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August 25, 2025 11 mins
Head Coach John Harbaugh speaks with the media after practice on Monday.

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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome back to the Press Pass podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Is Cassie Chergo and it's Monday, August twenty fifth. The
Ravens just wrapped up practice and head coach John Harball
addressed the media.

Speaker 3 (00:14):
Okay, good to see everybody. Sure, appreciate you being here.
Beautiful day, beautiful setting, and a good, hard, tough football practice.
Appreciate the guys coming out and practice and the way
they did. And you know, we're kind of twofold. We're
working our way toward the final decisions and then also
working our way toward the start of the season. So

(00:34):
that's our kind of dual path right now. Happy with
the guys. I thought they really got out and got
after it today. See some extra guys running over there
doing some extra which is impressive. So I like the
way our guys work. I think that's that's kind of
how it's supposed to be and this is a hard
working group. We did have a couple of injuries. We
had Xavier had his Brokes clavicle, so he'll be out
for a while. And Dayton Wade had you have surgery

(00:56):
on his chest ribs, so he'll be out for a while.
So those two, those are the two injuries. You have.
All the other injuries are stuff that we we really
expect everybody to be back practicing next week. If they're
not practicing right now, we expect them to be practicing
next week at this point, What question do you have
that's all those guys well, I mean Zavier likely is

(01:19):
up in the air.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
So as you said, Lamar, we'll be back out. They're
practicing today. How do you look for you?

Speaker 3 (01:28):
I thought he looked good. You know, it's a good practice.
It's a lot going on. There's a lot of mental
work obviously for the quarterback here at this point in time,
so he's working through that, trying to.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Get it right.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
We had a full day, have a full work day tomorrow,
another full work day on Wednesday. Then they'll get four
days away and then we'll be back Monday in the
game week.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
You do you get all the way into the bills
at this point in this week or is it still
sort of your next week is cutting.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Your normal game week.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
Then we get into the bills. Now you know the
bills and you know, even some other stuff too, you know,
for other upcoming games. Will start working on things on.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
The you know, the roster deadline obviously, looming.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
If you guys in your mind have it set or
is it's still kind of working through some of those
final spots.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
And how much does special teams way into those Last week.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
Well, start with the last part. Special teams will weigh in.
I mean, you know, we talked about that last week.
The roles are very important and you've got to play
at a high level, especially with the new kickoff kickoff
return rule.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
What was the rest of the question, If you've kind
of made up your mind already or you're still just
kind of working through one or two things.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
I as admire the guys that can like remember all
three questions and then kind of go back through it.
You know, it's so impressive, the multi multi layered questions.
Gott to keep it simple for me. But was that
question again? We're pretty much we pretty much haven't made up.
We do pretty much have it made up. But things
can change, you know, and there's there's calls going back

(02:55):
and forth. I'm sure with Eric and the and the
scouts and for us and the football side, you just
you lock in on the football. And that's what we
told the guys today. You know, we had we had
a couple of guys who were released today, you know,
and they'll be looking for their next opportunity as well.
And they're good guys, and they worked hard and they
showed that they have a future in the league somehow,
some ways got to keep growing as players. And then

(03:15):
the rest of the guys here too, the same thing.
It's there's a little anxiety, but they didn't let it
show in the way they practice are out there. They're
doing it because you don't know what's going to happen.
It's there's the fifty three, there's starting jobs, there's special
teams jobs, there's a fifty three man roster, there's a
practice squad, there's other teams, there's trades, there's all kinds
of things that can happen. So really your job as
a player is to get out there and play and

(03:37):
do your best and play your best, and when you
do that, good things can happen for you down there.

Speaker 4 (03:42):
Some years where you guys have made a trade literally
the day of the deadline, cup roster cut down.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Do you discuss that with there now? Do you sense
there's still possibilities of that with it this year?

