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June 18, 2025 • 37 mins
HC John Harbaugh, S Kyle Hamilton, and CB Marlon Humphrey speak with the media at the conclusion of mandatory minicamp.

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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Ravens Press Pass podcast. It is Wednesday,
June eighteenth. The Ravens concluded their mandatory Mini caamp today,
which wrapped up the team's off season program. The next
big item on the docket is training camp, which starts
later next month. Now, the big news for the Ravens
today was the addition of cornerback Jaiyear Alexander. The Ravens
signed the former Packers two time pro bowler. And head

(00:24):
coach John Harbwall talked after practice about what the addition
of Alexander means for this team.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Okay, good seeing everybody here, appreciate you being here. Crazy
weather outside, well now it's nice, but it wasn't before.
And so we came inside and I thought we had
an excellent practice. Guys are really locked in trying to
try to do everything right, so you appreciate that. As
a coach. It was fast and it was pretty sharp.
So that's it for this phase. I kind of look

(00:52):
at mini camp like the start of training camp. You know,
it's the first mandatory type of deal. We'll pick this
up then in a few weeks start training camp when
the rookies come back in the rookies will have one
more week here of conditioning, strength and conditioning, so they'll
get that done and and we'll be moving on into
the season. Guys will get away a little bit, uh,

(01:13):
take care of their take care of their job. They
come back in the best shape of their life, take
care of their family or their family's needs, and take
care of their own needs and and then be ready
to go. What questions you have.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
The addition of trays out, well, just.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Really excited about it. Had a chance to you know,
sit down with them today, which was awesome, awesome, awesome time.
And he's he's excited to be here. We're excited to
have him. He had been kind of behind the scenes
in the works a little bit and uh, and I
know we wanted to be here and we wanted him here,
you know, So for it to work out the way
it did made Lamar happy. You know, I think made

(01:50):
everybody happy. It's just uh, an opportunity to become a
better team in that sense today. So we're really excited
about it.

Speaker 4 (02:00):
They're with the now works.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Who's good timing, who's good timing.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
Of the last couple of questions about kind of what
the new kickers, seeing how they would approach.

Speaker 5 (02:09):
Me and that besides has learned the other another.

Speaker 6 (02:11):
A few sessions in talking to the years that's seen hell,
that fair is what have helped you kind of see
that now that uncertas the.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Provision right well, I think the biggest thing is to
try to put them in tough situations as much as
we can. I mean, there's there's the idea of the
of the repetition, you know, and being able to replicate
the swing, and Randy works that with those guys all
the time. They're down there and and just putting the
numbers up, you know, and those are all charted and
graft and everything else. And and then you get into
the situations and the team situations one thing. Then the

(02:40):
the the the game scenarios are the next thing. They
have to run out and make it like a make
it like a game. Uh. Then they're working on some
other things. I mean, both those guys are working on
some trajectory things that you know, you don't really know about,
but you know, they're trying to change the trajectory of
the ball a little bit from what they've done. So uh,
we get it where we want it to be, so
it's a little more consistent and certain conditions and they've

(03:01):
been working on that. So all those things I think
add up and then the end result with all that
going on has been really good. So a good solid
job and again we'll pick it up in training camp.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
Does your special teams back on me, but kind of
hope doesn't talking about on those about astor.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah, yeah, I'm the I'm the guy. I'm the guy
that I'm the guy that pats on the shoulder and
kicks him in the butt at the same time. So
that's my job.

Speaker 7 (03:24):
What do you think when you've dealt with Tyler? You know,
I've heard some guy his.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Late consistency can just swing.

Speaker 7 (03:32):
Have you noticed that in what you see in this year.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, he's a really good athlete. So he's got body
control and he can he can he can he can
make adjustments from a coaching point standpoint, and and Soak
and John they're both doing a good job with that
and actually pick it up really quick. He's just kind
of a natural athlete, so he picking it up quick.
Now it's just a matter of doing it over and
over again. Uh. And he's yeah, he's done a good
job with that lot of you know.

Speaker 8 (03:57):
He think I'm kind of a veterans of coming up
from a one year.

Speaker 7 (03:59):
Deals tell the technical because.

Speaker 8 (04:03):
I guess how easy occasions is for you as a
coach to have those guys had experience.

Speaker 9 (04:07):
When as a Gandre Adell now.

Speaker 8 (04:09):
Jai Year that really just come in and similar to
themselves in other culture. What's the similarity scene that loves.

