SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR CHRIS HORTON
Opening Statement: "I hope all you guys are doing well. [I] just [wanted to give a] quick little recap from the game, I thought Jordan Stout had a really good night [on] Friday. He punted the ball outstanding. I thought 'Tuck' [Justin Tucker] was solid, and [I] was really pleased to see Nick Moore coming back after a year of being off and really just doing what he's done, and just being able to get back out there and get himself back into football. From the other four phases, just the other guys, we had a lot of young guys play really well. [It's] kind of what we expected. These guys come out here, they work hard, and we just want to get them in the games and see them playing. [I'm] just looking forward to those guys really stacking [practices] and getting better this week, so we can just continue to develop and get ourselves ready for the season."
You had three returns and three coverages on the dynamic kickoff. What lessons did you learn from that? (Ryan Mink) "Just from the coverage standpoint, we let that one get out on us. It just goes back to lanes and leverages and fitting the play kind of how we need to fit the play. I think the style of play really fits what we do. It's a physical play; I think we have a physical football team. I think we play special teams the right way with physicality and effort, so I think we'll be good there. In the return game, I think [it's] going to come down to, again, how well we block, and how well we stop those guys from penetrating down the field and stopping our returners. I thought our young returners came out, ran the ball well [and] ran the ball downhill. As we continue to go throughout this stage, we'll continue to develop, [and] we'll continue to introduce more schemes."
It seems like there was some disagreement among the officials in practice today. Did K Justin Tucker actually hit that 67-yarder? (Jonas Shaffer) "I actually have no idea. I have to go back and watch the tape and find out."
You mentioned P Jordan Stout. He's still relatively early in his NFL career. This is Year 3 for him, but he's developed very quickly. What have you seen from him? (Kevin McNelis) "It's the things we saw from [Jordan Stout] throughout his college career. The kid's got a strong leg – he can bomb the ball. And we just have to allow him to be himself and go out there and just find that consistency. We want him to be the player that we saw that we drafted in the fourth round. I think he's coming along well. Randy [Brown] and Sam [Koch] are doing a great job with him out here, just dialing in the little details [and] him just walking the right lines in those things. As long as he continues to do that, I think he's going to have a heck of a year."
At Penn State, P Jordan Stout has done some kicking. Is that something you guys would want to add eventually as he grows in his career? (Giana Han) "I think that's something that we will consider as we continue to move forward. He can kick off – he has done that. [Senior special teams coach] Randy [Brown] and I, we talk about this all the time, it's just a matter of when we want to give him that opportunity."
Is there a chance WR/RS Deonte Harty plays in this preseason game? (Todd Karpovich) "Do I have a chance of putting [Deonte Harty] out there? I think we'll get him out there at some point and just see where he is. [We] haven't decided how much we want to get him out there because I know what he can do as a returner, but I definitely think we will see him at some point."
From a directional standpoint for P Jordan Stout, we saw him boom some kicks, stadium-high blasts that went a great distance. What about directionally placing the ball in terms trying to beat that return man and his return angle? (Ken McKusick) "I think that's one of the biggest things we focus on a lot here, is we really try to get that ball – a directional punt – we want that ball [at] the numbers or wider. Really, you're cutting off a third of the field, [and] you're not giving that returner anywhere to go. As we continue to develop [Jordan Stout] – and he's a guy that can do it – we just have to, again, find that consistency. And that's some of the things that we're working on [over] on field three."
We saw S Sanoussi Kane go down with that stinger in the game, but before that, he was oftentimes the first guy down the field on his coverage teams. Is that something you guys saw on his college tape? His ability on special teams? Or is that something you've felt like you've developed this summer? (Nikhil Mehta) "That's one thing we saw from Sanoussi [Kane]. When you watch his tape, he's a physical player, he plays with a lot of effort, he's a high energy player, and I think we saw those things on Friday night. Again, [he's] a young guy that just loves football, and he's going to continue to get better as we move forward. He's one of the young guys that I'm talking about. He had a really good night. Those open-field tackles aren't the easiest tackles in football, and he went down there and get them done."
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR TODD MONKEN
It looked like a lot of deep shots were taken today. Was that a focus of practice to let it rip? (Ryan Mink) "It just worked out today. I mean, we've been trying to keep working. Just some of our downfield pass game. It just worked out today where the ball found its way down the field."
With regard to the game vs. Eagles, it looked like QB Devin Leary was not taking shots down the field. I'm not sure if the throws were open but he certainly didn't take any shots down the field. What are your thoughts about that? (*Ken McKusick)* "We just never really got in a rhythm. He got in the game, and we went straight three-and-outs. So that means three of his nine plays were third downs. OK. [If you] throw in half of them are runs or somewhere in there, [and] we got sacked on a shot down the field. So, it's part of it, [and] it's easier to get the ball down the field – the better you get in rhythm, that's just part of it; we just didn't. And we have to be better."
