Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg
How tough is it, year after year, to reconstruct the special teams unit base on the foundation LS Morgan Cox, P Sam Koch and K Justin Tucker have established? (Joe Platania)"You nailed it. That's what we have to do every year. It starts when veterans return for football school and OTAs. It builds with the draft, and then we have OTAs with the rookies and their minicamp. Then you reconstruct your team, you really do. You start fresh. I think I mentioned back in spring when we were talking, but it's a process of renewal. We have to make ourselves new all over again. Every year we have a new special teams unit. Certainly, there's carryover with certain veterans like the ones you mentioned – our specialists: Albert McClellan, Zach [Orr]; Kyle Juszczyk is an outstanding player for us; and Kamar [Aiken]. I could name a bunch of veterans that are going to be a part of it, but there are so many different elements that have to fit in with those guys. They have to get used to working with one another, and they have to develop their own skills as well. You've probably watched us practice the past couple of days; we've been practicing fundamentals in all of our different phases. The fundamentals with the 'ones,' with the veterans – the guys that are returning – are far superior to the other guys. That's to be expected, because the other guys haven't done those types of fundamentals, perhaps in their college experience, nor have they done our fundamentals. We have to develop what we need as fundamentals, and then we have to fit them with the guys that they're going to possibly be playing against that have already done it. That's the art form. You may see us, for example, our first punt team is honestly vastly superior to other guys on other punt teams we have – they know what they're doing. The other guys are getting a lot more reps right now, because they have to bring their game up to that level before they're ever going to be on that first punt team. But at the same time, there's competition between the guys in the first punt team and the guys in the third punt team. In the preseason game, the guys in the third punt team might play twice as much as the guys in the first punt team. I can assure you Albert McClellan is not getting many reps in kickoff coverage. He's pretty good at it. I'm good with him."
How happy were you to see K Justin Tucker and the organization come to that long-term agreement and have him for the foreseeable future? (Luke Jones) "I was happy for Justin. I was happy for Ozzie [Newsome] and our personnel department, our organization and our fans. I was also happy for me. (laughter) And my family." (laughter)
You were just mentioning LB Albert McClellan, but you have three specialists in P Sam Koch, K Justin Tucker and LS Morgan Cox that are all signed long term and have been here a long time. Not saying you don't have plenty of other challenges as a special teams coach, but how much easier does that aspect make your job? (Luke Jones) "It's really a good feeling when you come out here for the first day of practice during training camp and everything looks the same. These guys have done a really good job in the offseason getting prepared for the start of training camp. When we came out here, they looked in season form. There's a few things we need to polish up, obviously. They understand how camp works. They understand how each other works. Their communication is outstanding. Albert McClellan, Sam Koch, Morgan Cox, some of these guys – Justin [Tucker] was working today with Wil Lutz – our guys do such a fabulous job of nurturing others. Coaching, I guess, is what they're doing and bringing other players up to their level. It's so valuable to have players like that. Albert is one of the best I've ever seen. I know you all think he's kind of a quiet guy, because you don't get to talk to him a whole lot, but Albert is a fabulous teacher. He sits there in that meeting room and coaches young players on each side of him. I don't tell him to do it, he just does it. That's the kind of teammate he is. He's got so much wisdom that he's gained over the years, and he's not one to sit on it just to try to secure his position. He is growing our team and nurturing young players. He's such a valuable asset to your club. He's not only getting better, but he's making everybody else better around him."
As the final roster cuts come down, how heated and contested are your desires to keep a special teams player over someone the offense or defense may need? (Ken McKusick)"When I'm communicating with Ozzie [Newsome] and John [Harbaugh]? I try to keep my emotions under control when I'm talking to those guys. (laughter) They are my bosses. We communicate from the first day to the last day. I will say this: I don't think there's going to be a lot of surprises. Usually, when you get to that point, the players have determined where they stand. We'll always have discussion. We have discussion all the way through training camp. We have personnel meetings, and we're all giving our opinions. The beauty of this organization is Ozzie and John and everybody want to know our opinion. They'll make the decisions, but at least as a coach you feel confident that your opinion is heard and valued."
