January 13, 2025 • 21 mins
Head Coach John Harbaugh speaks with the media.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass podcast. The Ravens are
going to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at six
point thirty pm on CBS in a Divisional Round matchup.
As the Ravens prepare for this game, today, we had
a chance to hear from head coach John Harbaugh.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Okay, I appreciate everybody being here. Good to see you
getting ready for a big game like the Visional game
against a very tough opponent who we know. Well. We're
looking forward to it. We're very deep into the preparations
for that and we're looking forward to the weekend, looking
forward to the game. What questions you have in John.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Obviously you're familiar with this team after playing on the
earlier ear but what I mean, just in watching Frollove
just you know recently, what kind of just stands out
to you is just as for the.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Bills in general, Well, yeah, I mean it's a big
question because so many things stand out there. They're such
a good team, all three phases are playing at a
very high level. I think the biggest thing that stands
out is well coached they are, how well tied together
they are. They play complimentary football. All three phases playoff
of each other. They have a defined personality in every phase.
(01:09):
And as a team, they're very physical, they play very hard.
They're they're cohesive. Uh, they're on the same page. I think. Offensively,
they're very coordinated in terms of blocking schemes and timing
of routes and and the pass protections and how it's
all put together. You know, the quarterback obviously is playing
at high level. Josh Allen is a great player, and
(01:30):
he's they're they're they're well built around him. You know,
he did a good job of building the offense around him.
And they have a lot of complimentary pieces. I mean
all their receivers, wide receivers and tight ends and backs,
and the backs also serve as receivers. But they're all
they're all very talented, skilled catchers. They all understand the
passing game really well. They run hard, they protect the football.
They're all good ball carriers, whether it's handed to them
(01:52):
or after the catch.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
So, big physical offensive line. Defensively, very active, very very
tied together defense back then to the second level to
the front pass rush, run defense, defensive backs showing up
in the run game. Linebacker's playing downhill in the gaps
in the run game, but pop punching out in zone
coverage as well, getting their depth, breaking on the ball, tackling,
(02:17):
just all the things that you would expect from a
well coached team like they are. So that's the type
of challenge that we're facing.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
No sense, when you play a team back in the
week before we played three and a half months ago,
how much weak do you put in that in terms
of reviewing that and prep compared to what they've done
and say, like their last.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Five or six game.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Well, you do both. I mean it's both. I'd say
it's you know, it's some. I don't know what the
percentage of it is, but you're involved. That's definitely in
your breakdown. You kind of go back and you pick
the games. You watch all the games, and you even
go back the past years. You know, that's part of
your breakdown as well. Uh, and then you choose the
games that you want to put in there and that
you want to kind of emphasize and that you think
apply to the game coming up. So these games we
(02:57):
throw out too, just based on what we see, and
it might be some recent games that we don't use
just because we don't think they apply the last their
last game of this regular season. We're not using we
don't we've seen it, we know what's in it, but
it's not applying to our necessarily to our to our
game plan. So we use all of that.
Speaker 6 (03:15):
A little bit more. I'm sure you'll have a better
sense later in the week. But are you confident that
day Flowers would be able to play or is that
still very much open the air.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, that's in we'll see mode. He's working hard to
get back, and we'll see towards the end of the
week if he's practicing and he could play without practicing
for sure, if he's if he feels healthy enough, and
if it's safe for him.
Speaker 7 (03:39):
John kind of piggybacking on Jameson's questions. I mean, the
excitement to see this matchup seemed immediate. I mean, you
have Tony Romo kind of almost salivating on are talking
about it. Is there a part of you that can
step outside of it for a second and just say,
as someone who goes football, this is a this is
a matchup that everybody should want to see.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Oh, absolutely, absolutely, child. I mean it's you. You kind
of feel, you feel grateful to be a part of it.
I mean it's a privilege. You know, it's a privilege
to be a part of a game like this. You know,
this is a this is a big game. It's a
divisional game. I mean, these divisional games are really hard
to win. You know, if you look, uh you look,
you look back over the years, I mean, because you're
(04:18):
playing the best teams. I mean there's the four best
teams in the AFC, the four best teams in the
NFC are still alive. And you know, to get to
the super Bowl, if you want to take a step out,
you've got to win two games. Now, whoever gets to
the Super bowls got to win two games against the
best in their in their conference. That's tough, really tough.
And so to be a part of that, just just
in that, in that sense is really amazing. And then
(04:39):
you get you get a chance to play a team
like the Bills, who've been perennially in that group. Uh
just super talented, well coached type of a team on
that stage, you know, in their place. You know it's
going to be cold, it's gonna be blustery all that,
you know. I just like I can picture John Facenda
coming down, you know from the heavens and and narrating
(05:00):
the preview to the game. So it's it's great. Yeah,
we're we're excited about it.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
And you mentioned do you look at a week four
game and at more recent games.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
You guys won that Week four game, big what what
worked well for you in that game? As you go
back and.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Look at it, well, I mean you saw the game,
you were there, bo, you know, you know what worked well?
