Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell joins team insiders Ryan Mink and Garrett Downing to share the journey back from his major rookie knee injury, how he sees his role in 2025, the story behind his flashy cleats, and more.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome into lounge presented by DraftKings. I'm Ryan Ink here
with Garrett Downing and we are thrilled to sit down
with running back Keaton Mitchell. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
No problem. Problem.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
So I've noticed your cleats since the started training camp,
and today I came in for a closer inspection. I
was kind of I'm not gonna lie. I was talking
a little bit. I was like, those road runner cleats,
that is sick.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I got some more coming in.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
More road runner cleats. You're gonna have diversity of road runners.
That's sick.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Somebody I didn't give me right.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
That's awesome. It's a very fitting I mean, were you
a big roadrunner fan growing up, or you're like, I'm
faster fast.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
So my sister made a little highlight clipping meat and
then she put in a little run to meat meat.
She put that in there, and then it just took
off from there.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Let's say it says meat meat on the like.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Say wink.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
My uh friends and college just called me wink A
no no background with it it.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Wait, there's no story with it, just just wink, all right,
we'll run with it.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
What didn't you have a pendant road runner.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, the road Runner on there?
Speaker 4 (01:13):
All right? I like it and you always had that?
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Is that is that you got it at my rookie year?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Okay, but yeah run there somewhere.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
That's super sick. Well, we're watching practice.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
You look like the road runner again out there. You're
feeling fast.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Oh yeah, faster than I ever feel. I feel real good.
I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah, I mean how I'm just curious. Obviously we saw
how fast you were as a rookie. I mean you
look at the next Gen stats and you had some
of the top top speeds in the league. How do
you after the knee injury that you suffered, Like, how
do you get even faster than that?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
I mean just grinding and then you're really just starting
from scratch, working the muscles you never thought you had
to work before on both legs, so like just getting
that going and man stronger.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
So yeah, interesting, is there a point where you felt like,
oh I'm faster? Like, whether it's the actual times, I
know you you'll pay attention to some of those times
that you're running too, but like, was it either a
time or a moment or a play where you felt
like my speed is back? And maybe better than ever.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
So when we came back for strength and conditioning, we
were doing like fifteen yard build ups or.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah build ups, and I was going with an.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
He was like, I'm gonna go with Keaton so I
can hit my top speed or whatever. Now we end
up going well, he hit twenty two and then Sam
was like, oh my, and like what I get?
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Did I hit my pr?
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Here like yeah, you hit twenty two but keyting god Lee,
you just broke your pr Oh well, I ain't even
I didn't even know I was running that fast, but
I definitely hit twenty two point four.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
So yeah, wow, I mean that has to be a
pretty awesome feeling given everything that that you've gone through.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, facts, that's cool.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
I mean, fee for I'll tell you the moment for
me where I was like Keaton's back. It was actually
just a couple of weeks ago, maybe like a week ago,
when watching practice and there was a play where you
came around the edge and you just turned it upfield
and you probably know what I'm talking about, and then
you were just off to the races and I was like, man,
he just continues to make these types of plays like
we saw. We saw it a little bit in the
off season, but then once we got into training camp
(03:25):
and then you turned the edge and then.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
You just like you hit the you hit the turbos.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah, and like that play to me was like, there's
no doubt that this guy's running like he did as
a rookie.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
When I came back last year, I came back, but
I only had one gear angle.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Now I got all my gears, so we rolling.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, tell me about that process last year. And you know,
obviously after the rookie season that you had, it was
you know, you got that adrenaline rush, like you made it.
You were making plays, and then to suffer the injury,
it felt like last year you were just like I'll
do whatever it takes to get back on the field.
Did you feel like you were kind of a little
ahead yourself almost.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
It was rock bottom, lonely, just me grinding up here
every day, didn't really have an off season, ain't go home,
just me, Kay, Scott, Mike Adrian, just grinding every day
while everybody on vacation. So it was like hard times.
Then when everybody came back, just sitting in the weight
(04:24):
room watching them guys go out there and practice and
then it just got to a point where I was like, man,
I don't know if I could take Yeah, it taken
much longer. So once I started running, Kay was like, man,
I got to get out there, so I can't even
take it no more.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So yeah, I just went back out there. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
And so you come back last year, and like you said,
you only had one gear, but you made it back.
And I think in a lot of ways, just getting
back on the field last year was a pretty significant
accomplishment in and of itself, given the significance of the
knee injury and just the long road that you had
to to come back and get to that point. But
was it How did you handle it last year? Like
you get on that you crossed the hurdle of suiting
(05:06):
up again, but you're not like the same player that
you feel like you can't be. How did you handle that?
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Just kept praying, kept going, ignore the noises of like
all the people that was saying I'm never gonna be
the rookieyear me again, just ignoring that. It just we
got a little saying now just staying rooted to what
we got going on. So just staying down, staying rooted. Uh,
(05:35):
because eventually I knew I was gonna get back to myself.
Can't let the outside I know it's get to me.
So uh yeah, I just stayed down, kept praying, and
I'm back do better.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
So coming off of last season, did you stay around
here the whole off season? This year too, to train
last off season? This? Yeah? This audi off?
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Oh no, well deserved break.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
I was gone. I took so many trips.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Overdue. You paid your dude the previous Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Going back to you know, you have this incredible start
as a rookie. Hey, what was that that journey like
as a rookie when you come on and you just
burst on the scene like that that big Yeah, take
me through what that journey was like for you was
an undrafted rookie.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
It was lit.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Nah, coming in as a rookie undrafted pos was like, uh,
get on special teams and from there you'll make the
team if you working hard on special teams.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
And then just when you get your touches, make them count.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
So they put in a little package for me versus Detroit,
the reverse that went for ten yards of my last
touch to that game, and then what was the next game?
