HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "It's good seeing everybody here for the first day of training camp – [the] first day of practice, and it was a good day. The fans, the energy, the effort of the guys, the intentionality of them; it was really fun. It's a start; it's the beginning of a ramp-up period. Jerseys, helmets, tempo being what it is – I thought it very sharp today, and we'll go forward from here. It's our beginning. Our goal right now? Get better every day."
We were told QB Lamar Jackson was sent home with an illness. Any other details you can give us? (*Jamison Hensley)* "[There are] really no details. He just started getting sick yesterday. Midday, he was in the meetings, [he] started getting sick – it got kind of not good. He tried to get in today and get rest and then get fluids and things; it just wasn't good. He was sent home by the doctors."
When do you expect him back? (Shawn Stepner) "It's a sickness – when he feels better. [He'll return] when he's not sick anymore."
Last year, you took a chance on G John Simpson who had a very high penalty total, and we've seen the same thing with G/T Josh Jones was signed this year – we saw him run a few laps today after his penalties. Can you talk a little bit about that? (Ken McKusick) "Well, yes. [You] talk about John Simpson, obviously; he went on and is doing really well and had a big contract [that he signed with the Jets in the offseason]. He had a great year for us, most importantly, and we were thrilled with that. You have Josh [Jones] and other guys who are trying to fill that spot and do the things they have to do to play winning football up front. They're doing a great job of working hard – that is just part of the process every day of getting better, to me. It's not a one-day thing, obviously, it's an everyday thing over a period of time to build into that kind of winning football."
How pleased were you to bring in S Eddie Jackson? We've talked to you a lot about the safety depth. He's clearly someone who has experience and has played at a high level for a while. (Luke Jones) "I'm very excited to bring in Eddie Jackson. He's a guy that ... I can remember it like it was yesterday. Boy, time flies – life is short, run to the ball. I remember him running to the ball for Alabama when we're looking at the draft and having all of these good years in Chicago [and] playing against him. Now to have him here – I happened to be at the hotel last night doing bed check when he came in on his flight. I was like, 'You're taller than I remember,' and I just saw him three days ago. He's ready to go. Big simile on his face, [and he's] very excited."
Last year OLB Kyle Van Noy was added in late September. How good is it for him to join and be present in training camp with all the players? (David Andrade) "Kyle [Van Noy] to be here from the beginning is a big difference. Kyle is a pro. He knows how to get himself ready – he proved that last year, but then also the fact that he's a leader. Having him on board as a leader from the beginning is a big plus for us."
When you had the first full-team meeting, what was your message? Did you have a prevailing message to the team? (Jamison Hensley) "There's always a prevailing message and a couple of stories that kind of set the tone. But this year, probably as much as anything, it was vision, and it was standards, and the ability to meet the standard and raise the standard, and the vision that we're working into in a lot of different areas. I had the chance to talk to a different guys, individually, and continue to do that about their vision. It's amazing how aligned we are, person-to-person. As a coach, you look for that."
RB Owen Wright had a lot of reps today. Is that a guy who's making the most of his opportunities, stacking good practices? (Todd Karpovich) "I just talked to Owen Wright yesterday about this, and I said, 'I think you're going to be a surprise, breakout kind of guy.' He looks really good. He's in great shape. He looked good last year, and I think he's going to pick up where he left off and try to make a name for himself."
With the changes to the kickoff rule with your background, obviously, what's the biggest thing to work on now for that? And do you see it being a separation early on for teams that maybe aren't ready for it? (*Morgan Adsit)* "Well, number one, nobody can really say, because even with the spring league reps, these are different players, so it's going to be a differently played play than it was in the spring league. Secondly, how it's going to affect us? I don't know either. I'm really hopeful. I'm hopeful that we come out here, and we act and look like we know what we're doing. We hope we coach it the right way, and we hope it's an advantage for us [in] the first part of the season. So, that's what we're going to strive for and do our best. The first preseason game, all of the fans, we're all going to be closely to see what it looks like."
There were a lot of changes in the offseason from the roster to the coaching staff and so forth. You obviously brought in some guys. How would you describe your confidence to be able to not only get back to where you were last year, but to surpass that? (Brian Wacker) "There is a significant amount of change, and probably certainly more [change in] coaches than you'd normally see, probably than anybody had around this year around the league. Probably player turnover is probably the same as everybody else – you can look into that and research it, so that's how it works in the National Football League, and we embrace it. We embrace opportunity on the coaching staff side for these guys to move up into these positions – guys like Zach [Orr] and Chris Hewitt – and prove themselves even more than they have already. And then [we] embrace it as players, too, for a guy like Trenton Simpson, getting an opportunity to make a name for himself. I like our guys, and I'm very optimistic that they'll do very well."
I know you guys have been out here already for things like minicamp and OTAs, but is it a different feeling for you on the first day of training camp? (Cordell Woodland) "It is. It's a different feeling. Now it's legit. Now [the players] have to be here. That's a good thing. I think everybody's focus does dial in, a little bit more – a lot more – because the time is at hand. The schedule is in front of us, the countdown [has] begun, and we're getting ready for something that we're about to embark on. It's going to be very, very challenging, but we're up for it."