When you have a franchise quarterback and so much of the focus is on him, what do you see as the most important function of your backup? (*Childs Walker)* "First off, Josh [Johnson] does a tremendous job of being ready. He's the consummate pro – that's why he's been in the NFL for so long. He gets what we want to do, [and] he has a great feel for where we are and where we need to get to. I think he's a great sounding board for Lamar [Jackson] and for us."
You're going from Year 1 to Year 2 with QB Lamar Jackson, and I'm curious about the dynamic and the good and bad experience of working with a quarterback in your first year and second year how much change is throwing stuff out and adding stuff in and the dynamic between you guys back and forth? (*Brian Wacker)* "Well you would hope it's only going to get better, and it has. We've had a great offseason – not only individually, but systematically. Once you get into the year, it's hard to really tweak too much or assess it just week-to-week, the next team you're playing, [but] you get in the offseason and say, "OK, we have to do this more, or we need to be better here, and you need to do this." Systematically and individually, it's been a great offseason, and he's been great."
When you say systematically, what's something in particular or an example you could provide? (Brian Wacker) "I don't know – just how we do it. Just so we are the same page probably. How do we streamline it to where we are on the same page? Players can anticipate calls [and] can anticipate situations [to] where we want to go A, B, C [or] D each week. What are our staples that we want to be able to get to? So, [we want to] eliminate as much of the guess work as you can, right? Does that make sense? That's just probably a strong word – we're not guessing. That's silly, but in terms of where we want to go."
We've seen T Roger Rosengarten take a number of first-team reps now for a few days. What have you seen from him as he's going against the starters? (Ryan Mink) "Well [Roger Rosengarten]'s only getting better. Like any young player, there's some ups and downs, but it isn't for a lack of effort. [He's showing] intelligence, [a] want to, toughness [and] athleticism. I think he's going to be a really good player. You can see it every day the improvement."
TE Isaiah Likely has been everywhere so far at training camp. He's coming off a really strong season. What do you envision for his role this upcoming season? (*Mike McNellis)* "[Isaiah Likely]'s had a great offseason. He was here all offseason, and he's embraced that part of it. You've seen other things in his game, particularly in line, that we've asked him to do. So, we expect him to have a great year."
Now that you're in your second season, and you've had time to evaluate last year, what's the identity that you want the offense to have? (Carita Parks) "Certainly you want to have an offense that's a nightmare to defend. I think that's what we're all trying to accomplish – [have] an offense that you're capable of winning in a variety of ways. If you need to run it to win, you can run it to win. If you need to throw it to win, you can throw it to win. That's all we're fighting for – to be elite in all those areas. And then the last part of it is, are you leading situational football? Short yardage, red zone, are you not turning it over, you're explosive [and] formatted. All those things that really dictate a game."
When there are always eyes on QB Lamar Jackson, the first or second level we saw you guys juice up the number of screen plays last year. How do you continue to be successful as a screen team when there is always going to be extra attention on Lamar, especially five or 10 yards from the line of scrimmage? (*Jonas Shaffer)* "We just have to do it better. We can scheme it better. We can prepare better in terms of how we want to do it, formationally, who we want to get it to and then call it. We probably just didn't call it enough; we didn't screen enough last year [and] didn't take the pressure off our O-line enough."
What have you seen in WRs Keith Kirkwood and Anthony Miller – two of the veterans a bit further down in the depth chart? (*Nikhil Mehta)* "I like those guys. All that [Keith] Kirkwood has done is come in and do what we ask him to do. He does a great job in the run game and has made some plays when given the opportunity on the field. And you can see why he's [had] however many years in the NFL. Same with [Anthony] Miller – you can see his explosiveness. You can see him getting in and out of breaks. [You can see] how important the game is [to him]. He enjoys playing the game."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ZACH ORR
ILB Trenton Simpson talked so much the other day about the green dot and how not only were you giving him plays and instruction, but you were hyping him up personally. What's the balance as a coordinator after being a position coach, where your job is to hype up those guys? How does that change when you're calling plays, as well? (Kyle Goon)"First and foremost, Trenton [Simpson] did a great job with the green dot. I mean, it was his first time with it. He hasn't really actually done it in practice, so I was very pleased with how well he was able to get the call [and] communicate it to the defense. And then, as far as that goes, my personality is going to show – like, I'm me. So, they got a couple long drives and were able to get going, and I was like, 'Come on, let's pick it up, let's keep it going. Let's get these guys off the field.' So, it was good that he felt that energy, and he relayed it to everybody else. But the balance is, obviously, first and foremost, I've got to get him the call, but I'm going to let my personality show, as well."