What did you see in P Michael Palardy?(Garrett Downing) "Here's what I saw in Michael: I saw him warming up on the other field in case we had enough time to do a punt return drill, but we ran out of time. I was on the other field. I didn't see a lot of him during today."
In bringing him in, what did you see?* (Garrett Downing)* "Oh, the reason we brought him back? As you know, we had him during minicamp. He was in tryout mode at that time. What we really like about having Michael is he's a talented guy, he's a lefty – which is really valuable to us, because we play a number of lefty punters in this league, and we want to help him as he helps us. He's going to help our returners immensely. Sam's job is secure. We all understand that. In my view, he's the best punter in the National Football League. But also, we don't want to have Sam be the JUGS machine for our returners. We have young returners that need repetitions; they need to catch real punts. Not only do we have a young man here in Michael Palardy that's a legitimate NFL punter in his own right – and we're trying to help him – we're also getting a lot of good lefty reps from a real punter that is going to help our returners. It's a win-win for us."
What do you see from K Wil Lutz? (Don Markus) "Wil had a good day. We were working on a number of things. Here's one of the tougher things for specialists, in my view – a young specialist: As you know, we really try to help our guys that come in. Obviously, when Justin signed his contract, we all understand the consequences for Wil. We're trying to help Wil get a job in this league. We think he's a very talented young man. He has some talent, but he has things he needs to work on. So, while we're doing these team drills, we're coaching him. He's working on things while he's doing team drills. He wants to show up and do a good job, but he's also working on certain fundamentals that we've tried to help him with. The point I was going to make is I think he's doing both well. He's not perfect by any means, but nobody is. I tell our guys all the time, 'That's what practice is for.' That's why we're practicing out there. If you're working on something, work on it. Don't be afraid to try something just because it might not work in practice and you don't look good in practice. We're trying to get better."
How much work does WR/RS Keenan Reynolds get? (Todd Karpovich) "As much as we possibly can. We're going to put him back there for every return opportunity we possibly can. We need to find out about him, and he needs to show us what he can do as a returner."
From a special teams perspective, when you put on the pads and go down to the stadium under the lights, are you looking for anything different? (Jerry Coleman) "Ordinarily we'll have a returner in our minds. When Jacoby [Jones] was here, we had a pretty good idea. We didn't give him a lot of reps; we repped the other guys. We're not sure who our returner is, so all of those guys are going to get reps. It's time for them to show us what they can do. That's what camp is for."
Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees
How are you guys looking? (Jim Forner)"First day of pads – a lot of good, a lot of bad. We will go in and evaluate it on film. I think guys are playing hard, they are attending their meetings, and I'm very pleased with all that stuff. It is just so early. Everything will sort it itself out in time. Everyone is trying to get better, including coaches, and it is just good to be out here and going at it."
Is this a good chance to see what you have with the young pass rushers with OLB Terrell Suggs and OLB Elvis Dumervil not out there? (Garrett Downing)"Yes, that is kind of the case. Most times in all two-a-days, most of the time when we had … Even back when we had Ray [Lewis] here, we didn't do a lot with him in two-a-days. We played a lot of the young guys, whether [veterans] are out here or even when they are not out here. It is good. I would like to have them out here, but it is good for everybody. Everybody is getting an opportunity right now."
When the pads are on, do you look for something different as opposed to previously without them? (Jerry Coleman)"Well, the biggest thing is probably the run game, because you practice it in OTAs. You are very alert. We always say there are no winners and no losers, because without pads on, you don't want to get someone hurt [if] somebody is going 100 miles per hour and the other guy is trying to back off a little bit. When the pads are on, that is not the case. Really, what you want to see the first day or when you are in pads more, is basically, in the run game [and] doing a good job up front in the front seven. Also, wrapping up. You don't want a lot of collisions when the pads are not on. But when the pads are on, we're not taking guys to the ground, but you also want to see a good … We call it 'wrap and release.' You want the guy to pop the guy on the tackle to make sure he made the tackle. When you are out here in OTAs with no pads on, the defensive guy always thinks he made the tackle. The offensive guy always thinks he makes him miss. When the pads are on, it is now the truth."