Do you have a handle yet on what you're going to do with and how you're going to approach the new kickoff rule? (Mark Maske) "Well, we do have a handle on the way we're going to approach it, for sure, and then we'll learn about what adjustments we'll have to make. We also know that we're going to learn as we go, and they'll be tweaks, just like there always [are]. But I am confident that we have a good handle on the angles of the play, the speed of the play – things like that."
How beneficial would it be to have CB Marlon Humphrey back at full strength and with a full training camp under his belt heading into the season? (Jeff Zrebiec) "Oh, having Marlon Humphrey at full speed and at his best would be massively beneficial, and that's what we expect him to be. He's in great shape. You saw it today in practice; he looked great. He gives us some great versatility in the back end [with] moving guys around. So, I would never discount Marlon Humphrey, if I was an opponent. I believe in Marlon. I think he's one of the best players – one of the very, very best corners – in the National Football League."
What most stands out to you about watching S Kyle Hamilton? (Bo Smolka) "Man, how do you pick one thing with Kyle Hamilton, because he's kind of the complete package? I think that's probably what stands out the most. The thing that he and I have been talking about, from a vision standpoint, probably, as much as anything, is him embracing his position as a respected leader on the team. He's in his third year. It doesn't seem like very long; he just got here, right? But he's an established star player in the league, and he's most highly respected by everybody. So, he has already been growing into that leadership role, and I think he's going to blossom even more going forward."
Whenever you don't make the Super Bowl, there's going to be some criticism expected at the quarterback, at Lamar Jackson. You've always been very supportive of Lamar. How would you address that criticism? (Jamison Hensley) "That's a great question. It's like ... Have you ever heard the old saying – you guys played sports – they used to tell you, 'Don't read your press clippings,' right? We don't really have press clippings anymore. We've got the phones and the computers. Press clipping, at least if it was bad, you could throw it up and throw it in a trash can. Now I want to (pretends to scroll through phone) ... I do flip through them to be honest with you. I read the stuff. I see the guys say what they say on the shows – at least I get clips of them – because they come up on your phone. And the good ones, I just scroll past because that's candy, that's not real. But it's the bad ones you (looks at phone in hand) ... I read it right away. I don't let it go. That's OK, that's part of the deal. And Lamar [Jackson], for whatever reason – there's a lot of great things said about Lamar – but there's a lot of stuff that's said that you have to just scratch your head about and wonder what's that person's even thinking? But we take it personally. Lamar's a guy – all his life – Lamar Jackson has been a guy who has been answering those same questions. I'm talking about since he was a kid. Junior high, high school, college, the [NFL] Draft; the success he's had in the National Football League, and it still comes up. He's still growing, he's got a growth mindset, [and] he's going to get better and better, no doubt. But what does he have to do to prove himself to some people, right? And so the thing, for me, is just ... [I'm] talking about vision again. There's a vision, and I believe the Ravens, and we've always had a vision for Lamar Jackson. It started with Lamar's vision, and his mom's vision, when he said he was going to be a quarterback. He was going to be a quarterback in high school, he's going to be a quarterback in college; he's going to be a quarterback in the National Football League. And we bought into that. We embraced it. We built an offense for it in '19. We're building another offense for it in '23 and '24 going forward – the next iteration of our offense around Lamar Jackson. Because in my opinion, the vision, the vision for Lamar Jackson, and it's a vision – it's something you see it like it's already happened. You can see it like it's already been done. The victory has already been won, when you pour into a vision. And the vision that we have together is that Lamar Jackson is going to become and be known and be recognized as the greatest quarterback ever to play in the history of the National Football League, that's the vision. It's going to happen by Lamar, his work ethic and his brilliant talent by all of us pouring into that effort together as a team, teamwork and by the grace of God and God's good will. That's how it's going to happen. And I believe it like we've already seen it."
WR RASHOD BATEMAN
Opening statement: "Because I see them over there, I just want to give a huge shoutout to the Ronald McDonald House. If you all ever got a chance to check them out and see what they do, please do. I do a lot with them during the fall. So, yes, check them out. I'd appreciate it."
On how he feels entering this training camp: "For me, it feels good. [It's] Year Four. I'm blessed, I'm excited, and we're going to see what's in store."
On how much better his foot feels this year: "The foot is healed, and it's not a problem anymore – thank God. Obviously, this year is different than last year. I'm healthy, 100%, and that's all I can say about it. I don't really want to keep talking about my injuries. It's past me. That's the past now, so we're onto bigger and better things now."
On what he wants to achieve this season: "Super Bowl. Super Bowl. It's not about me. I need to do what's best for this team – whatever that is [and] whatever my role is. I expect my role to be bigger, and I'm ready to take on that role. So, we'll see what happens."
On what needs to happen for him to have a big year: "Continue to stay healthy, and I've just got to go out and show consistency, so Lamar [Jackson] can trust me, so the team can trust me, so [offensive coordinator] Todd Monken can trust me. I've just got to go out and do my job."