What are the biggest areas in which you've seen ILB Trenton Simpson grow into being a capable communicator? (Kyle Goon)"Just [Trenton Simpson's] understanding of the game. His understanding of the game. Like I said, it's always ... When you're a rookie, the NFL game is so much different than the college game, so it took a good year to understand it, and he has a real good understanding of it. And the great thing I'm excited about [for] him is he's got a long way to go as far as what he's going to be. He's already really good, and he's going to be even better the older he gets [and] the more experience he gets."
How are you evaluating your performance as a play caller? (Giana Han)"Well, we didn't get any substitution errors, so I think that was good. I thought it went smooth. I thought the operation was smooth. The coaches did a great job giving me the personnel [and] giving me good feedback. The communication was smooth between me and the person with the green dot, so I think it went good. And like I said, we get great work at it every single day. Like, today, we had a couple 'call-it periods,' so I felt [really] comfortable. I was [really] pleased that the operation went smooth throughout the whole game."
Is it different from calling plays in practice? Did you learn something from calling plays in the preseason? (Ryan Mink)"Not really. Honestly, it wasn't really different. I felt like ... It's crazy; I'm telling you, Coach Harbaugh puts a lot of stress on us like with the play clock. You see [that] we've got play clocks going all the time, so you're forced to make a call. And then just going against our offense, they do tempo a lot, so you're forced to think on the fly [and] make quick decisions. So, it actually felt pretty natural. It felt more natural than what I thought it was going to feel [like], because I didn't know what to expect."
Along those lines, CB Damarion 'Pepe' Williams' sack seemed like a pretty exotic blitz call. Some coordinators might keep things a little bit more vanilla in the preseason. How did you kind of decide how to toe the line between trying stuff out and not showing too much? (Jonas Shaffer)"Yes, that blitz right there is something that we've run for a long time here. We might've brought it out [of] the vault, but it's something that we've done for a long time here. So, obviously, it's preseason; I think the benefit that we have is we have the element of surprise, so we're not going to show much at all. So, what you see in preseason is not really what you're necessarily going to see during the regular season."
We've had a chance to watch the film, obviously. One of the things that's stood out is the Eagles were very efficient on offense and able to run for first downs. On the other side, the Ravens really stopped the long plays. After having a chance to see it, what were the big factors in stopping the long plays? (Ken McKusick)"I mean, just guys communicating. A lot of times, explosive plays happen from miscommunication; somebody didn't get the call, [or] somebody didn't get the right coverage, so it's miscommunication, [and] now guys [are] popping loose. I thought our communication was really [good], and we've got to keep that going. So, the more plays ... The more explosive plays you limit, the better you're going to play on defense. Now, obviously, we've got some stuff we want to clean up in the run game. I think it's a good tape to watch. Stuff was moving a little fast [with it being the] first game experience for us as a unit, but I think that things are going to go well. Things [are] going to get better and better."
CB Nate Wiggins had a great game in his preseason debut before, obviously, going out later on. Earlier in his debut, he had a bunch of pass breakups. Is that what you were expecting out of him – to come out on the field and be that fast and make that many plays, or were you even a little bit surprised by how active he was around the ball? (Nikhil Mehta)"No, that's what we expect. We've seen that in [Nate Wiggins'] college tape, [and] we've seen it out here throughout training camp. Now, I was a little surprised they went after him early so often, but one thing that [I] recognized [really] early in pregame [was] that when the lights came on, he was ready, and that's one thing you want to see. His confidence was through the roof even before the game started. So, it was great to see Nate go out there and make those plays. Those are plays that we expect him to make, but it's good when you see him go out there and do it. I think that's just [really] good for his confidence."
Pass rush coach Chuck Smith said yesterday that OLB Odafe Oweh's 2023 stats were deceiving due to some of the stats that went to OLB Jadeveon Clowney, and we know that he missed some games. Do you see him playing more snaps this season and also getting more production with his sack numbers? (Todd Karpovich)"Yes, I think the sky is the limit for Odafe [Oweh]. 'Dafe' [Odafe Oweh] has had a great training camp. This is the best training camp I've seen him have since we've been together. And I do agree; stats are one thing, but when you cut on the film and see the QB pressures or just causing havoc, him drawing a double team, getting pressure for somebody else or a sack for somebody else, we count that as stats as a coaching staff, [even though] that might not necessarily show up as a stat in the stat sheet. Yes, we do expect 'Dafe' to play even more and be even more disruptive and more explosive and [for] his stats to go up, because he is the guy. He's the guy. Like I said earlier, the better Odafe Oweh is, the better this defense, and the better this team is going be, and I'm excited about it. This dude, he comes every single day locked in, focused, ready to work, and that's great to see. I'm really excited to see him when we get out there and really get going, because he's got a different level of intensity."