Speaker 7 (04:15):
The vetter ends have come in here.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Well, all the guys who've come in here have wanted
to be here. That's the number one thing, you know.
I think I believe that guys understand kind of what
we're about, the organization, that the culture of the program.

Speaker 9 (04:28):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
And they're the kind of guys that see themselves in that,
you know. That's that's how they see themselves as a
raven so to speak. And you see DeAndre and how
he's been with it, He's been phenomenal, you know, and
you guys watching in practice, I would say I expect
the same thing from from Jaire. That's kind of the
conversation that we had today. And it's if it's the
right guy, Like, if you like football and you love

(04:51):
everything about football, you're gonna you're gonna like it here.
You're gonna be happy, you know, if if a guy
doesn't really feel that way, you know, it's probably best
he somewhere else. So these guys have all been those
kind of guys.

Speaker 10 (05:03):
You've got to see more of some us. He came
on the defense from some of the injury issues guys
that haven't in the secondary. What do you see from
him coming and going into a year two?

Speaker 6 (05:11):
What you said?

Speaker 2 (05:12):
I think he said really good off season. You know,
the OTAs have been really good. He's gotten better every
day and and and uh, and the last two practices
have been very good. So I mean you watching him
out here, I think you see it. Yeah, he's looked
really good. He looked like they made the stride.

Speaker 8 (05:26):
She looks like what he's to gas, what he wants
to do?

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Well, I saw it catch on the sideline. That was spectacular.
That was pretty awesome. Uh, he's uh, every day all
he does is show up and go one hundred miles
an hour. We did get him to talk today because
it's his birthday tomorrow, so we have birthday wisdom, you know,
birthday wise words, and so he gave us a wise
word and made him stand up to do it.

Speaker 7 (05:50):
So he loved that, you know.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
But yeah, he's he's got a chance to be really good. John.
Zach is a guy.

Speaker 8 (06:00):
Honestly in the communities out over, curious, respected to heart
and see grow from thing. What do you think of
the biggest difference when the gales in that for pH
from your.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
One team too well, I mean, you know, Zack is
a guy that I watch him every day. I think
I know he's doing a great job day to day
with a with coaching, with all the aspects of that job.
It's a big job being the defensive coordinator. And he's done.
He does it really well every day. I'll watch him
every day and so not surprised at all by it.

(06:40):
I mean kind of expected it, definitely expected it. So
but we all grow get better, see things you learn from,
learn from you know, successes and and and uh failures,
you know, and Zach's great about that. He's very humble,
good combination of humility and confidence, very very very charismatic guy,

(07:00):
really smart, good teacher. All those things that I knew,
and you see it every day.

Speaker 8 (07:06):
Jas spend a couple of months ago from them. Yeah,
that's serve inside of what part of the toss the
floor and the package.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
General manager talked.

Speaker 8 (07:15):
About how it open, he was maybe maintain. Can you
talk about that at all during the suminal?

Speaker 7 (07:19):
And do you remember that?

Speaker 4 (07:20):
And how do you expect him to kind of play
to pross there?

Speaker 2 (07:23):
I really don't remember it, I guess, I guess now
that you mentioned it, now I remember it. I've forgotten
about it. Uh and uh no, it's not part of
our conversation at all.

Speaker 3 (07:34):
When you have especially doctosition on a corner in a
big I need everybody on the kinds play a little
pla when you have corners, And how couldn't it's that
just I mean as a boom to blox for defense.

Speaker 2 (07:45):
Well, yeah, when you've got corners, you don't have to
worry about your corners, you know, And it's kind of
a big deal because a lot of players are made
out there on that red line, on that outside part
of the outside third part of the field. You know,
that's that's an area of the field that really needs
to be defend. And then you know they'll when you
play man, they'll run all those crossing routes and all
those pick routes, and you guys that can keep up

(08:06):
with that stuff. So just give you more options, you know,
with your with your defensive play calls. So yeah, that's
a good thing. I mean, I'm really really fired up
about that. I mean, I think I thought we had
an excellent bunch of corners yesterday, and we added one
more excellent corner today, So it's that much better.

Speaker 4 (08:25):
You guys already have a playing in place for helping
him get past some of these injurybos, but the development
of it's always help.

Speaker 3 (08:32):
You guys have a product, hoping backs, you.

Speaker 4 (08:35):
Parse you through differents that they have plenty for.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
Definitely the same thing we do with our guys. I mean,
you know, Cheetoh has been the same thing. We've had
that same conversation, same question when he came in. It's
very similar. Those two guys that are highly talented guys
that have had to unfortunately deal with some injury woes,
you know, and you know, obviously that's the upside for
us that we want to get those guys healthy and
rolling those You guys got the Commander of.

