Asst. Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka
Q: Another week, another change at quarterback. What's that like for you?
MIKE KAFKA: It's really part of the game. Things like this happen in the National Football League all the time. Guys being prepared and ready to go, next man up mentality.
Q: How up to speed is (quarterback) Tim Boyle?
MIKE KAFKA: Tim (Boyle) is doing a nice job. He's catching up to speed as fast as he possibly can. But he's a great worker. He's been awesome in the QB room and he'll be prepared.
Q: If he's needed in the game, do you think you can use the full playbook?
MIKE KAFKA: I don't want to get into like the hypotheticals of it. But that's what he's prepping for, absolutely.
Q: How many first-team reps at practice is he taking?
MIKE KAFKA: I wouldn't say many, that's for sure.
Q: What is his preparation like?
MIKE KAFKA: The life of a backup quarterback is different than the starter. You're visualizing. You're doing a lot of reps on the side field. You got to take those mental reps because there's just not enough to go around. When you get to this part of the season, the rep count even gets shrunk just because of the wear and tear of the guys. So, the life of a backup is a difficult position. But you got to be prepared because you're one play away.
Q: Baltimore (Ravens) has always been known for their defense. How surprising is it them last against the pass? What do you see in this defense?
MIKE KAFKA: This is a talented front, with a lot of really good coaches and good players. I think the pass numbers are misleading. Their offense is putting up a lot of points, so it's forcing their opponent to throw it on them just to stay in the game. So, this is a really good defense both on the run and the pass. So, we got to be able to go in there, play fast, execute and our guys are preparing to do that.
Q: (Baltimore Ravens safety) Kyle Hamilton, the way they use him, is it similar to the way (former Baltimore Ravens Defensive Coordinator) Mike Macdonald used him last year, when you look at them on film?
MIKE KAFKA: He's everywhere. He's all over the field. He plays safety, he plays nickel, he plays inside linebacker and he is a talented player. He can handle all that. He's a smart player out of Notre Dame. I remember watching him a couple years ago in that first round, as you're peeking at guys that are potentially going to be in that first round order both offensively and defensively. I know guys that liked him a lot and he was a good player.
Q: You said that the pass numbers for them are high because other teams are playing catch up. Are the run numbers low because other teams are not running as much?
MIKE KAFKA: I'd just say those numbers are just a little misleading. This is a talented defense that still gets a lot of production. They do it with a four-man rush, with a five-man rush. They do it with a six-man rush. They have cover zero. They have a bunch of different schemes and pressures they can get to. Their third down package can be extensive at times. We just got to be dialed into it and communicate. We're at home, so we'll have the opportunity to use cadence if we need to. But communication will always be at a premium.
Q: Your offense is at the bottom of the league in red zone turnovers. Why do you think that is? Does the play calling need to be more cautious in that situation, red zone situation? Why are they up in red zone where your turnover is the worst?
MIKE KAFKA: I think it goes back to the fundamentals of ball security. Whether it's in the fundamentals of the ball carrier or it's tipped passes or it's decision making. All of those things kind of account for turnovers. When you get into the red zone, especially, it's a condensed field so everything happens a little bit faster. The windows become tighter, the defense adds kind of a 12th man as the back end line. So, everything's condensed and we got to make sure we're precise with our ball placement, precise with our run blocking, our schemes and getting downhill and attacking. But we're trying to score. That's the thing, you try to score the ball and if it gets picked and doesn't go your way then that's how those turnovers happen. But, we got to be more disciplined down there and make sure that that doesn't happen.
Q: What did you see for (tight end) Daniel Bellinger? Obviously, a bigger opportunity and he became more of a factor, at least in the passing game.
MIKE KAFKA: Belly (Daniel Bellinger) is a guy we've leaned on here for the last couple years, so it was nothing new to us. (Daniel) Bellinger is always going to do a good job, no matter what his role is. Whether it's not getting a lot of touches, whether it's getting a lot of touches and being a part of the pass game, the run game. He's kind of a Swiss Army knife in that respect, where he can play a bunch of different positions.
Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen
Q: It looked like you had a little breakdown on that second touchdown with (Saints tight end Juwan) Johnson, could you explain?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, it was communication; we got to get to check. They went empty and caught us. We didn't get adjusted quick enough.
Q: What do you think when you hear that (Ravens quarterback) Lamar Jackson's mom wants him to run more?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I mean he's a special player. Played against him a lot in my time in Tennessee. It's always a headache throughout the week and even more so on Sunday. Special player, MVP candidate every single year. Continues to get better and better and better each year. Playing at a really high level right now. The legs are always in play, and that's the one thing. He can run it. He can hurt you with his legs, obviously. He's throwing the ball really well right now. So, the X plays are showing up in the run game and the pass game for them. And then just the ability to create, whether he's taking off with it and gaining yards or he's buying time in the backfield and letting those playmakers they have out there uncover and he finds ways to get the ball down the field.
Q: You had (Ravens running back) Derrick (Henry) in Tennessee. What stood out about him to you in your time there?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I mean I think the first thing is just the size. He's an outside linebacker playing running back. He's 250-plus pounds. Runs hard. It's going to be tough if you let him get downhill. Tough to bring down one-on-one. You've got to get hats to the ball. It's going to take more than one guy. Probably the best stiff-arm guy ever. He uses it as a weapon. Just in my time there, seeing some of the things he was able to do with the stiff arm gives me nightmares this week. But he's a special player and we've got to make sure we do a good job of hopefully keeping him bottled up. And the thing that's unique about him is if he has the crease and he's rolling, he takes it the distance. He makes your pay, and guys don't catch him and that's showing up this year as well.
Q: You've talked about your tackling a lot. What's the key for you this week when you face a guy like him regarding your tackling?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I think on the perimeter, you've got to understand that the stiff arm is probably coming. You've got to know what's what with that, especially the DBs, as he's out there in space and hopefully we can limit some of that space. Then from there, I think on the inside, you've got to get hats to the ball. He's going to fight for every yard. He's going to run through arm tackles. You've got to be able to put your body on him. You can't think you're going to be able to reach and not get off a block and stick an arm out there and bring him down. He's going to run right through that. So, we've got to do a great job shedding, getting off blocks and finding ways to get to the party.
Q: I understand that every coach is going to say, 'injuries are part of the game'. But do you almost feel like you're meeting guys and then saying, 'hey, go start for us' at this point?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I mean again, it's happened in my experience in the NFL. It happens every year. And we brought some guys in this week and brought a guy in last week that went out and played. So, I think everybody faces it. You kind of become, not accustomed to it, but you have a plan in place. And we got to do a good job as a coaching staff, making sure we get them up to speed and not overload them and give them the best chance to go out there on Sunday and play and show what they can do without having to think so much.
Q: So, to that degree, what do you think of the way the interior defensive line played last week? Because I think a lot of people thought they were going to get overwhelmed, and box score-wise, they did not.
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, they did a good job. I think the technique and fundamentals showed up. I think those guys did a great job attacking the line of scrimmage, playing with their hands, being vertical on the front side, creating some knockback where they couldn't really get downhill on us immediately. I mean, I thought across the board all 11 guys, they were flying around, showing up in the run game, tackling. (Cornerback) Tre Hawkins (III) obviously had a great- hate to lose him, but had a great game for us, showing up on the perimeter and tackling as well. So, I mean, I think it was a concerted effort, and I was proud of the way they played. Probably more play style, like we talked about a little bit last week, it's more play style than it is necessarily scheme and what we're asking them to do.
Q: How much of a loss is (safety) Tyler Nubin and the rookie season he had?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I mean he's one of our leaders back there. Him and (safety Jason Pinnock) J-Pin, they kind of run the show, especially with (inside linebacker) Bobby (Okereke) being out here these last few weeks. So, I mean, it's big, but again, with anybody, next guy up. We've got to be ready to go. The good thing for us is (safety Dane Belton) Dane has played, he's been involved, he's an experienced player. It's not like he's super raw and green and hasn't played snaps. So, I'm excited about his opportunities. Get him out there, go see what he can do, and we'll keep moving forward here.