We uh, first play was a good play, you know
that was that was a good play for us. But
you know, there's it's a it's just a football game,
you know, And and I'm sure that you just look
at it from it just a kind of it. We
look at it kind of more of a scientific kind
of a football perspective in terms of what did they see,
(05:40):
What are they going to try to stop? What are
they going to play against us? What are they gonna
run against us? You know, we're the matchups now that
weren't there then, or that are different or the same,
you know, all those kind of little things because just
you know, watching the game gets you some insight into
what they were, what they were accomplishing. And they had
a lot of good plays against us too, you know,
so it's more that as opposed to the outcome. I mean,
you don't really look at the outcome. The outcome is
(06:02):
kind of irrelevant. It's more just the just the predictive
aspect of in terms of what you think you might
get going forward.
Speaker 8 (06:12):
Was trying to stop you guys' offense.
Speaker 9 (06:13):
A lot of it is trying to stop the second
and third play with Lamar is similar with Buffalo's offense.
How important will it be to kind of stop some
of those you know, long winded players and.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Long winded plays. I like that the long winded play.
That's a good way to say it, you know, the
two play, the two play quarterback. I might add is Todd.
Todd needs to acknowledge the fact that he got that
from me, just for the record, you know, I know,
I know he likes to take credit for that, but
you know that that just just so you know where
that came from. Just well ask him, he'll tell you.
(06:46):
I mean, everybody knows. Everybody's in the inside knows. So
I just want I got an opportunity to get that
out there finally, because I don't think he's acknowledged that yet.
I've noticed, you see, he liked it.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
So much.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
He kind of took credit for my brother has that
same you know thing about him. So, uh, where were
we the long winded quarterback, the long winded plays. Uh,
it's it's critically important. I mean, that's uh, that's that's
that's the challenge because the first play they run is
really good too, you know, the on time in rhythm
(07:16):
play runner passes is really challenging. Then the second play,
or the third play in the case of Josh or
Lamar becomes the becomes the next challenge. And so everybody's
got their part in the first part of the play,
in the pursuit or the plaster or the or the
keep the ball in front of the tack or the
angle part of the play, whatever it might be. Continue
the rush, make a smart rush in terms of how
(07:39):
you tackle, how you push a guy out of bounds,
all those things are a big part of it.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
John, the drum incident out Saturday was the exciting time
that that's happened here.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
You walk through when you learn that when you throw
and what's that due to.
Speaker 7 (07:50):
You as a company, When you learn gave stops and cotron.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
It, well, you know, they we're I think we're at
the line of scrimmage, and all of a sudden, the
referees you could tell you got buzz in their ear
and they stepped up and they stopped to play. Then
we have one of the referees that's not doing the
game is with the coaches, so you get a little
quicker information. Normally would be the side judge you come
over and tell you, but now he's right there to
tell you, Hey, uh, they're going to stop players a drone.
(08:16):
He just told me that they're looking at a drone.
And so I just told our play callers that, you know,
that's what we're doing. And really, at that point you
just wait. I mean, it's not really anything you can
do about it. It becomes like a commercial time out just
a little bit, and you continue to kind of talk
about your strategy. Really is what you do. It's just
an opportunity to kind of make sure that we're we're
(08:38):
thinking the same way within the game. That's about it.
We don't think too much about it as a drone situation,
per se.
Speaker 7 (08:48):
The more inside quarter war got need in the back
pretty hard. Do you anticipated him that limiting his participation
at all.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
Throughout the week is for the practice time.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Doesn't look that way from what I've been told, which
will say.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
These two teams have evolved since the earlier match up
this year. I mean, is there anything that you can
discern between the difference from the first time you met
if they're coming up.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Yeah, I mean I say, across the board, both teams
are better, you know, in every in every way. Really,
I mean, I don't think either teams taking a step
back in any way. Both teams are better across the board.
I think both teams are kind of, you know, defining
their personalities a little bit more over the course of
the seasons and kind of what you'd expect at this point.
Speaker 10 (09:28):
John, although now you doesn't have another thirteen stats season,
what are some of the ways you think that he's
improved outside of the sets and hoping that the game
can see just from him the other as her wigneman
with such a big offense as in their.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Match, well, Kyle h is uh, you know, obviously the
sacks are kind of speak for themselves, and uh, but
it's not just that, you know, there's there's so many
situations where there's kind of the unsung aspects of a
play that you know, a lot of our guys have done,
and uh, he's been the same guy. Sometimes he'll he'll
be in a position where a quarterback can't escape and
(10:01):
someone else will wrap around and get the sack, or
or or squeezing on a run and forcing a run
back to a linebacker or bouncing out to a dB
like he's supposed to. I just think he's playing good football,
you know. And I do think it's kind of reflective
of the whole defense really. I mean, everybody's just really
focusing on doing their job in a real physical way
and a real discipline way. That's what everybody's really trying
to do. So and col is a great leader that
(10:23):
way too. He leads, you know, he talks to the
guys about that and a lot of experience that way,
like in the playoffs, so he's been talking to the
guys about playing good discipline higher for football.
Speaker 6 (10:35):
An offensive line. He's obviously been pretty critical to the success.