Speaker 8 (09:02):
Joy practice coming up later in the summer.

Speaker 7 (09:03):
How much are you you guys as a team looking
forward to obviously.

Speaker 2 (09:06):
That breach it's very different from.

Speaker 8 (09:08):
What it was two years ago the last time you
guys met up here.

Speaker 9 (09:11):
So how much are you guys look forward to that?

Speaker 2 (09:12):
Yeah, you know, right now we're probably not looking forward
to it cause it's so far away and there's so
much to go between then and now. I actually have
the colts in here before that, so I would say
first things first, but uh uh now is a no
long term.

Speaker 4 (09:26):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (09:26):
I'm excited about it, you know. I'm excited to go
down there to their place. I've never seen it, and
I have so much respect for uh coach Quinn and
the whole organization and the team and everything. What we
played him last year, so we know what kind of
team they are, so it'll help us be a better team. Joll.

Speaker 4 (09:41):
No, everybody gets argued seven talks years areas ever? You
still every still on craft for bringing.

Speaker 3 (09:48):
Camp as far as them.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
Yeah, in training camp, I think at some point, you know,
I wouldn't. I wouldn't couldn't promise the start training camp. Uh.
With that the the timeline of that, wouldn't say the
start training camp unless he does something miraculous. But I'm
hopeful at some point in time in training camp we
see him John, I guess.

Speaker 10 (10:05):
Say it's you talking about his names and Lamar.

Speaker 3 (10:07):
Who is still improved to buy a lot of one
of the best seasons quarterback last year.

Speaker 2 (10:11):
I guess can see the days that you've served here,
what have you seen different come here and the what
did you work to see if.

Speaker 9 (10:16):
You want to see it.

Speaker 2 (10:17):
Yeah, it's again, it's it's it's just across the board
growth probably that he probably would talk about as well.
I mean, I see him, I see him. He's throwing
the ball great. You know, he's making he really has
a really good grasp of the offense and that's only
going to get better the more reps he gets. But
I think he you know, I'm I'm really when he
comes out here and he's practicing the last two days,
I'm really glad he's our quarterback.

Speaker 6 (10:38):
You know.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
It makes me really happy, makes me smile inside, you know.
And I think it's a good room. You know, those
guys have done a great job, all three of those
guys with t and Daniel, So you know, we just
got to go to work and and uh and just
keep improving. It's really not so much about Lamar or
any individual player. They work on their craft, but for

(10:59):
me as a coach, it's all fits together. So the
whole offense, the whole defense, the whole special teams, the
whole team. You know, you kind of see that moving forward.

Speaker 5 (11:08):
If you look at the offensive line going into camp,
do you see both of the guard jobs as open
competitions to start or more on one side.

Speaker 2 (11:16):
Than the other or yeah, I mean I don't know.
Kind of asking me to like like put it on
the scale. I mean, you know, in one sense, you know,
every job is open, you know. I mean, you never
know what's going to happen the next day. You've got
to be ready for every possibility. So in competition is
what the NFL is all about, you know, It's what
any it's what sports is all about. Competition. So everybody's

(11:37):
always competing every day. But those are those are two
of the positions that are you know that I kind
of think I got a pretty good idea that the
guys that you saw out there today are in the lead,
you know, and they've especially a Daniel you know, he
had the most experienced last year. So he did a
nice job, really played well as the season went on,
and then you know when when the vore, he's got

(11:59):
his chance. I mean he looked really good too. In
that one game in the Browns game. So but you
know they both they know they gotta play well. You
know they'll be standard, will be very high, but we
expect them to play up to it.

Speaker 4 (12:10):
You do two more, John, think you guys are already
past your man already hell and Alexampis Hicks or anything
to kind out the type of close rounds team.

Speaker 9 (12:21):
What do you kind of how did you send all
this to?

Speaker 4 (12:23):
You know, what do you want them to how you
want them to approach the actification for the pressure?

Speaker 3 (12:28):
You want to hook the round as you guys have
this hypness.

Speaker 2 (12:31):
Yeah, well they say pressure is a privilege. I think
the US open right. We said that Billy is it
Billy Jean King? You said that anybody anybody pretty sure
is Billy Jean King? So what's that.

Speaker 9 (12:45):
Now?

Speaker 2 (12:45):
But it could have been, It could have been. As
I say, You're right.

Speaker 9 (12:48):
The we are we are, we are.