Q: How about (inside linebacker) Micah McFadden last week. He had five TFLs. That's pretty impressive. What did you see from him?
SHANE BOWEN: I think it starts up front. Like I said, those guys were able to not let that guy get downhill, get started. There were a lot of perimeter things where you're making him bounce behind the line of scrimmage and he played fast. He was flying around. He's always been a fast player, but there was a speed element to his game last week, and hopefully we can continue to keep that going.
Q: What did you think of the communication element?
SHANE BOWEN: Good. I mean we had the one down low. There was another one where we kind of got caught, too, but for the most part, I thought he was solid with it. I didn't think it was glaring other than really the red zone one where we were a little late getting adjusted.
Q: In the old days, when you had a mobile quarterback, you used to have somebody shadow him. I mean, is that out now or is that something you can occasionally use?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I mean you can mix it in. Any time you're doing that, you're stealing somebody from somewhere, whether it's the coverage element, whether it's the rush element where you're only bringing three. You've got to kind of weigh the balances of what you're able to get out of it, how you're truly able to affect them. I think the biggest thing for us is just whoever we rush, having the awareness of who he is. If we give him vertical creases, if we're giving up quick edges, he's going to make you pay. So doing a good job, doing our best to be coordinated, making sure we're taking away those lanes. Because you've got them. Unless you blitz zero, there's going to be lanes. So, you've got to be able to cancel them out and hopefully overlap and do some different things and just make it muddy for him where it's not so inviting for him to take off and go.
Q: From what you've seen, do you see edge rushers kind of getting caught in between when they blitz Lamar?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I mean I would say anybody on the field, if you're going to one-on-one tackle with him, it's going to be hard. No matter what it is, and then you get a bigger body dude, an edge guy, a D-lineman, it's even harder just because of the athleticism, the nature of the beast skill set-wise. So, I think all those one-on-one tackles are hard, like no different than kind of what we talked about with Derrick. We've got to make sure we do a good job and get off blocks. Everybody's got to get to the party. We can't have solo tackles. We have to have assisted tackles this week. Solo tackles aren't going to do it. They're going to be hard to make on Lamar and Derrick. So that's part of it. And then the thing about him is you could be rushing, you could have a good rush, and then he's gone. He's somewhere. He's moving the pocket. He's manipulating the pocket. He's stepping up and he's moving backwards. So, he's got really good movement skills and feel for rushers inside the pocket, when he's able to escape, when he should escape, when he should slide left or right to create a little bit more time. So, it's a big challenge for those guys. We've got to be relentless. We've got to keep rushing. There's a lot of these plays that are probably 10-plus seconds that are getting extended. They end up being big plays where he's able just to elude and escape and find somebody down the field.
Q: Did you have a good reaction after Tre's interception?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I did. I was excited for him. You just got to keep the guys healthy after they get picks.
Special Teams Coordinator Michael Ghobrial
Q: Could you break down that blocked field goal. What happened and how did it develop?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah. Credit to New Orleans. They executed an interior jumper. Our guard stayed down. We got to be better in that situation. They did a nice job jumping, clearing it and then being able to get their hands up. We got to make sure that we hit a higher ball. We also got to make sure in that situation that we're rising up to make sure that we don't get those interior jumpers.
Q: Are you saying that you feel (kicker) Graham (Gano) should have elevated a little bit more on that ball?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: We're always trying to get good rise on the ball. So, there's a combination of errors. Those situations are starting to rise a little bit more with how people are attacking you from a field goal block standpoint. You're starting to get more guys that do that interior jumper in those got-to-have-it situations. You're also seeing guys chop. I'm not sure if you guys have seen that a little bit. But guys are trying to chop guys that try and stay down. So, obviously, you're being attacked a different way and it's our job to make sure that we don't let that happen.
Q: When (safety/linebacker) Isaiah (Simmons) blocked the kick in Seattle, it seemed like he jumped over everybody. Their guy seemed to put his hand on their shoulders and push down. Is that legal?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: We're not going to make excuses. Credit to New Orleans, they were able to execute that interior jumper. It's all things that are more prevalent in this league in those got-to-have-it situations. We just got to be ready to stop it.