And if you just you know, think back to like
any season to now, obviously you guys have found that
they've found their footing. What just stood out to you
about you know, a guy like Daniel Filele playing you know,
a new position, and you know Patrick McCarry McCarry doing
(10:57):
what he's he's been able to do throughout of course,
as you're out missing a missing any top.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Right, Well, I think the offensive line just like every position,
but it's kind of it's kind of there's just there's
a lot of individual stories in there, the five individual starters,
and there's others too that in the depth part of it,
and if you get into that room, you kind of
see that each each guy's got his own story, but
probably as a whole, it's probably just steady improvement. You know. Uh,
they've been through a lot. You know, you look back
(11:23):
at the Joe d situation and then you know the
fact that it was three new guys and all that
kind of stuff, and you know some of the some
of the doubts and all that kind of stuff that
they dealt with. I really feel good and proud of them.
But really we don't think about too much right now, Brian.
It's just more about preparing for this game and and
and the challenge that this defense presents our line, just
(11:45):
like every position.
Speaker 10 (11:47):
A lot of people when you.
Speaker 7 (11:48):
Talk about Josh Allen and more, they'll talk about that
two thousand and eighteen draft.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
Do you think when these two high proofile players.
Speaker 7 (11:54):
Do you think because of that, they'll kind of always
be linked in that regard.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Yeah, probably, you know, it came out in the same draft.
Highly successful, They'll probably always be linked.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, John Lamar a touchdown of justice for at the
end of that. It was such a highlight play. But
right before that, Isaiah likely had I think it was
a nineteen yard catch, had a big sipar him, didn't
get out of the bounds, and he takes the ball
and sprints all the way to the HASH and you
guys are able to clock it really quickly.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
I mean, how impressive undertanding.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
The playoff game, that situation will awareness, you know, and
knowing how important the time was then on that past.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Plus so impressive. I mean, there were so many situational
aspects of that game that our guys really did a
good job of that you may notice and you may not,
and you notice, and that's a great point. I mean,
that's one of the things that we work on really hard.
We work on it all the time. But he takes
that ball right back to the hash, gets on the
ground that everybody sprints up. Lamar, make sure everybody set first.
Everybody's legal ball is snapped. Now we have you know,
(12:53):
is eleven seconds the difference or is eleven seconds left?
I think with the play as opposed to nine or
eight or something like that, that's the difference, right. So
to your point, then you think about just the fact
that we were able to be in that situation. I
think Thailand didn't Tiland have the conversion on the was
that that drive? Was it that drive? I think it
was where we hit. He had to cut the ball
on the sideline, right. If you don't, we're a third
(13:14):
or second forever on that, you know, so Lamar and
you know with a clock run down, there's only about
twenty eight seconds left at that point, and he pushes
forward for the first down. I mean, all those things
give you a chance, you know, at the end, to
have a great play like that happened.
Speaker 7 (13:29):
And you talk about those two quarterbacks. Did you feel
like those guys existed when you first started coaching in
the league or is that something that you guys to
account for more and.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
More over the years they existed. Yes, but you have
to account for him more and more, exactly right. It
seems like most guys now are kind of like that.
I mean, like a guy like bow Knicks comes into
the league this year, and he's that kind of a guy.
And Justin Herbert's that kind of a guy. I mean,
they're just they're kind of everywhere. Now it seems like
that becomes that's more the mold. Now used to be
(13:59):
breaking the mold, that seems like it's becoming the molds.
Speaker 6 (14:05):
Well, yeah, we're.
Speaker 5 (14:06):
Used to it.
Speaker 10 (14:06):
Man.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
We've been talking about we've been talking about plaster and
extended plays in Baltimore for a long time. You're right
with Big Ben.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
You guys missed Toron Johnson and Matt Milano in that
Week four matchup at how important are they to how
Buffalo wants to defend the ball with you know later personnel.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Yeah, well that's they They play that nickel pretty much
against everything except when you put the real big people
out there. And uh, and those guys play so well together.
And there are three experienced players. Uh and you know
Toront Johnson's he's he's a dB, but he plays like
a linebacker in there. Mean he gets in the box
and he plays the Sam or the Will nickel, you
know backer based on your formations, just like a linebacker would.
(14:45):
He's one hundred and ninety pounds, or he shows up,
he's out there in the apex and you know, boom,
he's in the He's in the B gap before you
blink an eye, you know, playing the run. So it
does a great job and those are great players.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
Trying you opted against bringing the take hardy back on.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
You anticipated he'll be available this week or that's still
you don't share.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Well, I'm not sure yet. Uh you know, he'd been
gone for quite a while and there he had the
physical situation, had some personal things he was dealing with.
But he's working hard in practice last week and he's
got to make sure you guy's ready, you know, is
in shape and mentally ready. I mean, he tells me
in his mind he's ready. I can tell you that
he wants to play, and we'll just have to see.
But Steven is a guy that we also have confidence
(15:28):
in and uh, you know, I know he had you know,
a couple of balls got on the ground last week,
this windy lefty. He was bombing the ball for sure,
and uh, you know with the one on the very
first one, you know, he just I don't know if
he lost track of where he was at. But we
don't want to be backing up inside the eight yard
line and catching those kind of punts. It's just let
that give it a chance to go in the end zone, right,
(15:50):
And so he'd like to have that one back. And
then he decided to not feel the cut two of
the other ones and turn out okay, force the way
they bounce. So but he's done well. He's an experienced
guy and and he'll do well back there too. So
we're confident, or if Thailand was back there, we'd be
confident with Thailand too. Those guys all do a good job.