Speaker 2 (12:52):
We are locked in doing everything we can possibly do
to being, you know, to be the very best football
team we can be with intentionality and with purpose. That
is what we are doing. And I see it. You
guys watch practice, you know you should be seeing it
out here. I see it in practice. So where that
leads us is going to be where it leads us,

(13:13):
and we've got to take care of the process and
it's our job to make it happens. Now what you say,
it's not anything other than what you do, you know,
And I see the guys doing it every day and
I can't wait for the next day.

Speaker 11 (13:27):
Consistent kind of this season with this group, or so
the lore of the past couple of seasons, or is
it rare to feel that way at this point that
you are so locked in before.

Speaker 3 (13:38):
Even canvas years.

Speaker 2 (13:39):
Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, it's a consistent
principle for us. It's what we believe in and it's
what we emphasize.

Speaker 7 (13:46):
But I do see it in this group, you know.

Speaker 2 (13:49):
I can't really compare it. You kind of forget, you know,
but I see it right now in this group at
a really, really high level. And that that, you know,
that's what you want to see as a coach. All right, guys,
thank you.

Speaker 1 (14:04):
We also heard from other players in the secondary, including
safety Kyle Hamilton.

Speaker 9 (14:15):
Yeah, kind of crazy. How fast that news broke, He
shout out Anthony Miller. He's requested that we were at
lunch and we literally Lamar told us and five seconds
later we see it on Pat McFee show, So that's crazy,
but great addition. I mean, he's been one of the
best in this league since he got in it. And

(14:37):
to have anybody like that, no matter what position room was,
especially as a dB, it's a super valuable And I'm
super out of breath because we literally just finished practice,
but excited to have him. Been talking to him a lot.
Cool dude, I mean, I love that.

Speaker 1 (14:51):
Another another.

Speaker 3 (14:59):
What is that.

Speaker 2 (15:01):
Punch ability?

Speaker 9 (15:03):
Yeah, I think somebody I think it might have been aussy.
I think he said you can never have too many dbs.
And you know, I feel like every for every team
at some point in the year, it seems like everybody's
staying at dB and you know, to just add a
guy like that into a room kind of what I
was saying, like, not not only his play but his energy,
his charisma is just leadership ball knowledge. It's uh, it's

(15:27):
gonna be great to have in the room. And decided
to get in acclimated and everything seems super eager to
get in the playbook and stuff. So we're all excited
to have him going into camp.

Speaker 1 (15:39):
Uh. Roster wise, ye literally have no homes a competition.

Speaker 9 (15:47):
Yeah, I think I think people kind of play into
the you know, every off season, there's some moves made,
and I think people read a little bit too much
into I think we still have our guys here and uh,
we got a lot of talent that we retained and
brought in obviously, just got you out here. But I
was just talking to coach har Ball, like just these
two days, you can kind of see the trajectory that
we think we're on. And still a lot of work

(16:09):
to be done obviously and going to continue throughout the season.
But I mean we're off to a great start. Seems
like we're playing twelve on eleven out there. Sometimes no
offense to the offense, but they'll probably have a different
answer to that. But I think we're clicking really well
right now. Just clean up the little mistakes.

Speaker 3 (16:25):
About Bill you know, you.

Speaker 4 (16:35):
No, not at all.

Speaker 9 (16:35):
I mean he's a Georgia boy, so he was in
and when he was born not Bulldogs, but he was
born in state. We don't care about the Bulldogs. But
now he's super eager to learn and very mature for
his age. I can tell.

Speaker 4 (16:49):
Uh.

Speaker 9 (16:50):
He just is a great dude, great football player, and
excited for you all to see it on display this
this season. Obviously sick about what happened to Ad and
think of him, prayers for him, and uh, but I
mean I thought that allows Malachota kind of he's gotta
grow up quicker now. And but I think he's just
the right guy for it. So I'm excited for him.
He's gonna do very well with the opportunity. He's gonna

(17:11):
have a great career.

Speaker 2 (17:12):
That's just.

Speaker 1 (17:17):
Doesn't matter, just that.

Speaker 4 (17:19):
Type of bread talent, you know, down type game.

Speaker 9 (17:24):
Yeah, I think that kind of comes with the added
expectation that we welcome. I mean, obviously, like you said,
nobody really cares that much on our side, what round
you were taking. Obviously there's undrafted dudes in the league
that make a make a big splash every year. But
you know, to have everybody back there is talented, smart,
hard worker. We really have no excuses to not go

(17:46):
out there and do what we need to do. So
it's all us at the end of the day, and
pressure is the privilege, and I'm excited for us to
have that privilege.