How has rookie LB Kamalei Correa's adjustment been to inside linebacker? (Jamison Hensley)"Good, bad – little bit of both. Typical of … Even if he was used to inside linebacker … This is a point in time I think you don't want to go ever too far as a coach one way or the other. You don't want to be too excited about it and you don't want to be too pessimistic about it, either. I think everybody is just kind of learning. [There is] a lot of new verbiage. The good thing is they have been through football school and OTAs. I don't see a lot of mental mistakes. I'm very pleased with that. That I like. Now it is just a matter of guys getting used to playing the position. At this point in time, you don't want to be … It is just what it is. We are going to try to get better every day."
How is DB/S Anthony Levine doing? He seems to be playing a lot of linebacker. (Don Markus)"He actually is playing linebacker. He's playing linebacker, and we are kind of putting him in there at the sub linebacker in the dime position. [He's] doing really well. Again, he is kind of learning. It is going to be new for him a little bit. It is going to be a growing process, again with him. We put Matt Elam in there today, too. We are experimenting with some guys in some different spots to see where we can utilize them. Guys are very talented guys, and we want to use the talent to the best of our ability."
Do you think you are more interchangeable with the guys you have, some of the younger guys, and also getting a pass rush? (Mike Preston)"Yes, I think so. I'm hoping we can get to the point where [opposing teams] have got to kind of figure out who the heck is rushing and who is dropping. A lot of these guys are linebacker types. We are kind of experimenting with all that stuff. We did in OTAs, but you are going to find out more now when the pads come on, because it is actually live contact, and we will see how it is. We are cross-training a lot of guys. Outside linebackers are playing inside, we've got defensive ends playing outside linebacker. We are interchanging a lot of guys."
Has the traditional tendency of having a box safety and having a free safety kind of changed in the NFL, when you have guys like S Eric Weddle? (Garret Downing)"I really don't even like the term 'box safety.' That is really an old school [term]. It is hard to do that anymore now. When they lined up in two-back high pro and high slot, you could put one [safety] down. The offensive coaches didn't care. Now they are going to find that guy. I don't really know too many teams now ... Really, a lot of the box safeties are now becoming linebackers in sub [formation]. If you look around the league, there are a bunch of DBs [playing linebacker]; Arizona's got one. Their dime 'backer is a defensive back. [There] are a bunch of guys like that. We did that at New England; we've done it here. We are going to continue to do it. Really, I think when you draft anymore, I don't think you ever draft that way. If you draft a guy that is a box safety, you are drafting him to become a linebacker is what you are doing."
How has DB Lardarius Webb progressed in his transition moving to safety? (Kyle Barber)"Very well.* *The thing is, in his transition … I don't know exactly know how many years he has been here. He has been here a long time. A lot of the terminology in the back end hasn't changed a lot. I haven't changed a whole lot since I've been here. He kind of knew what the safety was doing when he was a corner; at least he should [have]. It is just a matter of him playing back there every day and getting reps at it. I think he is doing … They are all having good days; they are all having average days. That is all I can tell you at this point in time."
How has S Eric Weddle been with his leadership in terms of helping S Lardarius Webb and the other safeties? (Luke Jones)"Eric is a natural leader. Walked in Day One … We were in OTAs; we are not even out doing anything … Or football school, actually, when he walked in … Right in the meeting, you could tell right now. I've been around some guys like that could come to a team … There are always guys that are established on teams. Ray [Lewis] was established here, Ed [Reed] was established here. Who I compare [Weddle] to is Junior Seau. Junior Seau was a guy that was at New England, and we had a bunch of leaders in [Mike] Vrabel and [Tedy] Bruschi. You get a guy [Seau] that walks in that door, and he is an automatic leader, along with those guys, and is accepted. That is the same way Eric Weddle is. It's not, 'I'm going to take over the leadership role!' It is just part of it. Those guys very much accept it. I'm very pleased with him."