You talked about how the gameday experience was pretty comfortable for you. Do you think that's because you were already – as an assistant and as a player – thinking about all 11 spots and thinking about the whole field? Have you sort of been doing mental reps for this job for years? (Childs Walker)"Yes, I mean you definitely do mental reps as a position coach, because that's one of the things we preach here; you've got to prepare yourself for that next opportunity, because you never know what's going to happen. But I think more of the preparation came from being out here in practice in camp. These 'call-it periods' that we do are invaluable here at practice. Like I said, it made the transition smooth, but I think the practices and the scrimmage that we did a couple weeks ago really helped me out."
What does it say about S Kyle Hamilton that he had a little scare in practice, and everybody is holding their breath, but he misses one day, and he's back out here defending deep balls? (Ryan Mink)"We were holding our breath. We're fortunate [and] thanking the lord that it wasn't anything serious [and that] it was something minor, and that's just a testament to Kyle Hamilton – his toughness, his want, his willingness to be there for his teammates, his leadership. And then, I mean, he's a heck of a player. You guys saw that play he made today; I mean that was ridiculous. I'd be hard-pressed to find somebody else in the league that can make a play like that. Now, we wish he would have caught the ball – he'll tell you that too – but it was a heck of a play. Kyle Hamilton, like we've always been saying, he's one of one. We're glad he's part of our team."
How much do you actually prepare the team for a preseason game. Do you actually study tape? Or do you guys play of what the offense presents? (Kevin Richardson) "We're going to run our basic menu. Now, we'll show them a couple of plays, and we'll tell them to watch a game, so they get a feel for the guy; we don't want them to go in there blindsided. You have an idea on what plays they're possibly going to run, but it's no gameplan deal where we're trying to, 'Hey, specifically stop this play and call this coverage, or call this front or call this blitz.' We're just going to run our stuff, because we really want to see these guys come out here just execute and see how well they can play. We don't really want to trick anybody here in the preseason."
A trend in the NFL has been sending nickel pressure. What about that play, maybe just for your team, not just league wide, is so successful about how it's operated with the talent that you have here? (Kyle Phoenix) "It all goes hand in hand. It's 11 players working as one, so you present different looks, you can get protections to go certain ways, and then you get guys who can time up the blitz and can blitz fast. We tell our guys all the time, 'If we're going to send you on a blitz, you better hit it like your life depends on it,' because it does. We have a lot guys who do that."
S Beau Brade just comes in and makes that play on Friday. What have you seen from him throughout camp and what impresses you about him? (Alex Glaze) "Beau Brade has been great. He's a locked in young guy. I love to see that as UDFA [undrafted free agent]. We knew he was talented coming from Maryland, and all he's done is come in and work. I know he had the injury in the spring, but ever since he's been back, he's continued to get better and better and better. I'm really excited about him. I was excited about him in the game, and I'm excited to see what he's going to do this week as well."
How much force does OLB David Ojabo pose coming off the edge, especially from where he was at the start of the camp. How does it kind of change your expectations for what he can be in the regular season? (Jonas Shaffer) "I'm excited about David Ojabo just from the standpoint of, he's finally healthy enough to stack days of practice, and I think you see that from when he started practicing to now, because he's getting better and better and better, and we know what type of [a] talent he is. He's strong, he's big, he's athletic, he's fast, he's mean – everything we look for in outside linebackers. All he needed to do was get the reps, and he's getting these great reps out here, so I'm really excited about him. [If] he continues on the path he's going, [if] he stays locked in, [if] he keeps working, and God-willing [if] he stays healthy, he's going to have a great year for us."
You had two guys come in, and play an unbelievable amount of snaps in OLB Joe Evans and DE C.J. Ravenell. He's a five-technique I think, and he played on the edge the whole game. (Ken McKusick) "That's part of the preseason, because sometimes you're going to ask guys to play positions that they normally don't play, or play a lot of snaps, and I'm so proud of Joe [Evans] and C.J. [Ravenell]. Obviously, C.J., he played out of position, he played outside linebacker the whole game for us. He's an interior D-lineman, and he did a hell of a job; same with Joe. Joe played 68 snaps out of however many there were; he didn't bat an eye, and that's the type of guys we like. Those guys 'Play Like a Raven,' and that's what we look for – guys who are going to go out there, do the dirty work, do what's asked of him and give it everything they've got – that's what those two guys did. I'm excited about them, I know the veterans are excited about them, and what they did doesn't go forgotten."
We got to ask head coach John Harbaugh yesterday about S Ar'Darius Washington. He's having a really good camp [and] had a great day today. What are you seeing out of him? (Kevin McNelis) "'A.D.' [Ar'Darius Washington] was great for us last year before he got hurt, and he's going to continue to get better and better and better. He plays all over the secondary. He's a scrappy guy, he's explosive, he's a takeaway machine. I can sit up here and talk to you all day about 'A.D.' – we love him. It's great to see him healthy, it's great to see him having a great camp, and he's going to do great things for us this year."