Speaker 8 (17:54):
You know, just curious that's stood out obviously repressive about
everyone stood too.

Speaker 9 (18:10):
Yeah, I think it's different being on a position coach.
I mean, I'm speaking for him right now, but uh,
being a position coach in a d C UH, you know,
obviously we had some tough losses in the past when
he was the DC or LB's or when he was
an LB's coach, and but as of DC, you kind
of I feel like you take those losses more on
your back, on your shoulders. So I think he's come
back this year with the great outlook. You know, we

(18:32):
have the scar tissue from last year and it's gonna
be good for us going into this year. And he
just the way he commends the room, you can tell
there's a difference and confidence in him and UH and
everybody in the room, and you know he puts that
confidence in us, so we follow his lead and he's
done a great job so far.

Speaker 5 (18:47):
When you do any work with Malachia outside of the
sort of normal work that the room does, to sort
of hone in on that partnership that you.

Speaker 9 (18:56):
Know you had it with Ad, we know, Yeah, yeah,
I think so. I mean, it's I feel like in
camp it's gonna be a big thing because there's so
much you're doing every day. You know, everybody's messing up
every day. Everybody's doing making good plays every day, so
watching that stuff on a daily basis is kind of
hard now people in and out only two days mini camp.
But I think I'll probably talk to him and we'll

(19:17):
do not just me and Malachi, but everybody in the
dB room defense will have a group stuff going on
so we can all be on the same page.

Speaker 2 (19:25):
With having now gone through a spring.

Speaker 8 (19:26):
Would have been your impressions to Chuck Pagano, I mean,
we know the experience over head coach all that.

Speaker 3 (19:30):
What do you think you can do for your group?

Speaker 9 (19:32):
Yeah? I think every time he says something in the
meeting room with all the DB's, it's kind of like
it's like he's just dropping knowledge, like he's forgotten more
football than a lot of people know. So uh, to
have somebody in the room like that. And Donald two,
who's been doing a great job. Honestly, he gets through
those installs like a pro. It's it's impressive. But now

(19:53):
they're both doing a great job so far. But back
to Chuck, I think he's he's accomplished everything in this
game besides winning Super Bowl. So he's voiced that and
we want to get that not only for us, but
for him too, guys like him who haven't been able
to reach that pinnacle. So he's just a great guy
to have and really happy about the room right now.
Appreciate y'all.

Speaker 1 (20:14):
We also heard from cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

Speaker 2 (20:18):
Your initial reaction with the edition of I like It.

Speaker 7 (20:22):
I told him earlier.

Speaker 4 (20:27):
I was.

Speaker 6 (20:28):
I asked him if he deleted Instagram because I was
gonna d m him. We talked a little last year
when we had the joint practice, but then I can
foind him on Instagram, so I asked.

Speaker 7 (20:39):
Him, did he deleted his Instagram? And he said yes,
so yeah, but uh, yeah, I like it. I like
it a lot.

Speaker 2 (20:45):
I think.

Speaker 7 (20:47):
We did kind of speak on teaming up last.

Speaker 6 (20:49):
Year, but obviously, you know, he was like I'm here
and I was like, oh, I'm probably not leaving here either,
So uh, it ended up working out.

Speaker 7 (20:57):
But uh really excited.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
I think.

Speaker 6 (21:00):
You can A quote that's never been said and probably
will never be said in NFL history is we got
too many corners that can cover. So I think that's
a great that's a great problem to have, and really
excited to For that addition, Well, spent.

Speaker 3 (21:15):
A lot of time in the slot last year.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
Did you relish that opportunity to play inside match up
against some of the slap receivers and you get a
little more fiscal blitz.

Speaker 11 (21:22):
Is that something you wanted to do?

Speaker 8 (21:24):
Is it something you've like, really enjoyed doing.

Speaker 6 (21:27):
You know, when I first got out there, I think
maybe my second or third year, it was something I
really wasn't very comfortable with. But ever since I read
shirted Obama that that offseason, I went into the the

(21:47):
spring training and my thought process was, you know, doesn't
really matter what position I'm asked to do, but the
special teams, no matter what it is, I always be
excited to get on the field whatever the coach that's
men to do. And fast forward to when I when
they first asked me to do that, uh that third year,
I was thinking in my head, I don't think this

(22:07):
is gonna work too well, but they think I can
do it, so I'll try it out.