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Well, I just know there's a lot of conversations going on.
I think when you know, and the Hill kind of
apprise me of where it's at, and he has. But
when something gets to be serious and then become serious,
you know, and usually it does work its way to
the last minute. Usually it seems that way. Uh, And
that's kind of where we're heading tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
Some of these guys might make the roster. But the
undrafted guys, I mean, especially this last preseason game really
seem like the showcase the depth you have and bring
in undrafted guys.

Speaker 4 (04:20):
What do you think has allowed Eric and the team
to kind of bring in guys of that caliber for year?

Speaker 3 (04:26):
Yeah, I mean, I think we have a really good system.
We have great scouts. Eric's obviously a great leader, been
doing it here for a long time, had a lot
of success with the undrafted free agency, and we had
we had guys who were tryal guys that are are
in contention to make the team this year, you know,
and that doesn't always happen. And I'm sure there are
guys that condition to make the team that other other
teams didn't even have on their on their list at all.
You know, it shows you how deep we dig. I

(04:47):
think we have a really good system that has been built,
built with deep foundations, you know here, and we operate
in a really high level. I also think that we
work hard, you know, we develop our players. We bring
them in and we give them reps. We're not practicing
for an hour and ten minutes out here, you know,
we're out here. We're giving these guys reps, We're giving
them walk through. We've got meetings for these guys. We've
got extra meetings for the young guys. We try to

(05:08):
develop them because we think if you sign with the Ravens,
you know, you should get you should get coached, and
you should get every opportunity to to have to have
a fair shot, you know, and it's not just a
token opportunity, a real opportunity. And we feel like as
coaches that's our job to develop every guy in the roster.
And when you do that, it's not just the fact
that you have guys who have a fair chance. It

(05:29):
helps you bring in guys next year, for sure, because
if I'm an agent, I want to send them to
Baltimore because they're gonna get coach and they're gonna have
a chance. But it also makes you camp better. And
when your camps better top to bottom, you have better
practices from top to bottom. So you're you're you're the
Lamar's and those guys they get better practice too because
they're going against better, better players, who are better prepared,
who are coach better, who know what they're doing, and

(05:50):
just I think in the end it makes your whole
team better. God, that was a Was that a pretty
good answer? Yeah? Pretty deep.

Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, I just have a sun of it on the
on Jay year.

Speaker 1 (06:03):
First you expect him to be one of those guys
that would be back next week.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
I do. And secondly, when he's missed.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
That much time, what's the concern or however you want.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
To put it, you know, being able to ramp him
up for the regular sea.

Speaker 3 (06:16):
Yeah, well, he's been working hard as far as all
the non football stuff, so you know, he's he's been
chopping at the bed. You know, he's been trying to
break out of prison. You know, he's been he's been, uh,
he's been locked away in there. It's a nice place,
it's beautiful, but in his mind is a prison, nonetheless,
And they're doing that, they're doing what they need to do.
You get him ready for that. But yeah, practice is important,
you know, and he's a veteran guy. He wants to practice,

(06:37):
So when he gets out there, I'm sure he'll be
he'll be going at it. But it'll be our job
too to monitor that as well, to make sure that
we do it right. It's a long season and we
want to we want to bring him back the right way.
Johnas Humble one of the guys that's banged up in
You brought him in at the very beginning of free agency.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
How important you anticipate him being for special teams, know
when you did lose a couple of the veteran linebackers
last year.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, yeah, yea, humblets he's going to make the team.
You know, he's going to be a big part of
what we're doing. He had that hand thing, so he
had to go in there and this week and do
a little minor procedure that he should be practicing next Wednesday.
It should be should be good to go for the
game if all goes well, which they say it's going great.
I know you don't like.

Speaker 5 (07:14):
Comparison questions out but as far as the level look
death it all, it looked different this year Washington threes
and fours that not only had talent, but we're all
making plays, knew what they were doing, the level of
execution to go with it feels from the outside looking in,
it was better than it's I can recall maybe since
you've been here, is it is that bear.

