offensive coordinator marc trestman, offensive line coach juan castillo & T Ronnie Stanley
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Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman
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Opening Statement: "Good afternoon. I couldn't be the guy more excited to be introducing the young man to my left, Ronnie Stanley, our first-round draft pick. You're really going to like him. The City of Baltimore is really going to like him. He's a young man of not only high character on the field, but high character off the field as well. You're also going to like him because he's got a great athletic skill set. He's going to have the ability to take on the premier pass rushers in the National Football League, in time, and he's going to have the ability to block the front side and the back side of our outside zone running game. I got a chance to meet Ronnie a couple of weeks ago in the building, and I found him to be an excellent communicator, highly intelligent and extremely motivated. I think he's a guy who is going to come in here and he's going to, over time, compete and have the opportunity to be our left tackle. Juan [Castillo] had a chance not only to get to know him in the building, but also to spend some time with him on campus. I'm going to turn it over to Juan to talk more about Ronnie. I just want to welcome him to the team."
Offensive Line Coach Juan Castillo
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Opening Statement: "I think the best thing is to start taking questions. I know you all are ready for some questions. Instead of us telling you about Ronnie, you guys can ask Ronnie directly."
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"Ronnie, there is one thing rookies always talk about: The hardest thing to adjust to is the speed of the pro game. But one thing you're praised for a lot is your footwork. Do you think that will help you adjust more quickly?* (Joe Platania)*
(STANLEY) "I definitely think that will help me adjust, but like you said, I'm going against the best athletes in the world and you can't take any day lightly. You've got to be at your best every time, and you're going to get embarrassed if you don't."
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Ronnie, what have the last 18 hours or so been like for you and especially what has it been like to be in this building today? (Jeff Zrebiec)
(STANLEY) "I'm just very excited and very appreciative. Just the flight over here was a really humbling experience. [I was] just reminiscing about all the hard work and sacrifices that were put in throughout my life and throughout my parents' lives and everything that was given up for me to get to this point."
Ronnie, I read after you were picked that some people questioned your toughness and your passion for the game. I know you could have played PAC-12 hoops. Talk about your passion for the game and your toughness. (Kirk McEwen)
(STANLEY) "I'm a very tough kid. I was raised that way. Growing up in my household, my dad is a military man, and I was disciplined from a very young age. Going through this process, visiting all these coaches, they get that sense, too, and they know how tough and passionate I am. I respect the game of football. I really appreciate it and know the values that it really builds character for each and every person that plays it."
Ronnie, when you hear criticism, is it hard not to take that personal when they question things like that? (Jamison Hensley)
(STANLEY) "No, I don't take it personally at all. I think you have to be tough-skinned to be in a business like this. You can't really listen to anything that people say about you, especially when they don't know you firsthand. "
Ronnie, when Ravens fans think of an early draft pick and a left tackle, of course, Jonathan Ogden is what comes to mind for them. That expectation would be unfair to have that put on you, but when you look at that and know that history, do you look and say that's the benchmark? Is that what you want to be? (Pete Gilbert)
(STANLEY) "Oh yeah, I definitely look at that and say that's what I want to be. Jonathan Ogden has definitely set the bar, especially [with me] being a part of the same organization he was. He set the bar for the whole league. He's a legend, a Hall of Famer and probably the best tackle to ever do it."
Who did you grow up watching? Who were some of your idols? And even now when you look at players in the game, who do you model yourself after? (Ryan Mink)
(STANLEY) "Growing up, being from the West Coast, I definitely kept my eye on Tyron Smith. He's definitely someone I try to model my game after."
Ronnie, you contemplated coming out last year and obviously went back. Do you feel that helped you or hurt you as far as not only your draft status, but going forward and actually getting the experience to help make the transition to the NFL? (Cliff Brown)
(STANLEY) "I really do think it helped me a lot. I really thought I understood the game of football more – the concepts and really getting consistent with my fundamentals and technique, and trying to make everyone around me better. This year I was really growing up as a leader and helping my teammates around me, not just worrying about what I have to do. [I was] just trying to help everyone get their job done."