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Was it Seattle?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
I think it was yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Settle, Yeah, now my first touches was gone. Non he
I felt comfortable and I was just doing me right.
There you go.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Once you once you're out of the box, there there
ain't there's no putting you back in. Like once you
made those plays, it was like, all right, we're just
running with this now.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
In fact, do you uh do you feel like if
that injury didn't happen? I mean, I know you can
always play the what if games, Like I feel like
that season might have turned out differently for the Ravens,
Like that's how many plays you were making. Sure? How
tough was that? And did you feel the same way
when when you had to watch from the sideline during
that playoff stretching down the stretch there?
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Hey it was hard, but I always was like, just
control it.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
You can control when you get back out there and
yeah we can't make that run.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Yeah, but yeah, how who did you lean on during
the hard times of this recovery process?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Trent Simpson, Antavia's Robinson, my dogs, they were there for me.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
What was it about your guys connection that just made
you feel like those were guys that you could kind
of lean on for support.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
They was just were just always around and they was
always texting me or whatever.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
You know, I was in the house. So uh, they
was like, come on, go get something to eat. Man's
just go hang out. Uh, let's go to the baseball game.
Let's go here.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Man. When we end up going to Camp con together,
oh yeah, these my dogs for real, and yeah, we
just stayed with each other from there.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
They honestly seemed like two of the nicest guys.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Of the Yeah. They's some great guy, especially especially off
the field. Yeah, yeah, a nice dude. But on the
field once he put them bands on and cut his
circulation off, a whole different dude.
Speaker 4 (08:49):
He actually cut a circulation about this thing the eye
black too, that's on the war paint.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
I told him, you gotta have to go full sleeve
tag it up. Way you can be dangered for Yeah,
he's cut his circulation.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
That's crazy. That's I'm gonna have to ask about that.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
So I think a lot of people, you know, we're
watching you practice and we're like, man, Keaton's back, like,
I'm excited to watch you get the ball, But how
you get the ball is the question mark? Right, you
got Derrick Henry in there and Justice Hill and those
guys are both awesome also, so like, how do you
look at that situation? I think Todd Mounkin the other
day was like, it's a fight for snaps in that
(09:29):
room because you're also good.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Yeah, sure, it's a great room. Start off by Kit return,
get the ball like Kit return, and just whenever I
guess man or whatever you know, Derek going his twenty
five thirty carries just is gonna get his and man
man Shane will get whatever they don't.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Get, make it count.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
I mean, I guess that's the same exact scenario you
were in as a rookie too. That worked out pretty well.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Yeah, Hey, I ain't gonna say too much, but it's happening.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Yeah, yeah, Well, one of the things I think that
stands out to me about you is a whenever you
get the ball, you have the ability to take it
to the house. And so I've always kind of said,
they're like, it's not I'm sure you would love any
player would love a lot of volume. You love fifteen
twenty carries a game. Anybody would love that, but you.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Don't need them, like say no, no, really, what's your
what's kind of like your ideal.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
My ideal carries.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Yeah, give me ten ten, Just come in there and
hit home runs. You're just like that, gave me, just
give me some.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
I just need a little bit. I'm mak him count.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
Right, right. That's my thing is like you don't need twenty.
But because you're kind of like a three point shooter
a little bit, like that's the way I see it,
Like you can come in off the like coming off
the bench, instant offense, and provide a spark to the team,
which is exactly what you did as a rookie.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
I like to stick with the home run theme here.
I'm going designated hitter, right, He's not out on the
field all the time, he's not playing all those defense
set He's gonna.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Du hit bombs. Oka. Yeah, you're down.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Speaking of baseball, I'm a little butt and I'm a
oh there, beat one out.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
I don't feel single.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
That's that's your game right there.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Let's just keep this rolling, ye, But yeah, that's my thing.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
I just think that like, no matter how many carries
or touches you get, like you can you can take
it to the house. And so how does that affect
your approach and your mindset going into games.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Whatever ones I get, make them count. Yeah, you might
get one. Better make you count. Yeah, make the first
one count, might get another one, make that one count.
You might get a third one and then.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
And I guess you kind of have evidence. You have
proof of that from your rookie season, So like do
you call back on that, thinking like, Okay, that Detroit game,
I got one. The next game Seattle, it ramped up
and I turned to the house, like, is that kind
of how you think about it as you're looking about
what your role could be this year?
Speaker 3 (11:46):
I mean, yeah, and no, I don't really think of
the past. But I mean I'm just thinking of it
as whatever they need me to do, special teams, offensive, whatever,
Just whenever I'm out there, get your best, Just be
myself and take one to the crib.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
How good do you feel as a kicker? Turn good.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
I gotta get a little bit, get to feel a
little bit more because last year I was I told
you I got I had one gear last year one
gear where Nah, Chris is gonna do a good job
of showing me the ins and outs of it, and
hopefully I get a couple of turns this year.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
I mean, there's gonna be more returns this year, changes
and stuff, so.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
They better not give us a touch back thirty five.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Right, you're putting Ell Derrick ultimated to.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
See he's making a good case get better kicking to me.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Yeah, that's what he's just trying to talk that into
the coaches, right there. Coaches give you a shot, But
did you return kicks in college?
Speaker 2 (12:54):
They ain't let me? Why not? I ain't want me
to get hurt.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
In college, you know, they don't be blocking for real NFL.
