SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR CHRIS HORTON
Opening Statement: "Happy New Year. [It's good to see everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. I hope you guys all had a great Christmas. What do you guys have for me today?"
How crazy was the process getting WR Steven Sims off of a wavier claim, and then he's returning punts for you guys a day or two later? (Luke Jones) "It just goes to show the guy is a true pro. [Steven Sims] has one job, right? He comes in here [and] catches punts – things that he's been doing his entire career – and it's fairly simple for what we were going to ask him to do on Christmas night. So, I thought he came in – he did a great job. We were having conversations throughout the game on the sideline. Just, 'Hey, think about this. Think about that,' because we didn't have a meeting. So, it was good. It's good to have him around, and he's a heck of a player."
Would you say the punt return spot is something you're still trying to figure out? Is that a week-to-week thing where you're trying to put the plan in place for the postseason? (Jeff Zrebiec) "I think so. I think it's one of those things ... Obviously, once we lost [Deonte] Harty, it became, 'OK, we can throw Tylan [Wallace] back there.' We know what we have, and it just became who's available to us. And if we can continue to add value at that position – which I think we've done over the past couple of weeks – we just roll with those guys. For us, it doesn't really matter who's back there. We know if we take care of our business, we're going to get the job done."
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR TODD MONKEN
QB Lamar Jackson is putting up some numbers that really haven't been done before. He's thrown for nearly 4,000 passing yards and less than five, in addition to over 800 rushing yards. Have you seen anything comparable from an athlete or player that you've ever been around? (Jamison Hensley) "No, it's been amazing. It's a credit to [Lamar Jackson], the work he's put in, and the work he puts in every week. It's a credit to our coaches, [quarterbacks coach] Tee [Martin], who works with him every day [and] to our coaches who gameplan every week. The other thing [is] we've been healthy. Rashod [Bateman] has been healthy for most of the year. Zay [Flowers], in his second year [has been healthy]. Tight ends have been healthy. Our O-Line has been relatively healthy. So, that allows you ... In our second year as a staff, [that] allows us to continue to push forward and eliminate some of the drag that we had at times last year. And you're going to have that; you're in the NFL. But credit goes to him. He's an unbelievable playmaker. [He] wants to be coached, wants to be great, and he's about as humble as you could ever ask for [from] a star player. [He's] super humble. It's why he's teammates love him – because he works hard, and he's humble and owns it."
Teams obviously evolve over the course of the season. You guys were getting under center with the fullback and RB Derrick Henry and gauging people that way for a while. I know there are always adjustments, and coming out of the bye week, whether it's opponent related or not, Henry went from rushing predominantly over center to rushing predominantly out of the pistol and shotgun with QB Lamar Jackson, and now that's been super effective. Was that a self-scout thing? Was that something you guys talked about during the bye week? (Jason La Canfora) "Some of it's that, and some of it [is that] we didn't have Charlie [Kolar]. Charlie is kind of our C-Gap tight end blocker, so it's a little bit of both, and who we were playing. Certain teams present itself for us to be under center a little bit more. So, [it was] a combination of self-scout, a combination of who we were playing and a combination of Charlie – all the above."
One other thing along those lines – I watched all the cutups on everything you guys have done out of pistol and shotgun since the bye week, and QB Lamar Jackson does not have a keeper against an eight-man box, but he's averaging over 11 yards per carry when he does. Every single time, it's RB Derrick Henry. (Jason La Canfora) "Are you saying we should have Lamar [Jackson] pull it more often? We need more yards? I'm with you. I'm going to have to go look at that."