Speaker 8 (16:08):
One of those things, like defensively, offenses are I don't
know whether it's whether it's the schematic things you guys
are doing, whether they're just making a concerted effort, but
it seems like they're trying to attack Brandon Stevens. How
do you feel like he's handled it?
Speaker 9 (16:21):
And why does it seem like the ballki seems to
go that way?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Yeah, I mean some people they decide to do what
they do, you know, for whatever reason they do. And uh,
and it's definitely been been challenging. I mean, he's he's
getting a lot of targets and you know, you get
a lot of targets. You can have more completions, for sure,
that's just the way it goes. But you also make
more plays. He's made a real good number of plays
as well. And also, you know, there's an opportunity there
too for us a little bit, because if we get
(16:46):
the sense that that offense is targeting, you know, a
particular part of the field or a particular player you
know in this sense, you know, he plays right corner,
so that's that's where they go. And Nickel now he's
playing dimebacker. It's a little different when we put dime
out there and third down. But okay, now we got
an idea where you're going to kind of target, we
can we can roll our coverage that way. We can
(17:06):
put the strength of our coverage over there too, So
it's kind of a two way street that way.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Coach, there was a moment the other night we had
to five the fans down that we got a little
too loud. I don't know if you'll have that luxury
in Buffalo, But what about going up and dealing with
the Bills mafia and their fan base and a lot
of Ravens fans may make the.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Sure yeah, well, yeah, no doubt. I doubt the Bill's
the Bill's crowd is going to listen to me. I
I might do is try to try to quiet him
down with our offense is out there. I think they would.
I think they'd respond if I went like this, they
start screaming. Go the other way. You know, Can I
play the opposite game you think you work?
Speaker 5 (17:45):
Why not scoring a few touchdowns?
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Oh, a few touchdowns and quiet them down? That would
be Yeah, that'd be ideal. That'd be idea. I thought
you meant by me walking out there like I did
and quieting him down. Now he doesn't like anybody. They
don't like you, Jerry. You got a feud with the
Bill's mafia.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
They didn't like what I've said about a few years ago.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Do you want to share that.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
I think it's out there viral, but called the city
of Losers.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
Like I mean, I was just staying in the facts.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
I think we should move on. He was definitely, you
asked me. I know, and I apologize to the world.
Speaker 5 (18:29):
Going down that road. What are you kind of think
about I guess your guys defensive line seems like a
lot of guys would just love to work out and
be physically strong and impose their will on game. Damn.
I know, as a guy who you know works out
as vigorously as you do, maybe we kind of responded that.
But how do you kind of think about just the
way this is constructed and how they kind of put
(18:50):
themselves in some positions to succeed.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
What do I think about the defensive line? How hard
they trained to be strong and physically strong. I'm really
I'm I'm all for it. I'm all about it. I
love it. We do have a bunch of guys that
work hard, and I think our guys, I think you
see it. You see it in December and January especially,
but we do, we do believe in uh, you know,
training and and uh and being and being being ready
(19:17):
to It's it's a physical sport. I mean, the game
is it's not just one of lost in the trenches,
but it's one and lost with trench warfare. You know,
a corner's got to shed a wide receiver and make
a tack on a sweep. You got to be strong
to do that. You know. It's a it's a strong
it's a strong it's a strong person's game, and it's
a strong person's game physically, and it's a strong person's
(19:38):
game physically, emotionally, spiritually. You got to be strong to
play to play football. And that's why I have so
much respect. I think you guys cover the sport because
you have so much respect for the game and for
the and for the people who play it. It's just
a great sport and it's so tough in demanding, and
it's just a test of wills, and uh I do.
(19:59):
I love our guys. Our guys are strong minded. They're
physically strong, they're spiritually strong. You care about one another.
That's why they're in position to play a game like
this at this time, this time of year, up in
Buffalo against a great a great team, a great city,
city of winners up there in Buffalo, and they are
(20:20):
you know, they got a great coach, they've got a
great organization, and they got a bunch of tough players too.
So I think what probably everybody's so excited about this game.
Speaker 7 (20:31):
Do you factor in officiating crews, in tendencies with their once.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
It calls or anything in your game plan or in
technique coaching throughout the week?
Speaker 5 (20:41):
Is that at all the factor?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
We try to coach just technique to be a winning technique,
which means clean technique. You know, we don't. We're not
trying to.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
We don't.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
People do coach push the envelope sometimes. I mean, I
think that's the strategy that people might use. I've heard
and I've tried in the past to understand the officiating
cruise and how they might call a game and all that,
and I've found it just to be just to be
a red herring, you know, I just think it's a
waste of time. In the end, you need to focus
on just doing things well the right way. And I
(21:12):
think the officials do a great job. Carl Cheffer is
going to be doing the game. He's got a great crew.
I don't expect them to call a great game. They
do's a it's a really great crew. Carl's common sense
guy always calls a good game, and you know, if
he calls something is a really high chance it's you know,
it's it's it's true, you committed the penalty and you
just got to go on and play the next play
(21:33):
and try to do it the right way.
Speaker 5 (21:35):
Than Thanks everybody.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
You're listening to. The Ravens Press Pass podcast also headed
the Lounge podcast feed and listen there as well as
we break down what this game means and how the
Ravens could attack the Bills in this matchup. Thank you
so much for listening. We'll be back with you later
this week.
Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass podcast. The Ravens are
going to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at six
point thirty pm on CBS in a Divisional Round matchup.
As the Ravens prepare for this game, today, we had
a chance to hear from head coach John Harbaugh.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Okay, I appreciate everybody being here. Good to see you
getting ready for a big game like the Visional game
against a very tough opponent who we know. Well. We're
looking forward to it. We're very deep into the preparations
for that and we're looking forward to the weekend, looking
forward to the game. What questions you have in John.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Obviously you're familiar with this team after playing on the
earlier ear but what I mean, just in watching Frollove
just you know recently, what kind of just stands out
to you is just as for the.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Bills in general, Well, yeah, I mean it's a big
question because so many things stand out there. They're such
a good team, all three phases are playing at a
very high level. I think the biggest thing that stands
out is well coached they are, how well tied together
they are. They play complimentary football. All three phases playoff
of each other. They have a defined personality in every phase.
(01:09):
And as a team, they're very physical, they play very hard.
They're they're cohesive. Uh, they're on the same page. I think. Offensively,
they're very coordinated in terms of blocking schemes and timing
of routes and and the pass protections and how it's
all put together. You know, the quarterback obviously is playing
at high level. Josh Allen is a great player, and
(01:30):
he's they're they're they're well built around him. You know,
he did a good job of building the offense around him.
And they have a lot of complimentary pieces. I mean
all their receivers, wide receivers and tight ends and backs,
and the backs also serve as receivers. But they're all
they're all very talented, skilled catchers. They all understand the
passing game really well. They run hard, they protect the football.
They're all good ball carriers, whether it's handed to them
(01:52):
or after the catch.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
So, big physical offensive line. Defensively, very active, very very
tied together defense back then to the second level to
the front pass rush, run defense, defensive backs showing up
in the run game. Linebacker's playing downhill in the gaps
in the run game, but pop punching out in zone
coverage as well, getting their depth, breaking on the ball, tackling,
(02:17):
just all the things that you would expect from a
well coached team like they are. So that's the type
of challenge that we're facing.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
No sense, when you play a team back in the
week before we played three and a half months ago,
how much weak do you put in that in terms
of reviewing that and prep compared to what they've done
and say, like their last.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Five or six game.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Well, you do both. I mean it's both. I'd say
it's you know, it's some. I don't know what the
percentage of it is, but you're involved. That's definitely in
your breakdown. You kind of go back and you pick
the games. You watch all the games, and you even
go back the past years. You know, that's part of
your breakdown as well. Uh, and then you choose the
games that you want to put in there and that
you want to kind of emphasize and that you think
apply to the game coming up. So these games we
(02:57):
throw out too, just based on what we see, and
it might be some recent games that we don't use
just because we don't think they apply the last their
last game of this regular season. We're not using we
don't we've seen it, we know what's in it, but
it's not applying to our necessarily to our to our
game plan. So we use all of that.
Speaker 6 (03:15):
A little bit more. I'm sure you'll have a better
sense later in the week. But are you confident that
day Flowers would be able to play or is that
still very much open the air.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, that's in we'll see mode. He's working hard to
get back, and we'll see towards the end of the
week if he's practicing and he could play without practicing
for sure, if he's if he feels healthy enough, and
if it's safe for him.
Speaker 7 (03:39):
John kind of piggybacking on Jameson's questions. I mean, the
excitement to see this matchup seemed immediate. I mean, you
have Tony Romo kind of almost salivating on are talking
about it. Is there a part of you that can
step outside of it for a second and just say,
as someone who goes football, this is a this is
a matchup that everybody should want to see.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Oh, absolutely, absolutely, child. I mean it's you. You kind
of feel, you feel grateful to be a part of it.
I mean it's a privilege. You know, it's a privilege
to be a part of a game like this. You know,
this is a this is a big game. It's a
divisional game. I mean, these divisional games are really hard
to win. You know, if you look, uh you look,
you look back over the years, I mean, because you're
(04:18):
playing the best teams. I mean there's the four best
teams in the AFC, the four best teams in the
NFC are still alive. And you know, to get to
the super Bowl, if you want to take a step out,
you've got to win two games. Now, whoever gets to
the Super bowls got to win two games against the
best in their in their conference. That's tough, really tough.
And so to be a part of that, just just
in that, in that sense is really amazing. And then
(04:39):
you get you get a chance to play a team
like the Bills, who've been perennially in that group. Uh
just super talented, well coached type of a team on
that stage, you know, in their place. You know it's
going to be cold, it's gonna be blustery all that,
you know. I just like I can picture John Facenda
coming down, you know from the heavens and and narrating
(05:00):
the preview to the game. So it's it's great. Yeah,
we're we're excited about it.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
And you mentioned do you look at a week four
game and at more recent games.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
You guys won that Week four game, big what what
worked well for you in that game? As you go
back and.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Look at it, well, I mean you saw the game,
you were there, bo, you know, you know what worked well?