They got a job, they better block. So college they.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Had me, and then I was getting schmacked. Like the
first two games. It wasn't blocking for real. And then
my junior year we got to the bowl game and
I was like and I was done. I was like,
all right, can I get at least one kick return?
And then they put me back there and I took
it for eighty and then that's all I needed.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I was like, all right, I'm good. Good.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
You talk about your dad and his advice to you,
and you were coming in as a rookie and your
father being a former Ravens player, super Bowl winner, Yeah, uh,
what what influence does that have on you? And does
he have on you? And kind of helping guide you
along your NFL career.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
He got the ring. I'm trying to get a ring.
I'm trying to match him, but.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
They get bigger. Every years of his will be yours
would be like twice the size of his.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Oh yeah, yeah, I need that ring. That ring.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Does he bustes out?
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Does he?
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Ever?
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Every time he come up here, he wearing it. He
tried to wear every day. All right, man, relax, relax.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
He showed me some highlights. He cold. I ain't know
you was that cold? You know, when you're young, you're like,
you wouldn't even like that for real. He pull he
got the old little.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
What's it called VHS.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Or whatever, the VHS tapes.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Yeah, yeah, like I got it. You turn it on
like okay, you just got to.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Keep a VCR working, just so you can share the
highlight tap.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
He was trying so hard to find it, and then
he finally got it.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Like you was all right, universe, you and him. He's
coming up to try to tackle you in the hole.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Was that ever?
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Is that a debate that you guys have had.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Oh he's not. He's not messing with me though. He
got moveding feet. He's when he's six two, I'm gonna
give him a little heazy. I'm gone. You got.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Was when you were growing up?
Speaker 4 (15:08):
Was football like with him being a football player? Was
that something that was like you always played, you always
loved the game. He was always part of.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Everybody in my family played football. He, my brother, pops,
my mom on the person. I ain't played football with
my sister.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
So, so, who gave you your speed?
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Mom?
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Dad?
Speaker 2 (15:31):
My mom was pretty fast. Yeah yeah, she ran track
at Texas. Okay, yeah, I don't know one.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Of them a combination. We'll give him a combo, give
him half and half, right.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
So and and was that Did you have conversations with
him about when you're growing up about the potential of
making it to the pros And was that something that
like you thought was a possibility as you were a
kid growing up.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
I was just out there having fun, and it's a
kids game. Out of having fun, I ain't really Yeah,
everybody want to get to the NFL, but me. I
went to EU. Then they got real.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
I was like, oh I might got a chance. Man.
Yeah it happened.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
And I feel like you still have that same attitude,
like you're still to some degree have that same like mindset.
You're just like, hey, I'm playing a kids game and
I have like is that still the same approach that
you take?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Oh yeah, I got to you gotta have fun.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Once you get born, then you ain't gonna be the
same out there man, eventually gonna want to retire.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
You gotta have fun.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
We up here getting up at six am, five thirty
all the way to five thirty pm.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
You gotta love it. You gotta have fun. Can't be
too uptight, too serious.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Yeah, you know, I looked at your knee and I
see these scars, right, and like that's a testament, man,
that's like part of your this one No, I had
not facing me. I mean, hey, how serious that knee
injury was? That was a big career ending? That is
that what they told you?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Everybody think it was just the A C L. It
was my A C L P C L L c
L ham string.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
And hamstring tour. Yeah, and so who told your career ending?
The people like when did they tell when you went
in for surgery? When they tell you that, or when
it first happened, or what they tried it.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
They ain't want to like tell me, oh that's career ending.
Prob Like, once I start rehabbing, they started getting better.
They were like, yeah, that was a career ending.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
They thought, like, this is kind of what was running
through my mind at the time, that you probably really gotta.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
You can't speed up rehab, you can't go too slow.
You just gotta stay on track and just trust trust
the man up there.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
Yeah, obviously it's not career ending because you're you're still
here and you're still and you're showing that you know
you still have you can still play. Yeah, what does
that mean about your character and the type of person
and player that you are to overcome that?
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Hey, everybody built different man.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Shout out to my colleagues running back coach, coach foster Man.
They always tell as we built different. Just got to
carry yourself like that, like it ain't over till you
say it's over, Stay down and.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Get to it.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Yeah. Do the scars make you a stronger person? Has
this made you better? Stronger? This injury?
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Yes, Yes, it taught me a lot of stuff.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
I never really had adversity like this for real, but yeah,
this taught me a lot. Like what I ain't gonna
get in depth, I'm gonna get a little emotional, but a.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
I would.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
People were saying I should get tattoos, but like, nah,
I need to see these scars just to remind you, remind.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Myself what I went through.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Yeah, it was long lonely nights. People go ghosts.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
Remember everybody was there when Ricky season breaking the long run.
But once it's over with, you see all the people
go away. You still got a handful of people that's
still there for you. But nah, it definitely got dark.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
There was no light. They just stayed down.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
What was there one moment that was the darkest, the.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Darkest moment probably like when I wasn't really I want
nobody checking up on me.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
It was like two weeks, three weeks when nobody checking
up on me.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Uh, I couldn't I couldn't walk, I couldn't walk, I
was in crutches or I couldn't walk, I couldn't do nothing.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
And it was just they figured it.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Out and that was that was Like what was that
shortly after the injury happened? After surgery? When was that.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
After look after surgery?
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Yeah, I think it's tough, like and I'll just speak
for myself, you know, like I felt so bad for
you you know, and it's like tough when you see
somebody and you know, even when I would just see you,
even when you came back a little bit and you
were hanging around the locker room and you see you
and you're like down, like you can tell like it's tough,
and you don't know what to say, you know what
(20:27):
I mean?