Literally, QB Lamar Jackson has a zero percent keeper rate out of pistol and shotgun against an eight-man box since the bye week. We talk about his evolution as a passer, but what about his mind in that part of the run game? (Jason La Canfora) "Well, [Lamar Jackson] does a tremendous job of being disciplined. One thing that happened early last year is that we put the ball on the ground with some of our exchanges." (knocks on backdrop) "That's wood." (laughter) "So, we've been better with our exchanges, where you can trust that in all situations – red zone, four minute [and] critical situations. But whether it's eight-man spacing, or whether it's a two-shell and a seven-man box, most of the time, [it] doesn't have a lot to do with whether he pulls it or not. Usually, the edge rusher or somebody that we're reading is a part of that. So, certain teams that we've played have decided that they went to jet up the field – the Steelers are one of those [teams], and at times, the Texans were like that – to try and not let Lamar bet [them] and get the ball on the perimeter, which ... That's their decision. Obviously, having Derrick [Henry] and getting him running downhill has been good for us. And there are certain things that we've evolved to, and there are other things that I think are better for Derrick and us when we're under center. But I just think he does a great job with it, [and] Derrick has really blended in well with what we've asked him to do."
Before the season started, I asked you what you wanted the identity of this offense to be, and you said, "A nightmare to defend." Would you say that the offense has evolved in that way and as you envisioned it? (Carita Parks) "I don't know that. You'd have to ask others how they view us. I don't make that decision. As a coaching staff, and for us, we just try to use the personnel that we have to the best of our ability to give us the best chance to score points; that's what we're paid to do. I don't care where we're at statistically. It's week to week. [You] can't carry over points, [and] you can't carry over yards. The challenge is this week. Like I said, we've got really good coaches, [and] we've got really good players. We've stayed healthy. I think our guys do a really good job of trying to attack who we're playing. Like I said before, I think our system gives us the versatility to – whether it's zone schemes, gap schemes, perimeter run, power, our ability to throw the ball quick, play-action, stretch the field vertically, horizontally – [do] all the things you want to be able to do. And, having really good coaches and having really good players allows you to do that."
WR Zay Flowers had a really strong rookie season in 2023. What do you see in his game, and what has he done this year to kind of take it to another level in Year Two? (Ryan Mink) "I think any player should take that leap in their second year, in terms of being comfortable. It is a long season. Learning how to take care of your body [and] how to prepare each week ... The other things that go unnoticed is we're all the same, offensively, especially the skill guys. The terminology is the same; the way that they're being coached is the same. [There are] little nuances of routes, [and] what you're asking them to do that they're now able to fix. It's the same with 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman] being healthy, [and with] Zay [Flowers] being part of that, all of our players kind of get what we're trying to do. And you can say, 'Well, why does it take that long?' Well, it didn't take that long; it's just you become more comfortable [and] more confident in what you're asked to do, and when you carry over those concepts and carry over the teaching and the coaching ... I think we play at our best when we are confident and comfortable. And, I don't mean comfortable in neglecting the work, but just in terms of how we go about things."
I think head coach John Harbaugh said a couple years ago that one of the most impressive things about QB Lamar Jackson was his memory and how he was able to access his memory and use it to his betterment. You've been with him for almost two years now. How has that kind of played out in your experience with him? (Jonas Shaffer) "Well, [Lamar Jackson] has been great. I mean, he sees the field extremely well. He understands what we're trying to accomplish. [He's] super smart. He understands, [and] he can picture what we're trying to get done. And with every week, with every month, with the year, he becomes more comfortable with being involved. It's a rarity that I don't agree with what he's thinking or [with] what [quarterbacks coach] Tee [Martin] brings to me, or [when] someone says, 'Hey, what about this with the running back? What about this, in terms of our spacing? What about this?' And that's ... When you get that from your coaches and your players – you get this collaboration – it gives you a chance to really shine. It's not a one-way street; we're doing this together. And he's become more and more comfortable that way, and it's just going to continue to grow – that's just the way it is – and you empower him in that manner. That's where we've gotten to at this point, and we've got so much more [where] we can continue to grow as an offense."