On having QB Josh Johnson out there in QB Lamar Jackson's absence: "It's definitely good to have Josh [Johnson]. He's an old head around here, so he's a good leader for us. He teaches us a lot when it comes to the game of football, and he definitely leads us in the right direction. So, it's good to have him out there."
On the level of comfortability he has going into this training camp: "I would definitely say this is the most comfortable I've been with the team and the players coming back. We all are pretty close. We stay in touch. [We're a] tight-knit group. We come out here and work. We help each other, and we try to give each other the best advice, so it's definitely a blessing to come out here and play with guys that want to get better every day."
On his offseason training and the platform that it's built for him going into the season: "[It built] a lot, because this is the first offseason that I've been able to really dive into what I wanted to. I trained a lot – three [to] four times a day, every day – so hopefully, it pays off. Yes, I did a lot of working out this summer, for sure."
On the things he was working on this offseason: "[I worked on] running, route running, catching and just learning how to become a better football player."
On if he was wearing a sweatshirt while training in 100-degree weather this offseason: "Yes. Yes. It's humid out here. I have to be prepared for this. I train in Arizona, but this [is] different. I don't know what's going on today."
On what he thinks TEs Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely can do together this season: "I'm excited to see what it looks like. I don't really know either. You have this guy, you have this guy, you have that guy, and at the end of the day, you have Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, so I'm kind of like everybody else. I'm just excited to watch it."
On what being healthy going into the season does for him mentally: "I feel good. I feel good."
WR ZAY FLOWERS
On being a potential dynamic duo with WR Rashod Bateman: "Honestly right now, we're just coming out every day and going to work. [We're] trying to get better every day. We're just focused on day-to-day, and we're focused on the first game. We're just coming out every day trying to work, get better, listen to our coaches, and execute everything as best we can."
On taking it to the next level in his second NFL season: "[I want to] take the whole game to the next level, everything from blocking to catching. I'm trying to get better at everything, and I'm trying to improve every year and prove all the doubters wrong."
On what people may doubt about his game: "I don't know. I'm just [going to] go out and show them whatever they say I can't do." (laughter)
On how he can set the bar higher after record-breaking rookie season: "Go get the regular record. Try to get the record that's the highest, honestly. I just want to win. We had a great season last year, [and] we want to improve on that and get to the ultimate goal."
On if defenses will look to cover him differently this season: "Honestly, they [have] to worry about two other people: Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. I'm the third option, fourth option. Whatever it is, I'm not the first. [Defenders will have] to go cover [them] first."
On what he can improve upon that wasn't shown a lot of last season: "Probably deep passes; probably more deep passes. I feel like I can go get them. If they're in the air, I'll go get them. That's one of the things I want to improve [upon] to answer your question. I'll say that's one of the things just hitting more deep balls. Because that's what I did in college, so I want to come out and try to hit more this year."
On if last season's AFC Championship loss adds motivation: "It's over now. I get to see [the Kansas City Chiefs in the] first game. We'll go play them then. What's in the past is already in the past. It already happened. [We] can't do [anything] about that now."
On if Week 1 matchup with Kansas City adds motivation: "What [do you] think?" (laughter) "I think so. A little bit, a little bit, but we [are] focused on ourselves, though."
On why it's important to him to connect with the fans: "Because when I was a kid before I tried to take a picture with somebody. [I'm not] going to mention [any] names, but they told me no. I [didn't] really like it as a kid, because that was my first time meeting a professional player. Any chance I get with the kids, I try to do as much as I can."
On his community work, his recent Zay Day and its impact: "'Zay Day' I did back in the neighborhood [where] I grew up [in]. The part where I grew up [in]. The part where my mom passed. It was important for me to go back and do that for my community and just stand in front of everybody and show them they can do the same thing I can do. We had a great day in Baltimore – we had it at Spalding High School. It was a great day. Probably 1,000 kids came out. It was a fun day."
On how different this offseason was compared to his first offseason: "I got a longer break. That's probably the best thing. I wanted to work the same way I wanted to work last season – I mean last offseason. I'm ready to go play football again and just get back into it."
On how Derrick Henry will impact the offense: "[Have] you seen him before? Have you seen him in person? You've got to stop that first, before you worry about somebody of my stature." (laughter)
On the satisfaction he gets from gaining separation from defenders: "I get satisfaction peeling anybody off. I feel like if any receiver gets in space, or they're getting separation, they're going to get satisfaction all day. They want to run routes and win, so yes. I feel like the more separation I get, the more satisfaction [I feel]."
On what it will take to make more deep plays: "[It's] probably just running more of them and working on them with 'L.J.' [Lamar Jackson], and working on them with the group, honestly, because I don't think we had a lot last year, so we want to come out and improve."
On what's different about WR Rashod Bateman now versus when he joined guys at training camp last year: "I don't think anything is different. [Rashod Bateman] had a few things going on, but he's locked in. He's always been locked in. We had a good team last year, so it's one football that can only go around so many times. I think we all understood that, so this year, it's just me and him, and we're going to try to go to work and do the best and do everything we can."
