found over the years, that the planned team bonding things – they don't really work. They're not really real. The best team bonding things are the things that you just kind of find yourself doing together, spending time together, having fun, having a meal, [or] whatever it might be. And I guess swimming and jumping off the high dive and doing cannonballs ... I didn't think there were too many cannonballs off the [really] high dive. Most of the guys [just jumped off and were] trying to survive that one. But I was pretty impressed with guys getting up there on that high board, from what I saw on video. I wasn't there in person. I saw the video of Travis Jones learning how to swim. I thought that was really cool. It's good. And now, if they didn't know how to swim, now they're more confident, and they can maybe instill that confidence in their kids going forward. It's a neat thing. [I give] credit to Michael [Phelps] for doing it."
No dives made you hold your breath, though? (Jerry Coleman) "No, I didn't see enough of them. Well, I got the injury report afterwards. Everybody was healthy, so we're fine."
You talked about going over situations in practice. We actually saw you practice a free kick at the end of half situation. How many guys do you have to even explain that exists to? That's a pretty obscure back-of-the-rule-book kind of thing. (Luke Jones) "It really is. And we did. We explained it to them in the spring. We explained it to them again, now. [Director of football strategy/assistant quarterbacks coach] Daniel Stern does a great job. He showed a couple clips [where] that's happened. The Los Angeles Chargers, [it] happened for them last year. We showed that one. I was always very jealous of [Los Angeles Chargers head coach] Jim [Harbaugh], because I always figured as a special teams guy, I would get that first. Then he gets it first. It's like he always does; he gets the first things. But yes, I think the guys have done a good job with situational football though."
Another situational football question, because I think that all these special situations that come up, you can't possibly practice it all. How do you prepare your players or how do you expect them to be prepared in terms of on-field game management decisions that come up naturally? (Ken McKusick) "Well, it's a great question, and it really is a challenge, but we do try to practice them all. We try to review them all. We try to show tape of them all, so they can see TV copy. Then they see it in real time, see how it plays out in real time and get an understanding of how it comes about. We also practiced the hurry-up field goal. We call it the 'Bonsai' field goal [and] today, because it came up in practice at the end, so we went ahead and practiced it with the third offense. And I don't think it's probably going to come up, but it could, [and] now they've been through it. So, you try to get it all practiced as much as you can. And then when it comes up during the course of the season with other teams, you always show it to them and review it with them and try to remind them about it."
A follow-up that is really specific on that – in times where you don't score, and a player has to make that judgment call. A few years ago in a Chicago game, [Darnell] Mooney scored a touchdown. He kneeled inside the 10. They win in that football game 98% of the time. How about that situation? (Ken McKusick) "We work it, we've worked it already a couple of times this year. We say get down at the 5[-yard line]. And the reason we say get down at the 5[-yard line] is because if you carry past the 5[-yard line], your momentum may bring you in. And we've seen that happen in history. So, that's an alert. And the way we do it is there are one word or they're phrases or terms that tell the guys – in the huddle in real time – we'll say, 'Alert Bonsai' or 'Alert, get down, clock it, alert, get down, timeout,' whatever it might be to remind the guys. And it should, hopefully, put the whole picture in their head about what they're supposed to do."
We saw DL Travis Jones kind of dominating some of those pass rush drills at the very end. What have you seen from him, in terms of taking a step into the season compared to last year? (Nikhil Mehta) "Well, I'm excited about him. I think he's ready to roll. He's had a great couple years of preparation. He tweaked his ankle last year; he had the high-ankle [sprain]. He played through it [and] did a great job. And for him to play on that severe of a high-ankle sprain and played the way he did, [it] was incredible. So now he's healthy, and [I pray that] he stays healthy, but he's had a great camp."
You called this an improvement week, an opportunity week. Going into the second preseason game, what have you seen from your receiving corps in camp along those lines, taking steps towards improvement? (Matt Lombardo) "That's such a great question. The little things. For instance, the deep balls. We try to hold a line vertically away from the sideline to create room for the quarterback and try to stack the corner. I've seen them do that better this week. You saw a couple of those plays out here today, depth of route running, spacing against zone coverage, things like that are really – they are starting to get pretty sharp, and you wonder why all of a sudden the passing game maybe looks better and better. And then you see it's the details of the route running a lot of times."