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Like I try, I try to.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
I try to keep a smile on my face and
trying to not like let people see that side of me.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
But definitely when I lead this building, yeah tough, yeah
yeah yeah.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
And and but you worked your way through it. Facts
and and if there's one thing that that you take
away from that whole experience and being able to come
out of it, like the motivation of anyone else that's
going through a tough time or going through injuries, and
that's just part of what happens in the league, but
going through tough times, Like what is the motivation that
you take from that whole experience?
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Just laying on God He gonna be there with you.
You're up here and when you down there, just laying
on him, taught to him every day and just no,
it can happen, Like if you want to come back
from that injury or whatever you're going through. You can
get through it. You just gotta leaning on gud because
(21:23):
he got all the asses and just trusting them.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Awesome. Well, I got only one thing left to say,
that's meat. Meat. Are you out doing this clean? Certain games?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I don't know. These next ones. I might be able to,
but I doubt it. I might want on pregame. Okay,
I got some, I got some more coming in.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
All right, we can't wait to see him. Hey, Keating,
thanks man, I appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
Welcome back into the Lounge podcast. We are coming to
you from the sea geek Stitio. We want to mention
our partners at Draft King Sportsbook. They are an official
sports betting partner of the Baltimore Ravens Draftking Sportsbook. The
Crown is yours. Thank you to Keating. I like sitting
down and talk with him, also plot him and thank
him for being so open and forthcoming and talking about
his injury and the tough times that he that he
(22:09):
went through during that, and it's really good to see
him on the other side of it.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Yeah, I'm I'm really excited about Keaton. I'm not gonna
lie like that's been one of my biggest takeaways from
the OTA's mini camp and now into training camp is
how good he looks. I didn't know, you know, man,
it's gonna be tough to find keating some snaps. That's
how kind of I was thinking, oas, how are you
gonna do this? You know, how are you gonna get
(22:33):
him something? And like now I'm like, we have to
find a way to get him enough touches, you know,
and like he said, it's not fifteen twenty, but like
he can do some damage with some touches. But to me,
seeing how well he's running in training camp, like that
numbers bump but up for me.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
Well, as he said, kick return is gonna be a
big piece of that, and I think there's gonna be
a lot of action on kick returns that I'm not
just gonna.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Give the ball, not just a touch back every time.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
It's not just touch back territory, and so he's got
to get opportunities there. But I do think that he's
gonna like he can catch the ball out of the backfield.
He's good. He has good hands in that regard. If
you get him in a mismatched situation out of the
backfield on a linebacker, Like that could be a house
call and then if you just give him the ball. Like,
something that stands out to me about him is, Yes,
he's got the speed around the edge, that's where I
think he's at his best. But he's not afraid to
(23:18):
run between the tackles either, And that's what That's what
separates him in my mind as like a as a
difference maker, is that he can do a lot of
different things. He's not just he's not just a guy
who can catch out of the backfield. He's not just
a guy who you got to use around the edge.
You can use him in different ways.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
And he runs tackles too.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
He runs between the tackles, and so he has the
whole playbook is open when he's on the field, which
is important for a guy like him.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Well, and Justice Hill had forty seven carries. I believe
it is last season. No, maybe Keaton eats into that
a little bit. The thing about Justice is like Justice
was so good on third down as a receiver and
as a pass protector and all those things. So I
think some people think, oh, well, Keaton, like he can
(24:03):
be kind of your third down back guy, and like
Justice is a very good, very good third down back. Yeah,
and you know, does Derrick Henry have as many carries
as he did last year? Maybe that declines a little bit.
You know, Dereck Henry's a machine. But the fresher you
can keep him for the playoffs, I think the better,
(24:23):
you know. And so now that you have Keaton in
the mix, maybe that he takes a little bit off
of Derek's plait also with Derek obviously still being the workhorse.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Yeah, it's it's tough to see exactly where those carries
come from because there's so much I think the Ravens
probably have the best running back trio in the game
when you really look at it, and and continues to
play the way that we think that he can. And
I'm with you, like I think I think the Ravens
may win the Super Bowl two years ago if he
stays healthy for that stretch. And now you inject him
(24:56):
back into this offense that already has so many other pieces.
My three point shooter analogy better.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
I think that's better than the DH. Well, he doesn't
fit the date. I mean, he's exactly think of like
Prince Fielder. They just like Cecil Fielder, go way loafs
out to the field and just hacks the ball. Like
I think of him as instant offense, coming in off
the bench and providing a spark. Yeah, yeah, three point works.
I'll give it to you. Yeah, I give it to you.
(25:23):
You know what, Actually his his thing talking about college,
how he wouldn't let him return kicks or what that
run me of was Hollywood Brown as a rookie. Remember
when he got thrown out there for punt returns, the
first first one, he dropped it and he got fat
and they were like, never again, that's enough, that's enough.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Yeah, I do remember that one.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
But yeah, I'm I'm I'm excited. I think we both
are about keeping and he's one of my favorite guys
to talk to. Just he's he's very authentic and uh,
I hope listeners viewers got a chance to see him
in his personality and got to see him doing well
and certainly rooting for him this year. So as always,
you can email us at the lounge at Ravens dot
NFL dot net. We love hearing your emails, reading those
(26:02):
emails of sending those questions, comments thoughts that you have
about the team and where the team could go. Also,
Coming up on Sunday is the stadium practice we're going
to be practicing at Mtybak Stadium. That is gonna be
carried live on our YouTube channel as well as our
app on our website to make sure you check that
out on Sunday as well. Thank you so much for
watching and listening, and we will be back with you
again soon
Welcome into lounge presented by DraftKings. I'm Ryan Ink here
with Garrett Downing and we are thrilled to sit down
with running back Keaton Mitchell. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
No problem. Problem.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
So I've noticed your cleats since the started training camp,
and today I came in for a closer inspection. I
was kind of I'm not gonna lie. I was talking
a little bit. I was like, those road runner cleats,
that is sick.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I got some more coming in.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
More road runner cleats. You're gonna have diversity of road runners.