Does having a great running back give you an extra piece of mind in these high-stakes games. You don't know what the weather is going to be like, but you know you have that guy you can lean on no matter what the context is? (Childs Walker) "Sure. I think physicality travels. There's no question you can't control wind, rain, snow – whatever it happens to be. You're going to need to convert in short-yardage situations, the games are really close. So, where does that come up? Third-and-short, fourth downs, when you go for it, and you get it, and when you go for it, and you don't get it [and] in the red zone scoring touchdowns. That's why we've been really good in the red zone – that physicality [with] Derrick [Henry] and then Lamar [Jackson] as the playmaker. We're going to run it if we can run it, and if not, Lamar is going to make a play to give us a chance in the red zone, and that's kind of been the formula. And most really good red zone teams have that – they have that ability. But having a great running back like Derrick and him being healthy all year ... Les Miles used to say this years ago, and of course, [back] then I was a receivers coach, but he used to say, 'There's nothing like being able to turn around and comfortably hand the ball off to the running back,' and there's something to that. And some of those times – like we were talking about under center – it's kind of a smoke break for your quarterback. There's not much processing. You can just turn around and hand the ball off, and there's not a lot of reading it, throwing it, protection. I can hand the ball off, and that's big. That's really big. You get to exhale a little bit for the quarterback. Now, Les was an extreme, because he loved to toss it to Jacob Hester on fourth-and-4, and that was a little extreme. I'm not sure I'm going to go there, but there is something comfortable about being able to turn around and hand the ball off to a running back and know you're going to gain yards."
We saw on Hard Knocks in the practice leading up to the Christmas Day game, several players were running as fast as they've run all year – some faster than they ever have – after Pittsburgh on such a short week. How surprised were you at this point in the year to have that kind of resource at your disposal, and have you seen that before this late in the season? (Pete Gilbert) "Oh, I don't know. I mean, I really ... Before Houston, we walked through [practice], so I didn't know we were fast. It might have been the fastest walk-through we had. But they did play fast. I mean, they played their rear ends off. They were ready to go, [and] they knew what was at stake. That's a credit to our guys and our staff that gets them ready, and a coach, in terms of reading their bodies and where we have to be, come gameday, to be at your best. That's really what it's all about. And that balance between the physicality [and] the reps that you get and then being able to take that to the game, that's everything – what you do, and how you do it. During the week, your meetings, your preparation, your practices, and then carrying it over to the game and [letting] it come to light, because that's what it is ... Everything we do tries to eliminate the drag and make it as clean as we can, because it's the players make it come to life. We're the ones that have to get it to a point where they understand what we're trying to get done, and [we] let them make it come to life."
No matter what happens in Week 18, you guys are going to be in the playoffs. Around here, that's kind of how everybody gets judged. This is a team that every year has Super Bowl aspirations. For whatever reason – and this predates you – the offense just hasn't been able to play at that regular season level in the playoffs. Did you go back and look at any of those previous games with QB Lamar Jackson in the playoffs before you got here, and is there anything that you guys think you can do to keep it humming at close to the regular season level in the postseason? (Jason La Canfora) "Not really, unless it's an opponent that we were getting ready to play ... Then you might look at ... That's a big thing. We think about how they play other teams, [and] how they play Lamar [Jackson], so that comes up with whoever that is. But I can only speak to last year, and we didn't play good enough in the second game; we played good enough in the first game. So, it just happened – in the second game – that we just didn't play well enough, didn't coach well enough [and] didn't call it good enough. And so ... I try to forget as best I can, [but] that's hard, because you're always going to have scars. That's just what you do. That's how you learn, [and] that's how you get better. But the bottom line is, I'm worried about this year, and who we play this year, and once we get in, playing our best football then. And you're right; you do play tougher teams. It doesn't matter in what professional sport; [when] you get to the playoffs, you're seeing the best pitchers in baseball, you're seeing the best defenders in basketball, [and] you're seeing the best teams. And we are one of those teams, and we need to be able to do it when it counts – that's for sure."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ZACH ORR
Was that the most awkward landing you've had playing or not playing when you celebrated the fourth-down stop in Houston? (Pete Gilbert) "Definitely; definitely. I didn't even know it honestly happened until after the game and my mom, she showed me. She was like, 'Boy you [are] crazy. Look what's going on.' I was like, 'I was just so amped up.' I fell pretty hard, though. I'm not going to lie – I fell pretty hard – so I was a little worried at first [for a] couple days like, 'I hope I didn't hurt anything too serious,' but I'm good, though. But it definitely was [an] awkward landing for sure."