Speaker 7 (22:10):
And it ended up working pretty well. And now I've
I've come.

Speaker 6 (22:13):
To like it because you know, corner you gotta there's
only so much aggression you can have when you gotta
cover Jamar Chase.

Speaker 7 (22:21):
You can't be too aggressive.

Speaker 6 (22:22):
But Nicol you get to get in there, get in
the mix, get in the trenches, as the big guys
call it. So uh, I feel like I'm a smaller
guy when I'm dealing with the three hundred pound guy,
but I try to put on my big boy pads
and and do my thing.

Speaker 7 (22:38):
So yeah, I've enjoyed it. It's it's been fun.

Speaker 6 (22:41):
I've taken notes from a lot of different guys across
the league that have a lot of success, splits in
Mike Hilton obviously, Kyle Hamilton, some of those guys that
so a lot of just different finesse and different ways
to get in there.

Speaker 7 (22:53):
But yeah, I've to answer your question. I've I've started
to enjoy the position.

Speaker 8 (22:59):
Kind of similar role of issue and how much this
addy guy like Jarvis and the guys flexibility guy.

Speaker 6 (23:07):
Yeah, so before Ad got hurt, obviously there was gonna
be a ton of flexible, a lot of flexibility. Then
we had Cheeto and it's like, wow, we can get
even more flexibility. Then you know, Ad goes down, so
we still got some spots, and then now we ad
Jair and it's just I think the the options are endless.
With me playing a little safety Coyle planning that it's

(23:28):
I think. I mean, even uh Malaka in college he
played kind of some of that nickel position. So it's
it's gonna be a fun secondary I think, and just
guys can kind of play wherever. I mean, it's added
the addition to Jay along with the other guys we got,
it can be serious matchup. You know, if there's a

(23:48):
guy that we feel that this guy can cover this
guy better, we can match him up with him. We
can all pick kind of who we want. We can
have four, you know, first round corners out there at
the field. There's there's just so much that we can
do it it. Uh, it's really exciting. It's really excited
to add him.

Speaker 3 (24:05):
Last years that we ended the season.

Speaker 2 (24:10):
Too focus in the last year.

Speaker 1 (24:12):
How did you kind of describe your process approach?

Speaker 2 (24:14):
I meant to intel, you know, I think.

Speaker 7 (24:21):
When I was as I've gotten older, I've tried to
as older might not be the word.

Speaker 6 (24:30):
As I've decided to get married, I realized I was
moving a little fast and I felt in order to
to get that wife that I wanted, I needed to
slow down some. And that's kind of the approach I

(24:50):
really took to my life, my family life and my
football life, and that was the biggest thing. To just
slow down, take your time, get to get to work early.
You might not have a meeting for another hour. To
get to work early, You'll find something to do. Playing
leaves it too. Get to the planet two sit on there.

(25:12):
I don't I don't ever like to rush. And I've
took I've really focused in and took that approach to football.
I think the year before I was hurt a lot
and I realized I'm just gonna take every day like
this could be my last year playing, this could be
my last day living. And that's an approach I took
last year. That's approach I take now. I'm usually one

(25:32):
of the last guys to leave. I'm basically here every
single day off day or not. Me and Broderick Washington,
it's this one guy usually running too on every every
off day. We are here very unnecessarily just here, and
uh Broad is usually actually working out. I'm usually just
wasting my time here a lot of times. But I

(25:55):
just like to really slow down enjoy where I'm at
because us you know the reality is, with z being
our coach, you really never know when your last And
now the football is gonna be. That's a that's just
a true reality. You never know when your last breath
is gonna be. And that's just the biggest thing I
took to last season. I truly played it as obviously

(26:17):
I knew the things coming to the season. My performance
kind of depend was very dependent on if I would
be playing for this team or not, and I wanted
to My thought presses was if this is my last year,
I really want to enjoy it. And as I'm you know,
getting older, So they say, that's kind of just the reality.
You just never know when a what a team wants

(26:39):
to do. This, this game is, this place is loved,
this place is great. But at the end of the day,
the NFL is a business and I'm not getting no
younger players can still get made. But that's just the
reality how I approach it, and that's worked well for me.

Speaker 3 (27:01):
He's the guy who's had the stage with his career
that kind of been your points the team.

Speaker 6 (27:05):
I like, I've got to have some conversations with him.
He is mister KANDESSI catch that is for sure. Just
having a conversation with him, I thought it was really humbling.
We asked him me and one of the strength coaches.
You know, what do you think about the team from
the outside looking in since you've been in other teams,
And he said, it seems like there's been a piece

(27:28):
that's been missing. I could be that addition.