That's sick.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Somebody I didn't give me right.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
That's awesome. It's a very fitting I mean, were you
a big roadrunner fan growing up, or you're like, I'm
faster fast.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
So my sister made a little highlight clipping meat and
then she put in a little run to meat meat.
She put that in there, and then it just took
off from there.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Let's say it says meat meat on the like.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Say wink.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
My uh friends and college just called me wink A
no no background with it it.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Wait, there's no story with it, just just wink, all right,
we'll run with it.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
What didn't you have a pendant road runner.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, the road Runner on there?
Speaker 4 (01:13):
All right? I like it and you always had that?
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Is that is that you got it at my rookie year?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Okay, but yeah run there somewhere.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
That's super sick. Well, we're watching practice.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
You look like the road runner again out there. You're
feeling fast.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Oh yeah, faster than I ever feel. I feel real good.
I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah, I mean how I'm just curious. Obviously we saw
how fast you were as a rookie. I mean you
look at the next Gen stats and you had some
of the top top speeds in the league. How do
you after the knee injury that you suffered, Like, how
do you get even faster than that?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
I mean just grinding and then you're really just starting
from scratch, working the muscles you never thought you had
to work before on both legs, so like just getting
that going and man stronger.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
So yeah, interesting, is there a point where you felt like,
oh I'm faster? Like, whether it's the actual times, I
know you you'll pay attention to some of those times
that you're running too, but like, was it either a
time or a moment or a play where you felt
like my speed is back? And maybe better than ever.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
So when we came back for strength and conditioning, we
were doing like fifteen yard build ups or.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah build ups, and I was going with an.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
He was like, I'm gonna go with Keaton so I
can hit my top speed or whatever. Now we end
up going well, he hit twenty two and then Sam
was like, oh my, and like what I get?
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Did I hit my pr?
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Here like yeah, you hit twenty two but keyting god Lee,
you just broke your pr Oh well, I ain't even
I didn't even know I was running that fast, but
I definitely hit twenty two point four.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
So yeah, wow, I mean that has to be a
pretty awesome feeling given everything that that you've gone through.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, facts, that's cool.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
I mean, fee for I'll tell you the moment for
me where I was like Keaton's back. It was actually
just a couple of weeks ago, maybe like a week ago,
when watching practice and there was a play where you
came around the edge and you just turned it upfield
and you probably know what I'm talking about, and then
you were just off to the races and I was like, man,
he just continues to make these types of plays like
we saw. We saw it a little bit in the
off season, but then once we got into training camp
(03:25):
and then you turned the edge and then.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
You just like you hit the you hit the turbos.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah, and like that play to me was like, there's
no doubt that this guy's running like he did as
a rookie.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
When I came back last year, I came back, but
I only had one gear angle.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Now I got all my gears, so we rolling.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, tell me about that process last year. And you know,
obviously after the rookie season that you had, it was
you know, you got that adrenaline rush, like you made it.
You were making plays, and then to suffer the injury,
it felt like last year you were just like I'll
do whatever it takes to get back on the field.
Did you feel like you were kind of a little
ahead yourself almost.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
It was rock bottom, lonely, just me grinding up here
every day, didn't really have an off season, ain't go home,
just me, Kay, Scott, Mike Adrian, just grinding every day
while everybody on vacation. So it was like hard times.
Then when everybody came back, just sitting in the weight
(04:24):
room watching them guys go out there and practice and
then it just got to a point where I was like, man,
I don't know if I could take Yeah, it taken
much longer. So once I started running, Kay was like, man,
I got to get out there, so I can't even
take it no more.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So yeah, I just went back out there. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
And so you come back last year, and like you said,
you only had one gear, but you made it back.
And I think in a lot of ways, just getting
back on the field last year was a pretty significant
accomplishment in and of itself, given the significance of the
knee injury and just the long road that you had
to to come back and get to that point. But
was it How did you handle it last year? Like
you get on that you crossed the hurdle of suiting
(05:06):
up again, but you're not like the same player that
you feel like you can't be. How did you handle that?
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Just kept praying, kept going, ignore the noises of like
all the people that was saying I'm never gonna be
the rookieyear me again, just ignoring that. It just we
got a little saying now just staying rooted to what
we got going on. So just staying down, staying rooted. Uh,
(05:35):
because eventually I knew I was gonna get back to myself.
Can't let the outside I know it's get to me.
So uh yeah, I just stayed down, kept praying, and
I'm back do better.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
So coming off of last season, did you stay around
here the whole off season? This year too, to train
last off season? This? Yeah? This audi off?
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Oh no, well deserved break.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
I was gone. I took so many trips.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Overdue. You paid your dude the previous Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Going back to you know, you have this incredible start
as a rookie. Hey, what was that that journey like
as a rookie when you come on and you just
burst on the scene like that that big Yeah, take
me through what that journey was like for you was
an undrafted rookie.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
It was lit.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Nah, coming in as a rookie undrafted pos was like, uh,
get on special teams and from there you'll make the
team if you working hard on special teams.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
And then just when you get your touches, make them count.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
So they put in a little package for me versus Detroit,
the reverse that went for ten yards of my last
touch to that game, and then what was the next game?