You mentioned that LB CJ Mosley is going to be the signal caller this year. Did you think at all about having S Eric Weddle be the signal caller instead? (Ken McKusick)"The only thing that is hard is because there is so much communication up front. When you go no-huddle … A lot of teams go no-huddle and tempo you. It is really hard for a safety … That guy just got done running a nine-route back there, for now, and that guy [the safety] has to hurry up and communicate up to the front what the heck we are going to do. It is a lot easier for a linebacker to make that call and control the front. We can always signal or however we want to get the communication to the secondary. I've done that before. It is really hard – just really hard to have a safety do it. They are capable of doing it; that is not the question. The point is, they are just so deep in a lot of times, it is not really conducive to do that."
How important is it to have that type of leader like S Eric Weddle in the secondary? (Jamison Hensley)"It is key. It is key everywhere. You can't have enough of them. I know we are kind of talking about Eric, but really it is every position. Whether it is the front seven, you need leaders. You need a guy in the back end. You really look at the good teams and the great teams we have had here on defense, there are leaders everywhere. It wasn't just one guy in the secondary. It could have been Ed [Reed], Haloti [Ngata], Ray [Lewis], Jarret Johnson … There are a bunch of them. We need leaders everywhere."
*How does CB Jimmy Smith look? (Todd Karpovich) *"Jimmy looks the same way as everybody has. I think he looks good. He's moving around pretty good. I think it is just a matter of getting out there and playing and playing here in camp. I think at this point in time, I'm optimistic on everybody. I think everyone is doing about what we expect them to do at this point in time. We just got to keep working to get better every day."
Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman
How about where you and QB Joe Flacco are in entering your second year together? Obviously, because of the fact that he's coming off of an injury, how does that affect the relationship between you two? (Jerry Coleman) "It's a great question. The short answer is that we're always a work in progress, but the day-to-day clarity in our communication, the dialogue, how we communicate and the way we work from the quarterback room onto the football field has been excellent the first three days. We have a year behind us; that certainly helps as well."
How does QB Joe Flacco look coming off an injury in the first three days? (Jamison Hensley) "He's practiced his third day of training camp. I don't see anything that suggests that … He's headed in the right direction. He's got a better idea of how he feels, but I don't see anything that is inhibiting his ability to work and practice and get it done. If there was, I don't think he would be out there."
What are your impressions of the wide receiver and tight end position groups? And how difficult will those decisions be in determining which guys are on and which guys are off? (Garrett Downing)"When we talk in our meeting room, we are honest with each other. We look around, and at every position on our offense there is competition on our football team to make the 23 or 24 guys that are going to be in the room offensively. It's a day-to-day battle each day, and we don't take it any further than that. Usually, these things just take care of themselves. They take care of themselves in the meetings, on the field in practice and in the preseason games. We feel good about the fact that there is competition and there isn't a guy out there who could make – at some point in his career – an NFL team."
What is your impression of T Ronnie Stanley so far? (Jordan Schatz)"He's had a very good start. He's got an excellent demeanor. He understands what he's doing in terms of his job and his assignments – his footwork. It's just day to day of growing at the position, but he's had a good start. He carries himself with a quiet confidence. He's doing good things over there, and he's just working to get better every day."
What about the depth at running back? Do you see that being one of the better battles? (Todd Karpovich) "I don't know if it's a better battle because there are so many battles going on for individual positions to make our team, but it's certainly a good one. We feel good about the guys out here practicing today. The battle is just coming out and practicing hard, practicing fast, making sure you know who you have on protection and assignment-wise that we're in the right spot. They're all good runners. The good part about it is when they're acclimated to our protection package, which is so important, they can all catch the football out of the backfield."
With WR Mike Wallace getting a late start, no WR Breshad Perriman and no WR Steve Smith Sr., how tough is it to evaluate what you have in the wide receiver corps? (Jerry Coleman) "This is going to be an ongoing process. It's just been three days and through the OTAs. The only thing we control is when we're out there they'll get evaluated. The guys that are out there are going to get more opportunity, because there are guys who aren't there, obviously. We want them all there, but we can only coach the guys who are out there and allow the competition and time and the process to take its toll, and we'll see where we are."