Speaker 3 (07:33):
And it's hard to remember. I mean, you know, we've
we've we've had a lot of good preseasons. You might
you might recall, uh, right, And I think it's a
good observation. Certainly better than last year for sure, you know,
just to make it if we're going to make a
direct comparison, I feel like we're a lot better place
right now as far as as far as the preseason
goes deeper, more guys playing at a high level, for sure,

(07:57):
I'll definitely see that, and I think that's a good thing.
You know, hey, where we're at now, So it's all
we can judge by and feel good about that at
this point. And I know you never say never, but
at this point, do you see any position group where
you would think you might be looking for guys who
are available after other teams do cut downs? Yeah, I
don't think we're scouring. I mean that I know that
they're scouring. I mean, I know they know everybody, but

(08:19):
I would be hard pressed for me to think that
we bring somebody in here that would be better than
who we have. But never say never, and you never
know what opportunity you might present itself. For sure, how.

Speaker 4 (08:30):
Much like how much joy do you get out of
telling some of these guys that they've made the team?
I'm talking about, you know, like undrafted free agents and
guys that may have not been given much of a
shot coming.

Speaker 3 (08:42):
In so much joy I mean, I mean, the whole
thing is emotional, The whole thing is incredibly meaningful. Walking
out of the tunnel back to the buses from Washington,
one of the guys, young guys, you know, he was
kind of walking and tell he was emotional, and you know,
how'd you play? He goes, I think I did just

(09:02):
not great. I'm like, man, I bet you played great. Man,
You've been playing great the whole camp. I bet you
were physical and and he just gave me the biggest hug,
you know, And it just means so much. I mean,
I hope, I hope fans and all of us can understand,
you know, how much these guys put into it. You know,
so when you're an opportunity to tell the player that
he made the team, maybe especially a guy you didn't

(09:24):
expect necessary to make the team. But I promise you
he was calling his mom and dad every night and
telling him how it went, you know, what the coach say,
and how many plays did you make? And you know
I had a good player, I had a band player,
whatever it is. And it's just like the whole your
whole world's wrapped up into it as a family, you know,
And sitting down the buses there and right in front
of us was all the families. For whatever reason, the
families are right there, and you could I mean, I

(09:46):
mean so many families with rookies, rookie free agents jerseys,
you know, and it's like, wow, you know I saw
forty eight, I saw forty nine, I saw eighty six,
you know twenty eight. You know, their families there a
lot of people, you know, and they come out and
they get in there and they hug them and and
tell them they did good. You know. I just feel
like that's what this is all about. You know, it

(10:06):
really is. It's a it's a human thing. Football is.
It's an amazing, crazy sport. You know, it's a real metaphor.
I've always said this, it's a metaphor for life. I
know it's not life, but it is life. It is
life for people who are involved in it. And I
think that's why the fans involve themselves so much and
make it part of their lives, because they can see
how real it is. This is genuine, real, real drama,

(10:27):
you know, and and and and they put so much
into it. I mean, look at our running backs, how
hard they ran in that game, throwing their bodies in
there the way they did for a quote unquote meaningless
preseason game, you know, and not meaningless to the people
playing in it, you know, and to their families. So
I just feel like it's I appreciate your questions that
one where you're going with these questions because to me,

(10:48):
they're they're exactly right.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
Doesn't get any easy to tell you guys, man.

Speaker 3 (10:54):
No, it gets harder, Mike, It gets harder. You know,
it gets harder. You get yeh, I'm heading toward Grandpa
territory just like you. You know, and and and you
see you see, uh you see your kids your kids
in these in these kids. And you know, I had
a Miami ohiograd today, you know, and uh read and
we were talking and and uh, had is Miami shirt on.

(11:17):
You know, that's that's that's close to home for me,
you know, and that's a tough conversation. But then the
guys are so grateful for the opportunity and for what
they felt like they learned and everything, and all I
can do is give them a big hug and you know,
give me a phone number and say, hey, let's keep
in touch, and let's keep in touch. All good, All right, thanks.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
Thanks for listening.

Speaker 3 (11:41):
We'll be back with you again tomorrow.

Speaker 5 (11:45):
M
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