We'll be talking to QB Cooper Rush soon. What have you seen from him in training camp so far? (Jamison Hensley) "Cooper Rush, he is a professional. He's a pro. [He] operates the offense well, makes great decisions, handles the protections, gets the ball out on time. [He is an] accurate passer. I think he's a winning quarterback. You see that every day in practice. It's pretty hard to stack quarterbacks up next to Lamar Jackson, but we do that. We always make those comparisons. But the important thing for Cooper is to be Cooper and do the things that he does so well and win games for you playing that way. I think he's had a really good camp."
Do you think he'll play another quarter or so again against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday? (Jonas Shaffer) "We kind of have a plan for that, but I'd rather wait until the game before we commit to that and just kind of see how it plays out. But we do have a plan for that. And I would think he'll get more throws and more reps than he had the last game, for sure."
For this upcoming game, you thought by today you might know the decision as far as QB Lamar Jackson or RB Derrick Henry, a lot of the players that did not play in that first preseason game, will they also not play in the second? (Jamison Hensley) "Right. Our plan is [to have] the same guys that didn't play at all in the last game [also] not play in this game."
ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/RUNNING BACKS COACH WILLIE TAGGART
How are you working with offensive coordinator Todd Monken to try and figure out how the snaps and those touches between your running backs are going to get divided up? (Nikhil Mehta) "Well, I think when it comes to Derrick [Henry] and Justice [Hill], we have a good rotation going. Derrick's our normal-down back, and Justice is our third-down back. And as the game goes and Derrick needs a [break], we know Justice can go in. And then when it comes to Keaton [Mitchell], he's so unique in the things that he can do, and each week we try to find different ways to get him the football, so he can do his thing. It was great to see him back to himself last week [in the game vs. Indianapolis]."
In terms of RB Derrick Henry expanding what he does or branching out in some way, what do you kind of see for him in Year Two in this offense? What he might do that we didn't see last year? (Kyle Goon) "Well, I think as you saw, towards the latter part of the season, you started to see [Derrick Henry's] game get better. I think that's because he got comfortable with our offense and understanding the things that we wanted him to do, and so going into Year Two, I think [that] everything we asked him to do, I think you'll see it on a higher level than what it was before because he's more comfortable with what we're asking him to do now. And Derrick practices like a pro. He practices like he's a rookie, and he wants to be better. He doesn't want to be the same, so we expect for him to be a lot better. I expect for him to be a lot better, [for one] because he knows the offense so much better."
Did RB Derrick Henry ever invite you out to those hillsides in Texas to wear the chains and run up the hill? (Kyle Goon) "No, I think Derrick [Henry] knows the answer he's going to get if he asks me that. I like looking at him on social media knowing that he's out there working." (laughter)
You coached WR LaJohntay Wester in college. Was his punt return TD vs. Indianapolis something you envisioned was going to happen? (Ryan Mink) "I knew [LaJohntay Wester] was going to come and impress people by the way he played. I'll tell you what was cool about the other night was, that day, LaJohntay and I were sitting in a meeting, and I asked him, I was like, 'So, what do you think about the city? What do you think about Baltimore?' He's like, 'Coach [Taggart], I'm going to introduce myself to the city tonight.' And so when he got that punt return, I was like, 'Oh, you've got to be kidding me. You did surely that by introducing yourself with that punt return.' So, that was pretty cool. He kind of spoke it into existence, but that's what he does. He is been doing that since Day One when we recruited him [to Florida Atlantic]. Nobody recruited him, and we got him, and from Day One, he just showed he was a heck of a football player."
A lot of people always talk about RB Derrick Henry's signature stiff arm. How strong of a weapon is that, especially for defenders to defend even though they know it's probably coming sometimes? (Jamison Hensley) "Well, once you see [Derrick Henry] in person, you can understand if he put those paws on you, there's going to be trouble. So, I think once he showed it on film once, everybody else knows that can happen when they come up in there. So, I think sometimes there's some business decisions whether to tackle him or not. But again, Derrick is such a unique player. He's big, physical, he's strong, and he's got good feet like a little guy. And that's tough [to defend], because he can run through you, he can run around you, he can make you miss, and not many people can do that."
With RB Keaton Mitchell, it looked like in OTAs also earlier in training camp, he took a lot of harder contact than some of the other running backs. And I still hear people talking about the need for him to be tackled a few more times. Where are you on that? (Ken McKusick) "Well, first of all, I think Keaton [Mitchell] is back to himself. I think [during] the latter part of last year, he was still trying to get used to his knee, getting a good feel for the game again, and having this offseason has been big for him, and he's stronger than what he was before. He seems faster. And I think right now for Keaton, he's running the ball more physically, so when he runs in there, he's not running like a little guy. He's running with power. So, I think a lot of that power and hitting is him hitting the defender, rather than the defender necessarily hitting him at times. But, I think his knee is strong. He's shown throughout training camp that it is strong and ready to go, and I think we'll see the old Keaton."