We uh, first play was a good play, you know
that was that was a good play for us. But
you know, there's it's a it's just a football game,
you know, And and I'm sure that you just look
at it from it just a kind of it. We
look at it kind of more of a scientific kind
of a football perspective in terms of what did they see,
(05:40):
What are they going to try to stop? What are
they going to play against us? What are they gonna
run against us? You know, we're the matchups now that
weren't there then, or that are different or the same,
you know, all those kind of little things because just
you know, watching the game gets you some insight into
what they were, what they were accomplishing. And they had
a lot of good plays against us too, you know,
so it's more that as opposed to the outcome. I mean,
you don't really look at the outcome. The outcome is
(06:02):
kind of irrelevant. It's more just the just the predictive
aspect of in terms of what you think you might
get going forward.
Speaker 8 (06:12):
Was trying to stop you guys' offense.
Speaker 9 (06:13):
A lot of it is trying to stop the second
and third play with Lamar is similar with Buffalo's offense.
How important will it be to kind of stop some
of those you know, long winded players and.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Long winded plays. I like that the long winded play.
That's a good way to say it, you know, the
two play, the two play quarterback. I might add is Todd.
Todd needs to acknowledge the fact that he got that
from me, just for the record, you know, I know,
I know he likes to take credit for that, but
you know that that just just so you know where
that came from. Just well ask him, he'll tell you.
(06:46):
I mean, everybody knows. Everybody's in the inside knows. So
I just want I got an opportunity to get that
out there finally, because I don't think he's acknowledged that yet.
I've noticed, you see, he liked it.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
So much.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
He kind of took credit for my brother has that
same you know thing about him. So, uh, where were
we the long winded quarterback, the long winded plays. Uh,
it's it's critically important. I mean, that's uh, that's that's
that's the challenge because the first play they run is
really good too, you know, the on time in rhythm
(07:16):
play runner passes is really challenging. Then the second play,
or the third play in the case of Josh or
Lamar becomes the becomes the next challenge. And so everybody's
got their part in the first part of the play,
in the pursuit or the plaster or the or the
keep the ball in front of the tack or the
angle part of the play, whatever it might be. Continue
the rush, make a smart rush in terms of how
(07:39):
you tackle, how you push a guy out of bounds,
all those things are a big part of it.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
John, the drum incident out Saturday was the exciting time
that that's happened here.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
You walk through when you learn that when you throw
and what's that due to.
Speaker 7 (07:50):
You as a company, When you learn gave stops and cotron.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
It, well, you know, they we're I think we're at
the line of scrimmage, and all of a sudden, the
referees you could tell you got buzz in their ear
and they stepped up and they stopped to play. Then
we have one of the referees that's not doing the
game is with the coaches, so you get a little
quicker information. Normally would be the side judge you come
over and tell you, but now he's right there to
tell you, Hey, uh, they're going to stop players a drone.
(08:16):
He just told me that they're looking at a drone.
And so I just told our play callers that, you know,
that's what we're doing. And really, at that point you
just wait. I mean, it's not really anything you can
do about it. It becomes like a commercial time out just
a little bit, and you continue to kind of talk
about your strategy. Really is what you do. It's just
an opportunity to kind of make sure that we're we're
(08:38):
thinking the same way within the game. That's about it.
We don't think too much about it as a drone situation,
per se.
Speaker 7 (08:48):
The more inside quarter war got need in the back
pretty hard. Do you anticipated him that limiting his participation
at all.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
Throughout the week is for the practice time.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Doesn't look that way from what I've been told, which
will say.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
These two teams have evolved since the earlier match up
this year. I mean, is there anything that you can
discern between the difference from the first time you met
if they're coming up.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Yeah, I mean I say, across the board, both teams
are better, you know, in every in every way. Really,
I mean, I don't think either teams taking a step
back in any way. Both teams are better across the board.
I think both teams are kind of, you know, defining
their personalities a little bit more over the course of
the seasons and kind of what you'd expect at this point.
Speaker 10 (09:28):
John, although now you doesn't have another thirteen stats season,
what are some of the ways you think that he's
improved outside of the sets and hoping that the game
can see just from him the other as her wigneman
with such a big offense as in their.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Match, well, Kyle h is uh, you know, obviously the
sacks are kind of speak for themselves, and uh, but
it's not just that, you know, there's there's so many
situations where there's kind of the unsung aspects of a
play that you know, a lot of our guys have done,
and uh, he's been the same guy. Sometimes he'll he'll
be in a position where a quarterback can't escape and
(10:01):
someone else will wrap around and get the sack, or
or or squeezing on a run and forcing a run
back to a linebacker or bouncing out to a dB
like he's supposed to. I just think he's playing good football,
you know. And I do think it's kind of reflective
of the whole defense really. I mean, everybody's just really
focusing on doing their job in a real physical way
and a real discipline way. That's what everybody's really trying
to do. So and col is a great leader that
(10:23):
way too. He leads, you know, he talks to the
guys about that and a lot of experience that way,
like in the playoffs, so he's been talking to the
guys about playing good discipline higher for football.
Speaker 6 (10:35):
An offensive line. He's obviously been pretty critical to the success.