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Was it Seattle?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
I think it was yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Settle, Yeah, now my first touches was gone. Non he
I felt comfortable and I was just doing me right.
There you go.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Once you once you're out of the box, there there
ain't there's no putting you back in. Like once you
made those plays, it was like, all right, we're just
running with this now.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
In fact, do you uh do you feel like if
that injury didn't happen? I mean, I know you can
always play the what if games, Like I feel like
that season might have turned out differently for the Ravens,
Like that's how many plays you were making. Sure? How
tough was that? And did you feel the same way
when when you had to watch from the sideline during
that playoff stretching down the stretch there?
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Hey it was hard, but I always was like, just
control it.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
You can control when you get back out there and
yeah we can't make that run.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Yeah, but yeah, how who did you lean on during
the hard times of this recovery process?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Trent Simpson, Antavia's Robinson, my dogs, they were there for me.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
What was it about your guys connection that just made
you feel like those were guys that you could kind
of lean on for support.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
They was just were just always around and they was
always texting me or whatever.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
You know, I was in the house. So uh, they
was like, come on, go get something to eat. Man's
just go hang out. Uh, let's go to the baseball game.
Let's go here.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Man. When we end up going to Camp con together,
oh yeah, these my dogs for real, and yeah, we
just stayed with each other from there.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
They honestly seemed like two of the nicest guys.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Of the Yeah. They's some great guy, especially especially off
the field. Yeah, yeah, a nice dude. But on the
field once he put them bands on and cut his
circulation off, a whole different dude.
Speaker 4 (08:49):
He actually cut a circulation about this thing the eye
black too, that's on the war paint.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
I told him, you gotta have to go full sleeve
tag it up. Way you can be dangered for Yeah,
he's cut his circulation.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
That's crazy. That's I'm gonna have to ask about that.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
So I think a lot of people, you know, we're
watching you practice and we're like, man, Keaton's back, like,
I'm excited to watch you get the ball, But how
you get the ball is the question mark? Right, you
got Derrick Henry in there and Justice Hill and those
guys are both awesome also, so like, how do you
look at that situation? I think Todd Mounkin the other
day was like, it's a fight for snaps in that
(09:29):
room because you're also good.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Yeah, sure, it's a great room. Start off by Kit return,
get the ball like Kit return, and just whenever I
guess man or whatever you know, Derek going his twenty
five thirty carries just is gonna get his and man
man Shane will get whatever they don't.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Get, make it count.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
I mean, I guess that's the same exact scenario you
were in as a rookie too. That worked out pretty well.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Yeah, Hey, I ain't gonna say too much, but it's happening.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Yeah, yeah, Well, one of the things I think that
stands out to me about you is a whenever you
get the ball, you have the ability to take it
to the house. And so I've always kind of said,
they're like, it's not I'm sure you would love any
player would love a lot of volume. You love fifteen
twenty carries a game. Anybody would love that, but you.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Don't need them, like say no, no, really, what's your
what's kind of like your ideal.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
My ideal carries.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Yeah, give me ten ten, Just come in there and
hit home runs. You're just like that, gave me, just
give me some.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
I just need a little bit. I'm mak him count.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
Right, right. That's my thing is like you don't need twenty.
But because you're kind of like a three point shooter
a little bit, like that's the way I see it,
Like you can come in off the like coming off
the bench, instant offense, and provide a spark to the team,
which is exactly what you did as a rookie.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
I like to stick with the home run theme here.
I'm going designated hitter, right, He's not out on the
field all the time, he's not playing all those defense
set He's gonna.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Du hit bombs. Oka. Yeah, you're down.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Speaking of baseball, I'm a little butt and I'm a
oh there, beat one out.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
I don't feel single.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
That's that's your game right there.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Let's just keep this rolling, ye, But yeah, that's my thing.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
I just think that like, no matter how many carries
or touches you get, like you can you can take
it to the house. And so how does that affect
your approach and your mindset going into games.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Whatever ones I get, make them count. Yeah, you might
get one. Better make you count. Yeah, make the first
one count, might get another one, make that one count.
You might get a third one and then.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
And I guess you kind of have evidence. You have
proof of that from your rookie season, So like do
you call back on that, thinking like, Okay, that Detroit game,
I got one. The next game Seattle, it ramped up
and I turned to the house, like, is that kind
of how you think about it as you're looking about
what your role could be this year?
Speaker 3 (11:46):
I mean, yeah, and no, I don't really think of
the past. But I mean I'm just thinking of it
as whatever they need me to do, special teams, offensive, whatever,
Just whenever I'm out there, get your best, Just be
myself and take one to the crib.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
How good do you feel as a kicker? Turn good.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
I gotta get a little bit, get to feel a
little bit more because last year I was I told
you I got I had one gear last year one
gear where Nah, Chris is gonna do a good job
of showing me the ins and outs of it, and
hopefully I get a couple of turns this year.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
I mean, there's gonna be more returns this year, changes
and stuff, so.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
They better not give us a touch back thirty five.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Right, you're putting Ell Derrick ultimated to.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
See he's making a good case get better kicking to me.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Yeah, that's what he's just trying to talk that into
the coaches, right there. Coaches give you a shot, But
did you return kicks in college?
Speaker 2 (12:54):
They ain't let me? Why not? I ain't want me
to get hurt.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
In college, you know, they don't be blocking for real NFL.
