HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "Today was the first day that Coach Jack Harbaugh was here; so it was good to see Coach Jack here. He broke the huddle at the end with a, 'Who's got it better than us? Nobody!' And really nobody does. You get out here on a day like this, with a football team that you love, with the fans going crazy, cheering for the team they love on a beautiful day with the pads on. That's what football is; this is the start of football. We've done all the stuff we've needed to do to prepare us for today – you get out here today and you start evaluating the football team. It was exciting, it was fun, guys did a nice job. I can't wait to look at the tape and get back again tomorrow."
QB Lamar Jackson was sick again. Can you shed any light on what's happening? (Jamison Hensley) "Yes. He's fighting through an illness, [he's] working with our doctors, doing all the tests, even more tests to make sure we have everything covered. I'm confident that he'll be back pretty soon. It's just an unpredictable deal. You guys have been sick before, and sometimes it's not easy, so that's what we're dealing with."
Did you like the physicality of practice with the pads on? (*Todd Karpovich)* "I did like the physicality. I thought it was good; the lines both looked good. What you don't want to do is see guys get crazy with their technique when they come out and put their pads on, and I felt like we didn't. They stayed square, they stayed in control, they had their feet underneath themselves, they played good solid football. We didn't have a bunch of mistakes; [there were] a little bit, there were some, but not too many mental errors, not too much jumping offsides, things like that, with the pads on the first day."
We did see QB Lamar Jackson out here the other day for an hour, then he went back in. Did he start feeling ill again and it just wasn't good for him to be out there? (Brian Wacker) "I think that between Lamar [Jackson] and the doctors, figuring that out, [he] just wasn't feeling up to it in terms of all the different things. You have hydration, there's an energy level thing – it's a part of being sick really."
Did you feel an extra buzz from the guys with today being the first day with the pads on? (Cordell Woodland) "I would say so. I would say so. They were talking to each other in the meetings and different things like that this week, so everybody was pointed toward today. They were excited about it."
With QB Lamar Jackson being out, that's obviously led to QB Josh Johnson getting extensive starter reps. How do you think he's handling that, just running the offense? You guys expressed confidence in him as the No. 2 quarterback. (Luke Jones) "He's done a really good job. I think he's got a great grasp of the offense. He handles it well, he operates it well, [and] he makes all the decisions. He's throwing the ball well; [he's] playing good football. That's why he's here. You think about the big picture and the long run, there's a real benefit of that – him getting a lot of reps."
WR Devontez Walker caught a touchdown in the red zone. Is he a guy you see stacking practices? (Todd Karpovich) "I do. 'Tez' [Devontez Walker] is doing a great job stacking practices. I really had a plan there. We were going to go three plays, we were going to go tackling with the young guys to start the camp off, and Todd [Monken] calls the fade, and, 'Boop,' put it up there, and 'Tez' makes the play, and [the] period is over. That can happen."
We're seeing less and less live practices with the pads on. How do you go about not having a general concern about the tackling at the start of the season? (Cordell Woodland) "Honestly, in the last long number of years, there hasn't been a lot of tackling in camp. Even back to when I started [in the NFL] in '98, there was very little tackling to the ground. There were more padded practices, for sure, but it was still mostly front up, though you did have a couple more scrimmages, and you had more preseason games. It's more of emphasis on teaching tackling with the bags, front-up tackling, technique tackling, being in position to make tackles, but the real tackling practice probably does come for the most part in the games."
What have you seen out of WR Devontez Walker so far? I know it's early, but what have you seen out of him? (Jamison Hensley) "He's a rookie. He's learning; he makes mistakes, then he corrects them. It's a process for all the rookies; I think he's doing a really good job. I see talent, and the speed, and he can change direction. He can catches the ball. All of the things are there; let's just see how fast he comes along."
I know it's practice one of the padded practices, but what did you see out of the offensive line. Obviously, the defense is going to have the advantage at this point, but in terms of combinations and so forth. Is it still pretty early for you guys and this process? We've seen G Andrew Vorhees obviously at left guard a lot, but otherwise is it still too early? (*Brian Wacker)* "It really is a little too early to make any kind of statement. I thought as a group they looked good today. They played square. They were physical and stout, but today is when you really start getting more of a better feel. Until the pads come on, you can't make any determinations about offensive line play. We have a number of days here in pads coming up, and it should be interesting to see how it plays out. I hope it's tough in the sense that they're all doing great, but the main thing is that we get enough guys doing great that we can build our [offensive] line around."