And if you just you know, think back to like
any season to now, obviously you guys have found that
they've found their footing. What just stood out to you
about you know, a guy like Daniel Filele playing you know,
a new position, and you know Patrick McCarry McCarry doing
(10:57):
what he's he's been able to do throughout of course,
as you're out missing a missing any top.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Right, Well, I think the offensive line just like every position,
but it's kind of it's kind of there's just there's
a lot of individual stories in there, the five individual starters,
and there's others too that in the depth part of it,
and if you get into that room, you kind of
see that each each guy's got his own story, but
probably as a whole, it's probably just steady improvement. You know. Uh,
they've been through a lot. You know, you look back
(11:23):
at the Joe d situation and then you know the
fact that it was three new guys and all that
kind of stuff, and you know some of the some
of the doubts and all that kind of stuff that
they dealt with. I really feel good and proud of them.
But really we don't think about too much right now, Brian.
It's just more about preparing for this game and and
and the challenge that this defense presents our line, just
(11:45):
like every position.
Speaker 10 (11:47):
A lot of people when you.
Speaker 7 (11:48):
Talk about Josh Allen and more, they'll talk about that
two thousand and eighteen draft.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
Do you think when these two high proofile players.
Speaker 7 (11:54):
Do you think because of that, they'll kind of always
be linked in that regard.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Yeah, probably, you know, it came out in the same draft.
Highly successful, They'll probably always be linked.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, John Lamar a touchdown of justice for at the
end of that. It was such a highlight play. But
right before that, Isaiah likely had I think it was
a nineteen yard catch, had a big sipar him, didn't
get out of the bounds, and he takes the ball
and sprints all the way to the HASH and you
guys are able to clock it really quickly.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
I mean, how impressive undertanding.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
The playoff game, that situation will awareness, you know, and
knowing how important the time was then on that past.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Plus so impressive. I mean, there were so many situational
aspects of that game that our guys really did a
good job of that you may notice and you may not,
and you notice, and that's a great point. I mean,
that's one of the things that we work on really hard.
We work on it all the time. But he takes
that ball right back to the hash, gets on the
ground that everybody sprints up. Lamar, make sure everybody set first.
Everybody's legal ball is snapped. Now we have you know,
(12:53):
is eleven seconds the difference or is eleven seconds left?
I think with the play as opposed to nine or
eight or something like that, that's the difference, right. So
to your point, then you think about just the fact
that we were able to be in that situation. I
think Thailand didn't Tiland have the conversion on the was
that that drive? Was it that drive? I think it
was where we hit. He had to cut the ball
on the sideline, right. If you don't, we're a third
(13:14):
or second forever on that, you know, so Lamar and
you know with a clock run down, there's only about
twenty eight seconds left at that point, and he pushes
forward for the first down. I mean, all those things
give you a chance, you know, at the end, to
have a great play like that happened.
Speaker 7 (13:29):
And you talk about those two quarterbacks. Did you feel
like those guys existed when you first started coaching in
the league or is that something that you guys to
account for more and.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
More over the years they existed. Yes, but you have
to account for him more and more, exactly right. It
seems like most guys now are kind of like that.
I mean, like a guy like bow Knicks comes into
the league this year, and he's that kind of a guy.
And Justin Herbert's that kind of a guy. I mean,
they're just they're kind of everywhere. Now it seems like
that becomes that's more the mold. Now used to be
(13:59):
breaking the mold, that seems like it's becoming the molds.
Speaker 6 (14:05):
Well, yeah, we're.
Speaker 5 (14:06):
Used to it.
Speaker 10 (14:06):
Man.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
We've been talking about we've been talking about plaster and
extended plays in Baltimore for a long time. You're right
with Big Ben.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
You guys missed Toron Johnson and Matt Milano in that
Week four matchup at how important are they to how
Buffalo wants to defend the ball with you know later personnel.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Yeah, well that's they They play that nickel pretty much
against everything except when you put the real big people
out there. And uh, and those guys play so well together.
And there are three experienced players. Uh and you know
Toront Johnson's he's he's a dB, but he plays like
a linebacker in there. Mean he gets in the box
and he plays the Sam or the Will nickel, you
know backer based on your formations, just like a linebacker would.
(14:45):
He's one hundred and ninety pounds, or he shows up,
he's out there in the apex and you know, boom,
he's in the He's in the B gap before you
blink an eye, you know, playing the run. So it
does a great job and those are great players.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
Trying you opted against bringing the take hardy back on.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
You anticipated he'll be available this week or that's still
you don't share.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Well, I'm not sure yet. Uh you know, he'd been
gone for quite a while and there he had the
physical situation, had some personal things he was dealing with.
But he's working hard in practice last week and he's
got to make sure you guy's ready, you know, is
in shape and mentally ready. I mean, he tells me
in his mind he's ready. I can tell you that
he wants to play, and we'll just have to see.
But Steven is a guy that we also have confidence
(15:28):
in and uh, you know, I know he had you know,
a couple of balls got on the ground last week,
this windy lefty. He was bombing the ball for sure,
and uh, you know with the one on the very
first one, you know, he just I don't know if
he lost track of where he was at. But we
don't want to be backing up inside the eight yard
line and catching those kind of punts. It's just let
that give it a chance to go in the end zone, right,
(15:50):
And so he'd like to have that one back. And
then he decided to not feel the cut two of
the other ones and turn out okay, force the way
they bounce. So but he's done well. He's an experienced
guy and and he'll do well back there too. So
we're confident, or if Thailand was back there, we'd be
confident with Thailand too. Those guys all do a good job.