They got a job, they better block. So college they.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Had me, and then I was getting schmacked. Like the
first two games. It wasn't blocking for real. And then
my junior year we got to the bowl game and
I was like and I was done. I was like,
all right, can I get at least one kick return?
And then they put me back there and I took
it for eighty and then that's all I needed.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I was like, all right, I'm good. Good.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
You talk about your dad and his advice to you,
and you were coming in as a rookie and your
father being a former Ravens player, super Bowl winner, Yeah, uh,
what what influence does that have on you? And does
he have on you? And kind of helping guide you
along your NFL career.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
He got the ring. I'm trying to get a ring.
I'm trying to match him, but.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
They get bigger. Every years of his will be yours
would be like twice the size of his.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Oh yeah, yeah, I need that ring. That ring.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Does he bustes out?
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Does he?
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Ever?
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Every time he come up here, he wearing it. He
tried to wear every day. All right, man, relax, relax.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
He showed me some highlights. He cold. I ain't know
you was that cold? You know, when you're young, you're like,
you wouldn't even like that for real. He pull he
got the old little.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
What's it called VHS.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Or whatever, the VHS tapes.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Yeah, yeah, like I got it. You turn it on
like okay, you just got to.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Keep a VCR working, just so you can share the
highlight tap.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
He was trying so hard to find it, and then
he finally got it.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Like you was all right, universe, you and him. He's
coming up to try to tackle you in the hole.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Was that ever?
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Is that a debate that you guys have had.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Oh he's not. He's not messing with me though. He
got moveding feet. He's when he's six two, I'm gonna
give him a little heazy. I'm gone. You got.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Was when you were growing up?
Speaker 4 (15:08):
Was football like with him being a football player? Was
that something that was like you always played, you always
loved the game. He was always part of.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Everybody in my family played football. He, my brother, pops,
my mom on the person. I ain't played football with
my sister.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
So, so, who gave you your speed?
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Mom?
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Dad?
Speaker 2 (15:31):
My mom was pretty fast. Yeah yeah, she ran track
at Texas. Okay, yeah, I don't know one.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Of them a combination. We'll give him a combo, give
him half and half, right.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
So and and was that Did you have conversations with
him about when you're growing up about the potential of
making it to the pros And was that something that
like you thought was a possibility as you were a
kid growing up.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
I was just out there having fun, and it's a
kids game. Out of having fun, I ain't really Yeah,
everybody want to get to the NFL, but me. I
went to EU. Then they got real.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
I was like, oh I might got a chance. Man.
Yeah it happened.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
And I feel like you still have that same attitude,
like you're still to some degree have that same like mindset.
You're just like, hey, I'm playing a kids game and
I have like is that still the same approach that
you take?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Oh yeah, I got to you gotta have fun.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Once you get born, then you ain't gonna be the
same out there man, eventually gonna want to retire.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
You gotta have fun.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
We up here getting up at six am, five thirty
all the way to five thirty pm.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
You gotta love it. You gotta have fun. Can't be
too uptight, too serious.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Yeah, you know, I looked at your knee and I
see these scars, right, and like that's a testament, man,
that's like part of your this one No, I had
not facing me. I mean, hey, how serious that knee
injury was? That was a big career ending? That is
that what they told you?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Everybody think it was just the A C L. It
was my A C L P C L L c
L ham string.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
And hamstring tour. Yeah, and so who told your career ending?
The people like when did they tell when you went
in for surgery? When they tell you that, or when
it first happened, or what they tried it.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
They ain't want to like tell me, oh that's career ending.
Prob Like, once I start rehabbing, they started getting better.
They were like, yeah, that was a career ending.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
They thought, like, this is kind of what was running
through my mind at the time, that you probably really gotta.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
You can't speed up rehab, you can't go too slow.
You just gotta stay on track and just trust trust
the man up there.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
Yeah, obviously it's not career ending because you're you're still
here and you're still and you're showing that you know
you still have you can still play. Yeah, what does
that mean about your character and the type of person
and player that you are to overcome that?
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Hey, everybody built different man.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Shout out to my colleagues running back coach, coach foster Man.
They always tell as we built different. Just got to
carry yourself like that, like it ain't over till you
say it's over, Stay down and.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Get to it.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Yeah. Do the scars make you a stronger person? Has
this made you better? Stronger? This injury?
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Yes, Yes, it taught me a lot of stuff.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
I never really had adversity like this for real, but yeah,
this taught me a lot. Like what I ain't gonna
get in depth, I'm gonna get a little emotional, but a.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
I would.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
People were saying I should get tattoos, but like, nah,
I need to see these scars just to remind you, remind.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Myself what I went through.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Yeah, it was long lonely nights. People go ghosts.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
Remember everybody was there when Ricky season breaking the long run.
But once it's over with, you see all the people
go away. You still got a handful of people that's
still there for you. But nah, it definitely got dark.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
There was no light. They just stayed down.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
What was there one moment that was the darkest, the.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Darkest moment probably like when I wasn't really I want
nobody checking up on me.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
It was like two weeks, three weeks when nobody checking
up on me.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Uh, I couldn't I couldn't walk, I couldn't walk, I
was in crutches or I couldn't walk, I couldn't do nothing.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
And it was just they figured it.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Out and that was that was Like what was that
shortly after the injury happened? After surgery? When was that.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
After look after surgery?
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Yeah, I think it's tough, like and I'll just speak
for myself, you know, like I felt so bad for
you you know, and it's like tough when you see
somebody and you know, even when I would just see you,
even when you came back a little bit and you
were hanging around the locker room and you see you
and you're like down, like you can tell like it's tough,
and you don't know what to say, you know what
(20:27):
I mean?
