COURTESY OF BALTIMORE RAVENS MEDIA RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
How exciting was it for you, especially when we know what the Ravens drafted in the first round [LB Patrick Queen] … How exciting is it to come in with another young linebacker and kind of grow up and develop together? (Jeff Zrebiec) “It’s very exciting. Patrick Queen is a great linebacker. He got picked up in the first round. Me and him together is probably the most dynamic duo in the linebacker corps.”
I know coming out of high school, you were a three-year starter at quarterback. What made you choose to go to Ohio State, and the fact that you guys had such studs at quarterback? And what made you decide to also go over to linebacker and the defensive side? (Kevin Richardson) “In high school, I just played quarterback just to be an athlete. In high school, I was just an athlete, and I was just playing any position I can just get on the field. [University of Cincinnati head coach] Coach [Luke] Fickell, he always had an eye for me since I first started playing quarterback. He always said, ‘You can be a great linebacker.’ So, I trusted what he said, and I went to Ohio State and stayed at home. One of the reasons why I really stayed home is because of my dad. He owns his own flooring business in Columbus. He has a lot of contracts in Columbus, so he wasn’t able to – if I go hours away – he wasn’t able to just be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to take this weekend off and go see my son’s game.’ So, he was able to go to work on Saturday and bring his clothes with him and change in the car. Then right after work, he was able to come to the games.”
I was watching some of your film last night, and I’m excited to ask you, actually, why do you think your ability in coverage has been so slept on? (Kyle Barber) “I really haven’t showed it a lot in the last two years, where I really haven’t showed my coverage ability. But, it’s there. I wasn’t really asked to do that at Ohio State. It’s there – I know I have some improvement to do with it, but it’s there. Once I get the proper technique and more reps, then I’m going to be great at it.”
You’re a different linebacker – 6-3, 247 [pounds] – in a smaller linebackers’ game. Who do you emulate yourself after? And can you keep up with the lighter ‘backers? (Kirk McEwen) “I definitely can. Just my ability, just me being this big and able to do the same things that the smaller ‘backers are doing, that’s a big plus for me. I can move; I can do everything that the smaller ‘backers [can do], plus be physical”
And who do you emulate yourself after? Who did you watch growing up? (Kirk McEwen) “I watched a couple of guys: Ray Lewis. I know I’m biased, while I was at Ohio State, I was watching [Miami Dolphins LBs] Jerome Baker and Raekwon McMillan, just because I was in the same room as them. I often looked up to them, because they’re the ones who paved the way for me.”
You were kind of known as a big hitter as a linebacker. Who is a guy that you’re really excited to kind of lay a shoulder into here in the NFL? (Matthew Stevens) “To be honest, everybody that we play. I don’t have anybody or a certain person I want to lay a hit on – just everybody that we play. We’re going to get that ‘dub’ [win].”
You talked about LB Patrick Queen earlier. Do you see your style as complementary to his – maybe you as the bigger, more powerful guy and him as the speed guy? Not that you’re not fast and he’s not strong. (Childs Walker) “Oh yeah, definitely. I feel like it’s like night and day. You get the best of both worlds with both me and Patrick [Queen]. He’s the lighter one, and I’m the heavy linebacker. So, it’s like a one-two punch.”
You were talking about LB Patrick Queen. Do you have a history with him? Did you cross paths kind of in the pre-draft process? And the other question: How much interaction did you have with the Ravens, and did you kind of feel that you could be a possible fit for them? (Jamison Hensley) “Me and Patrick [Queen], I met him, I believe it was at the Combine. We had a couple of conversations with each other. One of the guys that was with my agency went to LSU with him; it was Jacob Phillips. I met him through Jacob. We had a couple of conversations and conversations with the Ravens. I really didn’t think that the Ravens were going to pick me. We had a couple of conversations during the draft and during the Senior Bowl. It wasn’t really heavy on that they were going to be the ones to get me”
You’re coming to a team that, obviously, that has Super Bowl aspirations. You come from a program that is used to playing for championships. How much do you think that’s going to help your transition, because you’re coming to a team that’s not rebuilding and they’re looking to win, and if you play a lot, that’s going to be expected of you? (Cliff Brown) “It plays a big part. Coming from Ohio State, it’s a winning program. So, it’s just going to translate – the same mindset, the same thing I had at Ohio State. I’m just going to translate that over to the Ravens.”
How exciting is it to go to a team with RB J.K. Dobbins, your former Ohio State teammate? (Todd Karpovich) “It’s very exciting. Actually, me and J.K. [Dobbins], we were training down at Peak Performance together. Me and him, we’ve got a great relationship. We actually were talking about, ‘Hey, what if we got drafted by the same team?’ We were just thinking about the answer and things like that. I’m excited to be with my former Buckeye, and now we’re Ravens. We’re going to rise.”
How much do you think playing at a big-time program at Ohio State will help you in this transition when there might not be OTAs or rookie camp, all that stuff, and you might get a late start? (Ryan Mink) “Playing at Ohio State, you’ve always got to be ready. You never know when your name is going to be called. We called it ‘competitive excellence.. The guy behind you or just things like that, you’ve just got to be ready. The guy behind you has got to be just as good as a starter. Just being there just molded me a lot to be prepared for moments like this.”