How is WR Mike Wallace coming along? (Jerry Coleman) "I think Mike is … His attitude is outstanding. He's in the process of learning this offense, and he's right on schedule to do that. We saw him make plays in the spring. This was his first day that he really got added reps. He'll continue to get that and get time to work with Joe [Flacco] one-on-one in the individual periods. We're excited about that."
The offense is a very broad responsibility. How do you delegate something like running backs and pass protection, or do you get involved in that yourself? (Ken McKusick) "You monitor everything. For instance, [running backs coach] Thomas [Hammock] and [tight ends coach] Rich [Angulo] and [offensive line coach] Juan [Castillo] and [assistant offensive line coach] Todd [Washington], they lay the ground work for our protection package. Then we work accordingly, and it just filters through in the meetings. It's all part of our science and part of our process of taking care of the football and protecting the quarterback. But everybody is involved in it in some fashion. Certainly, the running back coach is ultimately responsible in some ways for the back getting work at pass protection and the drills and skill sets that he needs to be able to take it into a game and block a linebacker or defensive back."
Big picture, do you have a sweet spot in mind for the run-pass balance? Or does every game delegate its own plan? (Garrett Downing) "I think it always does. You're looking to make sure that every defense respects your ability to be able to run the football, and every defense knows that you have a willingness to throw it, because you have confidence that you can protect the quarterback and get it done. You see how these games go week to week in the National Football League. Whatever offense you're in, it all starts with a sound, physical running game. I think everybody wants to have that, and that's no different with us. We want to make sure that … We're excited about what we're going to be doing with our running game. We're still an outside-zone team, and we're working to complement that with other things as we move along."
A lot of teams don't have a tight end group as deep as this one. As a coordinator, what kind of advantage does that give you having that many tight ends to utilize? (Cliff Brown) "You want to get the best guys out on the field anyway. We have a lot of good players that are tight ends, and certainly always it can be an advantage, because you can do things to a base defense that you can't do when you have three wideouts in a game, for instance. We're excited about that, using formations and personnel groupings with our tight ends to create advantages like all offenses do. That will be no different for us."
Is it hard at the beginning of training camp to get a rhythm going right away? Maybe it's easier defensively than offensively, but how do you think you guys have done? (Don Markus) "It's a good question. Every day there is an ebb and flow to training camp. The first day the defense might have an advantage. Then all of a sudden, the next day the offense rolls in and they get the upper hand. That's what you really see over time is just this ebb and flow. Some days the winner of practice is the defense. Some days, hopefully, we get a chance to win a practice, so to speak, as we look at it. Overall, I don't look at it as it being harder offensively than defensively to get ready. It's just the process of getting ready. That's the fun part is each day we add things. We add volume to what we're doing. We get into different situational football to help us learn and grow, and that's just the process. The current concern isn't that we're behind or ahead. We just want to be our best on that day and then we evaluate ourselves and we work accordingly. We're just trying to get better each day."
Is there a time you come off the practice field and you think: "That was a good practice," and then you watch tape and say: "I didn't see that." (Bo Smolka) "There's an old coaching cliché: 'It's never as good as you thought it was; it's never as bad as you thought it was.' That's really when you look at the tape, a lot of times that's true. You come off and say, 'We had a good day,' and then you look at the tape and we had too many mental errors or physical errors or things come up that you didn't see during the course of practice, and you saw on tape. Then you come off sometimes, and there might be one or two plays in practice that have hit your brain hard, and that resonates into not having a good practice. Then you look and say, 'We had a heck of a day today. If you take those two plays out, we had a good day and we did win the practice.' I think that's exactly what happens a lot of the time."
Are there any undrafted free agents that are standing out? (Syl Sobel) "This is Day Three. I think to go there … This is a process of whatever the number of days we're going through. When the time comes that there's an opportunity to make the football team, I think it generally sorts itself out. There are guys that are going to have good days and bad days. We're going to collectively look at it and see where they are and make a decision on everybody. It's certainly too early to even assess the development of where we are offensively or where anybody is individually."