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Like I try, I try to.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
I try to keep a smile on my face and
trying to not like let people see that side of me.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
But definitely when I lead this building, yeah tough, yeah
yeah yeah.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
And and but you worked your way through it. Facts
and and if there's one thing that that you take
away from that whole experience and being able to come
out of it, like the motivation of anyone else that's
going through a tough time or going through injuries, and
that's just part of what happens in the league, but
going through tough times, Like what is the motivation that
you take from that whole experience?
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Just laying on God He gonna be there with you.
You're up here and when you down there, just laying
on him, taught to him every day and just no,
it can happen, Like if you want to come back
from that injury or whatever you're going through. You can
get through it. You just gotta leaning on gud because
(21:23):
he got all the asses and just trusting them.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Awesome. Well, I got only one thing left to say,
that's meat. Meat. Are you out doing this clean? Certain games?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I don't know. These next ones. I might be able to,
but I doubt it. I might want on pregame. Okay,
I got some, I got some more coming in.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
All right, we can't wait to see him. Hey, Keating,
thanks man, I appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
Welcome back into the Lounge podcast. We are coming to
you from the sea geek Stitio. We want to mention
our partners at Draft King Sportsbook. They are an official
sports betting partner of the Baltimore Ravens Draftking Sportsbook. The
Crown is yours. Thank you to Keating. I like sitting
down and talk with him, also plot him and thank
him for being so open and forthcoming and talking about
his injury and the tough times that he that he
(22:09):
went through during that, and it's really good to see
him on the other side of it.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Yeah, I'm I'm really excited about Keaton. I'm not gonna
lie like that's been one of my biggest takeaways from
the OTA's mini camp and now into training camp is
how good he looks. I didn't know, you know, man,
it's gonna be tough to find keating some snaps. That's
how kind of I was thinking, oas, how are you
gonna do this? You know, how are you gonna get
(22:33):
him something? And like now I'm like, we have to
find a way to get him enough touches, you know,
and like he said, it's not fifteen twenty, but like
he can do some damage with some touches. But to me,
seeing how well he's running in training camp, like that
numbers bump but up for me.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
Well, as he said, kick return is gonna be a
big piece of that, and I think there's gonna be
a lot of action on kick returns that I'm not
just gonna.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Give the ball, not just a touch back every time.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
It's not just touch back territory, and so he's got
to get opportunities there. But I do think that he's
gonna like he can catch the ball out of the backfield.
He's good. He has good hands in that regard. If
you get him in a mismatched situation out of the
backfield on a linebacker, Like that could be a house
call and then if you just give him the ball. Like,
something that stands out to me about him is, Yes,
he's got the speed around the edge, that's where I
think he's at his best. But he's not afraid to
(23:18):
run between the tackles either, And that's what That's what
separates him in my mind as like a as a
difference maker, is that he can do a lot of
different things. He's not just he's not just a guy
who can catch out of the backfield. He's not just
a guy who you got to use around the edge.
You can use him in different ways.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
And he runs tackles too.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
He runs between the tackles, and so he has the
whole playbook is open when he's on the field, which
is important for a guy like him.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Well, and Justice Hill had forty seven carries. I believe
it is last season. No, maybe Keaton eats into that
a little bit. The thing about Justice is like Justice
was so good on third down as a receiver and
as a pass protector and all those things. So I
think some people think, oh, well, Keaton, like he can
(24:03):
be kind of your third down back guy, and like
Justice is a very good, very good third down back. Yeah,
and you know, does Derrick Henry have as many carries
as he did last year? Maybe that declines a little bit.
You know, Dereck Henry's a machine. But the fresher you
can keep him for the playoffs, I think the better,
(24:23):
you know. And so now that you have Keaton in
the mix, maybe that he takes a little bit off
of Derek's plait also with Derek obviously still being the workhorse.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Yeah, it's it's tough to see exactly where those carries
come from because there's so much I think the Ravens
probably have the best running back trio in the game
when you really look at it, and and continues to
play the way that we think that he can. And
I'm with you, like I think I think the Ravens
may win the Super Bowl two years ago if he
stays healthy for that stretch. And now you inject him
(24:56):
back into this offense that already has so many other pieces.
My three point shooter analogy better.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
I think that's better than the DH. Well, he doesn't
fit the date. I mean, he's exactly think of like
Prince Fielder. They just like Cecil Fielder, go way loafs
out to the field and just hacks the ball. Like
I think of him as instant offense, coming in off
the bench and providing a spark. Yeah, yeah, three point works.
I'll give it to you. Yeah, I give it to you.
(25:23):
You know what, Actually his his thing talking about college,
how he wouldn't let him return kicks or what that
run me of was Hollywood Brown as a rookie. Remember
when he got thrown out there for punt returns, the
first first one, he dropped it and he got fat
and they were like, never again, that's enough, that's enough.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Yeah, I do remember that one.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
But yeah, I'm I'm I'm excited. I think we both
are about keeping and he's one of my favorite guys
to talk to. Just he's he's very authentic and uh,
I hope listeners viewers got a chance to see him
in his personality and got to see him doing well
and certainly rooting for him this year. So as always,
you can email us at the lounge at Ravens dot
NFL dot net. We love hearing your emails, reading those
(26:02):
emails of sending those questions, comments thoughts that you have
about the team and where the team could go. Also,
Coming up on Sunday is the stadium practice we're going
to be practicing at Mtybak Stadium. That is gonna be
carried live on our YouTube channel as well as our
app on our website to make sure you check that
out on Sunday as well. Thank you so much for
watching and listening, and we will be back with you
again soon
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