What were you trying to do? (Childs Walker) "Honestly, I don't even know. I was just so amped up. That was like one of the best plays I've seen in recent memory, and I was just so excited just trying to celebrate and support – support my guys – and then that ended up happening. That was just a lot of emotion just being expressed right there."
How cool is it to see a guy like S Ar'Darius Washington having moments – we've seen it multiple times – moments like that in these huge games when he waited so long and went through the injuries and all of that stuff for these results? (Childs Walker) "I mean, it's great. That's what you kind of get into this profession for – to see the hard work that guys put in behind the scenes. I mean, obviously, [with Ar'Darius Washington's] story; he had a lot of injuries he battled early on in his career. [He had to] rehab; he never complained [and] battled back. [He was] always on kind of the bubble of the roster, [but was] making plays out here in practice and then when he gets the opportunity, now he's making big-time plays for the world to see. This is a great thing to see. One of the things I personally always believed in is hard work [is] always going [to] pay off no matter ... It might not happen ... It might not show when you want it to, but if you keep on putting the work in, it's going [to] pay off, and I think that's what's happening with 'A.D.' [Ar'Darius Washington] right now. So, it's real neat to see, [but] it's no surprise to us. I'm just glad that the world is starting to see all the hard work he's putting in and what type of player he is."
Do you see yourself in S Ar'Darius Washington a little bit, too, as an undrafted guy getting up there and playing at a really high level? (Pete Gilbert) "Yes, I definitely feel I can relate to it. Obviously, I understand what it's like to be undrafted where I got to fight for everything you get. [You] get counted out, [and] you really can't make any mistakes because the 'undrafted' label [is] always going [to] follow you. So, I can definitely relate to what [Ar'Darius Washington]'s doing and what he's come from, so it's really good to see."
OLB Kyle Van Noy's at a career-high sacks at 33 years old. I'm curious from your perspective, what's made this season so special for him and at what point, whether preseason or during the season, did you realize that he was on the trajectory to reach that mark? (Sam Cohn) "Yes, I think last year [Kyle Van Noy] had a great year, and we got him in the middle of September or something like that. So, we anticipated him having a great year from the standpoint of he had a full offseason [and] a full year underneath his belt just from a physical standpoint. And then just him [having] another year being with us and us being familiar with his game and him just putting the work in. He had a great training camp, and anything that he's doing right now is not surprising us, because he works hard at it. Like I've always said, he's one of the best students of the game that I've personally been around, so he's able to apply everything he sees on film [and] everything he does out on practice to the game at a high level. What he's done for us has been really valuable, so I'm happy with 'KV' [Kyle Van Noy]. I'm proud of him. It's another testament of a guy who's putting the work in, and it's showing on gameday."
OLB Kyle Van Noy being the old head in the room, how does his success kind of permeate through a lot of the group? (Sam Cohn) "I think that it just shows those guys that there's no limitations. People might try to put limitations on you, [but you] can't pay attention to the outside noise; you block that out. You show up to work every single day and you put in the work it's going [to] pay off. So I think he's been a great example for not only those guys in the outside linebacker room, but for our whole defense and for our whole team, that no matter how long you've been playing [and] no matter what people say, if you do things the right way, it's going [to] work out for you."
We never know what we're going to get with CB Marlon Humphrey; whether he's going to be interested in talking, and when he does, what he's going to say. What do you make of his personality and seeing how well you have gotten to know him over your years here? (Jeff Zrebiec) "I've gotten to know 'Marlo' [Marlon Humphrey] real well. He definitely has a unique personality, but the thing I love about it is he's going [to] be himself and you [are] going [to] get Marlon, and he is going to tell you the truth, [and] he is going to tell you how he feels, and it's always coming from a good place. I think 'Marlo' really stepped up his leadership this year, and he's always been a guy who's always been himself, but he's been a little bit more vocal, which I feel like he realized he has to, because he's what? Year 8? ... He's one of the longest-tenured Ravens here, so guys look up to him. Guys listen to him, and he's not only leading with his words, but he's leading with his actions most importantly. We love Marlon. We want Marlon to be himself. If he's not himself then something's wrong. So, we want Marlon being his crazy self, and we appreciate it, and I think he appreciates us for letting him be himself."