We'll talk to RB Justice Hill in a few minutes*. What ways have you seen him evolve?* (Carita Parks) "First of all, I told you all before; I call [Justice Hill] the 'Junkyard dog,' because he does everything for us, and he does it at an elite level. Justice knows his role, and he plays his role to the best of his ability. He's been great, not just as a player, but as a teammate and bringing other guys along. I think he helped Derrick [Henry] adjust last year when he came in to a new team, and Justice was right there with him. I personally say he was a big part of helping Derrick with his success and integrating with the team. He's what you're looking for in a football player and a teammate. He's a heck of a football player. You saw last year, just when he got the ball, he made the best of the opportunities when they came, and that's what you want from guys. When that opportunity comes, you step up and take advantage of it. Justice does that every single day. He takes pride in it. That guy is coming to work every day with a smile on his face. When I say every day, [I mean] every day, and it's great to be around."
You mentioned RB Keaton Mitchell being back to himself. Was there a point in this offseason or in training camp where you first saw or first felt confident like "Yes, that's the Keaton Mitchell I remember and know he can be." (Nikhil Mehta) "Yes, when I saw [Keaton Mitchell] run past a couple of NFL players like they're in college. I was like, 'Yes, he's back.' I saw him do that before his rookie year [injury], running around some guys, and I saw that in training camp, as well. It's good to see that. That was a brutal injury. He was having a heck of a season, and then last year, [we started] sprinkling him in there a little bit. It was good to see him back to himself now. It's really good to see him walk around with confidence now, smiling and talking and joking like he normally [does]. He's back to himself now, and that's good for all of us."
How is RB Keaton Mitchell coming along as a pass protector in the pocket? What have you seen out of him in terms of that? (Nikhil Mehta) "[Keaton Mitchell is] much better, much better. Again, his rookie year, he didn't have that opportunity to do that. He's so much stronger than what he was his rookie year. He has a better understanding of how to do those things. He wouldn't actually do that a lot in college, and now, you have a better understanding of how to do it now. Now, he's doing it with great technique and with confidence, and that's more than anything. [When] you're blocking in the NFL, you have to have confidence, and he's able to do that now, and he can have confidence because he knows what to do. He knows the play. He's not thinking a lot. He can go out and just play, and that's development. He's developed to become a better pass blocker as well."
We've talked to head coach John Harbaugh about the new grading system and how you guys can see the grades in the meeting rooms. Have you gotten any feedback from players on what it's been like? (Jamison Hensley) "You hear it every day. When they walk in the meeting room, the first thing they do is look up on the board, and they joke on each other, whether you're up there at the top or at the bottom. It's been a heck of a thing where the guys have really bought into it. For me personally, it's been great, because it's fundamentals. It is how you play the game. Our guys are taking pride in doing the little things, the little fundamentals [and] technique, and they don't like when they get bad grades. That's what you love. As a coach, [with] a lot of things, you don't have to say it. They're mad at themselves, so the next day, they'll go out and make sure that they get better. We're seeing it. We're seeing the results of the guys out there trying to do the things that we ask. We see those guys out there [playing] what we call winning football. They're out there playing winning football, and I personally think it's going to make a difference with this football team this year."
RB JUSTICE HILL
On if he feels a difference on this training camp versus previous ones: "No. I think each camp kind of gets a little bit easier because you know what they expect. But we [are] going to get it in; we're going to get some work in, that's a fact here. So, it has been a great camp, and [I] got some good work [in]. [And] getting to see all the young guys [and] what they bring to the table. And then, for us, it's getting better as a room. So, it's been a fun training camp. I can't complain."
On RB Keaton Mitchell joining the unit again since his injury: "Keaton [Mitchell], he had to work really, really hard to get back from that gruesome injury. And last year was [his] first year trying to get back to it, but he worked his butt off this offseason, and he's getting back to himself. So, it's going to be fun to see what we all do out there when we get going when the season comes around, so I've been proud of his journey, just how he came to work every single day, [and] came [in] with a smile. I know there's a lot of tough days in there, and he made those tough days good."