Speaker 7 (27:32):
I could not be that addition.

Speaker 6 (27:33):
And to hear a veteran guy, all pro guy, Pro
Bowl guy say he could be or he could not be,
to me, that was extremely humbling.

Speaker 7 (27:40):
And I feel that he fits the Raven mold and
I think he'll fit right in.

Speaker 5 (27:47):
Players we just talked about a couple of them. Do
you guys have the collective mindset of we're one of
the best few teams and as we go into the
next extra seven months, everything has to be about that
final result that we want.

Speaker 6 (28:00):
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, obviously we end
last year loss of the bills.

Speaker 7 (28:07):
You know, I think.

Speaker 6 (28:10):
Every window opens and every window closes as far as
that championship, you know, ability, And I feel that I'm
not gonna say we've underperformed, but we have underperformed. I
feel that we've had championship caliber rosters. I feel that
we've prepared like a championship team, and it's just been

(28:32):
something we gotta do but I don't feel that we're
far off. I think I can only speak on the defense.
I feel that when I first came to the Ravens,
it was all about the Ravens defense. It was all
about the Ravens defense. It was all about the Ravens defense.
And I feel like I've let that standard being here,
I think the longest defensive guy, I feel like I've
let that standard kind of slip, and that's something that

(28:54):
I want to get back.

Speaker 7 (28:55):
I want it. Obviously we love Lamar Jackson.

Speaker 6 (28:57):
It's a great, great player, but I want, you know,
the Ravens identity to be defense like it was when
I first got here. So that's that's something that we're
chirping in our room. That's something Zo's lead in the
front with. We got to get the football. You When
I look back at you know, I was unaware of
how elite that two thousand Ravens defense was. And when

(29:21):
I was watching some of those playoff games.

Speaker 7 (29:23):
You didn't really need an offense. Honestly, they were just.

Speaker 6 (29:26):
Making so many plays turnovers and that's that's the regular
season is very important, but that is something that we
are not doing. And it kind of starts in practice
We've got a very detailed out like grading system of

(29:46):
it's so much honest, it's pretty new, but it's it's
really gonna tell and it's showed on our walls, on
our on the video boards, in our defensive room.

Speaker 7 (29:56):
Everything's great.

Speaker 6 (29:57):
Like literally every single thing that you can possibly grade
is great, and I think it'll ultimately help us be
the defense that you know, I feel like Baltimore deserves.
So that's the biggest thing. We got to get that back.
I think that's that's crucial to to to get that
standard back and that that's that's kind of all I'm

(30:18):
thinking about as I go on this break, as you're training,
you come back, it's go time, and it's all.

Speaker 7 (30:24):
About the ball. It's all about the ball. It's all
about the ball. And I think that's what our defense
is going to be focused on and that's what we're
gonna do this season.

Speaker 10 (30:31):
We talk about DeAndre and the kind of looking at
the team from the outside, and when you go back
and you look at some of the postseasons, even specifically
this past one, did you find yourself asking yourself, like
why you aren't getting the results that you're looking to get?

Speaker 1 (30:48):
It was a.

Speaker 6 (30:50):
This is my first off season, full off season living here.
And so season ended and for like a probably a
solid two weeks, me and some of the staff, most
of the guys that kind of got out of town,
some of the guys suck around. We were just were
we were trying to figure out those same answers. We

(31:10):
never really came to anything. It just because you know,
being on the inside, it just felt like we were
preparing the way we should. It really seemed like everything
was kind of where you wanted it, and did the
the the the answer never truly came, but I do

(31:33):
know the the very simple answer, the one that that
did come is the Bills had I think three turnovers,
the Ravens had zero, and that right there, I think
is a is a that's just to tell the story
the percentages. Three turnovers are more than likely gonna win
the game. Two turnovers are more than likely gonna win

(31:53):
the game. Even one turnover, you're more than likely gonna
win the game if the other team had zero. So
that's the one thing that's that's pretty evident. It doesn't
really matter how good you play defensively. If you can't
get the football, you're not playing good enough. And so
that's that's the biggest thing to harp on And like
I said, that's that's got to be our identity. That's

(32:14):
gotta be every all eleven guys that's on the field.
I didn'ty get the ball, Get the ball, Get the ball,
Get the ball. And I feel like when I first
got here once again, the raven flew is a real thing.
All of a sudden, the guy with the hamstring, like, ah,
he'll be playing next week. There was a fear of

(32:34):
when you stepped on the field, there's a fear to
throw a screen because you got for d Lineman coming
to that's retracing and that standard is just we're chasing
to get it back, but it's it's an urgency to
get it back. Minnie Kemp was was cool. I felt
like we showed a lot of got a lot of
good work in OTA's and it's honestly, it's it's against
it's it's OTA's looks crazy because usually it's just row.