Ronnie, have they talked to you about the physicality that you're coming into? Not only playing for the Ravens, but being involved in the division they are in, the AFC North? (Jerry Coleman)
(CASTILLO) "I understand the physicality; they don't have to tell me about it. It's a physical sport, and this is at the highest level, and I'm expecting it to be as physical as possible."
Juan, when you look at the left tackles you've looked at over the years coming from college, how close or how Day-One ready is Ronnie Stanley from other guys you've seen over the years? (Brett Hollander)
(CASTILLO) "Everybody is a little different. The thing about Ronnie is the nice thing is they [the Notre Dame offensive linemen] get in a three-point stance on first and second down, and then they're in a two-point stance on third down, so he's prepared that way. We'll get in a three-point stance a lot. The thing with Ronnie is, Notre Dame has a big tradition – kind of like the Ravens do. They play hard. Anybody that comes out of Notre Dame is going to be tough. They're going to be smart, and they're going to be fundamentally sound. I think that's what Ronnie is. What helps Ronnie is he's got those long arms. You guys talk about the speed, well the thing that happens when you've got long arms like he does, it just makes it a little easier when he stays square to be able to use those hands. When you talk about toughness, I think anybody can talk a good game. What Ronnie wants to do is, come September, you guys will see what Ronnie is all about. I think that's the bottom line."
Ronnie, there is always a lot of pressure that comes with being a first-round pick. How do handle that pressure and do you feel it? (Garrett Downing)
(STANLEY) "I don't really feel it. I definitely just come out and just work hard. That's my whole plan is [to] come out and work hard every day and try to get better – never feel like I made it to a certain point or I've ever arrived. Just getting drafted, it's a very exciting feeling. You've got to live in that moment, but it is just the beginning, and the hard work starts now."
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Ronnie, your offensive line coach at Notre Dame, Harry Hiestand, is very close with John Harbaugh. What did he tell you about John, and what can you expect playing for him? (Luke Jones)
(STANLEY) "He told me he's a hard coach, he wants to win, and he's a competitor. That's exactly how I am as a person, and I couldn't be happier."
Juan, I understand you worked Ronnie out at a clinic at Notre Dame. Can you talk about that and what you've seen along the way? (Ryan Mink)
*(CASTILLO) *"I met Ronnie two years ago. Harry [Hiestand] and I studied from the same coach, Joe Moore [longtime college offensive line coach] a long time ago. He was a legend at Notre Dame. I went out there to visit Harry and just talk ball. So, I was fortunate Harry let me go in the [offensive] line room and clinic the guys – just talk about ball. Harry left so that I wouldn't try to put him down or anything, so it was really nice. I was probably in there for about 30 or 40 minutes, and we talked about fundamentals and techniques. That's really the first time that I got to meet Ronnie. Then I worked him out this year. The thing that's important [when] you talk about work ethic … I went down and usually, the way we try to do things here at the Ravens is we try to get individual workouts so we really get to know our guy. For Ronnie, his pro day was on Thursday, so his agent, who is here sitting right there in the corner, I told her that I didn't want to do pro day and that I wanted to do individual workouts, and she said, 'Is Sunday OK with you?' 'Well, yeah, Sunday is OK.' To me, that just shows that here's a Top 10 offensive lineman or a guy that's going to get drafted early that doesn't mind working on Sundays. You talk about passion … You try to sit in on a three-hour grind session and the whole time that we were there, talking ball for three hours, he was focused and ready to go. He loves the game, or he wouldn't be where he is. Those are some of the things that we saw that when I came back, I talked to coach [Harbaugh] and Eric [DeCosta] and Ozzie [Newsome] about what kind of young man Ronnie is."
Ronnie, have you met Joe Flacco yet? (Morgan Adsit)
(STANLEY) "Yes, I just met him this morning."