Speaker 8 (16:08):
One of those things, like defensively, offenses are I don't
know whether it's whether it's the schematic things you guys
are doing, whether they're just making a concerted effort, but
it seems like they're trying to attack Brandon Stevens. How
do you feel like he's handled it?
Speaker 9 (16:21):
And why does it seem like the ballki seems to
go that way?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Yeah, I mean some people they decide to do what
they do, you know, for whatever reason they do. And uh,
and it's definitely been been challenging. I mean, he's he's
getting a lot of targets and you know, you get
a lot of targets. You can have more completions, for sure,
that's just the way it goes. But you also make
more plays. He's made a real good number of plays
as well. And also, you know, there's an opportunity there
too for us a little bit, because if we get
(16:46):
the sense that that offense is targeting, you know, a
particular part of the field or a particular player you
know in this sense, you know, he plays right corner,
so that's that's where they go. And Nickel now he's
playing dimebacker. It's a little different when we put dime
out there and third down. But okay, now we got
an idea where you're going to kind of target, we
can we can roll our coverage that way. We can
(17:06):
put the strength of our coverage over there too, So
it's kind of a two way street that way.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Coach, there was a moment the other night we had
to five the fans down that we got a little
too loud. I don't know if you'll have that luxury
in Buffalo, But what about going up and dealing with
the Bills mafia and their fan base and a lot
of Ravens fans may make the.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Sure yeah, well, yeah, no doubt. I doubt the Bill's
the Bill's crowd is going to listen to me. I
I might do is try to try to quiet him
down with our offense is out there. I think they would.
I think they'd respond if I went like this, they
start screaming. Go the other way. You know, Can I
play the opposite game you think you work?
Speaker 5 (17:45):
Why not scoring a few touchdowns?
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Oh, a few touchdowns and quiet them down? That would
be Yeah, that'd be ideal. That'd be idea. I thought
you meant by me walking out there like I did
and quieting him down. Now he doesn't like anybody. They
don't like you, Jerry. You got a feud with the
Bill's mafia.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
They didn't like what I've said about a few years ago.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Do you want to share that.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
I think it's out there viral, but called the city
of Losers.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
Like I mean, I was just staying in the facts.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
I think we should move on. He was definitely, you
asked me. I know, and I apologize to the world.
Speaker 5 (18:29):
Going down that road. What are you kind of think
about I guess your guys defensive line seems like a
lot of guys would just love to work out and
be physically strong and impose their will on game. Damn.
I know, as a guy who you know works out
as vigorously as you do, maybe we kind of responded that.
But how do you kind of think about just the
way this is constructed and how they kind of put
(18:50):
themselves in some positions to succeed.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
What do I think about the defensive line? How hard
they trained to be strong and physically strong. I'm really
I'm I'm all for it. I'm all about it. I
love it. We do have a bunch of guys that
work hard, and I think our guys, I think you
see it. You see it in December and January especially,
but we do, we do believe in uh, you know,
training and and uh and being and being being ready
(19:17):
to It's it's a physical sport. I mean, the game
is it's not just one of lost in the trenches,
but it's one and lost with trench warfare. You know,
a corner's got to shed a wide receiver and make
a tack on a sweep. You got to be strong
to do that. You know. It's a it's a strong
it's a strong it's a strong person's game, and it's
a strong person's game physically, and it's a strong person's
(19:38):
game physically, emotionally, spiritually. You got to be strong to
play to play football. And that's why I have so
much respect. I think you guys cover the sport because
you have so much respect for the game and for
the and for the people who play it. It's just
a great sport and it's so tough in demanding, and
it's just a test of wills, and uh I do.
(19:59):
I love our guys. Our guys are strong minded. They're
physically strong, they're spiritually strong. You care about one another.
That's why they're in position to play a game like
this at this time, this time of year, up in
Buffalo against a great a great team, a great city,
city of winners up there in Buffalo, and they are
(20:20):
you know, they got a great coach, they've got a
great organization, and they got a bunch of tough players too.
So I think what probably everybody's so excited about this game.
Speaker 7 (20:31):
Do you factor in officiating crews, in tendencies with their once.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
It calls or anything in your game plan or in
technique coaching throughout the week?
Speaker 5 (20:41):
Is that at all the factor?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
We try to coach just technique to be a winning technique,
which means clean technique. You know, we don't. We're not
trying to.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
We don't.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
People do coach push the envelope sometimes. I mean, I
think that's the strategy that people might use. I've heard
and I've tried in the past to understand the officiating
cruise and how they might call a game and all that,
and I've found it just to be just to be
a red herring, you know, I just think it's a
waste of time. In the end, you need to focus
on just doing things well the right way. And I
(21:12):
think the officials do a great job. Carl Cheffer is
going to be doing the game. He's got a great crew.
I don't expect them to call a great game. They
do's a it's a really great crew. Carl's common sense
guy always calls a good game, and you know, if
he calls something is a really high chance it's you know,
it's it's it's true, you committed the penalty and you
just got to go on and play the next play
(21:33):
and try to do it the right way.
Speaker 5 (21:35):
Than Thanks everybody.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
You're listening to. The Ravens Press Pass podcast also headed
the Lounge podcast feed and listen there as well as
we break down what this game means and how the
Ravens could attack the Bills in this matchup. Thank you
so much for listening. We'll be back with you later
this week.
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