(32:57):
Usually you know road's coming, Well, you got three hundred
pound guy's coming and on the outside, it's you better
get tackled a guy or you got a lot of
guys coming to hit you in their defender.

Speaker 7 (33:06):
So that's uh.

Speaker 6 (33:09):
I think the OTL was was a good glimpse of
what we're preaching, putting it to practice, and then training
camp comes, season comes, everybody's gotta be rolling.

Speaker 2 (33:19):
You're talking.

Speaker 8 (33:20):
You talked about one good team up with Jay years,
So how do you feel like he fits in?

Speaker 1 (33:25):
You know, in terms of how the secondary plays, and
then culture wise on the defense and with the secondary, how.

Speaker 9 (33:30):
Do you get fits.

Speaker 6 (33:33):
Pretty good just talking to him, he's excited to work.
I know Lamar, Lamar loves him and I we had
my my college dB coach was coaching at Green Bay,
so he had talked to He said, we're very similar,
which is you know, I don't think I've ever heard
that before, someone being similar to me. So I think

(33:56):
it'll fit in. Well, it's I don't think it's hard
to met to fit in here. It's a it's a
very easy place I feel like to to to fit
in with the team camaraderie. One of the first questions
he asked was, y do you guys hang out, which
is always a a great thing.

Speaker 7 (34:12):
So, you know, he the the culture, the chemistry.

Speaker 6 (34:16):
I wanted him to put on some cleete today and
get out there, but obviously he just got off the plane.
But I'm I'm super excited to to add him. I
think he'll add mesh really well with the team and
it'll be uh, it'll be a good second.

Speaker 8 (34:30):
Hearing and that the defensive great charts out of something
he didn't not to. Yeah, and then the second thing,
he gave a very you know, passion kind of defense
in him last year and said, hey, it's not on him,
it's goods on us, and we need to step up the.

Speaker 2 (34:45):
Players and so on and so forth.

Speaker 8 (34:47):
I'm curious, how do you think he responded to after
criticism last year From what we saw accept the scene
that's kind of stood out from him now compared.

Speaker 7 (34:56):
To you know, a first shooting.

Speaker 6 (35:00):
I think the defensive coaches it seemed like they took
a pretty hard study on what we did well last
year and what we did bad. I think some of
that grading that grading system is some of the notes
they took from it. Turnovers was something they took from it.
You know, we just have to get the ball more,
especially what it matters the most. But as far as

(35:23):
he as a coordinator, I felt that, you know, sadly,
there's a lot of things that were being coached that
were coached correctly, and when he put it out there
for us called it, we weren't clicking as far as
on the field, and it actually it actually held us

(35:44):
back as a defense from what we could call if
we couldn't execute what was called.

Speaker 7 (35:48):
So some of them. It had to get a lot
more simple until we could show that.

Speaker 6 (35:53):
We could execute these things. And I think this offseason
we've it's just gelling. Like I said, there was so
many plays when just one guy wasn't doing the right thing,
and that was it went across every single position, every
single player, somebody not doing what they were supposed to
do in those first however many weeks, and I think
the biggest change was just all eleven guys doing their job.

(36:15):
Is kind of what turned our defense around, putting a
D out there and different things.

Speaker 7 (36:19):
But I like ozios I like how he's preaching.

Speaker 6 (36:23):
You know, he said, the best guy is gonna play,
and the best guy is whoever's playing the best, and
so I think last year he brought some energy, but
this year it's if you're not ready to go, if
you're not ready to play, you will not be grabbing
your helmet on Sunday, and that's kind of what he's preaching.
And I think we're all listening. But I know when
we come back camp, he's gonna be ready to rock.

(36:45):
He's gonna ready to push us, he's gonna be ready
to take us. I think to where the Ravens Defense
wants used to be, and I'm I'm excited to be
a part of it, and I'm excited for the journey.

Speaker 1 (36:58):
You're listening to the Ravens Prespass post, make sure you
head over the Lounge podcast feed and subscribe there as
well for a full breakdown of what the addition of
Jaire Alexander means for this team. Thanks so much for listening,
and we'll be back with you again soon.
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