You said during minicamp that you'd like to have a pretty clear idea of the offensive going into the first preseason game. Is that still kind of the timeline of a decision on the offensive line? (Childs Walker) "I would love for that to be the case. You would love for that to be the case. Is that unrealistic? I don't know, maybe, but that's the best-case scenario. I don't necessarily expect it to be the case – the game is a big deal. So, if you go into that first week with a good idea, and the game confirms everything, then you'd feel great, and you're in a good spot. If you don't, then you're OK. You just keep working the guys in as you go. If one guy establishes himself, then the next guy then the next guy, then you have a line and you have your depth chart."
What are some of those things that you kind of evaluate a little differently now that the pads are on? (Giana Han) "The main thing is like in the pass protection, bull rushes, twist games, the penetration aspect of it is a big part of it, then the run game [and] the fits. Are we getting movement? Are they tight fits? We're giving up penetration. Without pads, you can't really tell."
Did OLB Kyle Van Noy have a veteran rest day? (*Jeff Zrebiec)* "No. He had a little issue, a little neck thing he's dealing with. [It's] nothing serious. We just held him out for that."
OFFENSIVE LINE COACH JOE D'ALESSANDRIS
Opening statement: "Good to see everyone here – how about that, first day of pads, huh? We had a nice crew [of fans] come out here to come check us out. Everyone doing well?"
I know you're going to look at that film from today. (Jamison Hensley) "Oh yes, we'll be OK, though. I saw some good things out there, so that's the good news."
So far what are your impressions on the padded practice? (Jamison Hensley) "You know what – as you well know we have to graduate to pads, which we did. Today was the first day in pads, and you heard pads popping – and that's football right, that's what it's supposed to be. I saw the linemen do a very nice job. I told them all, 'I saw a lot of good blocks by all of you.' But I saw some blocks we got to get better with. That's my job to help them get better, and we'll do that. So that's the good news, but you saw hustle, you saw effort, you saw finish – and that's part of being a good football team."
What specifically would you like to see more out of, specifically when guys are competing for those open spots? (Brian Wacker) "I think it's going to all take care of itself. Each day, as we always evaluate – we evaluate them, they evaluate themselves, and we just want to see how often that person can succeed – and is he succeeding more than the other guy against equal competition – and that usually takes care of itself."
Can you talk a little bit about what you see from G/T Daniel Faalele, in terms of both footwork, which I know you're very big on, and hands*?* (Ken McKusick) "You know what, his footwork is not bad. He's learning a new position. Playing inside, everything happens faster – the movement happens faster, [the] decisions [happen] faster, communication happens faster. He's growing in that area, and we have to just continue to [teach him to] use his hands better to relocate – either to place your hands on him – relocate the hands, etc. But [it's only the] first day [in pads] – we'll see what he does in about a week, you know, see if it gets better."
The defense was really flying around, how beneficial is that for the offensive linemen? (Todd Karpovich) "It's great – the more they give us I'm happy, I like it. It tests me too as a coach, where I have to try and come up and problem solve fast to help them and give them a solution, and they have to adhere to what they see, and then communicate and be able to get their bodies in position to block – because today, it happened one time I saw two – it looked like a jailbreak – I saw two coming free. Well, that was all movement, and now [it's] adjusting to movement, 'How am I [going to] adjust to the movement?'"
What do you see from G Andrew Vorhees? (Childs Walker) "Andrew [Vorhees] is doing a great job – he's doing a great job. He's learning that left guard position, he's playing as a ... teaching him how to play center, and I'm very pleased [with] what I see with him right now – and he competed very well out there today."
You talked about G/T Daniel Faalele, what makes you think he might be a really good fit out there? (*Childs Walker)* "Well, one, [he's] 6'8, 6'9, [and] he's 300 – I'm going to give him the low end – 380, and he can move his feet, he's athletic, he's flexible, and he's intelligent, so let's see what happens. If he can, that's going to be a feather in our cap – we'll see how that goes, but it's a work in progress, and all of them are. It's the development of players until they build some experience and confidence, and that's what's going to come with him, too."
How do you assess the competition at right tackle – we've seen OL Patrick Mekari play there some, and we all know his talent – but just in terms of the other guys? (Brian Wacker) "You know, right now, you've got Pat [Mekari] who's very talented, and consistent and [a] reliable player. We picked up Josh Jones who's working it left and right, and he's got experience, and he's doing a very nice job – and then we took Roger Rosengarten [in the draft], and he is working at his craft every day; he's a diligent worker. One thing about Roger – he's going to play hard, he plays tough, and he competes – and those are three good qualities that the young man has, so the rest of it will come with time, experience and coaching, hopefully."