On if he misses playing on special teams: "I'm not going to lie. I actually do kind of miss it. It kind gave me my foundation, gave me a start, gave me a chance. Without special teams, I probably wouldn't [have] been here for too long, and so special teams has a special place of my heart. So yes, I'm going to miss it, but it's kind of nice being off of it too, so I'm not complaining."
On what it was like to be a young player knowing there is an upcoming roster cut: "Whenever I'm talking to guys and they talking about it, I just try to tell them, 'It's just another day. Treat every day the same.' If you start thinking too far ahead, sometimes not the best things [will] happen for you. So, just trying to stay focused [and] locked in. At the end of the day, it's a game. It's a game you're playing your whole life at. You're obviously elite at it. That's why you're here. So yes, obviously, you're going to have some nerves every time you go onto a field, but when you know what you've done and the work that you've put in, you can go out there with some confidence and know you're going to put your best foot forward."
On if he felt a sense of confidence when the Ravens extended him last year: "I would say yes and no. I think I've always had that confidence, and I just felt like I just needed some opportunity to show that. But yes, with them extending me, it was obvious that they trusted in me and trusted things that I was doing. And so, for me, I just wanted to continue to improve on the things that they paid me for. Whether it's blocking, catching or making plays, that's what they brought me here and drafted me here to do, and that's why they still have me here today. So, I'm just going to continue to do those things at a high level."
On being a good pass protector and what he has seen in RB Keaton Mitchell: "It's obviously my size, my stature, that's what makes me a lead blocker. But, no, it is just the 'want to,' the will. I just want to make sure my guys [are] making the play, and it's as simple as that. I just have the will to do it. And yes, Keaton [Mitchell]'s coming along, too, in that aspect. I think a lot of times coming to college, coming into college, that's your first time really pass protecting, so you might not be the best at it. And then as you get more and more reps, like anything in life, you're going to get way better. And so, for me, I've been doing it for a while, and each year, I just try to continue to get better in that, and I really just focus on it as well. So whether we're doing an 'ACT or walk-through,' I try to make sure I'm practicing my technique. And then when it comes to full speed in the games, it's just kind of like I've been there before."
On balancing getting reps and staying healthy: "They call it being a pro, I guess. I just make sure I take care of myself. I've been doing it for so long [that] it's like riding a bike. You can not do it for a long time, and you can go out there and know how to ride it. So yes, it has been a transition not doing as much at practice, but when the game comes around, I know [I'll] always be ready."
On what stood out about the offense in its third season under offensive coordinator Todd Monken: "The longer you're into something, the longer you [are learning] something, you just get more and more comfortable. And so I think 'Monk' [offensive coordinator Todd Monken] is more comfortable calling certain plays. Lamar [Jackson] is more comfortable checking to certain things. And then, 'Monk' is also good at putting all the guys in the right spot to maximize their abilities. It is just going to be exciting to see, because we continue to add into the offense. You can tell everybody's getting a lot more comfortable and [doing] a lot less thinking. Whenever you're out there and don't have to think, you can just play at [an] elite level, [have] elite speed, elite swiftness and have elite execution. And that's always what we're trying to do on offense is execute and score points, and I think it's going to be a really good year to put up a lot of points."
On if he has moments during training camp where he thinks RB Derrick Henry will go down as the greatest of all time: "No, I say that every day. The way [Derrick Henry] prepares for practice, the way he prepares for games, the way his mentality is when he is actually in a game, it is actually cool to observe, because you kind of see the difference between a normal person, a normal guy in the league and somebody that's going to be a Hall of Famer one day. So, I've definitely learned a lot from him. I always give him a hard time, though. I'm always joking around with him, but I tell him to smile and loosen up a little bit." (laughter) "But, [the way] he approaches the game the way it should be, and he's definitely gotten rewarded for it, and he will get rewarded for it in the future with some good accolades."
On how he helped introduce RB Derrick Henry to the team and how it strengthened relationships with his teammates: "I don't know, I think I've just been myself. I really can't point out anything [where] I'm just like, 'Oh, I brought [Derrick Henry] along and did something.' But I [am] just being myself, and he's being himself, and we're just having fun out here and [are] trying not to get too serious. Obviously, it's a business at the end of the day, but at the end of the day, it is a game, too. So, I just try to have fun and just remind each other of that."
On if he thinks RB Derrick Henry's muscles came back noticeably bigger: "You all [haven't] noticed mine?" (laughter) "But Derrick [Henry], man, he [has] been working hard. So yes, I don't know what else to say to that."