Speaking of outside noise, I'm just curious, when there was so much noise earlier in the season about this defense, what was that like for you personally? (Brian Wacker) "I mean, it was tough. It was tough. Personally, it was tough just because [of] the family – my family and all of that. My family, they see stuff and everything, so I'm not going sit here and act like I'm naive, or I don't hear that stuff. My family [are] the ones that [are] really affected by it, but I tell them all the time, it's nothing new. Adversity's always going to hit. If I'm going to preach it, I got to live it. So, we always say, 'If there's no testimony, we've got no test.' So, we're just going through a little test, and there might be more tests to come, but we know how to handle it. So, you've just got to block out the noise, whether it's good, or whether it's bad and stay focused at the task at hand."
Did you allow yourself any gratifying moment, or did you feel any gratifying moment when you saw the guys kind of turning the corner on defense? (Brian Wacker) "Yes, I mean definitely. You always appreciate when the work starts to show; when the work starts to show. Like I said, we keep talking about putting the work in, [so] when it starts to show, and when it starts to pay off, you definitely appreciate those things. I think for us and me personally, and for us here in this organization, it just makes you even hungrier, [and] it makes you want to go even that much harder, so that's what we are chasing now. It's good to see the work pay off, but we know we got a lot more work to do, and that's what we are chasing, and that's what we are]hungry for."
How special was the defensive shutout that you guys had against Houston, especially for you, on the eight-year anniversary of the Christmas game for you as a player when your career suddenly came to an end? How significant was that? (Ryan Mink) "Man, it was funny. I wasn't even really – honestly, me personally – thinking about that. I was just so focused on the game and making sure our guys were ready to go, which they were, but it was special, because that's what you strive for. You strive for perfection, and you achieve excellence. That's another thing I live by. As you guys know, I have a lot of quotes and stuff that's in my mind. It wasn't perfect, but we achieved excellence that day. I think it was good. I was proud of the guys, because like I said, these dudes sacrifice a lot with their bodies, their minds, families, obviously, Christmas, going on the road, short turnaround. A lot of people didn't see their families on Christmas, so for them to go out there and put on a performance like that, it was great. I think it just shows us if we play together, we're on point, we do things we [know] we can do, we can put up performances like that, so now we're looking for the next one."
With the Browns' quarterback situation uncertainty, not knowing who you're going to get, does that complicate preparation at all? (Jeff Zrebiec) "It definitely, in a sense, it does, because you don't know, but the good thing about it is, we have great people around the building who make cut ups and get us information to be prepared for both guys. We're obviously familiar with [Dorian] Thompson-Robinson. Now, we're doing some work on [Bailey] Zappe, so our gameplan really won't change much. How we approach these guys, the system is going to be the same. We expect a little more QB runs with Thompson-Robinson in there, but we're going to do what we do. We have to go out there and handle business. We have to play clean football, play physical football [and] play sound football no matter who the quarterback is, and I think we'll be good."
As you're trying to get to a point of a season where the stakes are the highest, you have a pretty good sense of who you might see in the playoffs. Is there any thought to holding back some of the cards because you know that there are higher stakes out there? (Jonas Shaffer) "No, man. This game right here is for the AFC North, and that's one of our goals. The first goal is to go 1-0 that week. Make the playoffs; we did that. The next one is to win the AFC North, so we're pulling out all the stops that we need to do to go get this win on Saturday."
ILB ROQUAN SMITH
On if there is any desire to pay back the Ravens' loss to the Browns in Week 8: "That's definitely something on the forefront of everyone's mind, knowing that we didn't play the way we wanted to play during that game, but I feel like we have a totally different team than we were then, so it's about showing exactly who we are, keep building on our momentum, and we have to keep taking it to them. We have to defend our turf by any means, but we know it's not going to be an easy one. These guys are fighting for their livelihoods. They have jobs. They have families they have to take care of, so we know it's not going to be anything light, but we're preparing for whatever."