How did that introduction go? (Morgan Adsit)
(STANLEY) "I didn't know he was so tall, that's the first thing. (laughter) He's definitely a very tall guy, but he's a good person, and I know he's a great athlete as well. I'm very honored to be given the opportunity to block for him."
Juan, obviously Ronnie has been drafted and played tackle in college. Eugene Monroe is here and started the past couple of years at left tackle. How do you see that playing out? (Jamison Hensley)
(CASTILLO) "The way we're going to do it is, we're going to let Ronnie go in there and compete with Eugene. What we want to do is play the best five players. We're fortunate Ronnie is a very good athlete and good player, and so is Eugene. So, we'll let them compete, and we know that we're going to play the best five guys. The Ravens are all about competition. Coach Harbaugh talks about that. It just makes everybody better."
Marc, should Ronnie win that competition, how well does he fit into what you like to do? (Joe Platania)
(TRESTMAN) "I think what we like to do is to be able to sufficiently protect our quarterback. And Ronnie would give us that on the backside. We want to be able to run an efficient running game, and Ronnie has the athletic abilities, I said earlier, to not only block the point, the front side of our outside zone game, but the backside as well. He fits right in to exactly what we're looking for. His arm length, his length is going to allow us to stabilize the backside. We face, each and every week, the premier pass rushers in the league coming from the left side anyway. We're excited about it. We think he certainly has the ability and certainly has the self-confidence, athleticism and intelligence to get that dome. We couldn't ask for more right now. We're really excited about it."
Ronnie, I know you played right tackle your first year at Notre Dame, correct? (Jeff Zrebiec)
(STANLEY) "Yes, correct."
What is your experience playing guard? (Jeff Zrebiec)
(STANLEY) "No, I didn't do that. I played guard for maybe one spring game because our guard went down. That was about it."
Would that be a significant adjustment for you? Or do you think you can handle it? (Jeff Zrebiec)
(STANLEY) "I can handle it. Wherever the coaches seem to put me that they see fit, that's where I'm going to play."
Juan, just to clarify, Eugene and Ronnie could both start if they are among the five best offensive linemen? (Jerry Coleman)
(CASTILLO) "That's right. What we're talking about is trying to get the best five guys on the field, so however we do that, we're going to do that."
Juan, you know Ronnie's skill set. Do you think it could translate to guard? (Jamison Hensley)
(CASTILLO)"I think Jonathan Ogden did that the first year. You draft tackles because they're the better athletes, and you stick them in [at] guard. A lot of the time what happens for those tackles is they say, 'Whoa, it's a lot easier inside. There's not as much green to be able to cover.' Through my experience all of the years I was at Philly, that's what we used to do with tackles; we move them inside. As far as that part, I don't think there's an issue with him being able to do that."
Ronnie, what are your thoughts on social media? We saw what happened with Laremy Tunsil last night, and I'm sure people were talking about it even in that bubble. How active are you on social media? (Kirk McEwen)
(STANLEY) "I'm moderately active, but you definitely have to be responsible. It sucks what happened to Laremy, especially the timing of it all, but it's a lesson to all of the guys out there, all of the athletes out there. You really have to be responsible for things you record, things that are on your phones and whatnot."
How special is it to know that your high school will now be represented by both of Baltimore's big teams? Joey Rickard is with the Orioles and now you are with the Ravens? (Luke Jones)
(STANLEY) "I was very happy to hear that. Honestly, I didn't know it at the time, but I saw on Twitter. I was very happy to hear that we're representing both sports in this great city."
With your background in basketball, does any of that translate to football at all? (Jamison Hensley)
*(STANLEY) *"Very much so, I definitely attribute a lot of my athleticism to playing basketball. A lot of the footwork that I use has been used in basketball, too, with the lateral movement and foot quickness in general."
Do you think you're the best basketball player on the Ravens now? (Garrett Downing)
(STANLEY) *"I don't know. I haven't met everyone." *(laughter)