Is there a plan to try G/T Daniel Faalele at right tackle? (Jonas Shaffer) "I'm going to try to let this play out [for] a little bit – it just takes time. When you move guys to different positions ... And I'm an advocate of cross training and playing multiple positions, because I know what's in store for us when the season starts. But this time of the year, I like to see if we can settle in and see if everyone can get their fundamentals and technique down and their assignments, and then we'll go from there."
C TYLER LINDERBAUM
On the first practice in pads: "It was good. This is how the game is played. Just to be out here in front of fans, going against each other [and] making each other better; it's a good first [padded] practice. We've got to build off [of] that."
On if he feels any changes with the pads on: "[It's] just the physicality. Both sides of the ball can actually hit people. [You can] work on your technique when everyone is going a 100%. It was a good first day. Guys were out there competing and working against each other, and [we've] got to keep improving from there."
On if the vibe in the offensive line room is different because of high expectations: "[It's] kind of a 'next man in' mentality. Whoever the starting five is, we expect to play at a high level with each other. That started in OTAs [Organized Team Activities], and that started in full [mandatory] camp of building chemistry with each other [and] growing that room. I'm excited [for] the direction we're heading, but we still have a lot to improve upon."
On if facing the D-Line in padded practices is even more challenging: "We've got a talented 'D-Line [defensive line] group – they certainly give us challenges [and] make us work. [The defensive line] is big, strong and athletic. For Day One, we're making each other better. I like the group that we have on both sides because I think a lot of improvement is going to happen."
On if he seeks out being a leader on the offensive line: "I'm still going to be the same guy. The responsibilities aren't really going to change. I still have to be the center, make the calls, make the protections [and] lead the guys out there because everyone has a goal of winning. That's our job – doing everything in our power throughout the week, throughout practices [to continue] putting ourselves in the best situation to win. I try to do that."
On if he has become more idea driven from Year One to Year Three: "I just try to be myself. I don't think there's much [of a] difference from me from Year One to Year Three, [I] just try to be myself out there [and] try to win games."
On what he misses about having G Kevin Zeitler around: "'Zeit [Kevin Zeitler] was awesome to play with for two years. I think he's going to kill it with Detroit [Lions], but it's 'next man in' mentality like I said earlier. He set that bar, [and] he set the standard of how that position is supposed to be played. You've got to match that or try to exceed it for the next guy coming in."
On what stands out to him about the offensive line group around him now, given all the changes from last year: "I love the group. It's a group that wants to get better, wants to work hard. [We're] four, five days in, [and] we're improving each and every day with each other. That's the uniqueness about the position – is the chemistry that you need to have, you need to build, and it doesn't take one or two days; it takes time. So, [we're] just continuing to build that in the room and feel each other out, and I think we're moving in the right direction."
On if it's business as usual without QB Lamar Jackson, or if it's been a little weird to go through the beginning of training camp without him on the field: "It is what it is. You never know – throughout the course of the season – whatever is going to happen, so you've always got to ... It's always good to get work with other people, but we'll be excited when Lamar [Jackson] is back – that's for sure."
On if he notices the chatter about the Ravens' offensive line and pundits calling it the biggest question mark on the team: "When I get on my burner accounts, sometimes I see it." (laughter) "I'm just kidding. No, I don't see it. It's obviously ... The questions are warranted; we lose three guys, and we have to replace three guys, and it's our job to continue to get better and to improve. I like the room that we have. Certainly, we're going to work our tail off to get to where we want to be."
On how long it takes to build chemistry on the offensive line, and how long he'd like the position battles to continue before being solidified: "However long Coach [John] Harbaugh and Coach D. [offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris] says it takes." (laughter) "Guys are working, [and] guys are trying to improve. So, when that's all said and done ... And I think the one thing about that, too, is it's never solidified. We have to play at a high level, consistently, from Week 1 to Week 2 to Week 3. We have a lot of guys that can play a lot of high-level football, so that's the exciting part."
On playing next to someone as big as G/T Daniel Faalele: "Yes, it's certainly fun to have someone that large next to you. And Daniel [Faalele] is continuing to get better and better. Obviously, he hasn't played that position [guard] much, but he's just ... He's a natural for his size, [with] how well he moves, and just now is getting familiar with that position, and then [we're] working with each other on certain combo blocks, how we see things and stuff like that."
On QB Lamar Jackson having more autonomy and decision-making power in the offense: "A lot of that stuff, too, happens in the meeting rooms. So, anytime a team can empower the quarterback to have more responsibilities and take more control, I think the better the team is going to be. So, giving the quarterbacks – whoever that is – the role, especially, [giving] Lamar [Jackson] that role to take control and have that responsibility, is big, and I think it takes [us] a step in the right direction to where we want to go as a unit."