On when he first noticed that S Ar'Darius Washington was a special player: "I have a great deal of respect for 'A.D.' [Ar'Darius Washington and] the way he plays ball. [He's] an ultimate competitor when he comes to work, day in and day out, and I saw him when I first got here. I realized, obviously, he was small, but it's not about the size of the dog. It's about the heart in him, and I'll tell you, man, he plays a lot bigger than his size and gives you everything he's got every single play. So, you're always willing to put it on the line with a guy of that caliber, and I'm just grateful for him and also glad that he's able to unleash his talents and show the world exactly what he can do, because I thought he should have been ... Last year, he was starting, obviously, before he got hurt, but he's a guy that belongs on the field."
On the key for the defense to continue the high level of play over the last six weeks: "Just do your job. I think that's the key to each and every defensive player. Doing your job, including myself, play in and play out, not try to do anyone else's job, just focusing in on that every single play. I feel like if we do that, everything else will take care of itself, because we have the talent to do every single thing we want, but it's about showing that play in and play out, not getting complacent, giving the opponent time to breath, in a sense, with a boa constrictor mindset."
On what he saw from defensive coordinator Zach Orr in the middle of the season when things weren't going their way: "[Defensive coordinator Zach Orr] kept his composure. He was the same guy day in and day out, and he didn't change at all. I respect that individual, that despite going through adversity, he still had a smile, still had the same energy every single day. So when an individual is like that, you can't do anything but respect it. Just knowing that we were going to iron things out and get things going, I knew that, and I had ultimate confidence in that, and every single person that was going to war with out there [knew that]. We never had a doubt in our head. A lot of others did, but we don't care about the nay sayers. [We] still don't, never did [and] never will."
On if there is a different feel to the game when your team is heavily favored: "Honestly, man, personally, I don't really look into what people say as far as, 'Oh, we should win this,' or 'We should win that.' If it was based on that, the game wouldn't be played. The game is played for a reason. Those guys are in the NFL. Those guys have a family to feed, kids at home [and] wives at home, so they're going to put it all on the line and play for an opportunity for them to have a job next season. That's why I know how I'd be if I was in that type of position, and I know guys on that side of the ball that will be the same exact way. That's what it is. [There is] nothing else about that."
On what he's seen from ILB Trenton Simpson over the past month or so: "I have a great deal of respect for Trenton [Simpson], who he is as a person first and foremost, and then who he is as a player. He has a tremendous amount of talent as we've all seen, and yes, I think sometimes things were probably moving a little bit [quickly] for him, but he never dropped his head one bit, never wavered [and] stuck true to himself. [He] didn't play off the ball linebacker as much in college, so still with a learning curve, but I think he's definitely still going to be a really good player in this league, and despite him being out there these last couple of weeks, the guy has been the same, still has a smile on his face coming in every single day, busting his tail, and you can't do anything but respect a guy like that. He's so young, but so mature at the same time, so I can only imagine how I would feel if I was in that position at his age, but the way he's handled it, man, he's like an ultimate pro. I tip my hat to him and always have a great deal of respect for him."
On what LBs Malik Harrison and Chris Board have brought to the linebackers room over the last couple of weeks: "'C.B.' [Chris Board] and Malik [Harrison], yes, those [are] two great guys, two veterans as we know. 'Big Leek,' as I call him, and 'C.B.' have been around the game for a while. Those guys have seen a lot of ball. Just being out there with those guys, it's just another veteran. You can talk to those guys – and not saying you couldn't do it with Trenton [Simpson] either – you talk with him, but, obviously, those guys have seen more stuff, and that's just based off experience. Experience is the best teacher in life, and those guys have a little bit more experience, and those guys ... [Inside linebackers coach Mark] DeLeone is preparing us day in and day out to get us going, so I'll always respect that, and I respect those guys, just the way they come in each and every day, despite them not starting early in the season. Those guys kept the same mindset. Whatever job they had to do, they took full control over it and just focused on that. When guys are that way, those are the best type of teammates you can have."