On having fans at training camp and if dynamics change when they're absent: "It's always fun when the fans are here because it feels like you're in a game atmosphere. A big play happens, and you hear them screaming. [When] a bad play happens, you hear the 'Oohs.' And so, it is definitely fun having them out here, and just being able to interact with them after the practice and see how juiced up they are about our team and us as players, too. And you just want to reciprocate the energy to them, because none of us would really be here without the fans, so I love [having] them out here. But yes, when the season comes along, and it's quiet out here, it's definitely a little more serious, I guess."
QB COOPER RUSH
On how it will feel to be on the visiting sideline during the upcoming preseason Dallas game: "Yes, it will be different over on that sideline. It will be something new, but [I'm] looking forward to it. [I've made] a lot of good relationships over the years there, and it will be good to catch up with some guys. It will be cool."
On how different the Ravens' offensive scheme is compared to prior teams: "It was a lot of new [things to learn], but [I'm] really starting to feel comfortable and starting to own it. [I'm] starting to feel like you're in command out there of what's going on. All of the reps in OTAs were huge [and] getting to run the show. Just continuing those [reps] in camp and kind of run through the installs again have been big. Every day, it's getting more and more comfortable."
On his experience working with QB Lamar Jackson: "It's incredible to watch. It was really cool getting to see what one of the best does every day. [Getting to observe] the way [Lamar Jackson] sees space and sees the field, it's been fun. How he sees the game and just getting know him that way, in the meeting room and on the field, it's cool."
On what has stood out about QB Lamar Jackson: "[Lamar Jackson] can do whatever. If he wanted to sit in the pocket and throw for 300 yards, he could do it. If he wants to run around for 300 yards, he could do it. That's what's pretty impressive. Whatever you challenge him to do that day, he can go do it."
On how long it takes to get comfortable with the playbook: "Being able to go out there and run plays [didn't take me] too long. You kind of study, and you learn, but then to get comfortable and try [to learn] what 'Monk' [offensive coordinator Todd Monken] thinks on this type of play, how to run it within the system, that takes a few more laps through it. [I'm] really in command of like, 'Alright, I know what's going on now.' Really focus on what the defense is presenting you, knowing where guys will be, anticipating and things like that is starting to come along."
On if the previous relationship with offensive coordinator Todd Monken when he was coaching for Tampa Bay: "Tampa [Bay] was my one and only visit through the draft process. I had a chance to sign there as undrafted guy. It was between there and Dallas [Cowboys]. I met with 'Monk' [offensive coordinator Todd Monken] there and all the staff. It's just funny how nine years later, you find your way to each other."
On what free agency was like and if he had other options besides the Ravens: "Dallas was in play, but then Baltimore came out of nowhere early on in that week. [I was] like, 'Oh man, that's a good place to be.' Obviously, [there is] a head coach [John Harbaugh] that's built a culture here for a long time and a winning program, so I was super excited about that. I'm really glad they called."
On playing in Baltimore versus in Dallas, with football being so big in Dallas and the coverage of the two teams being different: "It depends how you look at it down there, but no, I've been really enjoying it. Like you said, it's been a little slower-paced, but it's fun. This facility is amazing. Getting to see this and being around a team that you've always seen from afar have success, now you see why. [They're] well coached, [a] great locker room, leadership, things like that and a lot of talent. I didn't realize how talented we were, especially on offense, until I got out here."
On if the motivation in the Dallas preseason game is centered around showing his former team he's doing well: "I've been really trying to show [my] current team I'm doing well. Things like that are the main focus. I'm getting ready to play. Those games do matter. Those preseason games do help guys in my position. Those reps do count. You learn from them, so when you have to go out there in the real thing, it works."
On what made him decide to ultimately sign with Baltimore: "[Baltimore was] just a chance to go on a really good team that if you've got to go in [the game], you can go do it and win games, important games [for] a team that's in it and a team that's got tons of weapons at every position. All [of] those [reasons] go into it. It was an exciting process. I was really happy with it."
On his impressions of offensive coordinator Todd Monken and his scheme: "I think we do a really good job of just being versatile. We've got a lot of depth at different positions. Our tight end room is deep. The receiver room is deep, [and we have] different types of running backs. You can play 'bully ball.' You can spread them out, and I think he does a good job of using all that."
On if he has any hard feelings toward the last game in the 2024 Dallas Cowboys season: "No, it's business. Maybe if I played better, [I'd] go out there. I don't know, but no, you don't really think about that stuff. I had a great time there. [It was] an awesome eight years. Like I said, [I was] really close with a lot of people in the organization, so it'll be cool."