Q: You guys obviously took advantage of it in Seattle and then it worked against you here. Are you against, long-term… It's kind of against the integrity of the game, 'Hey, let's just shove this guy to the ground.' If they decide to maybe address that as a rule, what would you think of that?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: It's a great question. In my mind, I've always lived in, 'What are the rules now and how can you take advantage of them.' I think that's what our game is. I don't know if you can necessarily always anticipate that this is going to change or not. We just got to do our best in terms of making sure we secure our job when those situations arise because they certainly could happen. They're part of the rules right now, so we're going to play into that and make sure that it doesn't happen to us again.
Q: So, what's the solution? When you talk to your, I guess the long-snapper was the one that got pushed down, what's the solution? How do you combat that with what the rule is now, then?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Respectfully, I don't want to get into that part of the scheme. But we do have our solutions. We've discussed it. We've cleaned it up. We got to make sure that we do it.
Q: What'd you see on the punt return touchdown wiped out?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: That's a tough one. Obviously, you see 11 guys do their job and try and do it at a high level and guys are straining. That play, for a punt return to go for a touchdown, that's a long time to be on the field. So, it requires everybody to be on point for a long time. I thought, obviously, (wide receiver) Ihmir (Smith-Marsette) did a good job in terms of catching and going and a lot of guys were in position to make their blocks. It was good to be able to see that production. We just got to tighten our technique a little bit to make sure that a holding penalty doesn't happen to where we can take advantage of our scoring opportunities.
Q: How do you feel like your units overall, I guess I'm talking about all four, have performed this season?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I think, collectively, our guys have progressively gotten better. We've seen some explosive plays by our units. I'm proud of the guys in terms of how they've fought and battled, regardless of situations or score differential. Any situation, our guys have showed up ready to play. That's a credit and attests to who they are as men. I think everybody is prideful for who they are as people and guys are continuing to battle. It's good to see some of this production come into play. For example, to see young guys like (defensive tackle) Casey Rogers get a blocked field goal, to get the second one on the season. I thought it was pretty cool. Then to see Ihmir (Smith-Marsette), when he was back there, executed in a special situation, understanding that ball's past the line of scrimmage so you don't want to necessarily touch it and pick it up. I thought he excelled in a special situation. So, you're seeing some high level performance by some guys. Then obviously, on kickoff return we've seen some explosive plays in the past few games. So, it's good to see our guys come into their own and continue to battle and make sure that they're trying to put their best foot forward.
Q: (Punter) Jamie (Gillan) had a couple of punts that bounced and seemed to take a right-hand turn. Is that something that he can do with the ball? Or is that a fluke?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: No. So, in those fringe situations on the field, there's certain ways you can hold the ball to encourage a ball to check back a certain direction. Now that's not an every time thing because there is the wind factor. There's the firmness of the turf. So, that all is something that he is consistently trying to do. I thought Jamie (Gillan) has done one heck of a job in terms of pinning people inside the 10, all season. That's a testament to all the guys on the field. It's cool to see Jamie's (Gillan) hard work come to life in those situations and create some backed up opportunities.
Q: What do you think when you see a kicker like (Baltimore Ravens kicker) Justin Tucker coming in here? A lot of people say, and the stats back it up, that he's the best kicker of all time and then go through the struggles that he has this year?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: A Hall of Famer that we have tremendous respect for. A guy that has kicked in this league so long, whatever type of season he views he's having, he's going to be able to understand what the fixes are and come out of that. They're coached up extremely well. By (Baltimore Ravens Special Teams Coordinator) Chris Horton and (Baltimore Ravens Head Coach) Harbs (John Harbaugh). I think Tuck (Justin Tucker) may not be ecstatic with the consistent production as of late, but he's a guy that's going to find a way to figure it out because he is a Hall of Famer, in my opinion. He's one of the best kickers to ever do it. He's kicked in all these stadiums. We got to make sure that, obviously, he feels us.
